StarHawk (PS3)

Love this game. I'm not the best at Multiplayer games and was a bit worried this might be too much but after playing the single player for an hour or so could not resist giving the Multiplayer a go, At first I found it a bit confusing especially as I landed in the thick of the action but once I caught my breath I was quickly getting used to it and enjoying calling down all the cool stuff. I love the fact You can call down a watch tower that comes compete with a sniper rifle and ammo, perfect for tipping the odds when Your team is overwhelmed.

The Single Player Missions are a bit short which is unfortunate as I actually really enjoyed playing most of them, the story is bit flat but thats not the reason You buy a game like this anyway.

Overall the Multiplayer is fantastic experience, much more evolved and enjoyable than say Call of Duty games where if You don't play for a while You don't really get the chance to quickly get back into the game without been wiped out every few seconds.

A must buy if You enjoy epic large battles.

When I was a child, the best action figures were the ones that came with a vehicle. Some sort of amazing Hover Bike/Tank/Car/Jet to bring your toy to life on the imaginary battlefield was heaven to my 10 year old self. This is what STARHAWK reminds me of. Except you get all of those vehicles, battling it out with 31 other players having the virtual time of their lives! This toy box would be nothing though, without some wonderful gameplay mechanics. Firstly everything handles with, weight and satisfaction. The Hawks and Jet Packs (Oh! I forgot to mention the JET PACKS!) have some brilliantly intricate animations for their moving parts and takeoff sequences and as everything plays out in 3rd person, you get to see all those lovely vehicle and character details. Starhawk packs in individuality by successfully marrying Tower Defence gameplay into 3rd person combat.

A huge part of this game involves the 'Build and Battle' dynamic. At anytime you have the choice of building a number of structures for your team. Such as turrets, sniper towers or launch pads. These are built instantly via some super cool animation, and becomes second nature. It gives the game a whole other level to operate on. Working with your team and building the right defences is among the most satisfying multiplayer experiences I've had. It also means that you don't have to feel left out by other players always getting to the vehicles first. If you want to fly around in a Hawk, then just build a launch pad!

So, if you're like me, and your inner child wants to play with that toy box again then I can't recommend Starhawk enough.

Everyone remember the 2007 PS3 online sensation Warhawk? Well meet it's spiritual successor. Boasting innovation, Scale, and high octane fun, Starhawk is an absolute blast.

Campaign- The Single Player mode is obviously tacked on to add a story, as well as teach new players how to play the game so they can be ready for multiplayer. But is it really as bad as the critics would have you believe? Not at all. The story is very cliche and has dozens of "Been there, done that" moments", but it introduces some simple but enjoyable characters while keeping the action frequent.

The cut scenes are in the form of sketch art and are an enjoyably refreshing change from the norm. Is it the greatest campaign you'll ever play? No. It's not great, but it certainly isn't bad. It is worth your time to see it through to the end.

Multiplayer- Okay, here we go. If you are thinking the short but enjoyable campaign is not worth your money, then this definitely is.

Starhawk's Multiplayer mode features 32 player capacity boosted by innovative Real Time Strategy elements and massive scale maps. Every player generates "Rift Energy" which acts as currency which allows you to call down various structures and assets. From Turrets to Supply depots, from Sniper Towers to Tanks... It's all available to you. When you purchase a structure, it is literally launched from space and comes smashing down onto the battlefield where it quickly constructs itself. A clever player can use this to crush enemies and enemy vehicles.

When you boot up a match, you are dropped into the battlefield via a rocket pod. This is also how you respawn. You wanna watch where you steer your pod though, for if there are some opponents hanging around in your base, they may kill you when you first land. A good team effort can see your base covered in defense turrets to prevent Spawn Camping.

Connection is generally very good but you may experience the odd moment of Lag. When you consider how much is going on at one time, this is forgivable. Shield generators hiding sniper towers is a tactic you may run into a lot, but you'll learn how to deal with it fairly quickly.

Starhawk has a variety of vehicles for you to hop into and elevate your game to new heights. Bikes, Jeeps, and Tanks will be common sights, but the almighty weapon on the battlefield has to be the Hawks. These transformer wannabes can soar through the sky unleashing a variety of weapons on your enemy, then land on the ground and stomp on infantry. Activating booster thrusters in your Hawk is exhilarating and fun as you perform arial acrobatics to dodge enemy weapons. Watch out for those beam turrets!

There is so much more but I could go on for hours. The campaign will teach you how to use all of the game's tools and gadgets, but it's up to you how you employ them online.

With a short but entertaining campaign, and a diverse and revolutionary Multiplayer component, there is plenty here for any PS3 Gamer. Whether you are soaring through the skies in a Hawk dropping explosives on your enemies below, or Speeding away with your opponent's flag on a Bike as a multitude of bullets and explosions rain down around you, this game will supply you with an enjoyable time, and the knowledge that your money was well spent.

Is it the best game you'll play all year? Probably not, but it's Multiplayer will have you coming back for months, maybe even years to come. Go buy it!