Starhawk

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It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that StarHawk is a solid multiplayer game and has less of a focus on single player. Both aspects of the game are good, however the multiplayer is outstanding.

I bought this game from GameStop, not Amazon, simply due to the extra features and bonuses in the Limited Edition which is only available at GameStop. I feel ashamed because I am a very faithful Amazon shopper, but for this release Amazon did not offer what I wanted and what I would have expected.

First off the game takes up a good 2.5gigs, there's already a new update, and you need to have an online pass to play online, which is included. But keep in mind that if you buy it used you will need to purchase the online pass from SONY for $10.

Below are my pros and cons. Though every game has it's cons, I can tell that Starhawk is an instant classic just after my first few hours of game play.

PRO's:

+ Amazing Multiplayer! Probably the best, most unique I have ever played. A lot of fun!

+ The campaign story, style, and cut scenes remind me a lot of Infamous. Voice-acting is quite good.

+ Simple easy to use menu system. There are many options for online play. Everything is so very well integrated.

+ Graphics are quite good, very smooth and fast. Control and vehicle control are perfect in my opinion. They are tight and come very naturally.

+ Soundtrack rocks. Very unique classic, yet modern style. Meshes well with the game.

CON's:

A little more attention should have been paid to single player, however multiplayer shines so well I can forgive that.

You cannot play the entire single player campaign split-screen. Only multiplayer and co-op are available split screen, and a playstation Network account must be active for the second player.

Single player campaign is 4 hours long at the most and the A.I. seems a little dated at times.

After my first few hours of playing I loved it, for the single player but most of all the multiplayer, which is intensely addicting. For those who didn't have the opportunity to play the beta, the style of Starhawk reminds me of a mixture of Halo, Infamous, and a 3rd person Borderland, but it also has a weird futuristic western style all its own. You can run on foot or use your power orbs to generate/spawn an array of land and air vehicles, walls, turrets, shields, or weapon bunkers. The more power you have the more vehicle and weapon choices you have, which is very helpful in multiplayer. It is a lot of fun and gives you different options of how to play. No, it is not a stealth game, however you can be a little sneaky at times. Or you can just fly your hawk in and destroy everything and everyone.

I must highly suggest this game for all of you multiplayer gamers out there, as this is a must own. I would not recommend this simply for the single player campaign, while it is good, it is not $60 good, or even $40 good. I would hold out a few months until it goes on sale, or simply rent it as you can finish the campaign in a weekend. Multiplayer is where Starhawk shines and it is very much worth the cost.

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In the early days of the PS3, Santa Monica studios created a multiplayer only title called Warhawk. It was a fun game with big maps, a few beefy chunks of dlc thrown in, and a devoted multiplayer. Devoted to the point that even years later it was still one of the most played games on the PSN. This group naturally left the entry bar set incredibly high to new comers months or even years late to the party, however, now that the sequel is here, even those who didn't play the beta will be on pretty square footing with the most battle hardened warriors of Warhawk fame.

The single player campaign serves as little more than a really long and well rounded tutorial for the online game. It goes over the basics of what buildings are good for what situation, which weapons are more important, and the best areas to call in your oribital gear from. You see, in the world of Starhawk, your team has an oribital station that (granted you have enough of the easily earned rift energy) will drop whole buildings, garages, turrets, shield generators, walls, and other goodies for you and your team to use. Knowing how to best utilize these impressive structures will ensure your victory online and off line. When you are not tinkering with the impressive 'Build' part of the 'Build and Battle' system, you will be wholly engrossed in the battle portion. The fighting in Starhawk is actually pretty basic compared to most games in terms of being a 3rd person run and gun game, however, with the ability to mount several different kinds of vehicles (tanks, speeder bikes, jeeps with turrets, and the obviously macross inspired Hawks) and to take over automatted turrets for bringing down those vehicles or just blasting them with rocket launchers or fixing your gear with tool kits or laying mines (phew!).....You get the idea. The combat is rather simple on the surface, but there is so much action going on and so much versatility as your teams turn a barren and large map into a massive industrial complex of death and war that it is almost staggering, but it never feels overwhelming.

The combat for online consists of 16 vs 16 player teams and runs the gauntlet with the usual gameplay types. Capture the Flag and Zones are probably two of the better recommended types as they show off the "Build and Battle" system far more than your deathmatch gametypes do.

There is a constant sense of adrenaline surging through you even as you accomplish the most basic of tasks, because your doom could be fast approaching in a mechanized suit that feels no remorse, or maybe your enemy will just summon a building on top of you or respawn on to you through a drop pod falling through the sky.

As with its predecessor there are no clearly superior weapons or vehicles. There is a good sense of balance here. Sure the Hawks can pepper you with rockets and fly at stupid speeds across the map, however, they are essentially made of glass and there are so many weapons that can take them out in one or two hits with a homing ability, the pilots are scared to tears when flying in your air zone. The tanks can take a good deal of damage and dish it out, but the are slow and easy target for grenade tosses and rocket blasts, the speeder bikes are very agile and can't be locked onto, but you have no offense with them and they fall apart easier than the hawks do, and the jeeps rely on a secondary person to have an affordable offense. Walking around the map without a vehicle makes you slow, makes you vulnerable, but it gives access to a massive arsenal of destruction and makes you a force to be reckoned with in your own right.

Balance is acheieved here, strategy for building placement ensures a fresh feeling round every time, and Santa Monica studios has a history of keeping the fanbase for their games happy with updates and great dlc down the road.

The only down side is the single player campaign feels like a missed oppurtunity, however, the multiplayer is probably one of the best on any console in many years. Starhawk took risks with its formula, but it gambled big and won as far as I am concerned. -1 for the story campaign, but you would be foolish to pass the title up if you are an online shooter fan. Be advised though, picking it up used will require a purchase of a PSN pass ($10) to play it online.

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First and foremost, Starhawk looks fantastic. I love the dust bowl in space setting and even though it isn't an original concept it isn't something seen in games all that often. I also love the fact this stars a black guy. It may seem like an odd thing to like but what was the last game you played where a black guy's the protagonist and he isn't token black guy? Exactly.

Also, the controls feel right. I played the beta and shooting didn't have that "oomph" I look for and I feel like there's been an improvement. The vehicles all handle like you would expect them to so no matter what wheel you're behind it only takes a moment to feel at home. The same for flying the Hawks. It just feels awesome. I love the transformation as well. Very cool stuff.

In regard to single-player, they're 10 chapters, and each chapter has a varying amount of checkpoints, depending on what's being asked of you as a player; however, it's either the last checkpoint or back to the beginning of the chapter. It may not seem like a big deal, but when the object is to defend a rig and you survive the initial waves, game checkpoints, but the rig is a few hits from destruction, it is virtually impossible to survive the final wave, because each time you die, you're brought back to the checkpoint with the rig on the verge of exploding.

It's frustrating, because this can happen near the end of a chapter, and if you find yourself in an impossible situation, you have to start at the very beginning. There's no interim saves, either. If you're mid-chapter and have to stop playing, when you start again you're back to the beginning of the chapter.

Please note this is an issue for Mercenary mode only; the game isn't terribly difficult even on this setting, but it's certainly a challenge. It just puts you in a poor position to succeed at times. If you're playing on Normal or Hard, I don't see this being a problem at all, especially normal, since it is supposedly cake.

So, since single-player was pissing me off, I played multiplayer. Started with TDM. And, surprisingly, the game is more like Warhawk than I imagined. Granted, this was TDM, not Zones or CTF where people are utilizing the building in a more defensive minded way. Overall, people were just building **** because they wanted to fly a Hawk and that's all there is to it. You just have to get yourself in the mindset that if you want a sniper rifle, it's going to cost you 3 building points (which regenerate when near a base). Build it, sniper rifle. So, I was pleased with this, because I really enjoyed Warhawk.

I moved on to Zones next, and I feel this is where Starhawk really shines. It wasn't as defensive as I expected, with a nice tug-of-war to win back bases and conquer the map. Completely obliterating the opponent with a surge of tanks and hawks is hilarious and awesome, though being on the receiving end of such an assault is not so awesome. The game remains fun though, which is what's important.

CTF simply didn't do it for me. It was too defensive for my tastes, though it may be up your alley. A lot of people build extensive strongholds around the flag, leading to a lot of draws because it's too difficult to assault successfully. A well organized clan may have fun with it, but I'm not in one of those, nor do I care to be.

Anyway, I'm pleased so far. I was hesitant to pick it up because the beta wasn't doing it for me but so far I'm glad I did. I hope to really tackle the multi-player this weekend. At the least, the game is unlike anything I've played, including Warhawk. It's such an odd marriage of shooting/flying/driving/building/strategy. Worth checking out if you're one of the "All these games are the same!" types.

If you're not interested in MP or co-op then I can't recommend it. I don't see the content carrying you over anything than a weekend.

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Hands down the best multiplayer on ps3, Rts/shooter hybrid is a great idea. When you are in a vehicle it feels like the game is designed just for that one vehicle. The makers of this game really need a high five for that. Single-player is short,but sweet and teaches you the ins & outs of multiplayer. Co-op(splitscreen or online)is also included which is also fun.

Pros

-32 player online

-co-op

-Unique

-combines a few genres into one

-Fun customization

Cons

-Load times

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Starhawk is an excellent game. The combat is fast paced and is amazing to pilot a hawk! Just love the multiplayer!