 Preview By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | Incognito Entertainment |
| Publisher: | SCEA | |
| Genre: | Flight Action | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 2-32 (online only) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | PlayStation Network (online play), Released via the PlayStation Store for $39.99 and at retail bundled with Jabra Bluetooth headset for $59.99 | |
| Estimated Release: | 08/28/2007 |
When it comes to the PS3, there is no better demonstration of the system’s tilt-sensitive controller than Warhawk. I know, I know, you’ve probably heard that before, time and time again, but there really is no better way to say it. As you might remember, back at E3 the game got quite a bit of press, not only because it was the only game at the time to fully utilize the controller, but also because of developer Incognito’s now-infamous remark that they had only just learned of and implemented the feature weeks before the event. Of course, some time has passed since then, and now more and more developers are finding ways to work it into their games, including Lair from Factor 5. However, as perhaps the only tangible example so far, this game stands to do for Sony what Wii Sports has done for Nintendo. A remake of a PlayStation (and, before that, Commodore 64) title, Warhawk is primarily a dog fighting game in the vein of Crimson Skies (Xbox), though it does seem set to pull out all the stops and provide so much more.
As most of the game takes place in a futuristic aircraft, the controls are obviously important. However, in that department, things seem to be right on track. The first game to make use of the tilt-sensitive functions in the controller, Warhawk certainly seems to prove the ease of use and possibilities of Sony’s new controller. In fact, the controller stands a good chance (despite more limited tilt functionality limited to six directions) of directly competing with Nintendo in certain genres, such as racing. In Warhawk however, the game takes advantage of the controller's “degrees of freedom” to allow the player to tilt side to side to steer, pull towards themselves to raise their aircraft and tilt away to drop it back down. Depending on your experience with PC games, including even simple joysticks, you already know that this type of control can be very intuitive and true to life. Since we don’t yet know all the details of the more fantastic elements, and the controls that have been presented before are subject to change, I can only speak from experience with other games of this sort. That said, it would seem a fair guess that the shoulder buttons might control your weapons, such as the standard infinite machine gun, and the face buttons could essential be your throttle and everything else. As I said, though, that is just a guess, but it would seem fairly easy to use and, if E3 coverage from elsewhere is any indication, we can expect a game that is easy to control and precise while in the air. The game is set to have various sensitivity settings motion controls as well, and for those still not comfortable with this new wave of motion control, standard analog stick control will remain.
The trap, of course, lies in the fact that the game wants to go beyond just air combat, and Warhawk is planned to have ground warfare involving vehicles and on-foot missions as well, each with its own set of weapons. Not to be a doomsayer, but other games have tried this sort of thing before with mixed results. For one, we have StarFox, which eventually branched out and tried a few ground vehicle missions and, well, let’s just say it wasn’t received very well. Now, whether that was because it moved outside of the StarFox norm is hard to say, but the changes in terrain could either keep the game fresh or cause it to rot on store shelves. Either way, you have to admire what Incognito is attempting to do, as they are putting an awful lot on the line, though I’m sure the intuitive controls will still stand for those portions.
However, when it comes to the on-foot portions, I’m afraid I see very little hope. As a long-time gamer, I’ve seen developers try this again and again, and it almost always fails. The games themselves may still be great, such as Rogue Squadron 3, but problems in those on-foot missions will almost always pop up, usually described as having “janky” controls...such as Rogue Squadron 3. While the controls seem solid for air combat, and I expect them to hold out for ground vehicles, the tilt-sensitive controls just don’t seem to have the same potential for moving around a soldier. That leaves the player to fall back on more traditional analog control and, as I’ve said, that rarely turns out well. Strangely though, for all the water we’ve seen in the screenshots and demos, naval warfare hasn’t been mentioned yet, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Incognito sample it just a bit.
Posted: 2006-09-19 15:05:49 PST