I feel that having preset titans makes for a more depthful titan combat experience. It takes more strategy to win. In tf1 it was just point and click bullet spongey BS. Don't get me wrong I love both of them, but in tf2 I have to actually research the strength and weaknesses of each titan and create a game plan for each one. Again I repeat I LOVE TF1, there's a certain magic that tf1 had that tf2 just doesn't have, nevertheless I think titan combat in tf2 is better. If you just really hate it that much then the solution may be to just get good....... PS: I don't think respawn sold out titan combat they just made it harder to play as a titan. Titan combat is now more depthful and takes strategy. Before it was a slower version of a pilot with misiles sometimes. Now Titan combat is COMPLETELY different, a vast change from pilot combat.
Well, it is all a matter of opinion. What you call more depth, I would call more restrictive. I'm glad you played and loved TF1 as well, so you will know what I am describing. To me, TF1 was like fighting in Titans while on the highway, where to me TF2 feels like you are boxed in fighting in Titans stuck in a parking lot. The thing that made TF1 my absolute favorite video game of all time is that I felt like I could truly express myself whether as a pilot or in my Titan. This video is exactly how it feels in Legion, but for me this is how I feel in pretty much every TF2 Titan compared to my Stryder in TF1. That's not more depth. That's not a vehicle I want to read the manual or watch videos to learn how to drive better. That's a vehicle not even worth driving. Why anyone would even want to operate one of these TF2 Titans when you can have this speed is beyond me. Give me this guy and I lay Ronin and his attitude on his little butt where he belongs:
Oh sweet Jesus.... Play the campaign, and you will see where phase shift comes into the Titanfall world. If you don't know how to use it effectively then just don't. I highly recommend Stim for majority of loadouts. Phase shift is awesome, and it has it's place, if it were unrealistic so too would all the other abilities, Titans, weapons, and pretty much everything else. Woof.