Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X

The Good
I'm pretty sure that you won't find a better jet fighter game out there. Just on planes alone, it has one of the best selection's that include a half dozen mirages, the jaguar, FB-22 strike raptor, F2, F2D, F4G, F14 tomcat, F15 active, Jaguar and my personal favorites, the EuroFighter Typhoon and Harrier Jump jet. And with the handling physics, which are mercifully based on arcade physics, these planes are a pleasure to fly, especially the Harrier. It also make it very simple to fly your plane at any altitude. In fact, after playing, you'll probably end up thinking you could teach real fly boys something about flying a plane and making it look good. It is that which makes HAWX such a fun game.

Add to that you have multiple load outs that consist of multi AA and AG missiles, JSM's, free-fall bomb's and long range radar guided missiles so you can use any plane for just about anything.

The Bad
Unfortunately, it does have kinks.

For a start, the radar is just, well annoying. It Bleeps whenever it's on small size whenever a new plane or something appears and when you put it on it's alternate display to stop it beeping and annoying you, it takes up too much screen.

Then there's switching targets, you never seeming keep getting the same two targets closest to you reticule and have to cycling through enemy's 5 or 6 times to get the one you want.

This being a Tom Clancy game, you will NOT be surprised by the plot, this means you have to save the U.S. and its president just about single handedly in a typically shallow American gung ho flag waving story. What, like you were expecting it to be oscar winning material or something??

That brings me nicely onto the characters. They are cliches. that is the single word that best sums them up the best. And for me at least, the only.

Then there's the mid mission cutscenes that always comes up in the middle of you doing something, which you can't skip and usually when they are done, the plane you had been chasing has disappeared.

And finally last but least, the end of mission highlights are rubbish, it's just your plane firing the odd missile or 2.

The Bottom Line
A shallow yet moderately fun arcade flying game with no replay value once you stop playing it of get fed up with it.