If you are a daily reader, you may have noticed I haven’t written much in the last few days.  Yes, I have been shirking my responsibilities like a hyperactive schoolboy, and I should be ashamed.  The problem is I’m not.  You see, I’ve been playing Warhawk, and it’s a lot of fun.

Warhawk is a game similar to the Battlefield series.  There are hand-held weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and ground-based weapons turrets for the player to utilize.  It’s strictly a multiplayer game; there is no single player mode, so unless you have a friend to play split screen with, or have your PS3 connected to the Internet, don’t bother with this game.

If you aren’t in the know, Warhawk is also the long anticipated first-party title for the PlayStation 3.  I would argue it’s the first title that really makes the PS3 worth the money.  Yes, it’s a Blu-ray player, and yes, Motorstorm was pretty damn cool, but neither of those are platform movers.  I think if Sony had sunk a little more into marketing this game, their platform sales would be increasing right now, because the game is that good.

Graphics: 95%
The graphics are excellent; maybe not the best I’ve ever seen, but they are close.  Sony had the advantage of first-hand knowledge of their new hardware, and it shows.  Clean lines, amazingly detailed textures, and vibrant, yet not overbearing colors are prevalent throughout the game.

The effects in the game are amazing.  Deploying aircraft chaff, using a flame thrower, or launching a TV-guided missile are all ocular delights which no PS3 owner should miss.

As with most games, I do have one gripe: the font is just too small.  Yes, I only have a 34” widescreen HDTV, but I should be able to easily read things like the round timer without squinting.  I do appreciate the fact that the heads-up display is not invasive, and allows ample room for the amazing visuals, but Sony certainly could have afforded a few more pixels to make the info more readable.

Sound: 90%
The sound: well, the sound is very good.  Warhawk has good sound effects, and I like them.  I really do.  There’s even a fitting soundtrack, and sometimes it even seems to start playing to heighten the suspense.  But it didn’t blow me away as the rest of the game did.

It seemed as though there should have been an option in-game to determine where the voice chat audio should be played (i.e. through your speakers or through a Bluetooth headset).  Unless I’m missing something, I had to do this in the PS3’s voice chat system.

Gameplay: 95%
This is the area where you are either with me or against me.  The other stuff is simply the facts: audio and visuals are great in this game.  But now down to the nitty-gritty.

If you are a Microsoft purist, you may find Warhawk somewhat familiar, and you may even fault it for that.  In my opinion, the airborne gameplay in Warhawk is homage to Crimson Skies for the Xbox.  The gameplay in the air is very similar, as is the overall above ground experience (aircraft have that alternate history kind of feel to them), but it’s not the same.  The addition of a number of weapons, VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) ability, and the way the aircraft responds, really show you how Sony has made this idea their own.

But the game takes place on the ground as well.  Jeeps with mounted machine guns, tanks, stationary guns, and SAM (surface-to-air missile) bunkers are everywhere.  They are all easy to command and add numerous aspects to the game that were never present in Crimson Skies.

There are a number of gameplay modes, deathmatch, capture the flag, and zones.  “Zones” is my favorite as it mirrors the Battlefield games.  Player must capture control points throughout the map to win the game.

There is also a stats system within the game, with ranks that can be achieved through points garnering.  The problem is, only some servers are “ranked” servers, and the slots are sparse.  You can host your own ranked server with your PS3, but then you cannot play.  Sony does not allow gamers to play from a ranked server: it must be a dedicated server.  You can host and play from the same PS3, but then you cannot choose to be a “ranked” server.  I understand their thinking, but then I also think Sony need to add more of their own dedicated ranked servers.

Controls: 95%
The game also supports the Sixaxis controller, but is disabled by default.  I am still learning to use it well, and in heated battles have been known to revert to using the sticks, but it does add a whole new level of immersion to the game.

The controls can be awkward at first, as they can be with any gamepad.  Every button is utilized, and I found myself using my middle finger for L2 and R2 (decrease throttle/brake/decrease altitude and increase throttle/accelerator/increase altitude) so that I free my index fingers for L1 and R1 (fire and alternate-fire).

Misc: 85%

Lack of vehicle variety: that’s the problem with Warhawk.  The vehicles are very well balanced, particularly the aircraft as they are identically fortified.  Each fighter jet begins with the same armament, and has the ability to collect all the same weapons as the enemy’s jet.  Each jeep has a mounted machine gun, and each tank has a turret.  But that’s the problem.  There is one type of jeep and tank, with no variance.  Each team has their own jet, but again, they are identical in performance and armament.

Balance can be achieved even when all things are not equal.  Many other games have achieved this, but it seems Sony ran from it.  There just isn’t enough variety in this area of the game, and it needs to be fixed.

There is also a character creator that looks as though it has the ability to customize one’s character, the options are mostly locked.  As it stands, you can vary skin tone/color and alter an insignia that appear on vehicles and uniforms.  These are usually used for clans, but can be used by anyone.

I have high hopes that Sony will remedy both the lack of customization and lack of variety problem with downloadable content, but only time will tell.

Summary: 92%
Even with its minor flaws, the game is excellent.  Lone and I have even started our own clan (which the game supports): The GGC (Generation Gamerz Clan).  If you are interested in joining, drop me a line.  There is more than enough game for anyone; if you own a PS3, buy it now.  If not, maybe its time to start saving pennies.

One person has commented on this article.

 1. Untitled
CigDangle, Super Administrator

A quick update.
If you bought a copy of Warhawk that included the free Bluetooth headset, be forewarned.
I had a bit of trouble getting it connected to my PS3 until I held the button 2-3 times longer than the manual suggested for each of the functions.

 Posted 2007-09-04 23:03:05

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