This long-awaited, much-hyped arcade style flight simulator had a lot to live up to given the illustrious back catalogue of the Tom Clancy range. But, despite a few niggles here and there, its managed to achieve exactly what it set out to by providing an informal and light-hearted simulator packed with realistic targets and an arsenal of current and near-future aircraft and weaponry.<\/p>\n
It’s important to point out that H.A.W.X doesn’t provide the player with an atypical flight simulator experience. The focus of the game lies more in the attack and defiance of gravity than in vectors, altitudes and flight plans. Many PC-based flight simulators require a certain degree of training just to get in the air, in H.A.W.X the player is immediately dropped mid-flight into the thick of things which lends a distinct arcade feel to the game play.<\/p>\n
Although H.A.W.X offers very little in terms of storyline, the rankings and experience levels that players can unlock adds an almost RPG like element to the game. The higher your experience level the greater the variation of maps, aircraft and weapons packages you are able to access. This adds an extra ingredient to a game which, without it, would have simply been a monotonous shoot-em-down affair.<\/p>\n
The gameplay in H.A.W.X is relatively basic. Players have the option to choose between “campaign” mode and “versus” mode for Xbox Live. The campaign steers the player through the archetypal naval officer turns contract pilot turns terrorist and offers a varied number of challenges which range from sinking a super warship to evading enemy radar beacons. A healthy mix of both air, sea and ground units keeps the gameplay interesting while the variation in aircraft and weaponry offers the player something new to master every four or five missions.<\/p>\n
The mission objectives themselves range between protecting and escorting which see the player taking out strategic ground targets, clearing the sky of enemy bogeys and decimating ground targets with a mixture of freefall bombs and guided missiles.<\/p>\n
Versus mode is an exclusively online section of the game that allows players to go head to head with others over Xbox Live. Each player can choose between all the maps, weapons and aircraft that they have unlocked in campaign.<\/p>\n
The controls vary between “assistance on” and “assistance off” modes. “Assistance on” will find the player perched behind the aircraft in third person with the HUD monitors such as the cannon sights and missile tracking available for use. The only catch here is that the aerodynamic ability of the aircraft is governed by an onboard computer. Although this ensures that you don’t kill yourself in a stall or rip your plane apart it also hinders an aircraft’s manoeuvrability in dogfights, something that becomes essential in the later stages of play when players are dodging SAMs and guided missiles courtesy of rival pilots.<\/p>\n
The “assistance off” mode allows the pilot to make the sharp turns, ducks and dives that are required in a dogfight but also makes it incredibly difficult to take out targets due to the camera range. While using “assistance off” the player will no longer be able to pilot the aircraft from a third person angle, finding themselves stuck to a tracking view angle much like that in a typical replay. Although it offers an awesome arcade element to the game, “assistance off” is difficult to control and is therefore almost useless in time based missions.<\/p>\n
The ERS, or enhanced reality system, in “assistance off” offers the pilot an in-flight aid to the nearest enemy planes, incoming missiles as well as an intercept and dodge function which guides the player on the most convenient path to take down an enemy or escape a missile lock.<\/p>\n
The graphics in H.A.W.X are pretty amazing. Real world satellite imagery was used to build each city that the missions take place over and it shows. Each building and tree is rendered in a unique and detailed manner, which will often find the player just skimming the top of the ground surface in order to appreciate it. The attention paid to height and gradient in terms of mountainous areas and cityscapes is especially pleasing. If a tank is nuzzled between two tightly packed hills or buildings the pilot has to alter their course in order to actually strike the target. Often the player has to adopt a more aerial or angular approach rather than simply loose off a missile and expect it to reach its destination.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately the attention paid to the water surfaces is paltry compared to that on land. The surface is a static, monochrome layer that offers very little reality or variation to the maps.<\/p>\n
Sadly the audio is laughable. From the gruff and surly voice of your commander to the sonic boom of your jet as you break the sound barrier it’s all a little typical and boring. The in-game sound effects are more akin to something you would find in a mid-nineties air adventure than a highly anticipated AAA title.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day H.A.W.X doesn’t take itself too seriously and that’s a good thing. Many will find it the kind of game that gets picked up and put down periodically according to your mood rather than an all engrossing title such as Bioshock or Fallout 3. In truth it’s refreshing. All too often gamers are sucked into a void until they’ve completed a title, HAWX’s strength lies in the fact that it’s exactly the opposite.<\/p>\n