WARHAWK (PLAYSTATION 3 GAME)

'''Warhawk''' is a remake of a flight combat game of the same name; released as a launch title on the original PlayStation. The remake is multiplayer-only, with the ability to take control of planes, tanks, and jeeps. Though the game was initially to have both single-player and multiplayer modes, the single-player was scrapped because developers decided that it was vastly inferior to the game's mutiplayer component.^[2]'

Contents

Story

Details

Release

Gameplay

Maps

Vehicles

Turrets

Aircraft Weapons

Soldier Weapons

Ranks and Awards

Additional Content

Servers

Reception and Reviews

Problems

Notes and references

See Also

External links

Story

While there is no single-player campaign in ''Warhawk'', there is a basic plotline to the game. It surrounds the invasion of the ''Eucadian'' nation by the ''Chernovan'' forces, with the former battling to gain their territory back. The Chernovan soldier can be distinguished by wearing dark uniforms, while the Eucadian forces wear green outfits. Players have the options of battling for either side, although there is no real consequence of this.

Details

Though the game does not offer a single-player campaign, there is the option to play four way split-screen, whereby players can simply connect another controller to the console and jump into the game, world wide online playing with up to 32 players, and LAN with only one game disc (or downloaded file) needed. There are medals and rewards awarded for certain achievements, and the developers have also strongly hinted at the possibility that these rewards will come in the form of trophies displayed in the upcoming online service PlayStation Home. Players are also able to fully customize their characters with armor squad markings, Warhawk paint schemes, and other accessories to allow full personalization.
Warhawk is the first game released on the PlayStation Network that does not allow sharing with other consoles or user accounts.^[3]

Release

There was initial confusion as to how this game would be distributed to consumers, after the announcement that it would be a multiplayer-only title. Sony announced on May 16, 2007 that there will be two iterations of the game. The first will be the Basic edition available via the PlayStation Store, which features the game only for a price of USD 39.99 (BP £19.99, €29.99). The second is the Collector's Edition available on Blu-ray Disc, which features extra content such as behind-the-scenes developer interviews, concept art and trailers. In addition, the Collector's Edition also contains a free Jabra BT 125 Bluetooth headset, allowing players to chat to other players online. The Collector's Edition retails for USD 59.99 (BP £34.99).

Gameplay

The game takes advantage of the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS controller's motion sensing capabilities, allowing players to maneuver aircraft by tilting the controller in different directions rather than the more conventional methods of using the D-pad or analog sticks. However, the developers have stated that a more traditional control scheme is optional. The game engine features procedurally-generated water and waves, as well as volumetric clouds. Warhawk features at least 32-player online battles exclusively, with the ability to have 4 players use one PlayStation 3 in split-screen mode. Either player can seamlessly enter or exit the game while a match is in progress.^[4]

Maps

There are five maps on Warhawk. In a game you are able to choose which areas are open. 'Archipelago' is a groups of islands floating high in the air with a giant castle in the middle. The 'Badlands' is a desert canyon area with little civilization and a huge fortress. The 'Destroyed Capitol' map is at the top of skyscrapers in the ruins of the Eucadian capital from the Chernovan invasion. The 'Island Outpost' is a military outpost with bases on each end. It is wanted by both forces, and 'Eucadia' is a mountainous land with scattered villages.

Vehicles

There are three vehicles for each faction; a Warhawk/Nemesis aircraft, a jeep, and tank.
The 'Warhawk' is the plane for the Eucadian forces. While it has a regular flight mode that resembles a fighter jet it also has a hover mode that resembles a helicopter. The official site says that it is an artistic mix of Curtis P-40 Warhawk and the A-10 Warthog. The Chernovan plane is called the 'Nemesis'. Its design was a combination of the German Luftwaffe, Messerschmitt Me-262, and the Lockheed Martin F-35B.
An off-road jeep-like vehicle which can carry up to three soldiers; a driver, a passenger, and a gunner. Extremely fast with little protection, they have a mounted machine gun on the back. The jeeps of both sides are essentially the same, only with a different visual style.
The tanks are also very similar. The heavily-armored tanks can hold a driver/cannon operator, and a turret machine-gunner. Although one of the slowest vehicles, it can take repeated attacks and still operate.

Turrets

There are three different types of turrets. The 'Anti-Aircraft Turret' functions as a flak gun, intended to destroy warhawks. It has short burst of ammo and long reloading times. The 'Homing Missile Turret' has a good advantage with its lock-on function, but when firing makes your back side vulnerable to enemies. The 'Heavy Machine Gun Turret' is identical to the machine gun on the back of jeeps, but on a solid place. If you fire the machine gun too long it will overheat, making you wait for it to cool down before you can resume firing.

Aircraft Weapons

The 'Homing Missile' is exactly what it sounds like. It can lock on to aircraft or be dropped like an air-to-ground bomb. The 'Swarm Missiles' are multi-target and able to be targeted onto one target or many. The 'Cluster Munition' is an anti-ground bomb that when dropped splits into 25 little bombs. The 'Chaff Dispenser' is able to throw off any projectiles locked on to you. The 'Tow Missile' is a special missile that must be launched while in hover mode. When fired you can guide it to its target with a first-person view through the missile. The 'Aerial Mine' is a mine that floats in the air and will explode when hit by aircraft. The mine will not be set if you are to close to the ground. The 'Avionics Package' makes you invisible from sight, on the map, and locking on.

Soldier Weapons

The 'Service Pistol' is standard with all troops and has unlimited ammo. The 'Combat Blade' is also standard, but can only be used in close range attacks, it can, however, take a soldier out with just one hit. The 'Grenade' is used against troops and ground vehicles. The more accuracy upgrades you get, the more powerful your grenades become. The 'Binoculars' have two levels of magnifications and are used to request air-strikes. The 'Automatic Rifle' has a longer range than the pistol and has a faster rate of fire. The 'Portable Missile Launcher' is able to take out ground vehicles and aircraft with a lock on function. The 'Sniper Rifle' includes two scope magnifications and can also take a soldier out with one shot. The 'Flamethrower' is used against troops and vehicles. It's a good weapon for when being attacked at close range. 'Landmines' can be placed around key positions such as your teams flag.

Ranks and Awards

Warhawk features a ranking system based on your in-game points and awards earned. These points and awards are received for playing on ranked servers only. The higher your rank is, the more customization options you have for your character and planes.
Warhawk features a series of Medals, Badges and Ribbons that you earn by playing on ranked servers. Medals are the hardest to earn, taking the longest amount of time to get. Then come Badges the first level of which (Bandit) can be earned in a single game. While Ribbons are the easiest to earn, with multiple ribbons being able to be earned in a single game.
Warhawk keeps track of when you last received each medal, badge and ribbon, and for ribbons a count of how many times you have earned each one is also kept.

Additional Content

Additional downloadable content is planned. This is likely to include new maps, weapon upgrades, additional game modes and more character customization options. The developers have mentioned they plan on looking at feedback about what the players want in the game.

Servers

In August 2007, Sony Computer Entertainment America released news that PlayStation 3 consoles would be used as the dedicated servers for Warhawk. The photograph shows a server room with several PlayStation 3 consoles in racks. Each server is able to support 32 players.^[5]

Reception and Reviews

So far, the game has received very positive reviews with the exception of PSM who rated the game 6.5, describing it as "A third person shooter that never quite gets off the ground." ^[6].PSM3 gave the game a 9 out of 10, saying "It's a masterpiece of balance, of design, and the Jewel in Sony's online crown." ^[7] The reviewers at EDGE magazine gave Warhawk a 8 out of 10. 1UP has given Warhawk 8.5 out of 10 but said "It's just not ''quite'' $40 worth." which is refering to the price of the download version on the U.S PlayStation Store.^[8]. IGN reviewers rated the game 8.8/10 and gave it an IGN Editors' Choice Award, saying that it's "a AAA experience that is an adrenaline rush for online fans." ^[9] Game Informer reviewed Warhawk and awarded it with a score of 8.25/10, stating that it was "better than they'd hoped for".^[10]GamePro rated the game 4/5, stating that although Warhawk offers an intense online combat experience, being dropped immediately into the action leaves you "somewhat bewildered" and doesn't give you that "feeling of connection" to the game.^[11]GameTrailers gave Warhawk an 8.6/10 saying "It's simply fun, easy to compete, but challenging to shine."^[12]

1UP	8.5/10
EDGE	8/10
Game Informer	8.25/10
GamePro	4/5
GameSpot	8.5/10
GameSpy	4.5/5
GameTrailers	8.6/10
IGN	8.8/10
PSM	6.5/10
PSM3	90/100
Official UK PlayStation Magazine	9/10

Problems

Minor problems during the first days of Warhawk's release have been reported by some online players.

★ Delayed rankings and statistics, due to server inadequacy at launch.

★ Network problems.

★ Favorite server list does not work.
On September 5th and 7th two server patches were installed which resolved most of the issues in the game. According to a developer posting on the Official PlayStation Warhawk Forums, these two patches would fix every issue in the game including the Ranking and Statistic trackers.

Notes and references

1. Games Release Schedule 04/09/07[1]
2. Warhawk exclusively embraces online multiplayer[2]
3. Warhawk hits PSN, complete with unexpected caveat[3]
4. Warhawk Hands-on. Includes splitscreen.[4]
5. Warhawk server revealed - all PS3 based![5]
6. Warhawk gets 6.5/10 from PSM[6]
7. Warhawk gets 90 from PSM3[7]
8. 1UP Warhawk Review - On foot, on wheels, and on wings. Equally excellent in our review. [8]
9. IGN gives Warhawk 8.8/10 [9]
10. Game Infomer reviews Warhawk [10]
11. GamePro reviews Warhawk; score: 4/5 [11]
12. Video review of Warhawk from GameTrailers.[12]

See Also

Warhawk Strategy Guide

External links

★ "Warhawk Delayed Until Summer 2007"

★ Promotional video

★ Official Warhawk Site