Warhawk (Game)

This article is about Warhawk, the game. For the in-game vehicle Warhawk/Nemesis, see Warhawk/Nemesis.

Warhawk for PlayStation 3 is a multiplayer-only, intense, 3rd-person land & air combat action game, with a unique combination of combat on foot, in ground vehicles, and soaring overhead in the air. It is a demonstration of areal and ground warfare and is the spiritual successor to Warhawk (1995) for the PlayStation.

In 2009, tens of thousands play ranked & unranked games regularly. There is a free demo on the PSN Store.

• Go from fighting on foot, to zooming around in a jet, to landing & hopping into a tank...all smooth as silk
• Tremendous freedom, with large, gorgeous maps, and long view distances
• No singleplayer: There is no SP portion of the game, other than training/practice
• Offline: 1-4 players (though no bots)
• Online: 1-4 players can play splitscreen & join (all together on 1 TV) in online games of up to 32 players
• Furious action, deep gameplay, exquisite "rock/paper/scissors balance", amazing variety, flexibility, creativity, and endless strategies & tactics variations
• Constantly changing experience & challenge
• Play however you like, as a stealthy commando or sniper, long-range bombardment, operate a defensive turret, or go blazing-in with whatever weapons or ground and air vehicles you like most.

As noted by IGN.com, even quite a while after it debuted, Warhawk is one of the few online console games that still has many people playing it. In their words: "Warhawk is an exquisitely balanced, insanely fun game that works on multiple scales simultaneously. We have no shame in calling it one of the best multiplayer experience we've ever had, and it would seem we're not alone. Warhawk is still packed with people that play at all hours of the day or night (thanks no doubt to the game being open worldwide)"

There have been two Warhawk games, the first released for the original PlayStation in 1995, and the newer Warhawk for PS3.

Gameplay

The game is a 3-D third-person multiplayer shooter game set in a war between Eucadians (blue) and Chernovans (red), as Chernovans invade Eucadia. Players can choose to fight by foot with by pistol, rifle, rocket launchers, grenades, mines, and knives, by ground vehicles such as a 4x4 jeep with Turrent that can hold 3 people; at the driver's seat in which the player in it drives the car, at the Turrent in which the player shoots within 180 degrees, and at the seat next to the driver's seat, and a tank, which holds 2 people; the driver that can shoot from the tank, and the person that uses ground weapons on the top hatch. You can also play by air with the Warhawk (Eucadian) and the Nemesis (Chernovan). There are 6 separate game modes:

• Death Match (DM): "Every person for themselves. They must kill each other players." The objective is to kill as many players, any players as possible and do your best to avoid it. Death Match is likely to include a medium-small to a small scale battle.
• Team Death Match (TDM): "When players kill other players of the opposite team." The objective is to kill as many hostile players as possible and to defend your teammates. For each enemy you kill, team points are also earned.
  • Dogfight: Variation of Team Death Match or Death Match in which you fight only by plane.
• Capture the Flag (CTF): When players of one team goes to the base of the opposite team to take and capture the flag of that team to the base of the players own team and to defend its own team's flag.
• Hero (HRO): When the goal is to kill a player marked as a hero. The player remains a hero with one minute or when the player dies and the hero position is placed on another player. The Hero gets a health and damage boost, and every weapon in the games, in which the player can keep if he or she survives.*
• Zones (ZNE): The goal is to capture and claim various control points, or zones on the map for your team. You can expand a zone for up to three levels, but they can be restricted if a zone nearby is claimed by another team and that zone overlaps that size radius that your zone has not yet reached. You can capture zones in other modes, except Death Match, but unlike this mode, you only gain points for yourself, but can be a resprawing point for your teammates.
• Cores (CRS): There are 4 cores in the map and you must capture them. If a player gets killed, he or she looses its cores.*

*Game modes added in Version 1.4

Development

Warhawk 2

Warhawk prototype (beta version)

Warhawk 2 PS3 game trailer

Another clip from the prototype. Notice the different climate and setup.

Warhawk-Behind The Scenes (2007) HD

If you go to the game's main menu and selected Bonus Movies, there is a list and the video's name is "Warhawk-Behind the Scenes". The video shows the development for the game.

The game was first publicly announced in May 2005 and displayed at E3 in 2006.

Warhawk was originally to be developed as a both single player and multiplayer game, but single player option was cancelled during its development in February 2007 due to the inferiority of quality compared to multiplayer play. Game director Dylan Jobe stated "If we were to continue down our single-player/multiplayer approach, it would have resulted in not as good single player or not as good multiplayer". Multiplayer mode was later enhance with in-game communication and On Deman Split Screen.

In August 2007, it was announced that the PlayStation 3 would be used to host dedicated severs. The developers also used an engine that was almost exclusive to the platform, such as procedurally generated (algorithmic generation of content by host server) and volumetric clouds.

The first final versions of the game had problems such as delays and faliures in receiving points and rewards and network connection errors. It was later changed by updated versions.

Release

The method of distribution of the game was disputed after it was announced as a multiplayer-only game. The downloadable version cost about $29.99 USD (£19.99 GBP, €29.99 EUR) with 798MB and the retail version around $59.99 USD, along with a Jabra headset. Both versions were release on August 28, 2007. A third version was released in October 10, 2007 with a USB headset. On July 28, 2008, the game was re-released as a Greatest Hit game for $29.99).

Updates

To fix the bug issues from the early releases of the game, version 1.1 (released in October 19, 2007) and 1.2 (released in December 19, 2007) were released. Version 1.3 was later released with the introduction of the Wrench and BioField Generator, as well as disabling "Stat Padding". Version 1.4 added Hero and Collection modes, in addition to Quick Join in which players are automatically joined to a server based on their preferences and profile. Version 1.5 was released to include trophy support.

Expansions

The first expansion to be released was called Omega Dawn on December 20, 2007, which introduced the Omega Factory map and the Dropship. Later on April 17, 2008, the Broken Mirror expansion introduced the Vaporfield Glacier map and a new areal vehicle. On August 28, 2008, the Fallen Star expansion kit war released adding the Jetpack and the Tau Crater. The expansion pacts can't be combined and players whom doesn't own an expansion pact may not join a server in requirements for each of it.

Music

The music is composed by Christopher Lennertz and Timothy Michael Wynn. It was recognized by IGN as the best video game music of 2007.

Reception

Warhawk generally received positive reviews, with its aggregate review scores being classed as generally favorable by Metacritic and GameRankings. PSM provided the lowest review score officially qualified by the GameRankings website. The magazine described it as "a third-person shooter that never quite gets off the ground." Other reviews were more positive in their outlook. PSM3 described the game as "a masterpiece of balance, of design, and the jewel in Sony's online crown." UK magazine Edge described it as an "instantly gratifying experience", also saying that the lack of a single-player campaign was made up for by "its brilliantly implemented notion of flight and considered balance". Nick Costanza and Vin Acosta were largely critical of the game, saying "it can't be taken seriously".

1UP.com gave Warhawk a positive review, but said, "It's just not quite $40 worth," referring to the price of the downloadable version on the U.S. PlayStation Store. It was given the IGN Editors' Choice Award, calling it "a AAA experience that is an adrenaline rush for online fans." Game Informer described Warhawk as "better than they'd hoped for". GamePro stated that although Warhawk offers an intense online combat experience, being dropped immediately into the action leaves you "somewhat bewildered" and doesn't give you that "feeling of connection" to the game. GameTrailers described Warhawk as "simply fun, easy to compete, but challenging to shine." Adam Sessler from X-Play complimented the game's multiplayer only style saying "...I wouldn't have it any other way." Gaming Target selected Warhawk as one of their "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2007" as well as awarded it "PlayStation 3-Exclusive Game of the Year".

Maps

Main article: Maps Overview

Default

• Eucadia- A considered the largest map. It is an island contains 8 symmetrical zones in a "Z" form, all of which represents a residential area, except for Zone 4, which is the bridge. It has a mountainous terrain with a deciduous forest-like climate during fall season at near sunset, with an orange-red sky. It has many other bridges and routes in ranging altitudes. Because of its name, it considered the home country of Eucadians.
• The Badlands- It contains 5 symmetrical capturable zones, which appear to be military bases. The HQs is a residential area, with the back being a military garage. The rest is rather an inhabited desert. The entire area is isolated by large mountains. It is in the early fall season and it is very hot and dry. It is considered a large map.
• Island Outpost- It contains 10 symmetrical capturable zones. All bases are military bases. The map is composed of two islands, Eucadians in the west and Chernovans in the east. I has a mildly mountainous terrain. It has a subtropical/deciduous climate. It is in its late spring to early summer around noon. It is the second largest map.
• Archipelago- It contains 7 islands. There are 9 capturable bases in total, 3 in the main base. It has an unusual terrain as it is high top into the sky and the islands having a wide distance. It has a tropical climate during noon or late morning.
• Destroyed Capitol- Considered the smallest map, it is known to be the Eucadian capital. It has 9 bases. It is very similar to Archipelago as it has a middle island with 6 others spread apart, but not as distant, and for also being in a high altitude with no sign of water. On the main island, it has two towers and a garden in the middle. It is in the spring season at late morning.

Expansions

• Omega Factory- It is part of the Omega Dawn expansion pack. It is during the nighttime or early dawn.
• Vaporfield Glacier- It is part of the Broken Mirror expansion pack. It is a snowy area during the winter season.
• Tau Crater- It is part of the Fallen Star expansion pack. Its climate is similar to Eucadia.

Trivia

• During online play and highlight "Customize" on the main menu, you will see an Eucadian trooper from the beta version.
• Troopers in the beta version had a large backpack in carry. This is absent from the final version, but it still appears of when you die as you or someone else can pick up the weapons you had prior to death (see Body Bag).
• Also in the beta version, the flags lacked stripes found in the final version.
• This is the third game titled "Warhawk".

External Links

• Warhawk™ (Game Only) at PlayStation.Com
• Warhawk 2007 on Wikipedia.