Warhawk (PS3)
This online only game was hyped up for a long time before its release. Was a game with no offline mode going to be as much fun as other war games that have both offline and online modes though, and what has pizza got to do with it?
Gameplay: 82%
This new online shooter was in a class of its own, as without an offline
story based mode it needed to impress people as a purely online game.
There
are four games modes. Deathmatch is your typical free for all battle, either
on foot, ground vehicle, or in the air. Team Deathmatch is the same thing,
but with teams. Capture the Flag is simular to other games, where the team
with the flag has to defend it from the team who hasn’t got it. Finally
there is the Zones mode, which is about territory control. There are various
flag posts around the maps, and your team has to capture these areas. The
more areas you hold, the more points your team scores.
When you first play the game there isn’t really much telling you what to do, or teaching about the many different controls, so my first real point is to criticize the lack of information. A tutorial would have been nice.
Overall the gameplay is a bit too hard in my opinion, as it’s a bit too hard to stay alive! Although you have various weapons, transport vehicles, tanks and Warhawk jets available to you, it almost seems like wherever you are, you’re dead. If you’re not in a vehicle, you are too exposed and quickly dead, while even if you are in a vehicle things aren’t much better. In fact, you’re pretty much a sitting duck wherever you are and whatever you’re in.
It’s not all negative though. The split screen ability when a few of you are playing on one machine is something PS3 fan’s had been waiting for. Warhawk provides the ability for a four player split screen set-up which makes it great fun.
Overall, I was disappointed that for a purely online game there are only four game modes as some other shooters have more online modes AND have deep offline play.
Graphics: 95%
The graphics are seriously good, especially when flying, as everything on
the ground looks very detailed. Landmarks look realistic, while the
equipment and explosions are very detailed and look great. No complaints
with the graphics, apart from the fact there are not enough maps in the
basic game (you can buy a map pack with additional maps, but this is a bit
cheeky I think given that you’ve already paid to get the game).
Sound:
75%
The action sounds are good, but nothing special, while there isn’t really
much music in the game. The vehicles and guns sound realistic, and none of
the sounds are annoying, but I’ve heard better sound effects in other games.
Online: Yes, online only.
Value: 65%
The game is pretty good, but not good enough to keep you playing it for too
long. If you like the sound of Warhawk though, consider picking it up second
hand or wait for a good deal rather than pay the full price.
Conclusion:
The game was okay, but the lack of an offline story mode was
disappointing. This game is great, however, if you have a night in with your
friends. Four of you playing together via the split screen setup, a pizza
and some drinks, and it’s great fun. Unless this sounds like you every night
though, then there are better games out there.
Overall Score: 79%