Game review: Tom Clancy's HAWX - iPhone / iPod Touch (From Sutton Guardian)

Game review: Tom Clancy's HAWX - iPhone / iPod Touch

2:37pm Thursday 17th December 2009

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Tom Clancy's HAWX is one of the most impressive all-action aerial combat games for iPhone and iPod Touch.

This release from Gameloft follows hot on the tail of the slick but stunted Ace Combat Xi from Namco.

I don’t usually like to pitch one game against a specific rival but with these two coming out so close to each other and both being very similar in concept it’s impossible not to make comparisons.

On the evidence of the first version of each game I have to conclude Gameloft’s title has the edge in this battle for domination of the skies.

In HAWX (which stands for High Altitude Warfare eXperimental squadron, in case you’re curious) the year is 2014 and the player takes on the role of former US Air Force pilot David Crenshaw.

It’s not the distant future but the world seems to be a very different place from today. It’s a world where private military companies are gaining power.

As Crenshaw you work for one of these organisations, Artemis, carrying out dangerous missions in the fight against global terrorism.

Your job is to provide air support to the elite Ghost Recon units on the ground.

HAWX features an extensive single player mode containing 13 missions, each with multiple objectives.

The game starts off with a tutorial level before you’re thrown into action taking out Mexican rebel forces on the US border.

After this the diverse mix of missions takes you to the Middle East and Brazil before the focus switches to defending America against a major attack.

There is plenty of intense airborne dogifghting to engage in but you will also undertake more complex and subtle tasks such as infiltrating enemy strongholds, bombing strategic locations and protecting ground forces.

Missions, which generally last about 10 to 20 minutes, are pretty challenging from the start. On the first proper level, the Mexican air raids, I needed numerous attempts before getting through it (probably more to do with my limited flying skills but I like to think it's because the game is tough).

Various helpful checkpoints make failures more bearable.

The game offers two options for controls – accelerometer or virtual joystick.

For the first option you tilt your iPhone/iPod forwards and backwards to pitch your plane up and down, and then tilt left and right for steering.

With the second option you perform the same actions by moving a stick on the touch screen with your finger.

Both methods require tapping buttons on the screen for toggling and firing weapons, changing which of the three camera angles to use and switching between targets.

The two control systems are easy to operate and both work well, but for me at least the touch option is preferable. I’ve found it much easier to pilot my plane using the stick. It just feels more intuitive. I’ve never really got to grips with any game yet which requires vertical as well as horizontal tilting.

The on-screen interface in HAWX is cleaner than in Ace Combat, but Namco’s game does have a couple of things in its favour.

For one it’s got an altimeter. In HAWX there have been numerous occasions when by the time I’ve realised I’m flying too low it’s been too late to correct it and I’ve crashed.

Ace Combat also has a useful artificial horizon type gadget which indicates when you are flying level. Some crashes in HAWX have happened when I’ve got disorientated by not knowing which way my plane was pointing.

A great job has been done on the graphics in HAWX. It looks really good.

Everything in the game – from the menus through to the aerial action – is very polished.

Other than some moments when the ground doesn’t quite seem to be in focus the 3D environments are superbly captured thanks to the use of satellite imagery. Real cities such as Rio, LA and Washington are all represented well in the game.

HAWX boasts an impressive array of 26 fighter jets, including F-14A Tomcat, Mirage 2000C, F-117 Nighthawk and Eurofighter Typhoon. All the 3D plane models look excellent both pre-flight and during.

Experience points are awarded at the end of missions which can be used to unlock new planes and upgrade weapons. There are six weapons in the game, including rockets, machine gun and missiles. For defence you have flares with which to repel incoming enemy missiles.

As well as looking good the planes also move very smoothly. Thanks to the responsive controls they are highly manoeuvrable.

Sound in the game is very good, with explosions and radio chatter livening up the atmosphere.

My one complaint about the flight experience would be the game never evokes a true supersonic sense of speed. The game works well with no noticeable performance issues, it’s just the flying feels a little too pedestrian at times. I’ve never got the feeling with it that I’m flying at hundreds of miles an hour.

Aside from single player missions HAWX offers multiplayer death matches too. It’s only local though, so if you want online multiplayer you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Arcade-style aerial combat games seem to be all the rage on the iPhone and iPod right now.

In addition to the hi-tech HAWX and Ace Combat there is also the Second World War-themed Skies of Glory among a pack of recently released titles vying for position.

There are certainly a good few to choose from if flight battles are your thing.

If you want one of the premium games in the genre which offers loads of content and planes contained within a high-quality package then you should climb inside the cockpit of Tom Clancy’s HAWX.

Verdict: 8 out of 10 – There is much to admire about HAWX, including its great production values and well put together aerial action. Soars higher than any other military flight game I've played so far on iPhone/iPod.

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