Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Preview

HAWX's near future story is classic Clancy

HAWX's realism is another link to the Clancy franchise and a healthy dose of it comes from the game's near future plot. Set in 2014, HAWX takes the present rise of private military companies, as seen in Iraq, and extrapolates that into a global conflict Ubisoft isn't talking much about it just yet. What we do know is that you play a former US pilot who starts to build up his own PMC, fighting for contracts with other PMCs all over the world. PMCs have access to top military hardware on account of the massive revenues they garner from their employers. This is the first part of the game's story. The second part, which we know even less about, sees the growth of the PMCs checked by unknown forces.

Confirmed locations include Afghanistan, Africa and South America (Rio is only one of the locations players will see on the continent). But we're promised plenty more. "We think it's a pretty credible scenario and it's already happening," says Andrei. And you'll be able to unlock more fighters as you progress, as well as upgrade your existing jets with weapon sets tailored to specific missions, say for example a ground attack.

Right, so that's the graphics and Clancy connection covered. What else? Oh yeah. Comparisons with Ace Combat 6, Namco Bandai's superb 2007 360 exclusive. Comparisons are inevitable of course, but that's more to do with air combat games being rather thin on the ground than any genuine accusations of plagiarism. Indeed Andrei is keen to distance HAWX from the Japanese-made game.

"We are not focussing necessarily on differentiating from Ace Combat," he says. "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.

We're most excited about the four player coop

"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."

What's really getting us excited about HAWX are the online multiplayer elements. The solo campaign will have seamless jump in/jump out four player coop (what doesn't these days?) and you'll be able to go competitive online with up to 16 players, too. We can't think of anything better than dishing out orders to our wing man in true Top Gun style. Expect more multiplayer details once Ubisoft lifts the lid.

As we clamber out of the Ubidays cockpit we feel more confident than when we clambered in that HAWX will be able to break free from the cynicism it has endured in its early life and prove a hit. It might have a silly name, but it's got a couple of intriguing hooks that should help the game stand out from the more arcadey Ace Combat 6 (HAWX is no flight sim though). We have some concerns, of course. We're not sure the zoomed out assistance off perspective is as epic as it's made out to be and may even end up annoying some air combat fans who prefer to stay in cockpit at all times. But, given the pencilled in September release date, there's still time for Ubisoft Romania to tweak and polish.

Soon enough you'll be able to make your own mind up. "Yes we plan to release a demo," says Andrei. "I cannot confirm an exact date but we will have for sure a demo." See you in the air.

Tom Clancy's HAWX is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in September 2008.