Warhawk (1995 video game)

Warhawk, released as AirAssault in Japan, is a futuristic arcade-style combat flight game for the Sony PlayStation console, developed by SingleTrac[1] and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was originally released on November 10, 1995 in North America and a month later in Europe. It was later re-released as part of Sony's Greatest Hits line-up.

Warhawk
North American cover art
Developer(s)SingleTrac
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation, PlayStation Network
ReleasePlayStation
  • JP: October 4, 1996
  • NA: November 10, 1995
  • PAL: December 1995
PlayStation Network
  • JP: November 28, 2012
  • NA: December 20, 2007
  • PAL: October 17, 2012
Genre(s)Vehicle simulation game
Mode(s)Single-player

A Windows version slated for release in 1996 was canceled.[2]

A multiplayer-only remake of the same name has been developed by Incognito Entertainment; it was released on Blu-ray Disc and as a digital download for the PlayStation 3 on August 28, 2007.

Gameplay

Warhawk is a vehicle simulation game built around a futuristic VTOL craft. The player maneuvers with 360 degrees of flight control through six levels. Weapons include fire-off lock-ons, rockets, multi-fire swarmers, and plasma cannons. The game has no multiplayer capabilities and does not feature DualShock or analog controller support.

There are no saving or loading features. Instead, a password is presented each time a level is completed. The game ends after its six levels are completed, or when the player's craft can no longer fly. This occurs if the craft takes heavy damage or the player ejects from their craft. The craft is teleported to base, repaired, and sent back to the stage for the first two times this happens; on the third time, the game ends.

Enemies in the game vary from being tanks and aircraft to massive fixed gun emplacements and futuristic robots. In certain areas of the game, enemies continuously respawn to challenge the player until they complete the mission objective. A version of the Warhawk craft itself is the final boss in Twisted Metal: Black.

Plot

The plot of the game centers around a megalomaniac named Kreel who has become a global threat and is threatening various nations with his seemingly unstoppable armies. Players take the role of two pilots named 'Hatch' and 'Walker', who are part of an international force devoted to fighting Kreel and his varied minions. As the campaign progresses, the source of Kreel's power is revealed to be Red Mercury, which provides his forces with their nigh-invulnerability.

The game has various endings depending on what actions the player takes. These include a costly nuclear war, Kreel choking to death on a chicken bone, a happy ending selling "I survived the Red Mercury war" baseball caps, both pilots being served as the main course at Kreel's grand victory ceremony, or Hatch being brainwashed by the Red Mercury and becoming Kreel's willing servant and destroying the mothership and remaining planetary defense forces.

Development

Associate producer/designer Mike Giam explained how the game's basic concept was formed: "We looked at shooters like After Burner and StarFox, and we juxtaposed their arcade feeling with the freedom of a computer flight sim."[3]

Reception

Warhawk was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Critics lauded the precise controls,[4][8][7][5] music,[4][8][7] graphics,[4][8][7][5] sound effects,[4][8][7] and most especially the freedom and variety afforded by the open 3D world and complex flight controls,[4][8][7] though some felt the game was too short.[4][5]

See also

References
  1. "At the Deadline". GamePro. No. 87. IDG. December 1995. p. 206.
  2. PC Gamer (magazine) Vol. 3 No. 1 January 1996 pages 113-128
  3. "Producers Play the PlayStation". GamePro. No. 84. IDG. September 1995. pp. 31–34.
  4. "Review Crew: Warhawk". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 77. Sendai Publishing. December 1995. p. 46.
  5. "Little Giant". Next Generation. No. 13. Imagine Media. January 1996. p. 154.
  6. "Warhawk". Play. No. 3. January 1996. pp. 70–71.
  7. Lucas, Victor (November 17, 1995). "Warhawk: The Red Mercury Missions". Electric Playground. Archived from the original on August 4, 1997.
  8. "ProReview: Warhawk". GamePro. No. 88. IDG. January 1996. p. 76.
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