Hands on with Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

GamePro takes to the skies in this exclusive preview of the latest installation in the Tom Clancy franchise!

There are few franchises as prestigious and well known as the Tom Clancy series. In the armed forces author's universe of military espionage and raw action we've been treated with CIA spies, futuristic warfare and even intense team-based firefights through Sin City itself. The latest title in the highly celebrated series takes gamers to the skies in Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., an intense new combat flight simulator from developer Ubisoft Romania of Blazing Angels fame. GamePro was recently invited for a test run of the new airborne IP, and allow me to say that we didn't walk away disappointed.

Set in the year 2012, somewhere in between Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and EndWar, H.A.W.X. follows the exploits of an elite United States air force unit: the High Altitude Warfare eXperimental Squadron, or H.A.W.X. for short. When a catastrophic shake up between civilians and PMCs breaks out in South America, the US sends in the H.A.W.X. unit to restore peace to the war torn nation, and so begins the latest installation in the Tom Clancy franchise.

Hands on with Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

I didn't quite know what to expect when I first sat down to play H.A.W.X. I mean, outside of arcade shooters such as Gradius and 1942, I wouldn't call myself much of a pilot. I was pleasantly surprised with how user-friendly H.A.W.X. turned out to be, with instantly accessible controls that allow even the least experienced dog-fighters complete control over their aircraft at all times. Not even ten minutes into my first play-through, I found myself purposefully stalling my plane so I could nose-dive, level out and kick on the after-burners, all the while dancing around enemy missiles with ease. Yeah, I think it's safe to say that ten minutes into the game, I was pretty much sold.

One of the first things gamers are bound to notice about H.A.W.X is it's unconventional, yet extremely easy to pick up controls. The "near future" time period of the game is pushed to its limits, featuring an on-board Enhanced Reality System (or ERS) that offers you computer calculated routes on your HUD, mapping out routes for players to intercept bogeys or evade enemy fire at their leisure. The ERS assistance mode can also be switched off at any time, offering the player a unique third-person view of their aircraft. This view is incredibly helpful for spotting ground targets, navigating the skies and one of the coolest aspects of H.A.W.X: drifting. When a pilot brakes into a turn their jet enters into a drift, allowing you to turn your aircraft on a dime to easily out-maneuver enemies. While drifting may seem like an odd addition to a flight combat sim, the technique comes in extremely handy when you're faced with heat-seeking missiles hot on your tail, and can really turn the tide of battle in your favor as the skies fill with enemy fire and vicious bogeys hellbent on shooting you down.

Hands on with Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

H.A.W.X features a single player campaign that spans 19 missions, each focused on intense objective-based gameplay. One of the most interesting aspects of H.A.W.X is that each mission is completely compatible with the game's jump in/jump out co-op, allowing up to eight players to take to the skies at once. We were lucky enough to witness the first showings of missions taking place in the skies of Washington DC as we escorted Air Force One to safety, not to mention an intense battle sequence in Chicago, where we fell victim to a radar jamming station before a barrage of airborne PMCs flew in to ambush our unit. With players able to join or leave a mission at any time, the multiplayer gameplay is incredibly seamless and truly compliments the team aspect that the title focuses on, really pushing you and the other H.A.W.X to work as a tightly knit unit.

Working with an in-depth experience system, pilot earn a certain amount of XP with each destroyed target or completed objective. Experience points can be exchanged for brand new planes, weapons, and even color schemes for your jets - and with over 60 authentic aircrafts at your disposal (including one special prototype straight from EndWar) the customization features are incredibly impressive.

An official demo for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. is scheduled to hit the Playstation Network as well as Xbox LIVE in early to mid February, featuring two unique missions and three exceptional aircrafts for gamers to test-drive.

Hands on with Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

Comments [16]

post a comment

Gixman

Cool. Febuary will be a good month for new released games and Demos. I'm looking forward to trying out H.A.W.X As well as resident evil 5 demos. plus there's Street Fighter 4 and FEAR 2 coming out both of which I'll buy.

wutisupmon

I've been waiting for a game like this for a loonnnggg time. Lock On was too complicated, Ace Combat too arcade-like. I hope this is what I think it is.

donkeykong57

Hmm... I wasn't looking forward to this game but I think I am now. I'll be sure to get the demo as soon as its available.

WildChild126

I will definitely be checking out this demo. I always thought the game looked good but I've haven't really gotten in to the whole fighter jet thing since Ace Combat on PS1. I hope u can play the multiplayer in the demo because my brothers and I spend a lot of time playing over Live together and we're always looking for something new and different to try. This looks it might fit the bill.

Post a Comment