Ubisoft 'doesn't compare' HAWX with Ace Combat

Points to more planes, realistic locations and cinematic camera.

Ubisoft Romania has defended upcoming air combat game Tom Clancy's HAWX from accusations it is too similar to current genre king Ace Combat 6.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com at Ubidays in Paris last week, Andrei Costin, international product manager at Ubisoft Romania, said HAWX contains gameplay features that are "new to the genre" and "have not been done before".

HAWX, set for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this September, sees players assume the role of an ex-military pilot who builds up his own private military company and takes on contracts from all over the world. While not exactly a flight sim, Ubisoft is concentrating on realism and presenting a plausible global crisis.

"We are not focussing necessarily on differentiating from Ace Combat," Costin told VideoGamer.com. "But we have a large number of planes, over 50 licensed, realistic planes. We have realistic locations. We are in the real world. This is in Rio de Janeiro. The gameplay, with assistance on and off, this interplay that allows you to do incredible manoeuvres, it's something new in the genre. It's not been done before."

He added: "We don't plan to add or improve or increment only, we plan to innovate, to refresh, that's the goal. And to refresh we don't compare with Ace Combat 6. That's the point. We want to bring something new and something that comes from us, not from them."

You can see what we thought of our Ubidays hands on with the game over at our Tom Clancy's HAWX preview.