Fans of the aerial dogfighting genre (sure, that sounds real) were pretty please with Tom Clancy’s HAWX when it released in early 2009. It was pretty solid for a first outing but even so, still left a lot to be desired in mission variety and co-op. But wouldn’t you know it, we just got the first details on the new game and lo and behold, the sequel will feature a ton of new mission types and support for up to four player co-op.
New challenges in the sequel will include takeoffs and landings, midair refueling and recon missions featuring UAVs (also known as Predator Drones). Furthermore, for the destructive gamer, some stages supposedly feature players directing laser-guided bombs down to their targets. We’re still waiting for this perk to be added to Modern Warfare 2 as the ultimate retaliation measure against campers.
We also hope HAWX 2 handles landing, refueling and basically everything else better than Top Gun did:
The game is mainly set in the Middle East and the developers are once again utilizing satellite imagery to capture the topography of regions such as the Persian Gulf. Missions won’t be confined to the desert though, as the Arctic Circle and Moscow have also been confirmed as game locales. Maybe if we’re lucky, some gamers will be able to see their house in the game… and then promptly crash into it.
While the original HAWX was quite enjoyable at first, the same-old, same-old missions grew stale rather quickly, and the game really lacked the diversity necessary to keep it exciting. Sounds like those problems may have been solved now though, so there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic about the sequel. The inclusion of four player co-op is also a welcome addition, as mayhem is always more fun when shared with friends. We’ll throw on our Aviator shades, get some Val Kilmer hair gel and tell you all about this one once we get some quality time with it at E3.
