As a fan of the first Hawx game, I was very much looking forward to this release. Sadly, it really doesn't live up to the hype.
Granted, the graphics are beautifully rendered. Buildings look like buildings should, cities are lit by night, tracer fire screams across the screen and the mountainous landscapes look great.
Unfortunately the gameplay is just not up to scratch. Missions are often repetitive and while some are very difficult, others are too easy (particularly the levels involving drone planes). While the drone gameplay in Modern Warfare II was fast and thrilling, here it is slow and tedious - probably more like the real thing, but this is a game, after all.
The jets handle awkwardly and turn too slowly. Almost all enemies require at least two direct missile hits to take them down, which can't possibly be realistic. Your copilots are totally inept in some missions, then become unbeatably amazing in other missions. It's all very inconsistent.
The storyline is somewhat unoriginal, and some of the dialogue is laughable ("You just saved four million people. Well done.") You can't help but feel that major chunks of this game have been rushed.
Ultimately this could have been a great game, but apart from glimpses of quality, it disappoints. Perhaps worth trying out for the arcade levels, but it's not going to become one of your favourite games.