WarHawk is a unique online shooter that will offer hours of fun if you're willing to get used to its awkward controls.
The thing about WarHawk's gameplay that makes it so different is that the control layout is noticeably different from other shooters, and the actual shooting can sometimes feel a bit wonky. Additionally, the vehicle controls are awkward and WarHawk movement can be frustrating. And in the end, the different control scheme just makes guns feel a lot less fun to shoot, and that, in a war game, is not something to be taken lightly. If you adjust to the gameplay you might protest, but ultimately, the game just doesn't give off that good of a first impression.
WarHawk is a pretty game, with great textures and character models, large maps, and good looking vehicles. The art isn't half bad either. The main problems with the graphics is that while the maps look different, there's nothing about any of them that make them unique. Every map plays the same way, and despite the size difference, there's no reason to prefer one over the other. They all involve small buildings and trees, and the color of the sky doesn't help add any more variety. The weather is always the same, as well. There are no rainy levels, no snowy levels, just grassy levels.
The tutorials are mostly helpful, but some of them are down-right infuriating, making you dodge heat-seeking missiles and destroy sentry bots shooting at you from all directions. While most tutorials might help the player, or even encourage the player to play the game any further, WarHawk's feel like they would discourage players, if anything at all. The inventory system is also cumbersome, using the directional buttons to select weapons. It's a pain to select corner weapons because you have to press on two buttons at once, which can be frustrating in the middle of a battle. Aiming is a pain as well because there's no way to zoom in with your weapon, and you're somewhat far from the crosshair by default.
The character customization gives you very little to start with, and nothing you receive really looks that interesting. There's also way more insignias than there should be, making it difficult to find what you're looking for. You can customize your WarHawk, but it's not that fun and as WarHawks are somewhat weak and hard to control, it's more a waste of time than anything. And overall, character customization isn't as fun as other games, and you can't really combine that much and still manage to make your character look good. It's a small complaint, but it's there.
The game sounds good for the most part. There's some really epic and catchy music on the title screen, as well as good explosion and gunfire sounds throughout. The jeep sounds and WarHawk zooms are good, but not memorably so. There's no voice acting of any kind, which is a bummer, because tutorials would be much more interesting told through dialog rather than text. Gunfire sounds – mostly the pistol – can get annoying after a while, sadly.
WarHawk is fun, though repetitive, and will offer hours of fun for people with the patience to learn its controls. It's not the most memorable shooter there is, mostly because of its dull maps, somewhat lame weapons and poor WarHawk control, but if you're looking for some good mayhem, then this is a good game to consider. However, there are other online shooters that would definitely give you more of a bang for your buck.