WarHawk

"One of the best launch games for the PSX"

-Visuals 8/10-

Fast moving frame rates, and colorful weapons with a lot of well detailed enemies and stages is what Warhawk has to offer. As one of the first Play Station games to be released, you’re left with a ton of visuals to look at along with a lot of extra FMV’s that give you an experience worth playing. Blasts and killer explosions round out the game, but you’ll never come across too much in terms of image break up or slow-down. A full 360 degree world with several environmental designs make an impact on the eyes, as each stage has its own bit of uniqueness.

-Audio 8/10-

First rate action music while flying a war plane unlike any other. The music tracks keep you moving through the stages and leave little left to be desired. Sound effects come out clear and crisp through a good stereo system and follow on a surround sound system with little error. While the sound effects can get a bit loud at times, you’re left with several different kinds, and nothing really repeats itself too often. The FMV voices come out as if you’re watching a movie on the big screen. All and all, you’re left with a wonderful audio experience to match the visuals.

-Control 8/10-

Basic button configurations make this game playable for gamers of all ages. Weapon switching is easy, and while some of the actual in-game battles may get a little intense, the control of the warplane is easy to use and use for strafing several targets. Advanced controls take a little practice, either with barrel rolling, or flipping around to come back towards a missed target.

-Game Play 8/10-

A basic action game, you’re put in as a pilot of a state of the art warplane against hordes of alien enemies that threaten to take over the planet. Lazing through several stages, you’re taken through the deserts, canyons, even inside of a giant building to take out the enemies that threaten to take you out first. While there are no other real modes of play, the difficulty can increase, and in some stages, you’ll have to use your head a bit to clear the stage…it’s not always blow everything up, sometimes you have to find certain areas and blow up targets to open up another part of the stage.

Secrets don’t really apply here, although you’re left with a password system to return to a stage that you may have left off on. Even though you may finish the game in just a few hours, you might find that it’s worth playing through a couple of more times just to hone your skills and try the game at a higher difficulty. The real challenge is to open up the special passwords in order to change the in-game mechanics and the way that your warplane may react to things.

-Overall 8/10-

For a first Play Station game on a system that was brand new, Warhawk is one of the most popular games that Play Station has to offer from that time. Giving you a high-paced action game, filled with a lot of visuals, great audio, pretty user-friendly control, and some intense action, Warhawk is a can’t miss game if you can find it. Considering that it was one of the first PSX games on the market at release, it’s difficult to find, but if you do manage to find a good condition copy, it’s worth the money you spend on it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/21/00, Updated 12/21/00