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Take offs and landings are one of the new additions to the game, and there will be a wide variety of scenarios that will require different approaches to both. For instance, landing on an airfield in the middle of the day won't require as much focus and attention as, say, a midnight landing on an aircraft carrier. Not that there will be any "easy" landings, but the difficultly will vary depending on the situation.
Once in the air, the planes look and maneuver just as sharp as they did in the first game, only now with noticeable graphical improvements. One of the most notable graphical bumps is the new damage system, which causes planes to now splinter and explode appropriately when taken down.
The terrain is once again stunningly detailed thanks to the game's GeoEye satellite imaging technology. Only now, the ground doesn’t look quite as muddied and flat up close as it did in the first game, at least based on the few maps I saw. H.A.W.X. ran at a blistering pace, and from what I saw, H.A.W.X. 2 keeps this standard intact while inching the needle forward in key areas.
The terrain is once again stunningly detailed thanks to the game's GeoEye satellite imaging technology. Only now, the ground doesn’t look quite as muddied and flat up close as it did in the first game, at least based on the few maps I saw. H.A.W.X. ran at a blistering pace, and from what I saw, H.A.W.X. 2 keeps this standard intact while inching the needle forward in key areas.
Another big improvement is the new A.I. system, which has been tweaked to give enemies a sense of self-preservation. So instead of simply getting in your way, they will fly and fight with purpose and determination. In fact, in the couple dogfights that were presented, there were several moments where the computer pulled off maneuvers that made them look like human players were behind them. Not only does this mean combat will require more focus and cunning on the player's part, it also means dogfights will be more intimate and intense than ever before.
One of the coolest new weapons demoed is a new precision targeted bomb that comes in especially handy when collateral damage is simply not an option. It also plays into the game's new stealth missions, in which you'll control an unmanned UAV, tag targets and then jump into a plane and take out the marked targets under the cover of night. These stealth missions will surely provide a great chance of pace from the high-octane sky battling that will no doubt characterize the majority of the game.
The development team behind HAWX 2 stated that it wants dogfighting to be a more visceral experience. The result of this seems to be that jets will be flying pretty close to each other when they're engaged--we saw plenty of jets using their flares to thwart missile attacks and perform a variety of maneuvers to evade enemy fire. Additionally, when other jets are controlled by the AI, they will often turn to face you in a game of chicken as a means of replicating human behavior in multiplayer situations. On top of that, the picture-in-picture feature will generally make it easier to track enemy jets, because you'll get a closer look at their maneuvers and get a better idea of how to engage them.
It's worth mentioning that in full-on multiplayer, you can select from a variety of aircraft, all of which have different attributes. Also of note: You can play the entire single-player campaign cooperatively over the various online services for each platform (or through system link on the Xbox 360).
It's worth mentioning that in full-on multiplayer, you can select from a variety of aircraft, all of which have different attributes. Also of note: You can play the entire single-player campaign cooperatively over the various online services for each platform (or through system link on the Xbox 360).
Can't wait for this game!
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