I absolutely loved Warhawk. In the days when brag worthy PS3 exclusives were few and far between Warhawk had been my saving grace. So, obviously, I wanted more. But rather than simply expand Warhawk, like Lightbox/Incognito had already done several times, to drag the action into orbit they instead decided to isolate the core DNA of what made their highly successful Warhawk so enjoyable and transcript it into something new. The result: Starhawk.
While still retaining the basic principle of Warhawk, a third person shooter where you can either jet around the map or plough through it in a tank, there are some bold mutations in the works. Namely a new and unheard of strategy element called ‘Build n’ Battle.’ While on foot and running around spraying your enemies you have the choice to call up a menu and select from a variety of constructions which will promptly fall right out of the sky and assemble at you chosen location. Neat huh? So say if you were in urgent need of extra fire power. Your allies have already commandeered the closest turrets. You’re in a hurry and not the patient sort, so you call down a turret of your and eh presto! Within seconds you’re totting off rounds like its nobody’s business.
While it initially sounded like a soldier’s wet dream turned reality, the power to hail ornaments at the drop of the hat given you have the credit to pay up, it wasn’t until I played the beta that I truly understood what this meant for the game. A third person shooter with tactical real time strategy elements! Perhaps the PC veterans would scoff at the thought, but I’ve never before in all my days enjoyed anything of the sort on consoles.
The beauty is you don’t have to be some dastardly, monocle sporting, tactical genius to get into it. It does exactly as it says on the tin and the results speak for themselves in seconds. Giving everyone the chance to make a mark on the battlefield and make it their own. The game is still a shooter at it’s core, and never strays too far from the formula that made it so fun to begin with. Killing people lets you build more, and building more lets you kill more people. A simple equation that keeps the focus on fun instead of nervously rationing your credit in case you would need it later.
Another departure from Warhawk is the inclusion of a single player campaign, something originally scripted to appear in Warhawk but eventually cut from the first game. Taking place in the frontier badlands the player takes control of one Emmett Graves, a scarred for life former mining foreman trying to earn his way as a rifter. The plot focuses on a conflict with an army of mutated miners called the Outcasts over rift energy, your only source of a solid pay check. With the assistance of his engineer, Graves takes the fight to the Outcasts as he tries to gather as much rift energy as possible and get some personal payback along the way…
Along with the build n’ battle gameplay there comes another twist in the tale; Hawks, Starhawk’s answer to the Nemesis & Warhawk’s of latter installments. Hawks, much like the previously mentioned aircraft, are land to air combat mechs; capable of re-enacting the thrilling dog fights of olden days against the golden skies of combat or switching, in Michael Bay fashion, to a bipedal setting and running amok through an enemies base.
The game comes complete with multiplayer, but of course, and all our favourite bells and whistles from Warhawk are to be carefully relocated to their new homes in Starhawk. With the beta already showcasing the difference a few upgraded and additional game mechanics can make to a classic set-up. Starhawk’s online is everything that Warhawk was and couldn’t be, with more weapons and options than ever before that are certain to appeal to returning aces as well as an entire new audience. It never once feels like a real time strategic shooter, but rather an awesome third person action title with a lot of toys to play with. One of the most memorable being the best use of respawn I have seen in a long time, orbital drop for the win!
But if competitive multiplayer isn’t your phone then don’t panic! Starhawk has got you covered with a co-operative horde mode where two to four players can band together to repel the Outcast legions and build a better world together, or get painfully torn apart. Either way works for us. I’m also pleased to inform you that the controls have been given an overhaul, inspired instead by the more popular shooters of today in order to make it much more accessible to a wider market. But yet again, if that doesn’t suit your fancy, then you can easily revert back to classic Warhawk commands by accessing the control set up from the menu where you will also be able to customise your character to suit your personal taste.
Clan support will also be revamped, offering more control to their commanders and more options from the main menu such as easy tournament arrangements. Making it more accessible to many and more enjoyable to all as you take to the skies as a proud army of comrades, or randomly assembled team of skilled individuals. I’m not going to fool you into thinking everyone will get along.
Presentation wise Starhawk isn’t going to turn heads, but that never really mattered. Warhawk’s presentation was always supposed to be more quirky than impressive. Yet while it may have gone along a more realistic and gritty approach, Starhawk looks set to follow in it’s footsteps and looks great for what it does; offering more variety and choice than any action title on the market.
So what the hell are you waiting for? Find a calender, pronto like, and set a reminder for May 8th and I’ll see you in the skies soldier!
P.S: Anyone caught nicking my Hawks is screwed…I mean it.
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