[Multiplatform] Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. MAGIC FUCKING GATES AND HARRIERS DOING COBRAS

Ubisoft have announced a new title in the Tom Clancy range, and rather than taking on the role of another foot-soldier (however advanced), wannabe Mavericks can take to the skies as a jet fighter. From the teaser trailer and initial screens that have been released the graphics look pretty damn impressive, though I imagine those are somewhat pre-rendered shots.

Ars Technica put up some information:

Originally Posted by arstechnica.com

The new title features over 50 planes, a lengthy campaign with drop-in, drop-out four player co-op, and online dogfighting for up to 16 players.

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"The story begins in the year 2012. As the era of the nation-state draws quickly to a close, the rules of warfare evolve even more rapidly. More and more nations become increasingly dependent on private military companies (PMCs), elite mercenaries with a lax view of the law. The Reykjavik Accords further legitimize their existence by authorizing their right to serve in every aspect of military operations. While the benefits of such PMCs are apparent, growing concerns surrounding giving them too much power begin to mount."

Other than Ace Combat there aren't really any other jet-fighter games out there so I can't help but see this as good news and hope that it turns out well. I especially like the whole "drop-in, drop-out four player co-op" idea. Co-op in Halo 3's campaign is an incredibly enjoyable experience, though being able to drop-in at any point with friends would have made it even better.

H.A.W.X will be heading to PC, 360 and PS3 later this year.

[ IGN Preview ]

How ya doing, buddy?

Eurogamer have a new hands-on preview of this up, and it's sounding like it could be somewhat promising. Some highlights:

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Two things immediately mark HAWX out as one to watch: the impressively slick 60 frames-per-second game engine and the intuitive controls.

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"We really want the game to be accessible very quickly, so that you immediately feel like you're in control and can have fun killing enemies, or just manoeuvring, and feeling in control. You have a huge possibility to improve yourself - to learn the manouevres, make more flips, and push the plane to the closest possible stall limit and give you more manoeuvrability. This is part of the skill - depth and accessibility at the same time."

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In common with other Tom Clancy games, there's a subtle but not overbearing degree of strategic command over other units, allowing you to call for assistance in both single and multiplayer by pressing up or down on the d-pad. In multiplayer, you're able to instruct your team-mates to attack your target, and they can press up to accept or down to cancel. Voice recognition will also be included, allowing players to bark a limited array of orders over a headset like a hassled Tom Cruise.

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Overall, more than 50 licensed aircraft feature, with even more promised post-release via downloadable content.

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As was the case in Rainbow Six Vegas 2, a fully-fledged experience system is prevalent in all aspects of the game, both offline and on, unlocking useful items as you progress, from more powerful weaponry to skins and more advanced aircraft. "The spirit is the same. You play in the order that you want. Whatever you do during the game will be rewarded by experience points, so you don't have to worry about starting at the beginning of the campaign," says Simon.

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The easy-to-use Enhanced Reality System (ERS) acts like a sky-based Sat Nav system, gently pointing you in the right direction without holding your hand too much. The new external camera system works far better than it logically ought to, while the use of real-world satellite data helps give the game that sense of place that few flight combat games have ever been able to pull off convincingly. Factor in the intrigue of a decent storyline, and the extra context given to it through weaving the narrative into several concurrent events in other Tom Clancy games, and it suddenly all starts looking an exciting and convincing prospect. And gutsy.

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There's nowhere I can't reach.

Is there co-op in the demo? Either way, I'll probably grab this after work tonight, give it a go.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

We'll have to get some 3/4-player action going later then.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Given you have to actively press the button to engage the ERS stuff, I thought it was a really neat addition for people who might not know or have figured out the best way of manoeuvring. The ERS gives them a chance to learn by example, rather than die flying into a building or failing to avoid a missile when they just fly directly at things.

I agree there should be a way to pull of the high-G moves without the weird camera, but I don't think it's all that bad either. I don't know, I liked this, though perhaps not enough to think about getting it right off the bat. Definitely want to see what it's like in co-op.

I was speaking idiomatically.