Tom Clancy's HAWX (High Altitude Warfare)

In 1991 a game called "F-22 Interceptor" graced the Sega Megadrive and set an air combat simulator precedence that has not been matched - until today.

Upon downloading and playing the demo on Xbox Live, I am very pleased to find that after a nearly two decade wait, H.A.W.X. is a console based fighter jet game that is quite simply stunning. The attention the developers have put into the visuals, graphics and detail, really make this game stand out ahead of other titles in this genre.

Although the game is set 12 years in the future, two of the three jets you get to use in the demo (the F-16 and the Harrier) are familiar aircraft used in the American airforce today. Each jet has a different speed and armor rating, and can be outfitted with different payloads which can be purchased by earning money by completing mission objectives.There are 50 jets in the full game, which are unlocked as as you earn experience points and rank up.

Given the number of aircraft available, and the variety of payloads each can carry, there are a huge number of combinations you can try in this game, and if that wasn't enough, you can team together with up to four friends and their customised jets in a co-op campaign or in an aversarial game against other pilots. What I really look forward to is the "free mode" which will add to the games replay ability.

Judging by the demo, the only thing that prevents this game from getting a perfect score is the inability to automatically select any target other than an objective target - especially when I like dogfighting only to be constantly directed to land based targets and having other planes "disappear" off the mission.

Hopefully and advanced control system in the full game will remedy this issue, but otherwise, this game is a definate buy.

This is not a flight sim, its an arcade game. Flight characteristics are non-existent. There is almost nothing immersive about this game. The story is shallow and not very interesting, and due to the arcade style planes there is no sense of speed or achievement. Its a breeze to fly and fight.

However, if you take it as an arcade game it is quite fun. You can have a blast shooting down planes, heli's, boats and tanks, etc... There are some good camera angles (such as OFF mode, and following a missile on its journey to the target) and it can get quite intense when there are is a lot of enemies.

Overall I probably wouldn't have bought this game if I had known what I know now. I would suggest the Blazing Angels games over HAWX.

When Tom Clancy's HAWX was first announced, combat flight sim enthusiasts around the world held their breath. Would this finally be an air combat game that offers realistic physics, air tactics and dogfighting in the modern age?
As the skeptical pointed out, Tom Clancy games these days no longer share the technical accuracy of his novels. This is purely an arcade adrenaline blast. Sorry simmers! However, the good news is that it is at least a really good fun arcade game. If you can mind tune out the insane missile loads, the 180 degree mid air turns, the mediocre storyline, then what you are left with is an intense arcade experiance which leaves you coming back for more. If you are just after a fun lite "flight sim" you will love it! Seasoned PC flight combat aces will have to keep praying for now.