From this seed the PS3 online community shall rise!
The tanks are a little cumbersome to use, but nothing too bad with respect to the controls. Same goes for Humvees. I really like how the game provides plenty of tanks, humvees, and Warhawks for you to use. Playing as Infantry is also a lot of fun. The weapons range from knives, to pistols, to machine guns, to flame throwers, you know...your basic fare. Movement is pretty quick and the animation is pretty smooth overall. The only thing I would have liked to add is a roll button to help make dodging bullets a little easier. An option to strafe would be nice too. Regardless of these minor complaints, I'm happy. The graphics in this game are very good for a multiplayer online game. Are they to the level of Gears of War or Uncharted: Drake's Fortune? Absolutely not. But they do the job well. The environments are vast, varied. and most importantly detailed. Although there are only 5 total maps, they vary in size and that leads to more options with respect to the game play. Incognito has already said that this game was developed with easy expansion in mind. I expect them to have a new map pack available for download (free would be nice, but I'd pay $5 if I had to) by the time Christmas rolls around. The sound effects in this game truly impress me. I have a good surround sound system and this game really helps to flaunt it. There are bullets whizzing by and explosions taking place at any given moment. Rarely is there a quiet moment. The map is excellent and allows the player to see where everyone and everything is located at any given time. This is very important because it sucks to have to look for a Warhawk or a Humvee when you want to race to the other side of the map to help out your friends. Kudos Incognito, job well done!
The next issue I'd like to address is that of LAG. Or lack thereof. I am very impressed by the fluidity of the online gameplay. It is my opinion, but I would say that Warhawk absolutely kicks the tail of Resistance Online. I played for hours and hours and hours on end. I don't normally do that with video games anymore. Today I began playing and next thing you know, it's already 8 PM! Never before has 4 hours passed by so quickly and so enjoyably. Warhawk is the first MUST HAVE PS3 title. It took 9 months, but the PS3 finally has a game that it can proudly boast as an exclusive title. For the first time in PlayStation history, it has a game that can rival the best that Microsoft has to offer. This game makes me realize that I really don't need to go get an Xbox 360 for good online play. AND IT'S FREE TO PLAY ONLINE! Last, but not least, I would like to mention that this game supports up to 4 player online split screen. So yes, you can play with friends on a guest account. I have not had the opportunity to do so yet, but I will be sure to test it out with friends in the upcoming days.
On a side note, I would like to mention that I am reviewing the downloaded version of the game. The Jabra headset that comes with the Warhawk bundle (BT125) is at best, an entry level model. I expect to be playing online for quite some time and expect to be using my Bluetooth headset with my cell phone as well. It is for this reason that I invested in a better headset. The download takes up about 800 MB of space and took me about 20 minutes to download. My network at school isn't the fastest thing around...Surprisingly, the online play works perfectly! For $39.99, this game is a fantastic value in my opinion. Under most circumstances, I would rate this game an 8.5, BUT because of the fact that it's flaws can be patched, and that it will be expanded upon in the future it earns its 9.0 score from me. That extra 0.5 points is well earned because the game is THAT FUN to play. Anything more would be heaping undeserved praise on the game. Anything less wouldn't really be giving the game enough justice. In the future, I would like to see more customization over the game modes, more vehicles, and of course, more maps! This is a fantastic game that is absolutely worth your time and your money! BUY IT NOW!