Starhawk Review

I received my PlayStation 3 as a gift for Christmas in 2007, and Warhawk was the second game I purchased for it. It may have been my best investment in that first year of PS3 ownership. Warhawk was very different from anything we’d ever seen on a console, combining flight and ground combat to make up some crazy battles. Something was missing from that game; it was intense and fun, but the experience felt stale after repeated play. Luckily, Starhawk seemed to add to everything that Warhawk missed.

Story

The single-player mode is the one thing that Warhawk seemed to lack when it was released years ago. Starhawk returns with a new single-player mode that prepares you for battle in one of the game’s many multiplayer modes. The single-player mode is more of a tutorial than a full-fledged game, and gamers won’t have much trouble completing it, nor will they spend much time doing so. The story is forgettable and follows Emmett Graves as he quests to reclaim rift energy harvesting sites from the Scabs. The whole thing prepares you for the new build n’ battle system that Lightbox implemented, which changes the battlefield on the fly in a huge way.

Build N’ Battle System

Speaking of the rift energy and build n’ battle system, the multiplayer relies on it, so you’d better understand what you’re dealing with before you enter the MP game, or you’ll be left in the dust by more skilled and higher-ranked players. The rift energy fills up a bar at the top of the screen, and each module that you want to build costs different amounts of energy, with a bubble shield being the highest and a standard wall being the lowest.

Players can make a massive fortress out of walls and shields with watchtowers, beam turrets, hawk launch pads, and auto turrets to defend their base. If you want to take the fight to the other team, consider using Razorback jeeps, Sidewinder motorcycles, and a bunker to support your team. Be wary of opposing team members. Anybody can destroy the structures you worked so hard to create. Even the shield doesn’t keep foes out (though it keeps shots from penetrating), so don’t let the enemy run rampant inside your base, or you might see it become theirs.

Vehicles

The vehicles in Starhawk appear to borrow heavily from other games, more specifically, Halo. I found many similarities that borrow from the Xbox franchise, such as the Sidewinder to the Ghost and the Razorback to the Warthog, which isn’t a bad thing, as those are all excellent vehicles. They seem highly similar in movement and function. The arsenal you have at your disposal is pretty generic. Nothing stands out in terms of weapons. You have your standard assault rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun, knife, and rocket launcher, and then there are things like the welding torch that can only be found on the map, strangely enough. Each provides some great positives, but it felt like LightBox went a little light on the weaponry.

Skill Points

Starhawk also includes a handy little skill point system in which you must perform a specific task and have enough points to unlock the corresponding skill. This is great for players who want more from the game and the extra edge. Only one can be equipped at any time, so it might be wise to consider what game type you’re in before choosing. The tasks can be pretty tricky. This can be frustrating for novice players at times, but rest assured, it will help if you can unlock some.

Game Modes

The game includes four main modes: Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, and Zones. Zones is easily the most fun, considering you build a load of bases and attempt to defend them as the opposing team tries to get them back. There is also a co-op survival mode that you’ll have to invite someone to, as you won’t find it in the game list. Another omission is the lack of a matchmaking feature, which is puzzling, to say the least, considering the clean-cut multiplayer menu that LightBox created. However, gamers won’t have trouble finding games with the provided game list.

Multiplayer Woes

The spawn campers were the big problem I had with Starhawk, and that frustrated me to no end. Not only can one team be more dominant, but they can also place a spawn beacon very close to your base, which can lead to many problems. If the opposition has any tanks or hawk pads, you’re going to have bombs coming at you faster than you can come to life, and that big target of where you’re going to land doesn’t help. I had a ton of fun playing this, but I had to drop out of 4 or 5 games due to this problem. It needs to be addressed.

Final Thoughts

Starhawk was a great experience and offered a lot more variety than Warhawk. If you’re looking for a good multiplayer title, I advise you to pick this one up. You won’t regret it. This is a multiplayer game, folks. The single-player is there only to appease the people who gave Warhawk a hard time due to the lack of such a mode. Just make sure you find a well-balanced multiplayer game.