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

[Achieved_Nirvana]

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Romania

Genre: Flight Action

Availability: Fall 2008

System(s): Xbox 360, Playstation 3, P.C.

ESRB Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

 

Ubisoft has today announced the upcoming Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The game is in development by Ubisoft Romania and is based on air combat. H.A.W.X takes place in the year 2012 with over 50 different planes to soar the skies with. The area is controlled by private military companies with the world upon global conflict. The game supports jump-in cooperative throughout the campaign mode with up to four players in total. There is also a versus mode where 16 players can battle for experience points and in-game cash.

 

Screenshot (Courtesy IGN):

 

[Ne0]

H.A.W.X takes place in the year 2012 with over 50 different planes to soar the skies with. The area is controlled by private military companies with the world upon global conflict.

 

Seriously, these game devs are running out of ideas. Pathetic creativity and even worse story writing skills. How many times have we heard this sh*t already ?

[Achieved_Nirvana]

H.A.W.X takes place in the year 2012 with over 50 different planes to soar the skies with. The area is controlled by private military companies with the world upon global conflict.

 

Seriously, these game devs are running out of ideas. Pathetic creativity and even worse story writing skills. How many times have we heard this sh*t already ?

 

True. They are running out of ideas and stories. But I think in a flight action game, the story would have less of an impact. I mean common, Ace Combat 4 did'nt have much of a story now, did it? (Go there, blow that up, engage enemy fighters/squadron, RTB.)

[jackhammer06]

Watch the trailer guys...its great.....

[WhatsInTheName]

Looks sweet!!

However, its true that air combat games leave very little room for introducing any innovation in the gameplay. Poor developer guys have to take the same age-old formula and make it fun somehow.

[nash]

WTF does H.A.W.X. stand for?

[Achieved_Nirvana]

WTF does H.A.W.X. stand for?

 

 

High-Altitude Warfare X

 

The 'X' does not stand for anything, which is why it does not have a period (.) after it.

[Anmolsc]

H.A.W.X

 

Hawa.Air.Wind.Xtreme

[Pushy]

Watch the trailer guys...its great.....

trailers are meant to be great, ain't they

[jackhammer06]

H.A.W.X.: Revolution X

Find out the meaning behind that mysterious X.

 

 

When Ubisoft first announced HAWX, it explained that the name stood for "High-Altitude Warfare." No one was sure where the "X" fit into things. Those who put their money on the X being a sign that the X-Men were unlockable in Ubisoft's air combat came were wrong. As were those believing it meant that HAWX was aerial dogfighting to the extreme. In fact, the X signifies "Experimental Squadron." Apparently HAWXS would have sounded ridiculous.

 

The High Altitude Warfare - Experimental Squadron originated in 1943, only during World War II it was known as Project FALCO (Foreign Aircraft and Logistics Capture Operations). FALCO was a group of elite covert operatives of the Allied forces during the war. Due to a public scandal in the '50s, FALCO was shut down. At least, the government said it was shut down. In truth, FALCO continued as a secret government project known first as HAW and then as HAWX. It boasts the top breed of military pilots on the planet.

 

HAWX has three primary tasks:

 

1. Test the US government's experimental aircraft and weapons systems.

2. Combat and recon black ops missions.

3. Training US and Allied pilots and the capture of enemy air-oriented tech.

 

Set in 2012, HAWX sees the world on the precipice of a global conflict. Private Military Contractors (PMCs) have become the primary fighting force of many nations. PMCs can be contracted by any sovereign nation and are seen as legitimate mercenaries. But in recent years the PMCs have been gaining power. Good thing the HAWX are around to lay down the thunder.

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LINK

[Achieved_Nirvana]

HAWX Hands-On

We kick on our afterburners and fly into a massive dogfight with Ubisoft's newest Tom Clancy property.

 

May 26, 2008 - For years, Namco Bandai has owned the console skies with its Ace Combat series. Finally, a worthy challenger has appeared and put Ace combat in its sites. Ubisoft's latest Tom Clancy title, HAWX (High-Altitude Warfare Experimental Squadron) is a welcome blending of simulation and arcade fun. With a whopping 50 licensed planes and the use of real satellite data, HAWX certainly brings with it the authenticity we've come to expect from a Tom Clancy game.

 

Coming this September to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, HAWX offers up intense -- and often deadly -- dogfights and a true challenge for those wishing to prove themselves to be Top Gun material. Using GOI satellite data, Ubisoft is able to ensure the areas you fly over are the real deal. When we took to the skies to battle an onslaught of MIGs in Rio De Janeiro, the entire topography was exact to the real life locale. And yes, even the famed statue of Jesus was standing, arms outstretched, at the mountain top. And no, we did not try and shoot it down. Ubisoft describes the use of GOI data as "flying over Google Earth on crack." We're inclined to agree.

 

We played our first HAWX mission using a standard controller. For 360 owners, the Ace Combat flight stick will work with HAWX and most standard PC flight sticks should be compatible for those who own a computer. If you don't have a flight stick yet, don't worry. Ubisoft is working to release a proprietary stick for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in time for HAWX's launch.

 

If you've grown used to Ace Combat or any other flight sim, jumping into HAWX takes a bit of an adjustment. The biggest departure from other flight combat games is the use of pilot assistance. With the assistance on, the computer in your plane will place some limitations on your movements to prevent you from stalling. It also allows you to use some additional technology -- the most useful being the ERS system, which we'll get into in a moment. The camera with assistance on follows close behind your plane giving you a perfect perspective for targeting enemies.

 

 

With assistance off, the camera pulls far back giving you a broader view of the sky and your plane. Your combat vehicle becomes quite small on screen. With assistance off, you have no safety locks on your plane whatsoever. This means that you have no limitations to movements -- and no anti-stall countermeasures. The only way to pull off great aerial feats is with assistance off. You can hit the brakes, pull up hard to almost stall out, then as your plane starts to rotate over, accelerate to pull off a very sharp loop-the-loop. This type of maneuver is perfect for dodging incoming missiles or for turning the advantage on an enemy that's tailing you. It's also the best way to save your a*s if you are about to crash into the ground or a mountain. You just can't turn as sharply with assistance on.

 

Don't think of assistance on/off as difficulty settings. You will use these two modes interchangeably throughout each mission. With a double-tap of the brakes, you turn assistance off and with a double-tap of the thrusters you turn it back on. It's a quick and easy transition and one that we got used to very quickly. Though you lose the great view of your plane when the assistance is off, we found it far easier to maneuver in this mode. Plus, you get to pull off some swank tricks -- and can enjoy the thrill of trying to pull out of a stall moments before slamming into the ocean.

 

With assistance on, you have the use of the very helpful ERS system. If you target an enemy, you can tap the ERS button and an intercept path will illuminate. Follow the path and you will connect with your target. This can also be used to get out of the way of trailing missiles, but isn't as effective as just turning off assistance and then doing a sly maneuver to lose the heat on your a*s. We should mention that as a final safety measure, you can drop one of a limited number of flares to guide the heat-seeker away from your plane.

 

While the ERS is a bit of a n00b button, even experts will find it helpful in certain areas. Targeting a tank that is sitting between several skyscrapers seems almost impossible to do by sight. But ERS can guide you high into the sky and then have you loop straight down to target the tank safely. Figuring out this move and pulling it off successfully without using the ERS will prove difficult even for expert pilots.

 

The demo level was a real eye opener to the difficulty being planned by developer Ubisoft Romania. The skies were littered with bogies. On the right side of the HUD, you're given specific objectives. For this mission we had to shoot down a certain number of bombers and tanks. The MIGs patrolling the sky quickly became a barrier between fulfilling the other objectives. So even though the MIGs aren't a priority to progressing the mission, ignoring them actually makes the task tougher. The more MIGs on screen, the more missiles will be tailing your a*s. And nothing disrupts a mission faster than having to constantly shake missiles. Thinning out the other adversaries in the sky is only going to help make the final objective easier to accomplish.

 

Switching between assistance on and off became second nature within the first five minutes of dog fighting. We found it easiest to fly with assistance off, turning it on when the target was near as the camera view gives a far better perspective for targeting. Flying an F-22, we had the choice of cannons -- which were fairly useless in this scenario -- and heat seekers. Two missiles were enough to take out any enemy. And locking on was easy enough. You just need to cycle through targets with the press of a button and once you are close enough, the target icon turns red. Pop off two missiles and usually that's that. You can also switch to a special missile volley. The ammo is limited here, but allows you to target multiple enemies at once. And since the bombers fly in a quartet, this weapon option becomes a big help.

 

After taking out the requisite targets, a squadron of ace fighters comes in to cause problems. This is when the fit hits the shan. These dogfighters are tough -- far more skilled than a rookie pilot. For all the annoyances of the amateur MIG pilots faced in the first half of the mission, these new aces bring a true challenge. The ERS is a big help, primarily because the enemy is skilled at getting on your tail. And once on your tail, you're in big trouble. Having some skill with pulling off sharp air maneuvers when assistance is off is really the only hope for taking these guys out. As with real air combat, the plane with positioning is usually going to win the battle.

 

Our only issue -- and a concern we hope Ubisoft Romania addresses -- is that the radar is actually too simplistic. You get yellow triangles for enemy aircraft and yellow squares for ground targets. But nothing indicates which of these are your objectives. Finding the bomber squadron among dozens of MIGs was frustrating to say the least. The UI is something that can easily be fixed with color coding for primary objectives.

 

HAWX will include squadron commands, but for the purposes of this first hands-on demo, Ubisoft didn't want to overcomplicate things. Commands will likely be placed on the d-pad and will allow you to have an effective wingman, something that will be needed considering how hectic the skies get in HAWX. You can also look forward to jump in/out co-op online play. That way if you can't stand your AI wingman you can bring in a friend at any time to play Goose to your Maverick.

 

Our time with HAWX was brief, but showed considerable promise. Though Ubisoft assures there is plenty of "arcade" to go with the simulation aspects, this is certainly a more serious endeavor than Ace Combat. You probably won't fight any giant floating battle stations. Instead, you'll have to worry about a sky full of planes piloted by aggressive AI. We can't wait to take them on.

 

 

---- From IGN.

[MarketTantrik]

Shiny planes !! Smoky missile trails !!

 

*drool*

[Achieved_Nirvana]

Awesome new screen!

 

[aamiracle]

I hope the game is as engaging as it looks.

[Achieved_Nirvana]

THE X-SQUAD — A BRIEF HISTORY

 

The “High Altitude Warfare – Experimental Squadron” (or H.A.W.X) traces its origins to 1943. In the midst of the Second World War, the United States initiated a program to acquire, evaluate and reverse-engineer enemy aircraft. Headquartered near Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), it operated in conjunction with the OSS and the British Royal Air Force and was dubbed Project FALCO (Foreign Aircraft and Logistics Capture Operations).

 

FALCO managed covert field operations teams in every major combat theater of the war. These teams were a maverick combination of engineers, linguists, enemy defectors – and of course, some of the Allies’ most skilled and unorthodox combat-hardened pilots. As the war progressed, these aviators were frequently called up on by Allied High Command to put their skills to the test, using captured aircraft to insert covert agents and commando teams behind enemy lines and flying some of the most secret combat missions of the entire war.

 

With the war drawing to a close, FALCO teams became involved in targeted efforts to obtain specific enemy technologies. Allied forces took custody of numerous Axis scientists, pilots and engineers, and captured a veritable treasure trove of advanced aircraft.

 

In 1950, amid well-publicized USAF speculation that the enemy aircraft of WWII having given up their secrets, FALCO was officially ‘shut down’ by the US Department of Defense.

 

Except of course, it wasn’t. With the realization that combat aviation was evolving into supersonic engagements at high altitudes with nuclear bombers and missile-armed interceptors, FALCO personnel, projects and facilities were simply re-organized into the ‘High Altitude Warfare’ (H.A.W.) group.

 

Positioned as an element of Tactical Air Command (later Air Combat Command), this secret group works under the guise of the 24th Test and Evaluation Squadron. In an effort to further hide the operational aspects of the unit, it was officially re-named High Altitude Warfare – Experimental Squadron, or H.A.W.-X (The "X" being the US military designation for 'Experimental'). With time, the abbreviation was shortened to just H.A.W.X

 

The squadron’s elite fighter pilots are recruited from the most experienced and skilled combat veterans of the USAF, USN and USMC flight squadrons. The most highly-trained combat pilots in the world, they gain experience on all upcoming aircraft and weapon systems during the testing phase, helping refine designs and becoming the first to use them in combat should the nation require it. Capable of piloting virtually any aircraft from any branch of the US Military, in addition to many foreign designs, they are the 'top breed' of military pilots on Earth.

 

Based out of Langley Air Force Base in Southern Virginia, and with specialized West Coast facilities at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, the H.A.W.X squadron is involved with three main tasks:

 

 

Testing and evaluation of the latest, most experimental and secret US and Allied aircraft and weapon systems, including piloted and unpiloted (UAV) high-altitude systems.

Combat or Recon missions based on national defense needs. H.A.W.X missions are generally considered 'black ops' and operational history is a closely guarded secret. The H.A.W.X squadron, thanks to their ability to pilot virtually any aircraft and access to the latest and most powerful aircraft and weapons, allow the US to have a clear 'edge' in air combat operations when needed.

As needs dictate (less frequently than the tasks listed above) the H.A.W.X squadron is involved with the training of US and Allied pilots and the capture and evaluation of enemy or non-allied air-oriented technologies.

 

Most recently, with the changes in international dynamics due to the rise of the PMCs, the H.A.W.X squadron’s unique skills are more in demand than ever before.

 

From the Official Website

[Donz21]

Its looking great but will it be great?

[nash]

The acronym still pisses me off.

[SchizoidFreud]

Its better than HAWKZ

[nash]

Its better than HAWKZ

 

It would be called that if Eden Games made it (inside Alone in the Dark joke)

[Anmolsc]

ace combat is going down