Indie Mecha Combat Game Hawken Looks Incredible

[John Funk]

Indie Mecha Combat Game Hawken Looks Incredible

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The world needs more games about giant robots blowing things up, and Adhesive Games' Hawken seems fit to deliver.

If you've been reading my work here at The Escapist for the past few years, you may have gathered that I'm fairly fond of giant fighting robots. I think that videogames could use more giant robots, really - there isn't a single game that couldn't be improved by the addition of a giant robot or two.

So you have to understand my excitement when I saw an announcement about Hawken, a new indie FPS all about giant robots fighting other giant robots. Said excitement was only bolstered by the fact that the game's first trailer looks absolutely superb. It may be only nine months into the game's development by a "small indie team" - the Los Angeles-based Adhesive Games - but so far Hawken seems like it could hang with the big boys.

According to the game's official site [http://www.hawkengame.com/blog/], everything you see in the trailer here to the right is in-game footage captured from network play sessions. The actual game is played from a first-person viewpoint; all of the third-person action seen here was taken with a spectator camera. While the trailer admittedly looks a bit choppy, the Adhesive post claims that this is simply a byproduct of filming the demos in slow motion and that the actual play "looks okay."

I'd say it looks more than okay, myself. It's true that Hawken's robot designs seem like they're leaning more toward the blocky and ugly Western-style mecha, which I'm not a really big fan of. On the other hand, they aren't lumbering and plodding battle tanks - some of them seem pretty quick and agile in the Eastern style of giant robots. I don't see any beam sabers, but maybe they'll be patched in later.

There's no definitive word on pricing, release date or even platform yet, but Adhesive is "interested in bringing Hawken to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC." Given its indie nature, one could probably expect it to be a PSN/XBLA downloadable title rather than a full retail release.

Either way, Hawken certainly seems like a title worth keeping an eye on.

(Eurogamer [http://www.hawkengame.com/blog/])

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[subject_87]

Wow... this game is now well-affixed to my radar, and I definitely plan on giving it a look later down the road. I just hope my computer can run it...

Also, it'd be great if the mechs could climb up and around the buildings, but even if they can't this is still really damn cool. I don't know who the environment designer is, but they should be paid more.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Wow, this looks incredible. More like Armored Core than any western mech game. I hope the first person view works out with this fast pacing. Environments look good too.

 

[Nedoras]

Looks pretty good. The mechs kind of remind me of wanzers from the Front Mission series.

 

[Cpu46]

This is good news. I have been yearning for some good customizable Mecha titles ever since I sold my copy of phantom crash.

 

[GrandmaFunk]

I love the art direction for the setting and it looks like it has potential

but please god let that rocket exhaust be something you can toggle off...as presented here it's annoying to the point of making the game unplayable for me.

 

[Azmael Silverlance]

The City looks like something out of a japanese Anime
for 9 months that is seriously impressive...not to mention for an indie game!

 

[Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon]

I hoped there was going to be Gurren Lagann-like mechas... Oh well, still looks pretty awesome if a bit too awesome for my computer to handle.

 

[DaHero]

Robot games are tricky. If players want to feel like they're in a mech then developers need to shy away from them simply being power suits and jetpacks. I personally would love to see a Gundam game like this come to the U.S. but I know the problem would be like Exteel. I never once felt like I was in a huge mecha suit. I did the same things a regular player does on foot. That being said, this game has some things I would like to point out.

A lot of the motions didn't look like mech motions...if anything, as of right now, it feels like it's just a reskinned FPS. Mechs will need to FEEL like mechs, not retextured footsoldiers. That's really the only thing that sticks out.

Secondly, I saw a robot kneeling on a building with a giant rifle, looks like a sniper rifle. This is a big turnoff for me as snipers, although make sense, imbalance gameplay. Front Mission Evolved is a great example of what happens when developers try to make "glass cannons". Players end up doing nothing BUT sniping, making anything else pointless.

I'll look at it when it comes out, but I'll probably pass. FPS games have never appealed to me because of the way they're handled with weapons and maps.

 

[Megacherv]

Wow...if these guys had made Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, it might've been, you know, good

 

[HappyDD]

I played MechWarrior 2 as a kid and thought it was seriously amazing and it did feel like, as DaHero states, I was in a mech. I remember having to manually override my auto-shutdown when the mech would over-heat since I loaded up too many lasers, and that was awesome.

Then I played Armored Core: For Answer, and I was sad. "What the hell is this?" I thought to myself for the 1.5 hours I played it before giving it away to my boss' kid. Seriously, what the hell was that? Anybody?

This game looks like it could be a nice cross between the two, but I swear, it could be the game that turns me off mech games forever if the robots are too spazzy and jump around like maniacs that could not possibly be human-controlled.

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

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[Onyx Oblivion]

Wow...if these guys had made Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, it might've been, you know, good

It is very sad when the best Gundam games are the Dynasty Warriors ones. So much gaming potential in that IP...

I'll check this out, but probably won't spend more than $15 on it.

 

[Blank Kold]

Mech animations are a bit jittery and I'd love the mechs to be more agile than they seem to be, but it looks good.

 

[IndianaJonny]

Hmmm, looks like I might still have to wait a bit for a spiritual successor to Mechwarrior.

 

[Cogwheel]

Wow...if these guys had made Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, it might've been, you know, good

It is very sad when the best Gundam games are the Dynasty Warriors ones. So much gaming potential in that IP...

I'll check this out, but probably won't spend more than $15 on it.

Be fair, now. The Gundam TPS/fighting/genre schizophrenia games were fairly good. Tons of fun to play splitscreen too, co-op or otherwise.

 

[Vaccine]

Nothing will ever satisfy the need for a well made and fast-paced Gundam game. :/

Looks to western-y for my liking, no one does better giant robots than the Japanese.

 

[Nedoras]

Wow...if these guys had made Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, it might've been, you know, good

It is very sad when the best Gundam games are the Dynasty Warriors ones. So much gaming potential in that IP...

I'll check this out, but probably won't spend more than $15 on it.

Have you ever played Gundam: Encounters in Space? It plays quite a bit like Zone of the Enders. I found it to be the best Gundam game I ever played, including the Dynasty Warriors ones.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Mech's are awesome. Please hurry up making them work IRL.
Untill that time I hope this game can tide my cravings over