Starhawk: There's not enough room on this planet for both of us pilgrim!

     Do you like sci-fi action? Do you like westerns? Well then you'd probably enjoy Starhawk. This PS3 exclusive does a good job of blending the two genres together into an action packed game. If you've never played the previous title Warhawk you don't have to worry about missing out. For one thing, the Starhawk campaign is brand new because Warhawk was multiplayer only. The other thing is (to me) Starhawk is just better than Warhawk. So let's get into the real meat of the game.

     The story of Starhawk puts you in the role of Emmett Graves. You are infected with rift energy which gives you some special attention from the "normal" people. You are battling a force known as the Outcasts, which are other people who when infected with rift energy became crazy. The Outcasts are lead by your brother Logan and it's your job to stop him. The campaign, while decent, is nothing amazing. The campaign is roughly 5-6 hours but was quite enjoyable the whole time. You can tell the developers really wanted the single player campaign to be a sort of tutorial to get you ready for multiplayer. I for one was glad to get this training in. There's a lot to learn and while it's not super difficult, you still need to get a feel of all the controls and ways to build structures.

     That leads me into one of the main things that makes Starhawk so much fun. Throughout the campaign you will learn how to call down different structures to help you and your comrades battle the enemy. These will range from armory stations, guard towers, defense walls, auto-turrets, and even vehicle garages. This also adds a strategy element to Starhawk. You'll have to learn and plan out where you want to drop certain structures in order to survive waves of enemies. Also, the rift energy you earn from killing enemies is spent to build these structures. One vehicle that is a staple in this game is the airships. The airships also function as mechs when on the ground. As a mech you can use the ship's guns as well as a stomp attack. While flying the controls work well. You can pull off barrel rolls and use some cool missiles to blow up enemy ships. 

     The real draw and focus of Starhawk is the multiplayer component. All of the structures and weapons you become familiar with in the campaign are in the multiplayer. You will slowly gain rift energy constantly, but you gain more energy from killing enemies or destroying their structures. Again, you will use this rift energy to support the rest of your team. This creates a strategic, chaotic, and fun multiplayer experience. The whole time you are playing you will see people flying through the air, driving turret mounted jeeps, and structures dropping from the sky. This leaves you constantly on the edge of your seat. The mode I played was team deathmatch, but there are others like capture the flag or a co-op survival mode. You will level up and earn xp that can be used to get new abilities and of course cosmetic changes to your character or vehicles.

     Graphically the game looks good. The blend of the sci-fi with western themes is a nice touch. The planet landscape varies from mountainous, to fortress battles, to large scale space battles. The controls both on land and air work well and allow the game to flow smoothly. I was pleasantly surprised with Starhawk and think it's a great addition to any PS3 gamer's library. I highly recommend playing the campaign to familiarize yourself with the ends and outs before jumping into multiplayer. Once you get things down the multiplayer can have you coming back for more.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Written by: Alter Ego 83