Zero Punctuation: Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

[Sarukin]

This week, Zero Punctuation reviews Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

Great! but Yahtzee you foul mouthed Incubus, H.A.W.X isn't really the most fun Flight combat game out there, Ace combat 6 (Just saying, not asking you to review it) was ten times more fun because most of the missions weren't all "Go over here and protect this AWACS" instead in AC6 the missions where "Go over there to that battalion of planes and kill they ass".

H.A.W.X is great but the missions aren't that fun, the most fun I got out of it was the Twilight mission were you had to kill unteenth numbers of planes, but yet there was still that fucking AWACS plane that yells for help so much if they spill their coffee.

On a second note, Yahtzee? likes a game!? *head explodes*

 

[Dakroth]

To be fair, concerning your comment about the 1940's style dogfighting in modern jets, the American Air Force Top Gun program still does focus heavily on dogfighting tactics. It was shown during the Vietnam War (the pathetic waste of time, resources and human life that it was) that just having missiles equipped to the aircraft was not enough. All modern jets, including the F-22 Raptor and the Joint Strike Fighter are equipped with cannons.

I'd also point out the A-10 Warthog, but that would be pointless, as that aircraft was designed to be a gun platform.

-Dakroth

 

[the Tadman]

*Gasp* A game Yahtzee acually likes?!

 

[Faultzone]

I played this game's demo on the 360, and i must say that i actualy enjoyed it.
I especialy like stalling the in-game jet at a great height, then watching as the little metal bird plumets toward the ground, then pulling up at the last seccond.
Although, with my level of skill in flying games, i usualy end up kamakazi-ing myself into the floor, or in one case, one of my allies who was meandering past.

p.s. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO my first post EVER!

 

[Artheval_Pe]

I can guarantee that the story was imposed by Tom Clancy.

I don't think that Tom Clancy would have written such a poor plot. I guess it was some random writer from Ubisoft who wrote this, while keeping in mind that the game needed to appeal to americans.

As for Air combat, yes, the Vietnam War showed that missiles were not enough, but :
-Missiles have improved a lot since that war
-Given the amount of ammo for the canon loaded in modern planes, I don't think that the Air Force consider the use of the canon anything else than a last resort.

A modern air combat would likely (we haven't seen any modern air to air combat for a long time, now) consist of an exchange of missiles from several miles (or douzens of miles) away.
That's what the hardware is designed to do, and that is what is most likely to happen.
It's why Air Combat in most games is completly unrealistic. But realism would suck the fun out of the games.

 

[wildwind1290]

I can guarantee that the story was imposed by Tom Clancy.

I don't think that Tom Clancy would have written such a poor plot. I guess it was some random writer from Ubisoft who wrote this, while keeping in mind that the game needed to appeal to americans.

As for Air combat, yes, the Vietnam War showed that missiles were not enough, but :
-Missiles have improved a lot since that war
-Given the amount of ammo for the canon loaded in modern planes, I don't think that the Air Force consider the use of the canon anything else than a last resort.

A modern air combat would likely (we haven't seen any modern air to air combat for a long time, now) consist of an exchange of missiles from several miles (or douzens of miles) away.
That's what the hardware is designed to do, and that is what is most likely to happen.
It's why Air Combat in most games is completly unrealistic. But realism would suck the fun out of the games.

I like the plot, frankly. Makes you remember that guns-for-hire are only loyal to the shiny penny and nothing else.

As for air combat, let me quickly point out it's not like the missiles will be the only thing getting upgraded. The planes also get upgrades, whether it's a coating of stealth material on the whole body or a pair of fuzzy dice hanging around your control stick.

 

[Volcanus]

I'm gonna have to agree with PhiMed here. Less Political commentary on the evils of America and more funny game reviews.

I strongly disagree. Why? Because Yahtzee hilarious political commentary adds a cherry on the top of the game review.

 

[Artheval_Pe]

Makes you remember that guns-for-hire are only loyal to the shiny penny and nothing else.

Yes, but what about a PMC attacking their biggest client, which is by the way the most powerful military in the world ? It seems to me hard to swallow.

As for planes, by 2014, they will not have changed a whole lot. The F-35 and the Meteor missile will be probably operational but that's all. The only plane that could render missiles almost useless is the F-22, and it is if it's as stealth as the US air force says it is.

In 2014, Air forces will be using almost exactly the same hardware as today, and it is designed to engage the ennemy from 70km or more. Not to fight like we're back in 1942. Dogfight is now the last resort and it's pretty much what happends when the initial attack is a failure. What will most likely happen, is that the two opposing forces will open fire, and then come back to base by the time they have fired all their missiles, while being 10km away from the opposing forces.

Modern Combat is based on the use of missiles and long range engagements. Not flying around in dogfights with pancarts saying "shoot that huge IR signature coming out of my back" or "why don't you use your latest Sidewinder and hit me while I'm trying to get behind you yo open fire ?"

 

[civver]

Modern Combat is based on the use of missiles and long range engagements. Not flying around in dogfights with pancarts saying "shoot that huge IR signature coming out of my back" or "why don't you use your latest Sidewinder and hit me while I'm trying to get behind you yo open fire ?"

Oh that's gonna be a fun game. Fly for a few seconds at supersonic speed, press button to launch missiles at designated targets, fly back to base a few seconds at supersonic fun. Fun, fun, fun.

 

[Sentient6]

Nice spoilers in the end... NOT. It's just cruel, you know - I had The Sixth Sence ruined by Scrubs.... Not funny...

 

[snow]

The thing I don't like about H.A.W.X is that it stands for High Altitiude Warfare eXperimental squadron. As acronyms go, that's pretty lame.

Yeah that was a pretty lame one, now that you mention it. Or now that I've read that you mentioned it a really long time ago.

 

[duchaked]

actually you're supposed to salute the U.S. flag *7* times a day

it's interesting that some big critics have given this game praises (like Yahtzee), while some big reviewers are like naw it sucks (like IGN)
haha I tried Blazing Angels 2, but at the end of the day...honestly I just could not stand the control scheme
I suppose a different button layout would have helped, but at that point in the game I had gotten used to the default enough that I didn't bother to re-learn things, and just returned it to Blockbuster
I think I'll try HAWX out next maybe (of course, by this point there are games like SC:Conviction to try out as well)

 

[Neferius]

I really lolled at that last Spoiler ...but then again I already knew that and it didn't bother me none, au contráire >

 

[DevilWolf47]

I actually liked the random movie spoilers at the end. Let me have some fun with that.

Spoiler

Nagisa and her daughter will die but then be brought back to life by some arbitrary plot device the writers completely forgot to mention until the very last second

Cerberus was able to rebuild the Normandy because they funded the original project for the Normandy as a way to learn more about Turian technology

Golden Sun Dark Dawn has no resolution. The characters completely forget their original mission, and so does the writing staff.

The Order of Ecclesia is actually trying to help Dracula

There really was a cake

James killed his wife

The United States wins