Starhawk

Starhawk is building a strong reputation as THE online title for PS3 players. [Aug 2012, p.72]

An exciting mix of third person shooting, dog-fighting action and some twisted twist on the good old tower defense genre, which all work well, both within the lackluster campaign and the rich, open multiplayer. The latter still never quite manages to lose it's sense of mindless chaos, with every player fooling around on the battlefield, and the massively overpowered vehicles constantly raining on your parade.

It's the single player element that proves the weakest link in the package, as whilst it isn't terribly conceived, it remains a shallow experience, providing nothing that a decent tutorial couldn't have done in preparation for the plethora of more exciting multiplayer options.

Starhawk maybe may not be counted as a top exclusive titles for PS3 but among many attempts which make multiplayer different is that this one is the most like-able. [June 2012]

32 soldiers on vast battlefields and interesting tactical options introduced by the possibility to build structures make Starhawk shine in multiplayer – but only on occasion. And the single player campaign only pretends not to be an expanded tutorial. [July 2012, p.66]

Starhawk has some great moments. Situations that give the illusion of taking part in a great battle somewhere beyond and still dependent on the strategic skill of the players can be seen quite often. But the price is that you have to spend additional time playing.

Starhawk is a decent online multiplayer game, but the gameplay is not unique enough. The concept is original, but lacks variation. You won't remember this game in thirty years.

Starhawk is a very basic but entertaining MMO shooter with a strategic base building twist - jet fighters turning into battle mechs is rarely a bad idea. The single-player experience is almost laughable, but the online multiplayer experience is addictive.

Its magpie picking of influences leaves it with too little personality of its own, and comparisons with its sources are often unflattering. Still, it boasts scale, action and variety that make it a welcome addition to PS3's multiplayer roster.

Starhawk's an average shooter with an engaging multiplayer element and a unique sci-fi western theme, but the single player is forgettable.

If you can look past these issues, the uninspiring gunplay and ho-hum campaign in particular, Starhawk offers up plenty of multiplayer freedom. If you can pull together a cohesive team, building defenses and barreling through enemy territory can be deeply rewarding.

What impressed in 2007 is no longer enough, and while Starhawk is a perfectly fine entry in the third-person multiplayer shooter genre, it's unlikely to inspire much long-term passion in its current state.

Starhawk is a solid multiplayer experience, though the vehicles and design are derivative, and fans of Warhawk will no doubt appreciate the build-your-own defense gameplay innovations. However, its workman-like tutorial "campaign" was short and bland and the multiplayer didn't "hook" me.

I really, really wanted to love Starhawk… though in the end, I had a hard time truly connecting with the game on the same level that I did with Warhawk. Starhawk certainly plays nicely, and the Battle & Build system offers a unique twist on the shooting action, but as compared to Warhawk, there's something about it that's just not as appealing or addicting. A new game set in the Warhawk universe with the features of Starhawk would probably be a different story.

Starhawk gives you a wonderful set of toys and just enough incentive to use them, and with a will to learn and experiment, hardcore players will find a deep and engrossing multiplayer experience. It may be rough around the edges, and it's certainly not perfect, but Starhawk is definitely fun.

It's not that Starhawk is a bad game. It's not offensive, and it demonstrates a surprisingly broad range of influences in its attempts to be something different in the online shooter space. But Starhawk feels half-there, like its pieces don't quite fit together, and it can't keep pace with other, better multiplayer titles out there.

The biggest problem with Starhawk - and unfortunately, it's a doozy - is a crushing lack of identity.

Survival mode is the only time Starhawk comes together to create a properly entertaining whole. In all the other game modes it's merely a loose collection of bullet points and underdeveloped ideas, ones which never gel together into the multiplayer classic this could so easily have been.