Journal of William "Billy" Redbot:
May 21, 2021
It's been six years (to the day) since I left the Ghosts. Obviously, I'm still keeping a journal, but entries are few and far between -- I've been getting a lot of flight time in the FB-22 Strike Raptor, which was approved in 2018.
Being a paramilitant is so much different than being a Ghost. The food is leagues better, but it's still odd to receive orders from someone that is driven by profit instead of a sense of duty. Colonel Deacon is honorable enough, I suppose. The pay is better. Still...I can't shake the creepy realization that our organization's motive can change if a new customer flashes enough money.
Yesterday we conducted a strike on an opposing paramilitary organization. I won't say which, but as soon as the BBC breaks the story it won't be hard to figure out. We had to hit the deck to avoid EMP radar targeting; I swear I clipped a few pinetops, but my Mig-35 doesn't have any scratches. I chalked up four more air combat kills and twelve ground targets. My wingman, Zen E, used the new cannons and bested my score.
I have to suit up in four hours to go out again. Our carrier is moving to offshore Cape Canaveral for a special escort mission. Rumor has it we'll be protecting the shuttle launch this afternoon...if that's true, then the crowd is in for an unscheduled airshow.
"Ghost Lead, this is HAWX Lead...I just hit a flock of fairies...they keep shouting 'HEY, LISTEN'!"
Since playing a few levels with Nick and submitting the review for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., I honestly hadn't had much playtime with the game. A mission here, an unsatisfying versus match there. The game is beautiful and lots of fun when played with friends...it just doesn't hold my limited attention very well when stacked up next to the rest of my small library of action games.
As you know, any game or situation that promotes tactical awareness and acute teamwork is right up my alley. Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Far Cry 2...these games are fun to play and even include game mode variations that provide some semblance of team strategy, but for the most part online matches are hectic and disjointed. It's crazy fun for a while; but when you want the true satisfaction of the hunt, there's no better method than four-through-the-door with silencers.
H.A.W.X. is one of those games that puts four players into an arena of combat, and although you and your teammates won't be kicking down any doors or capping fools with a 9mm, the thrill of effectively removing terrorists from the Earth is still present. There is a glaring difference, however, between the semi-close quarters of your standard-fare shooter and the open expanse of sky in H.A.W.X. No campers here, Cadet. What's more is that the scenery over which players dogfight is lush and overall interesting. ("I dare you to hit the tip of the Washington Monument with a J-Strike!")
My latest attempt to make progress in the fairly long campaign of H.A.W.X. found my impromptu wingman -- Zen E, also known on our forums as WildCard Zen -- and I protecting a space shuttle launch after we successfully destroyed a set of scanner nodes at low altitude. The stark contrast between the low-and-fast attack of the preceding mission and the high flying dogfights in the latter is one of many, a perfect example of how varied the campaign in H.A.W.X. can be. Unfortunately, the gameplay can get repetitive if you're not caught up in the setting.
Cue the wingman.
Surely we've all seen an air stunt show... If not, then perhaps a squadron in formation on NASCAR weekend...? Either way, you can understand how tough sticking close to your wingmen would be in a frantic combat situation; H.A.W.X. expands the boundaries of the engagement zone significantly, to the point that it actually benefits you to get some space between yourself and your co-op partners. After half a dozen attempts to protect the space shuttle from four near-simultaneous cruise missiles, we finally split the compass between us: I took the south and east missiles, and Zen E chased down the north and west. Our only successful attempt came after we gathered our co-op wits about us and devised our masterful battle plan.
Victory whoops and barrel rolls accompanied a final defiant auto cannon burst just before the mission ended; this is cooperative combat at its finest. There may not be epic scripted events crashing the city around you...no AI Director throwing waves of the Horde down your street...but the sense of joint accomplishment is still prevalent.
It doesn't stop there: before you ever deploy, you must choose your fighter jet and weapons loadout. All the while, you are able to discuss and debate with your co-op partners how best to tackle the upcoming mission. When one has chosen, the map loads, and the rest of your squadron can drop in when they're ready. They will spawn within a reasonable range, removing any worry you may have had about entering a fray alone and trying to stay in the air until they arrive.
Even in the sky, tactics change with each loadout combination, different numbers of participating co-op players, and different mission parameters. When a freefall bomb leaves one target behind, it's satisfying to see a teammate's air-to-ground missile streak toward it, leaving you free from having to loop around for a second pass. Players can square off against waves of incoming Migs closing in from separate directions. And of course, there's always the Luke Skywalker/Wedge Antilles head-to-head pass (known affectionately to us Star Wars geeks as the Corellian Slip), perfect for helping a teammate in a limping bomber.
"Whoo-ah! That got 'im!"
However you tip your wings, H.A.W.X. is a game that doesn't force tactical maneuvers, but openly provides the freedom to play with a tactical flair. A single player will find ample thrill playing through the campaign alone, but adding more players to the mix promotes a sense of cooperation that settles in naturally. If you're ambitious enough, your favorite maneuvers can be taken with you to the competitive versus mode, although I highly recommend several hours of co-op flight time before attempting.