Warhawk! Huh, good god ya'll.

Warhawk's appeal was something so foreign to me before. It'd come up to me, start speaking Warhawkian and I didn't have a clue what was going on. The thing was, plenty of others got right into it, laughing and nodding while it yammered on and on.

I've owned Warhawk for quite some time now, but I just couldn't get into it. I gave it a shot, but the problem was that with no in-game tutorial, I was at a loss. Now, lets make it clear that I always read a game's manual. Which is a terrible idea most of the time, considering that as soon as I boot up the game, it starts off teaching me how to play it. So even though I read through Warhawk's little guide, I felt at a loss as soon as I started marching around. The biggest problem is the variety of control schemes. Each mode of transportation offers its own setup, which turns my brain to mush. While the game does supply little prompts like telling you to press Square to ascend a ladder, I've already been blown to bits by the time I finally get my shot to give it the ol' college try. Plus, reading an on-screen message while bullets buzz past your face isn't the easiest thing to do in the world.

So yeah, the pleasures of Warhawk was something I had missed out on for quite some time. But everything changed last Wednesday when the latest update saw release. Not only did it tack on extra modes of play (which to me was like adding another stomach to a cow), but it also brought along tutorial missions.

And since then I've slipped further and further into madness. Warhawk is incredibly fun, and will definetly be sapping a lot of my time.

What impresses me most is how well conceived everything is. I'm surprised by how successfully balanced it all appears to me, when a game like Battlefield is constantly patched and updated. With so many vehicles and ways to attack, it's about as open for exploitation as a fighter. And yes, I never feel like someone has the upper hand. Even the title's namesake, the Warhawk, is susceptible to the simple soldier, all it takes is some skill and patience.

So, since I was so enamoured with the game, I naturally sought out its expansion packs, which have proven to be money well spent. Very well spent. Each one significantly alters the game, which is more than you can say for the standard map pack. You can really tell that Insomniac wants each pack to truly improve the game. This is especially evident because when a vehicle has been introduced to the game, all previous maps are altered and updated to take advantage of this new found content.

The most recent of updates added the jetpack, which is more fun than a jet pack in real life. Face it, a real life jet pack brings a lot of real world repercussions. But in Warhawk, it just brings awesome. Before, the knowledge of incoming missiles would leave the player crestfallen. Now that you can bail out, your worries turn to sunshine and candy. Hell, even the griefers have one less way to annoy the piss out of you! I played a map that didn't support the update, and players stowed aboard a tank or jeep were at the mercy of the "coolest guy in the world" as he picked them up and dropped them off at sea. Best of all, this counted as a suicide, so scratch a point off your score, loser. Now though, this manoeuvre is impossible, as I can get out and jet pack my way to safety.

Thanks to Warhawk, I'm more prepared for future warfare than ever before.

Comments

[Brian "sQuiz" Belida]

It's mega true- the more and more Warhawk I play, the more and more I enjoy it. It's really about finding your niche / style of play, and just working at it.

I haven't quite nailed the Warhawk maneuvers that are so necessary in order to avoid the 4000 missile locks you get the second you take off. As such I'm definitely more of a ground troop, jeep and tank guy. Nothing like being the driver, or manning the machine gun turret as you escort your passenger with 4 cores to score the big whopper 10 points.

Oh and sniping, I love me some sniping.