Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Romania Ubisoft Kyiv (PC) Gameloft (Android, iOS & webOS)
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Designer(s)	Thomas Simon
Composer(s)	Tom Salta
Version	1.02 (May 6, 2009)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android, iOS, webOS, Symbian^3, Java ME
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 NA March 3, 2009 Microsoft Windows NA March 17, 2009 iOS NA December 9, 2009
Genre(s)	Combat flight simulator
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: A ESRB: T OFLC: PG PEGI: 12+ Apple: 9+
Media/distribution	Blu-ray Disc, DVD-DL, Digital Download - Steam
System requirements See Development

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X is an arcade flight video game developed by Ubisoft Romania and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Android, webOS, and iOS. It was released in United States on March 6, 2009. The Wii version was announced, but it has been canceled. In September 2010 a sequel titled Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2 was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Microsoft Windows and the Wii versions were released in November 2010.

The story of the game takes place during the time of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. H.A.W.X is set in the near future where private military companies have essentially replaced government-run military in many countries. The player is placed in the shoes of David Crenshaw — an ex-military elite pilot who was recruited by one of these corporations to work for them as one of their pilots, fighting whomever and whenever he is told to. Crenshaw later returns to the US Air Force together with his team, trying to prevent a full scale terrorist attack on the United States which was initiated by this military company.

A demo of the game for the Xbox 360 was released on February 11, 2009, PlayStation 3 on February 27, 2009 and Microsoft Windows on March 2, 2009. H.A.W.X received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

The fundamental gameplay mechanics are similar to those of other console-based flight series, including Ace Combat.

Players take on enemies with over 50 aircraft available. Each mission is at real world locations in environments created with commercial satellite data. A cockpit, first person, and third person view are selectable. The third person view gives the player an external view of both their plane and the target,.

The game features an Enhanced Reality System (ERS), which is used as a set of training wheels for players. The ERS includes radars, incoming missile detection, an anti-crash system, damage control system, tactical map, information relay, aircraft interception trajectories and weapons trajectory control. ERS also allows players to issue orders to their squadron and other units. When fully activated, ERS provides a great deal of assistance to the player. The ERS features can be turned off selectively to make the game more difficult and give the player more maneuverability.

The Ace Edge flight stick and throttle control, designed for the limited edition Ace Combat 6 package, is fully compatible with the game on both Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360.

Multiplayer

Players are able to complete campaign missions in co-op mode. There is a deathmatch mode where players can challenge each other. Winning players are rewarded with experience points to unlock more weapons. The planes that are available in multiplayer mode are determined by the level the player is currently on.

Background

Set above the skies of a near-future world, increasingly dependent on private military companies with elite mercenaries who have a relaxed view on the law. As these non-governmental organizations gain power, global conflict erupts with one powerful PMC attacking the United States.

The game is set in the same universe as Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter; as Captain Scott Mitchell, the Ghost leader, is featured in a few of the missions. Plot elements are carried over from other Tom Clancy games such as the missile defense system found in Tom Clancy's EndWar. G4's interview with H.A.W.X's lead designer Thomas Simon reveals that the game takes place in between Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Tom Clancy's EndWar.

Plot

The player assumes the role of David Crenshaw, a U.S. Air Force pilot and the squadron leader of an elite unit called H.A.W.X ("High Altitude Warfare Xperimental squadron"). The game begin in 2012 with Crenshaw providing air support for the Ghost Recon team carrying out covert operations in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. After the mission, the Air Force deactivates the H.A.W.X program and Crenshaw is recruited into Artemis Global Security, a private military company (PMC).

Over the next six years, Crenshaw and his squadron fly missions for Artemis and its clients, such as defending valuable facilities and attacking insurgent bases. In 2021, Artemis signs a lucrative defense contract with Brazil that makes it one of the most powerful PMCs in the world. As expected, Las Trinidad, an alliance of anti-US South American states, launches an invasion on Rio de Janeiro. But with the help of Crenshaw and his squadron, Artemis and the Brazilian military are able to repel the invasion.

In the wake of the conflict, the United States sends its forces to intervene, thereby subverting Artemis' role in the conflict and pushing the company towards financial difficulties as its stocks drop. In response, Artemis takes up a profitable contract with Las Trinidad and launches a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy in the Magellan Strait. Unwilling to turn on their own country, Crenshaw and his squadron destroy the Artemis forces in the area.

After the battle of the Magellan Strait, the United States sends Crenshaw and a group of B-52s on a retaliatory mission to bomb the Artemis HQ in the Caribbean. The PMC however, knocks out the U.S. communications and intelligence satellites and launches a massive preemptive attack on the United States soil, capturing numerous American cities and military facilities. H.A.W.X and the U.S forces defend Washington, DC and the President of the United States. Crenshaw and his squadron then assist the American counterattack against Artemis in Chicago and Naval Station Norfolk.

As the United States begins gaining the upper hand with the help of Japan and NATO, Artemis, which has stolen some of the United States' nuclear weapons, issues an ultimatum: Surrender in 24 hours or watch the United States destroyed. H.A.W.X and the Ghost Recon team manage to restore the SLAMS anti-missile defense shield. (see: Tom Clancy's EndWar).

Although the U.S. captures the Artemis launch facility, Artemis smuggles one nuclear warhead into Los Angeles and prepares to detonate it the U.S. AWACS plane, Citadel, locates it. With seconds to spare, Crenshaw destroys the nuke.

In the epilogue which takes place several weeks later, it is revealed that Artemis has been completely destroyed, although DeWinter and other Artemis executives have managed to escape. The conflict between the United States and Artemis, despite lasting less than 72 hours, has caused over 40,000 civilian and military deaths all across the United States, prompting the United Nations to begin a crackdown on all PMCs. PMCs are forced to either take on small scale support and logistical roles or be terminated. Meanwhile, Crenshaw kills DeWinter and destroys his hideout in a black operation.

Development

Official system requirements

Minimum Recommended Microsoft Windows Operating system Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1 CPU Intel Pentium 4 2 GHz or AMD Athlon 2000+ processor Intel Core Duo 6320 or AMD Athlon X2 4000+ Memory 1 GB (2 GB for Vista) 2 GB Hard drive space 7 GB of free space Graphics hardware DirectX 9.0c compliant card with 128 MB RAM DirectX 9.0c compliant card with 512 MB RAM Sound hardware DirectX 9.0 compatible card DirectX 9.0 or 10 Network Internet connection required for activation

H.A.W.X was officially announced on July 15, 2008 at the annual E3 2008 developers conference. Prior to this, Ubisoft issued a press release about the game under its working title Tom Clancy's Air Combat. Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X uses a new high resolution image program. H.A.W.X uses GeoEye's commercial Earth-imaging IKONOS satellite system. The H.A.W.X development team worked closely with GeoEye so that satellite images could be used in the game's nineteen-level environment. "High-resolution satellite imaging is moving from the black world of intelligence to the white world of commerce, and Tom Clancy's HAWX will bring that reality to gamers," said GeoEye VP, Mark Brender. However, flying your craft in-game at low altitudes makes you visually aware that the GeoEye imagery is not perfect, with ground textures becoming very pixelated: what would appear to be buildings being nothing more than flat squares on the floor, and what would sometimes appear to be water being nothing more than a blue-colored texture.

Reception

Reviews
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	74%
Metacritic	72%
Review scores
Publication	Score
Eurogamer	6/10
Game Informer	8.75/10
GameSpot	7.5/10
IGN	6.7/10 (Xbox 360) 6.8/10 (PS3)
Official Xbox Magazine	8.5/10
TeamXbox	8.4/10
X-Play

H.A.W.X has received average reviews and has been both praised and criticized. While the satellite mapping has been largely praised as it increases authenticity, it has also been criticized as pixelation becomes very obvious during low-level flying. On Xbox 360, the frame rate dramatically falls during intense battle scenes. Many reviewers criticized it as "stale". IGN said in their review, "The co-op is fun, but the lacking multiplayer is a bummer." and X-Play stated "Versus multiplayer is confusingly shallow". Zero Punctuation, known for its overly critical and often cruel review style gave it a rare positive review, criticising the story but complimenting the gameplay.

Visual differences in many aircraft models with multiple variants like the F-14, F-15, F-16, Su-27, Su-35 & Su-37 are poorly detailed. For example the visual differences between the F-15C and the F-15E are not modeled, as both aircraft in the game have the same 3-D model with a different weapon loadout. However, in reality the F-15C is a single seat air superiority fighter/interceptor while the F-15E is a two seat multi-role strike fighter with extra hardpoints and Conformal Fuel Tanks. Another example is with the MiG-25 and the MiG-31, where the both aircraft are identical in the game, whereas the real versions have several differences. The same drawback is seen in most if not all aircraft with multiple variants in the game.

A gameplay element new to flight games called Assistance OFF met mixed reception with the gaming community. While some gamers felt it made for thrilling gameplay, others were unhappy with the fact that Assistance OFF mode forces an external 'dogfight camera' view while active, but is the only way to access many of the game's more advanced flight maneuvers. This makes it impossible to execute those maneuvers from within the cockpit, and thus reduces the immersion factor for some gamers. In response to community concern shortly after the release of the game's demo, the development team issued a statement explaining the benefits of the external camera, and stating that "the dogfight camera is and will remain the only camera available when playing in "Assistance OFF" mode". Game Informer praised it for its "big thrills".

Sequel

On May 5, 2010, Ubisoft announced that a sequel, H.A.W.X 2, was being developed by Ubisoft Romania for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PC. The game was released on September 3, 2010 for Xbox 360, September 10 for PlayStation 3, and on November 12, 2010 for Wii and PC.

External links

• Official website