Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. - game review

Set in the near future h.a.w.x. (high altitude warfare experimental) is an air combat game with plays more like an arcade game than a flight simulator . You play as an air force pilot that leaves the air force for a PMC (private military company) the aim of course to provide military services for organisations & countries all over the world. There are about 20 levels most of which are fun to play but where the game really shines is the map design - using global satellite images the developers have modelled every level from actual real locations so when you are flying over Washington it really is Washington that you are looking at.. However it does get a little blocky if you fly too low to the ground but it is a nice little feature. So it’s a flight game so there are a lot of planes to choose from including classic fighter jets to modern planes like the F22 Raptor & all of them handle fairly realistically. There are a ton of planes to unlock & you can use experience points to upgrade each of them with different weapons/bombs/missiles etc.. now this might sound like a good idea & at times it is but I have finished the game on normal already & have half the game completed on both hard & elite but I’m still only half way up the ranks so really the rewards system is just too hard & I think that will put people off playing. The game uses a new feature known as ERS (enhanced reality system) which when used provides a gateway on your screen that can either lead you out of harms way or right into a fire fight.. I used this only when the game made me use it because it does feel kind of like cheating so avoid it when you can because it will really take the fun out of the game for you.

The missions can be fun but very tough at times & most of them involve dog fights/bombing runs & close air support ..but at times this can be a little repetitive & just when you compete your objective you seem to always bump into one last batch of enemy jets & this does gather rather tiresome. I did like this game & it did have its moments but the story was lacking a little & its no where near as good as other Clancy titles like EndWar, its very challenging if you want to climb the ranks & upgrade your planes but the fact it’s a tough game sets it apart from all the others. I’m not going to recommend this to everyone but if you do want to experience it I’d suggest renting it first because its not going to appeal to everyone & its really one of those games you might just want to play through once. If you want to know anything else about the game then drop me a line here & I’ll get back to you when I can, in the meantime I’m giving h.a.w.x. a 7 out of 10.. It was fun to play & very challenging but it has its problems.