Starwhawk: Third Person Shooter and Real Time Strategy In One
I have played a lot of shooters throughout the systems I have owned and this one is probably one of the best I have EVER played. To begin, if you like shooters AND real time strategy you should definitely buy this game as it is the innovative marriage of both with the build and battle system this game employs. Bottom line, once this game becomes more well known, it has the potential of becoming Sony's answer to Halo. I played it during the beta and it became a nightly addiction and the final product is even better.
If however you are looking for a single player game, well, this game probably isn't for you as it is built for multiplayer. The single player campaign serves it's purpose of training you for the multiplayer game which really is that it needs to do. Other than that, it's not really worth including in a review (though I'm sure you get some unlocks for completing it).
The multiplayer game provides an excellent third person shooter experience with the ability to build an arsenal of weapons and vehicles to use in vanquishing your enemies. You are able to build these by acquiring Rift Energy which allows you to call down buildings which vary in the amount of energy needed to buy them. The energy is collected either at your base (it comes to you), by shooting barrels scattered across the maps, or by building a "rift generator" which will give you energy when you are close to it (with the added bonus of being able to spawn around it as well. In most shooters, if you are surrounded or outgunned, you're screwed. Not this game, if needed and you play your cards right/have the energy you can call down some turrets to help vanquish your foes.
You can build weapons, buildings, walls, and turrets. The vehicles consist of a pod racer like vehicle (hover cycle), a tank, jeep with machine gun turret to roll with if someone else is driving, a James Bond inspired Jet Pack to move around with, energy shields, and the kicker is the Hawk (a mech that transforms into a jet for both aerial and ground combat). Each mission in the single player features one or more vehicles and allows you to get to know them and how they work. That being said, the multiplayer is again what this game is all about.
The hawk is probably the best of all the vehicles and allows for aerial attacks, ground assaults and dogfights as well. On each map there are power ups scattered across the board which you simply fly through to pick up and arm your Hawk (power-ups include: cloaking shield, rockets, missiles, aerial mines, carpet bombs, and my personal favorite what I call the Mother of All Bombs (an energy weapon that creates a LARGE explosion, similar to the energy weapon used by Jango Fett when he was chased by Obi Wan in the asteroids, in fact, the sound effect for the explosion is even the same).
Each side is able to create 32 buildings and if you take over a forward area, all you have to do is tear down some of the un-needed or duplicate buildings and start building your forward base.
The effects are great and it even has a pretty good soundtrack for a videogame. The multiplayer is highly addictive and the build and battle system allows for unique gaming experience every time you play.
In a nutshell, I would highly recommend this game, though it takes a bit of time to get used to the arsenal you have available and flying the Hawk takes some practice. But once you've got it down get ready for an action packed, ever changing adventure every time you play. If you get a clan going, which is fully supported by the game, well it even takes it to another level.