Review: Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. (360)
Following the set pattern of all Tom Clancy games, H.A.W.X is very military focused with you and your two wingmen flying missions for the US Air Force, Navy and a Private Military Contractor called Artemis. It isn’t long before the plot twists happen and you find yourself fighting to stop an attack on US soil, just like your typical Clancy game then. Unlike others though it does reference other games in the universe with your squadron having to help escort the Ghost Recon team, something you’ll be doing over and over and over again.
It can be considered not just a fault with this game, but also the vast majority of games in the genre. When your only gameplay focus is flying then the developers are going to have to come up with interesting and diverse missions, something that Ubisoft fail to do. Almost every level of the eighteen included are escort missions. Whether it’s a team of Ghosts on the ground, a building or even Air Force One they all follow the same pattern of flying around and stopping all enemy forces from getting inside the attack perimeter. It’s not that they’re not enjoyable or well balanced, it’s that when you’re doing it for the tenth time it starts to grate. In fact, the best missions are the ones where you’re just left on your own shooting anything that moves. Unfortunately these are few and far between.
At least helping quell the pain are your two wingmen who unlike most computer controlled characters actually do a lot to help you. During one mission I fired two missiles with both missing their target, I quickly ordered my buddies to attack the target before it destroyed what I was protecting and with seconds to spare they actually did it. Cue a huge sigh of relief and some Top Gun style whooping.
The flight controls are something that have certainly split the community, especially after trying the demo. There are two modes of flight - Assistance On and Off. When it’s in On mode it controls and looks like your standard flight game. Very simple directional controls and easier for you to go from point A to B. Double tapping one of the trigger buttons takes you into Assistance Off mode. This is what can cause people to get confused. Personally we loved it. It takes the camera further away, almost making it seem like you’re in a movie, and takes away some of the instruments blocking your view. You also get far better control over your plane, you’re able to do quick u turns and it’s far easier to shoot down enemy planes. Actually it’s pretty much essential in shooting them down, otherwise you’ll be struggling to keep up. It can be quite jarring at first, but once you lean the controls it does become second nature. Just don’t go expecting to pick it up straight away, practice makes perfect, and handily you’re given a tutorial to help ease you into it.
Presentation wise the beginning of level cut sequences look pretty and almost identical to the stuff seen in Endwar - video footage showing what’s happening around the world - disappointingly it doesn’t look as nice in mid flight. The plane models are good enough and so does the ground; when you get high enough of course. Get close and you’ll see the lack of detail in the buildings and surrounding areas. The size of the plane also seems a bit off. You pretty much eclipse buildings, making it seem like you’re a giant, something we found quite jarring. Still, it doesn’t quite stop the “oh my god, I just missed that by centimetres” feeling you’ll get. Stall your plane (something which happens when you break too much) sends you into a downward spiral. Coming out of that just as you’re about to hit the city below is an awesome feeling that almost makes us forget the somewhat ropey visuals.
Along with the single player (which comes in three difficulties) you have the online multiplayer. Disappointingly the only mode on offer is Team Deathmatch. It works well, there’s no lag and there’s a good variety of stages to fly around (though this really doesn’t make much of a difference). It’s also a good way of increasing your rank, unlocking new weaponry as you progress.
It may take a while to click, but once it does H.A.W.X is certainly an entertaining ride. It may not have the variety required for multiple playthroughs, it will however entertain you through to the conclusion.
Rating: 7 / 10
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