A staffer at Shacknews reports his in-depth impressions of the PS3’s upcoming multiplayer fall title Warhawk.
Despite the game’s title, and the obvious appeal of hover-capable aircraft central to gameplay, the warhawks have definitive counters and limitations. Players can also command other machines, such as jeeps and turrets, and can move on foot armed with mines, sniper rifles and flamethrowers.
Despite the reputation of flight-centric console games as heavily arcade-ish, Warhawk features several piloting modes offering players varying degrees of control helpful in evading other planes and dodging missiles:
“The default scheme assigns tricks, such as barrel rolls and inside loops, to the right analog stick, which helps in the evasion of missiles and other attacks. Pro controls instead allows players complete control over the plane’s pitch and roll with the right stick, allowing for far more advanced, but possibly nausea-inducing, maneuvers. Lastly, the motion control option permits players to pilot their planes by tilting the PlayStation 3’s motion-sensitive controller, freeing up the left analog stick for more precise aiming.”
The game features several modes, including pure aerial dogfighting and team-dependant base capturing called Zones, on maps of varying sizes, up to and including support for 32 players.
The staffer also mentioned some minor foibles in the beta, including a lack of an on-screen graphic indicating when voice coms are in use and some missing search options when hunting for servers.
In addition to the retail release this fall, the title is also expected to be sold through Sony’s PlayStation Network.
