Originally Reviewed On: 9/10/2007

 

Listen up soldier, this is a war zone. We do not know what the hell we are fighting for, but there are guys out there with a different color call sign and by god we are going to kill them. Thankfully, this is going to be a great time because a huge variety of weapons and vehicles litter this beautifully blasted landscape. So quit your gawking, grab a weapon and get to killing, because they are coming for all of us.

 

Warhawk by Incognito for the PLAYSTATION 3 is based on the PlayStation 1 launch title has made its to the next gen with a major overhaul that includes primarily the fact that it is a multiplayer only title. Though based on a war between the Eucadians and the Chernovans no effort is spent on explaining what the fighting is about. Much like its predecessors such as Code Name: Eagle and the much more popular Battlefield titles, Warhawk offers ground, vehicle, turret and air combat all in the smoothest transitions.

 

Warhawk's wonderful production quality is immediately noticeable when the game loads and you are impacted with a sweeping orchestral score. While it is a touch cliché in its militaristic sound it fights the mood and gives you a feeling of being a hero. You will not be hearing the music constantly during gameplay, but anywhere it shows up you can appreciate it.

Other audio treats are available for you as well with a wide range of well developed sound effects. Beginning with basic bullet whirs and thuds the sound is competent and only improves as you move into the various vehicles such as the squeak of the metal in a tank and motors of a turret working to move to and fro. Of course the sound in a Warhawk zooming through the air gives a feeling of speed while flying and a sensation of fear when its shadow buzzes overhead.

 

Warhawk provides some truly massive and gorgeous maps. The environments are unique and beautiful not only on foot, but also from far overhead where the scale can truly be witnessed. Each of these environments is set up with an amazing amount of detail with peaks for snipers, rock formations for barnstorming, and blasted cities that provide great urban combat. Do not feel put off by the small number of maps, five to be exact, because they have such attention put into them that they will rarely feel played out.

Vehicles are an artistic mixed bag. The iconic Warhawks are just that, they are seemingly inspired by the greatest of World War II fighter planes but with enough unique qualities to be their own inventions. Ground vehicles though seem like left overs from any generic war game, only the Chernovan tank has any feel of originality here. All of the pieces do fit the environment and nothing seems awkward or out of place.

 

Warhawk shows great sensibility in control scheme and functionality. This is one of the games most shining qualities as the gameplay takes full advantage of being a console only title and never trying to ape computer controls. Beginning with foot soldier the controls are smooth and all the buttons are used to their fullest. Along with running, jumping, and crouching, soldier can pull themselves up on to things in the environment, and on foot can allow for out maneuvering less than stellar drivers. Weapons for the soldier include most standard offerings like assault rifle and snipers rifle, but also expand to items like binoculars that call in an artillery strike at the designated area. Most weapons in Warhawk do have aim assist, but it only adds to keeping the action fast and fierce.

Moving to the various vehicles opens up the option for SIXAXIS motion controls. Unfortunately it is all or nothing, because while the Warhawk feels great with motion controls allowing for very accurate aiming, the jeep and tank feel a bit wonky when steered with motion sensitivity. Since the motion control is not forced and traditional analog control is allowed this in no way hurts the game. Whether using motion control or standard, the Warhawk has a unique control scheme in using the right stick as a “stunt stick”, which means hitting the right stick allows for tight loops, and incredible spins for dodging the barrage of heat-seeking missiles that will be heading right for you.

 

Now an online only game lives or dies on its hosting, and due to flaws in server selecting Warhawk is on life support right now. Now do not get me wrong, as I have put many hours into this game and NEVER experienced lag and for the scale of the game this is an amazing credit to the team at Incognito.

 

Unfortunately getting into a game is where a miracle seems at times required. Regardless of what is reported on the server screen as the current number of players in a given game you will more often than not attempt to join the game only to have it tell you the game is full. Be ready to spend a few minutes each time you want to play just trying to get in. Please note though that when Warhawk was released the online system was constantly losing the ranks that players had acquired and this has already been resolved, so you can have some faith that the team is working on the server issue as well.

Another multiplayer feature that adds to Warhawk is an ability to go split screen on the fly. Simply have a friend hit start and they will immediately drop into the game without stopping your play, and this can go up to four players on one PLAYSTATION 3. The official servers themselves though do not allow for split screen games, relegating this great functionality to the whims of user based servers. This official servers are the only ones that can host ranked games, leaving this as the reasoning to exclude this particular bit of game functionality.

 

On final question might be download vs. physical purchase. The download for Warhawk runs $39.99, while the in store option goes for the standard $59.99 but includes a decent Bluetooth headset (the Jabra BT125). Other than a collectors need for a physical copy, the headset is the only reason I see for purchasing the physical copy.

For a game that had every negative rumor imaginable assault it, and daring to go multiplayer only when other console attempts at the same had failed Incognito shows no one should have doubted. They have delivered a game that the more you play, the more you want to play. You will get many more hours out of Warhawk than you can imagine. So put down Resistance: Fall of Man there is finally something else to play on the PLAYSTATION 3.