Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2

Growing up in the eighties you had to have seen Top Gun and come away with the idea that becoming a fighter pilot was probably the coolest job in the world. The power and speed of some of the most technically advanced machines ever made by man is enough to make any man weak at the knees. So when Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X 2 places you in the seat of a supersonic fighter jet and tasks you with shooting down bad guys galore you'd expect it to be akin to going to heaven without the messy business of having to first be dead. Unfortunately its potential is far outweighed by its mediocre implementation and gameplay.

The first obstacle to your dreams of becoming the next Maverick from Top Gun is the anaemic story mode that's on offer. With Tom Clancy we've become accustomed to involved story lines presented to us in new and intriguing ways such as the case with the last Splinter Cell game. Unfortunately this time around the story is threadbare at best with a very clichéd plot about insurgents and separatists stealing nuclear missiles. The flimsy narrative isn't helped by some very amateurish looking cut-scenes that seem to have cast mannequins in the all the roles. You also have no empathy for the various pilots you play as during the story. They’re all cookie cutter identical and have no personality to speak of. The story uses a similar structure to Modern Warfare in that you play the role of several different pilots throughout the conflict and the story also ties in with the upcoming game Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier.

Let's be honest here though, the real star of the game will never be the faceless pilots in the cockpit but rather the machines they pilot. If H.A.W.X. 2 can nail the feel of piloting a fighter jet and overcoming impossible odds then as far as I’m concerned it would be a game worth having. When it comes to the jets you’ll pilot it’s a bit of a mixed bag with most of them feeling identical to each other. On the other hand, the missions themselves do provide some variety, such as piloting a UAV and carrying out surveillance on targets while planting strobes to designate targets, or controlling a AC-130 to provide support for a squad of Ghost Recon soldiers as they evac a prisoner. One new addition to missions from the first H.A.W.X. game is that you can now land and take-off from airfields or carriers to refuel and rearm. The game lets you make use of a HUD indicator to judge your landing approach and angle of trajectory but for the simulation fans out there you also have the option of landing without any assistance.

It’s a good thing that they mix the missions up as the dogfighting is bland and feels more like a chore than a battle of skill and wits against a cunning opponent. It’s very much an obstacle in the way of your enjoyment during missions so it’s fortunate that as the game progresses the missions become far more complex and enjoyable thanks to the multiple objectives being given to you, requiring you to prioritise amongst them. As an example, early on in the game you have to provide support for a fleet of carriers as they try to commandeer an insurgent stronghold while at the same time protecting the fleet from ground enemies. You’ll constantly have to keep an eye on enemy jets while trying to destroy ground targets before they take out your allies. It all aids you in feeling like you're part of a large scale conflict and it’s at these moments that H.A.W.X. 2 is at its best.

Outside of the campaign there isn’t much to keep your attention, with only online adversarial and co-op modes, as well as arcade and free flight missions. None of the modes on offer are as structured as the campaign and it's only the online modes that might keep you playing a bit longer with their use of upgrades bringing you back for more. As you play through the game’s modes you’ll complete PEC challenges such as destroying a certain number of enemies with your cannon or destroying a certain amount of ground targets, and each challenge rewards you with XP upon completion. The XP can then be used to unlock damage upgrades, support abilities or additional planes for use in the game. It holds none of the same addiction as the levelling up systems on offer in Modern Warfare or Battlefield, so I don’t see too many gamers sticking with H.A.W.X. 2’s online offerings.

The planes look absolutely wonderful with sharp textures on offer but the same can’t be said for anything else in the game. Although H.A.W.X 2 makes use of Geoeye’s satellite imagery to create the maps for each mission, the textures they use are terribly sub-par and downright bad to look at, while enemy and allied ground units fare just as poorly. Fortunately most of your time in the game will be spent thousands of miles up in the air so it’s only during the odd bombing mission that you’ll cringe at the poor graphics. On the positive side, H.A.W.X 2 does not suffer from any slowdown at all even when you’re violently veering and swerving around the levels trying to dodge incoming missiles.

While the roar of a jet engine might not sound like music to everyone’s ears it's perfectly captured in H.A.W.X 2 with the sound of a jet breaking the sound barrier rumbling through your bones as you guide your plane through narrow canyons and over cliffs. The music on the other hand is grating at best, and I found myself turning off the in-game music as soon as possible to spare myself the grief.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2 is far from a perfect game. It has an unbalanced campaign that sees you having to fight through a number of lacklustre missions before you get to experience its highs towards the climatic finale. You’re presented with very few engaging reasons to keep playing with the few modes on offer, and the game also seems unsure at times whether to be a true simulator or stick to an arcade experience. Taking all that in mind it’s a good thing then that H.A.W.X 2 has very few competitors out there which means that if you’re looking for an arcade air combat game you’ll either have to make do with After Burner: Climax or try your best to accept H.A.W.X 2 for all its flaws.

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