Dave was supposed to review this demo, but since he’s off to find some games that he hasn’t played or owned already, I get it. And I’m glad, because this is a damn good game.

First off, the game is accessible. All you need is one hand (I proved that on my second play), and a voice. All the voice commands work really well, even to the point where I can call upon all units of a specific type to move, attack, or engage. I can combine units’ orders to make things easier, and the HUD makes it so easy to maintain a good eye over the battlefield. Calling it an RTS game is a bit of a push, though. It’s more a tactical game, similar to that of Dawn of War, that you can only call so many units up (In EW’s case, 12), regardless of what type they are. But that’s good, because it means that the equivalent of Zerg rushes, or massing infantry to cause problems for the opponent simply through numbers, is impossible.

I thoroughly enjoyed this game, and I was impressed with it, both graphically and ergonomically. Needless to say, this is a game that I will be putting on my Pre-Order list.

I have to admit that I didn’t have too high a hope for this game. After all, it’s treading where Ace Combat has already tread. Like Generals, HAWX is proving that a named License (in this case, Tom Clancy) can be put onto any title and automatically generate the hype.

The demo wasn’t really too hefty. Just keep defending an oil refinery against wave after wave of enemy tanks and planes. Pretty basic stuff, nothing that hasn’t already been covered by it’s cousin from Japan. But there are a few unique differences. One of which is the ‘Intercept’ ability. By quickly pressing ‘X’ (on the 360), you can follow a set of markers. Match all the markers, and you either end up ready to smash a missile into the cockpit, or come up on his tail to make evading the missile that much more difficult.

The graphics have to be applauded. They pretty much beat AC6 hands down. Granted, Ace is a lot older than HAWX, but the rendering of the ground feels like a generation apart, almost to it’s detriment. The graphics are just too sharp for me to really consider real, and there was no resistance or notions of wind as you tear through it on your fighter/attacker. But then again, I was only using an A10 Thunderbolt, which doesn’t really move that quickly anyway. I saw someone play as a Berkut (a really fast fighter-bomber, if my knowledge serves me well), but still had the same lacking realism that I did.

Having said that, from what I played it’s still a damn good flight game. Honestly though, I doubt I’ll be buying it when EndWar is just around the corner. Dave’ll be covering that for you.