Tom Clancy's HAWX Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 21st April 2009

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Tom Clancy flies high!

Tom Clancy's HAWX Details:

	Simulation
	PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
	Ubisoft
	Ubisoft

12+

Out Now

1-4

Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy games are well known for being action packed shooters. But just recently the Tom Clancy brand seems to have been trying to entice a wider range of gamers to the franchise. First we had the voice controlled EndWar and now we have the jet powered, combat flight game HAWX. But does the game soar high or plummet to the ground?

HAWX is set in a near future which sees governments reducing the size of their armed forces and increasingly depending on support from private military companies. After your squadron in disbanded you are approached by one such PMC, Armetis Corporation who want you to fly for them in combat situations. At first all seems well as you go to the aid of terrorised states and earn good bonuses however, you soon discover that your employers only care about profits and stock prices and aren’t to bothered about which side they fight on to achieve it.

HAWX is very much an action orientated combat flight game, rather then a simulation. In fact it is so packed with action that at times you can feel a little overwhelmed as you have to take on wave of tanks, fighters and naval units whilst avoiding anti aircraft fire. All this going on at the same time can be a little overwhelming. This however isn’t a bad thing as it really adds to the challenge on offer in HAWX. If things do get a little too tough you can always instruct your wingmen to go on the attack or cover you which is a nice feature and often comes in useful.

Mission objectives are set out before the beginning of each mission, this allows you to choose a plane and weapons package that will be most effective against the enemy units that you are likely to encounter. As with most action games dynamic objectives are added once the mission starts and require you to react accordingly as the battle develops.

During your time soaring in the skies, you have to make use of two very different flying styles. The first is assisted which allows you to control your fighter from the cockpit or a third person perspective. Using the assisted mode allows you to fly with relative ease and without the worry of stalling your plane and so on. However, turning Assisted Mode off allows you to perform more daring combat manoeuvres, but there is always the possibility of stalling your planes engine. It’s a very good system that allows you to perform some daring combat moves. However if there is one major annoyance with it, is the camera which switches to a cinematic style view which can make it slightly difficult to control your plane.

HAWX features an extensive list of fighter planes for you to pilot, including the likes of the MIG 29 Fulcrum, F14 Tomcat and FA-18 Super Hornet to name but a few. Each mission has a recommended plane for you to use, although you are free to use any you have unlocked. If you don’t stray away from the recommended fighters then, the game also allows you to go for a quick test flight in a Free Fly mode to see how planes compare.

Visually the game looks brilliant, landscapes have been created using satellite images so you get to fly and engage in combat over real world locations. The developers have done an excellent job of recreating an intense combat zone. Missile jet streams and fire trails from the ground will litter the sky. Should you get hit, then you planes power supply will be interrupted and the screen reflects this by flickering and going fuzzy. It all adds to the chaos real life pilots must have to deal with during combat situations. Sadly not everything is well with the games presentation, mission briefings are simple overview screens with a characters face in a video feed in one corner. This wouldn’t be too bad if they showed some emotion, or movement. However, they simply appear to be near static, emotionless robots.

Sound wise the game is very good the sound track is very fitting helping to create the games tense atmosphere. Sound effects to have been implemented well, however the game like so many others is let down by the voice acting. It’s not terrible by a long shot, but simply the actors doing the necessary voice work seem to have tried to hard! Resulting in unrealistic speech which detracts from the games credibility!

Tom Clancy’s HAWX, while very different from other titles in the label is a very welcome addition offering an intense playing experience. Simulation boffins maybe disappointed by its simplicity. However this makes the game highly accessible and will provide action fans with the fix that they need to stay entertained.