Confirming that H.A.W.X. 2 will feature four-player co-op like its predecessor, VG247 taxied some gameplay details onto the deck, and blasted off with some more cool info straight from Ubi's Edward Douglas. In the interview, Douglas - who serves as the narrative director for H.A.W.X. 2 - treats readers to an inside look at some of the new elements we'll see this September.
First up is a mechanic that will allow players to land their planes manually, and take off the same way. Not only will this be an objective during some missions...it will also be a way to repair and re-arm, a la the Ace Combat series. The interview also reveals new playable craft (such as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or UAV), a graphics upgrade that includes more visible plane damage, and higher resolutions for the returning Geo-Mod terrain visuals.
At one point Douglas mentions the franchise creator - fiction author Tom Clancy - in explaining how the game's story will tie into the Splinter Cell series - specifically, Splinter Cell: Conviction. Whereas in H.A.W.X. you were once tasked with protecting characters from Ghost Recon, in H.A.W.X. 2 you will fly support missions for Kestrel, the Russian operative who is featured alongside Third Echelon's Archer in the Conviction co-op campaign. Ubi claims to be giving the campaign story a boost from the rather shaky plot preceding it.
All in all it seems like some decent improvements are being made. In truth, we didn't exactly hate H.A.W.X. We're looking forward to seeing what other advancements Ubi brings to the series. In the meantime, check out the official trailer and new screenshot gallery below.