The Mess Hall

http://www.ps3blog.eu.com/news/hands-on-hawx/



Today we were lucky enough to visit Ubisoft for a hands on with the latest game in the Tom Clancy series, H.A.W.X. Below are our impressions of the game so far and without spoiling the article too much, it has to be said that we were quite impressed with what we saw.

The game was a ‘near-final build’ according to the developers and it showed, feeling really polished as you would expect from a game so far into development. Usually flight games aren’t this reporters sort of thing but this one is very pleasing both to play and to the eye. The controls are easy to pick up, with afterburner and airbrakes on the shoulder buttons, the left stick controlling the aircraft, the right controlling the camera. The cross button performs missile firing while the circle button handles the main gun, both square and triangle are used for maneuvering. The way you perform flight actions in the game is very satisfying, for both intercepting another aircraft, out running missiles and getting a vertical dive on a ground unit for a good hit you hold the corresponding button (which helpfully is often displayed on screen) and follow a set of waypoints or ‘gates’ on your hud, following these gates will ensure you head in the right direction, but if you miss too many the action won’t work. The visuals use a blend of real satellite photography with 3D models, rolling hills, tall sky scrapers and beautiful looking water. The thing that made me look twice was the draw distance, you can literally see the curvature of the Earth (not that you can go that far out of the combat area but still it is impressive). The ground does look a bit smeared when you get close, but since this is normally followed by you forming an aircraft pancake is doesn’t really matter.

The weapons are also very good, since this game is set in the future they are very fun and powerful to wield: from simple rockets, to a weapon that can fire 4 rockets at four different targets, to cluster bombs and cannons there really is a nice variety. The weapons form load outs which you choose at the start of every mission, it will recommend the best pick, but it’s up to you to ignore that if you wish.

There are also a large amount of aircraft to choose from, with unlockable aircraft along the way. To begin with you start with nine different planes, and they are not all fighters, there are a couple of bombers and aircraft specialising in ground combat each with their own stats.

Another great feature in this game, is holding triangle when a missile comes at you, switches the camera to external view allowing you to dodge that missile at the very last minute. Missiles, aircraft, ground units and other targets are clearly displayed on the radar and via an icon around your screen including colours indicating the status of the unit, so for example, a friendly bomber lit orange means it is under attack. Now this game really isn’t easy, we played the same level that the demo will contain and after failing to defeat the ‘Aces’ (really good enemy targets) time after time, we asked one of the Ubisoft guys to show us how it’s done, after 5 tries he also gave in, so this game is certainly going to give you a challenge.

Multiplayer is handled very well also, not only does it allow friends to jump in and out of your solo campaign but there is also a fully fledged lobby and match making system allowing for the standard modes of play you would expect. However you can also launch objective based missions both with your friends against NPC’s and against another team online.

The game has a great campaign and although Ubisoft wouldn’t comment on the length, it is clear there is a lot there. Another great touch here are the ‘challenges’ where throughout the game you can attempt to match the objectives, and who knows, maybe you’ll unlock some special items…?

Overall H.A.W.X seems to be a very well thought out and challenging game, there is definitely a gap in the market for a game of this type and from what Ive seen this could fill it in quite nicely.

Below is a list of the trophies which can be obtained during the game.

PLATINUM

Validated aspirations
Acquire all the Bronze, Silver and Gold trophies.

GOLD

Extreme challenge
Complete all the campaign missions on Elite difficulty.

Evasion ace
Dodge 10 Radar-Guided missiles without using flares in multiplayer matches.

SILVER

Afterburner
Fly faster than Mach 2 for 1 hour in campaign.

General of the Airforce
Become “General of the Airforce” (level 40).

The hard way
Complete all the campaign missions on Hard difficulty.

Veteran
Win 25 Team Deathmatch games.

Sitting ducks
Kill 2 enemies with Multi Target AA missiles while they are affected by your EMP strike.

Point blank shot
Hit a target that’s closer than 3000m with a Radar Guided missile in multiplayer.

Test pilot
Play Team Deathmatch games using 30 different planes.

Risky stuff
Recover from stall at an altitude of 30 meters or lower in Team Deathmatch.

BRONZE

Operation Ghost Rider
Finish the 1st mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite difficulty setting.

Team player
Complete a mission on coop mode.

Operation Adder
Unlock and finish the 2nd mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Cobalt
Unlock and finish the 3rd mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Blacklight
Unlock and finish the 4th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

OFF certification
Unlock and finish the 5th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Glass Hammer
Unlock and finish the 6th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Backfire
Unlock and finish the 7th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Ulysses
Unlock and finish the 8th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Stiletto
Unlock and finish the 9th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Red Eagle
Unlock and finish the 10th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Torchlight
Unlock and finish the 11th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Iron Arrow
Unlock and finish the 12th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Backhand
Unlock and finish the 14th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Thunderbolt
Unlock and finish the 15th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Wildhorse
Unlock and finish the 16th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Javelin
Unlock and finish the 17th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Operation Twilight
Unlock and finish the 18th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite.

Practice makes perfect
Spend 1 hour flying in Assistance OFF mode.

Campaign Complete: Normal
Complete all the campaign missions on Normal difficulty.

TDM rookie
Win a Team Deathmatch game.

Support ace
Call in every support element at least once.

Cannon ace
Destroy 50 enemies with the cannon in multiplayer matches.

Joint Strike missile ace
Score 135 kills with Joint Strike missiles in multiplayer matches.

Multi Target AA missile ace
Score 100 kills with Multi Target AA missiles in multiplayer matches.

Radar-Guided missile ace
Score 75 kills with Radar Guided missiles in multiplayer matches.

All Aspect missile ace
Score 75 kills with All Aspect missiles in multiplayer matches.

Deflector ace
Deflect 150 missiles from friendly planes.

Wing ace pilot
Remain the Team Ace for a total time of 20 minutes.

Wing leader
Be the Match Leader for a total time of 20 minutes.

Versatile pilot
Obtain an end-match award 20 times.

Christine
Kill 100 opponents using the same plane in multiplayer matches.

Gladiator
Participate in 100 Team Deathmatch games.

Not safe enough
Kill an enemy with a missile while being jammed in a multiplayer match.

Ambush!
Score a cannon kill while having Radar Suppression active in a multiplayer match.

Medic
Repair 90 hp by using a single Repair Drone support.

Unimpressed
Score a kill with the Cannon while the enemy has Missile Suppression active.

Avoidance ace
Dodge a total of 100 missiles without using flares in multiplayer matches.

Counter support ace
Complete all counter support challenges.

Predator
Score 5 kills on an enemy Team Ace using Radar Guided missiles.

I'm so looking forward to this. Hope it doesn't dissapoint...

I love Ace Combat, but it can fuck off and whore itself to Microsoft all it wants when this comes out. And I bet HAWX isn't full of soppy melodramatic character based meanderings either...

HAWX countdown timer.

[hawx][/hawx]

haha Daz has found a new toy.

absolutely.
Had to make this one bigger, or the image just looses it's impact.

Wow, only 10 days until HAWX? Best get a fkin demo out then...

Although I'll be busy with KZ2 for a while.

I've always been a fan of flight sims/air combat games ever since playing them on windows 98. i shall definitely give this game a look in. Nice preview.

I'll see what the demo is like. The videos are impressive but if it plays like F29 Retaliator then I'll be sticking to my fps for now thank you very much.

OK, so I played the demo last night. It's basically Ace Combat, but there's some annoying things about it. Before I list my complaints, I should point out I liked it enough to play through a few times (with KZ2 in the drive). Enough to get to level 3 and unlock the SU-27 any way. Then I played a couple of co-op games with YorkshirePud.

Ok, so what's wrong with it IMO? First and most importantly the targetting selection sucks nuts when you are trying to choose targets via triangle. The game is reluctant to choose the target you are pointing at, and it down right refuses to choose a local target you're not pointing at over something miles away that it deems an important mission objective. For example, in the only mission worth playing you'll be fighting some planes. All is well, until some boats spawn in. Then the game refuses to let you target a plane and only offers boats which are miles away. So then you have to fly miles with enemy planes pecking at you because you can't clean them up before moving on.

Secondly, I HATE the external camera thingy. If the game allows me to do that cool hand brake turn thing while still in cockpit view, all well and good, but I couldn't see how. And if the only way I can do that move (which will be crucial in dogfights) is to use the external camera, that's a potential deal breaker for me.

Thirdly, the only view with those horizontal lines on the HUD that show roll and pitch is the nose camera. Those HUD lines are essential to me, otherwise, unless you can see the ground, the game is totally disorientating. Now I can cope with playing in that view, apart from one thing... Holding triangle to view your current target doesn't work as well in that view as it does others. It only has about a 30 degree elevation window, which is fuck all use when you're using it to gauge when to dive on tanks hiding in building clusters.

And lastly, the co-op lacks polish on either end. Pre-game the host just starts the mission and you load in when you're ready, rather than the game waiting for all players to be ready then starting you all off at the beginning. Post-game there are no stats or comparison between players. No showing who got the most XP or kills, or best accuracy or anything. Just dumps you back to the front end (although you are both still in the same room).

So all in all, it's a proficient flight game, with a few annoying gripes that may or may not cause me to consider a purchase carefully.

maybe it's a rental, just to be certain.

played the demo and i can't say im to impressed
I will get this game, once it goes to about bargain £20 price lol.

I don't think its worth £37.

Demo,

Not enough seen to cast judgment. Controls are ok. Views are a bit iffy. (demo wasn't in cockpit mode long enough to have an opinion)
More arcadey than simmy but thats not a bad thing.
Agree with Sy, if its a £20 bargain bucket job then count me in. Otherwise - someone throw me a copy?
:grin