Game reviews: Warhawk – Issue 66

If your idea of rewarding virtual violence is shouting at a large television with three of your mates while relentless battlefield carnage ensues on-screen, then buy this game. It’s that simple.

Warhawk is arguably the most intense, multi-faceted multiplayer shooter available on a console today. In this sequel to the PlayStation 1 hit, Incognito Entertainment has chosen to do without a single-player mode to deliver the maximum possible multiplayer experience. It’s definitely paid off. Up to 32 players battle in huge environments using an impressive arsenal of weapons and vehicles – most significantly the aircraft of the game’s title. The Warhawk can either function as a blisteringly fast dogfighter or as a damn nasty means of providing support to ground troops.

But jumping in a plane does not make you invincible, and this highlights Incognito’s great achievement in terms of playability: there is no single all-powerful weapon, meaning there’s always a good chance of becoming pink mist unless you stay sharp. This results in the need for genuine tactics and teamwork, as opposed to mindless button mashing.

Warhawk was designed as an ambassador title for the Sixaxis controller, but most players seem to opt for conventional joysticks as motion control just doesn’t seem to cut it when in a ground vehicle. Other minor whinges are the somewhat cartoony look of the game and the sluggish jeep driving physics, but really, who gives a damn? This is the first title I’ve found that truly takes playability into the next generation.

JUSTIN REDDING

PLATFORM: PS3
PLAYERS: 2-32
RATING: M
GENRE: Third-person multiplayer shooter
OVERALL SCORE: 4.5/5