Tom Clancy's HAWX
| Tom Clancy's HAWX | |||
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| Studio |
 Ubisoft Romania
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| Publisher |
 Ubisoft
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Xbox 360 March 3, 2009 March 6, 2009 April 23, 2009 PlayStation 3 March 3, 2009 March 6, 2009 May 28, 2009 Windows March 17, 2009 March 19, 2009 July 17, 2009 iOS December 9, 2009 PlayBook January 8 2010 Palm Pre April 2, 2010 Android September 13, 2010 Symbian January 16, 2011   |
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| platform | Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Apple iOS , bada , Android , Symbian | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player (19 missions), multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard & mouse , joystick , gamepad | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | DVD-ROM | ||
| language | English, German, French, Spanish | ||
| Age rating |
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Tom Clancy's HAWX ( H igh A ltitude W arfare E x perimental Squadron ) is an air combat computer game from Ubisoft . It takes place in the near future in a world increasingly dominated by private military corporations. In the first press release from Ubisoft, it was advertised under the working title Tom Clancy's Air Combat . In 2010 a successor was released with Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 .
HAWX
Gameplay
General
HAWX offers two different game modes that can be switched between in the game: the Assistance-On and Assistance-Off mode [Assistance = Engl. Assistant]. In the Assistance-On mode, flight aids are active, which prevent the aircraft from getting into unstable flight positions and thus crashing. However, the assistance-on mode prevents many spectacular maneuvers . The flight aids are switched off in the assistance-off mode, while the view changes to a target-tracking perspective.
The assistance-off mode can be divided into two variants: the normal and the expert mode. These differ in how tax inputs are implemented. In normal mode, the position of the input device determines the flight direction, while in expert mode, the flight attitude is controlled. For example, if you move the joystick to the left, the aircraft tilts 90 degrees around the longitudinal axis to the left in normal mode and then pulls your nose up to fly a curve. In expert mode, the same steering movement would cause a permanent rotation around the longitudinal axis. To fly the same curve as in normal mode, you would have to pull the joystick towards you yourself in the corresponding position. The assistance-off mode is particularly helpful in aerial combat.
The game has an Enhanced Reality System (ERS), which offers radar, missile intrusion detection or an anti-crash system. The ERS also contains a flight control system , for example to bring the aircraft into an optimal attack position for covert ground targets. All of these skills can be turned off to make the game more engaging and give the player better maneuverability. The player can switch between cockpit view, first person and third person view .
Multiplayer
Unlike in most comparable games, HAWX allows the entire campaign to be played in multiplayer mode. So up to four players can complete a mission at the same time. They are free to concentrate on specific areas of responsibility or to appear as a group. The players can discuss their approach at any time using voice chat .
There is also the possibility of simple player-versus-player games. Here up to eight players compete against each other. Kills are also rewarded in multiplayer mode with experience points, which unlock additional planes and armaments.
Enhanced Reality System
The ERS, or "Enhanced Reality System", allows the player to fly a precise, computer-generated route, for example to get exactly behind the aircraft being pursued, to approach ground targets at the right angle or to avoid pursuit missiles. The ERS is designed as a kind of tunnel through which the player has to fly. If the pilot leaves this tunnel prematurely, the system collapses after a short time, but can be restarted immediately. In some missions the ERS is even essential, for example to find a safe route within a highly secured flight space without being shot down immediately. With some difficult opponents, the ERS cannot be established, which increases the level of difficulty.
Further allows HAWX the command input through a microphone .
control
HAWX can be controlled via all common input devices , but an optimal gaming experience can only be achieved with a joystick or gamepad .
action
In HAWX , the player takes control of a former US Air Force pilot who has now been recruited by the PMC "Artemis Global Security" (Artemis for short). The player flies with his two computer-controlled wingmen missions, among others, over Los Angeles , Chicago and Washington, DC Initially, the player takes on simple missions, which include, for example, the protection of ground troops or the rapid deactivation of interceptors or bombers . However, when the player protects a US Navy cruiser association that operates in the Strait of Magellan (see mission description of the Ulysses mission), a huge armada of Artemis' troops emerges from the fog and calls on the US Navy to surrender. Artemis is thereby violating the Geneva Convention , which states that only members of the UN are allowed to sign companies like Artemis. Artemis now works for Las Trinidad and attacks the USA without warning , whereby the player and his two wingmen decide to fight on the side of the Air Force again. Later on, the player can barely prevent an attack on Air Force One and the NASA facility at Cape Canaveral . At the end of the game, the PMCs will be put to an end. In the epilogue mission, the player eliminates the heads of Artemis Global Security convicted as war criminals in an air raid.
Planes
The following planes appear in the game:
Tom Clancy's HAWX 2
| Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 | |||
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| Studio |
Ubisoft Romania
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| Publisher |
Ubisoft
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Xbox 360 September 2, 2010 PlayStation 3 September 9, 2010 PC , Wii November 11, 2010 |
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| platform | Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Wii | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard & mouse , joystick , gamepad | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | DVD-ROM , Blu-ray Disc | ||
| language | English, German, French, Spanish | ||
| Current version | 1.01 (PC) | ||
| copy protection | Ubisoft Game Launcher ( DRM ) Ubisoft account required. permanent internet connection required. |
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| Age rating |
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| information | Only the Wii version is released in Germany from the age of 12. | ||
At E3 2010, Ubisoft announced the successor with a trailer . Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 is available for Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Windows and the Wii . The game was released for Xbox 360 on September 3, 2010, the PS 3 followed a week later on September 9, 2010. The Wii and Windows versions were available in stores on November 11, 2010.
Gameplay
Like the first season of HAWX , HAWX 2 does not offer any flight simulation. However, the missions have been designed to be more varied. It starts with the fact that you can take off and land yourself in some missions. A new play element is aerial refueling ; In the first part, the aircraft's fuel played no role. As already known from other Ubisoft games, there is a browser game that unlocks items in the main game. Three downloadable items add planes, missions and additional paintwork to the game. Availability varies by system.
Reviews
The trade press gave the sequel a mediocre rating. Eurogamer Deutschland Limited awarded six out of ten points. The editors criticized the technology, mission design and story, which, in contrast to its predecessor, was more of a step backwards. The tester Martin Woger remarked: “You have to leave it to the developers of HAWX 2. To circling over enemy territory at night with a Hercules AC 130 and to provide escort for a car escaping through enemy fire, you first have to trim to boring. Not everyone can do that. ” 4Players magazine gave the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 a 78 percent rating. The graphics, the varied mission design and the simple controls were named as positive. The testers found the boring story, the OFF mode, an opaque experience system and too many remote control missions negative.
Ubisoft called their game an underperformer. So it sold worse than originally expected.
Individual evidence
- ↑ HAWX 2: Patch 1.01 available. Accessed July 1, 2017 .
- ↑ eurogamer.de Test HAWX 2 on Eurogamer , accessed on January 17, 2011.
- ↑ 4Players.de Test HAWX 2 on 4Players , accessed on January 17, 2011.
- ↑ Julian Dasgupta: More sales, more losses. 4players.de, November 15, 2010, accessed on May 3, 2013 .
Web links
- Official website
- Tom Clancy's HAWX at MobyGames (English)