"A truly addictive online multi-player experience that has the potential to hold your interest for months to come

Back in my university days, after a long days worth of studying my ritual method of unwinding involved a two hour session on Incognito’s iteration of Warhawk. Though Warhawk came early in the PS3′s cycle there were still numerous titles that out-did it visually. I hear many people ask, what exactly was the appeal of that game? Well for me; it wasn’t about graphics or your K/D Ratio, or having an epic single player campaign. Warhawk to me was about actually having fun playing with and against other players. Nothing more, nothing less… It was easy going but challenging enough to encourage you to try new tactics on the battle field.

That same fun stress relieving experience has been absent for four and a half years, until now. Lightbox interactive were assigned the task of bringing the idea of Warhawk back to life with a new coat of paint. Enter Starhawk – which takes the theme into the future and presents a few new concepts.

One of the most notable differences between Starhawk and its predecessor is the addition of a single-player campaign mode. In this mode you assume the role of Emmet Graves. The game is centered around Rift Energy which is a new source of energy in space being mined by humans. Outcasts who have been over exposed to the Rift Energy wish to steal it and use it for their own addictive needs. After Emmet and his brother Logan’s farm is attacked by Rift Outcasts both brothers become exposed to Rift Energy. Logan becomes an Outcast but fortunately Emmet is saved from becoming an outcast thanks to an implant that a friend installs on him.

Throughout the game you’ll be acting as a mercenary, traveling to numerous Rift mines to help them fight off Outcast forces. You’ll be presented with inFamous like graphic novel story telling between missions, which looks cool but unfortunately it gets fairly boring. It’s not that Emmet isn’t an interesting character, it’s just that his story isn’t told in an overly interesting manner and thus it becomes hard to care for.

The campaign quickly begins to seems like a tutorial on how to play the game before you decide to dive into the online mode. Which is a bit of a let down when you consider the amount of stock put into the single-player campaign during marketing.

In terms of game-play Starhawk controls very much like how I remember Warhawk. At first the L2 and R2 controls were confusing, as L2 lobs grenades and R2 is used to sprint; I personally would prefer those to be swapped over due to the fact that R1 is your trigger so it makes more sense for me to press R2 for grenades. When I first played I found myself lobbing grenades right in front of me in an attempt to sprint due to this slight confusion. I’m sure there may be a way to change controls, but If you’re anything like me then you’ll prefer to play the game how the developer wanted you to.

Seeing as the whole story behind Starhawk is centered around Rift Energy, it makes sense that the gameplay should allow you to utilize the energy source. In both the single-player and multi-player modes you are able to build structures to either defend your base or bring offense to the enemy. To do this you need to build up your Rift meter, which fills up automatically if you are near base. Otherwise you can replenish your Rift meter quicker by simply killing enemies or shooting Rift containers.

The build and battle mechanic is one of the most important features of the game. Building the right structures in the right places can make the difference between winning and losing, especially once you get to the multi-player side of the game. Pressing triangle will bring up the radial menu, it displays which structures you’re able to build given your Rift meter level and the map you’re playing. Once you begin to built stations that spawn tanks, jet-packs and Hawk mechs the excitement really begins. Starhawk isn’t too exhilarating as a 3rd-person shooter, so it’s taking control of these various vehicles that provides the most amount of fun in combat.

Hawk mechs allow you to transform into Starhawks and take to the skies picking off enemies in the air or on the ground. I personally prefer transforming back to a mech to take on ground enemies, but there are many skilled flyers that can effectively aim down upon a foe from the sky. It takes some practice to get really good at controlling the Starhawk, but it’s definitely worth the effort as they are an essential part of dominating a horde of enemies.

"It’s the beauty of Starhawk; that building a turret, a supply bunker or a Hawk station can make all the difference.

It’s clear that most of Starhawks longevity will come from the multi-player online portion of the game. Usually 3rd person games are heavy focused on campaign story modes with the online being an additional option to keep players interested after beating the campaign. Starhawk is a huge exception, and it’s an exception that is certainly needed on the PS3.

One of the big criticisms for the PS3 platform is that aside from the huge 3rd party block buster titles, they lack enjoyable online experiences. Starhawk breaks this notion by providing a fun immersive online experience that keeps giving.

There are four main modes to chose from online; Capture the flag, Zones, Team Deathmatch and Deathmatch. My favorites by far are Capture the flag and Zones (taking over all zones to win) as you’ll find that you’ll have to be more strategic and actually work as a team to make a difference. Another misconception about PS3 is that people don’t talk, but I’ve found that Starhawk has actually encouraged a lot of people to get on their headsets for the purpose of working in a team.

Starhawk is a game that highly encourages team/clan based play. I’ve seen clans get together and dominate a server for hours. If you haven’t already got a clan in mind, then you will surely get a ton of clan invites as you level up further so it’s impossible to feel left out. Through the clan menu you can see clan rankings, stats and you can initiate clan vs clan battles.

As you rank up you’ll also unlock customizations for both your character and your vehicles which you can assign by entering the customization menu. You’ll also earn skill points which you can use to activate a skill (basically it’s a perk system).

Add all those entities together and you get a truly addictive online multi-player experience that has the potential to hold your interest for months to come; especially with the summer incoming.

Some may only wish to jump into Starhawk provided they have enough friends to accompany them, it’s easy to feel lost amidst the 30 other players in the room. You’ll find yourself dying frequently if you or your team don’t know what you’re doing. But on the other hand, there’s nothing like jumping into a random match on the losing team and then being there to turn the tides. It’s the beauty of Starhawk; that building a turret, a supply bunker or a Hawk station can make all the difference. This game comes highly recommended for those seeking an original multiplayer experience.

Take a listen and let us know what you think, and be sure to purchase the game as it drops tomorrow (in North America).

Tracklist:

01 Intro (Mr. Kennedy Mix)
02 DJ Premier & Bumpy Knuckles – P.A.I.N.E. (Pressure at Industry Expense)
03 Sheek Louch (ft. Jadakiss) – Pain (Mr. Kennedy Mix)
04 Styles P. – All I Know Is Pain
05 Jadakiss – Pain & Torture
06 Here Comes The Pain (Interlude) (Mr. Kennedy Mix)
07 Method Man – Bring The Pain
08 Gangstarr (ft. Fat Joe & M.O.P) – Who Got Gunz (Mr. Kennedy Mix)
09 Nipsey Hussle – Bullets
10 Nas – They Shootin’ (Ain’t Nuttin Changed) (Mr. Kennedy Mix)
11 Tony Yayo – Bullets Whistle
12 Jay-Z (ft. Eminem) – Renegade
13 2Pac (ft. Stretch) – Pain
14 Saigon (ft. Trey Songz) – Pain In My Life
15 Jack Lupino (Interlude) (Mr. Kennedy Mix)
16 Jay-Z – Lucifer (Mr. Kennedy Mix)
17 Fat Joe (ft. Busta Rhymes) – At Last Supremacy
18 Prodigy – Stronger
19 The Notorious B.I.G. (ft. 2Pac, Nas & Mary J. Blige) – Living In Pain
20 Joe Budden – Black Cloud

The move has been executed for the US only at this point, but we’re hoping SCEE will do the same for us today. So hound them anywhere you can and let them know we want this!

Over the past few days me and Edward V have once again been at it, this time the dispute was about PSN vs. Xbox Live gaming. I am fully aware that Xbox Live is the more powerful network, but I hope moves such as giving away Uncharted 2 DLC for free will get more and more people actually playing online on PS3.

Let us know what you think.

And because we missed them, here’s Playd weekly episode 7 and 8.

The game will take place in Tamriel 1,000 years before Skyrim and it will focus on daedric prince Molag Bal’s attempt to take over the land. Apparently the world of Tamriel will be open from Elsweyr to Skyrim and “everywhere in between”. The game will be developed by a team from Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax (ZeniMax Online Studios).

It all sounds awesome, but of course this also has the potential to go tits up. The game will be released for PC and Mac, and The Elder Scrolls series has had a strong PC following. Although the MMO will be a separate entity from the main games, dumbing down the world of Tamriel too much could possibly be detrimental to what The Elder Scrolls name has come to represent.

The new issue of GameInformer promises to have much more details, also look out for a teaser dropping tomorrow. We will certainly be discussing this on the next edition of our RPG podcast, Turn Based.

More info here

Yes the rumours we heard last year of an online mode in the next God of War were true, and I’m not sure how I feel about it…but I am confident that Sony Santa Monica will do a great job regardless.

“That’s right. God of War: Ascension will feature a ground-breaking new online multiplayer mode.

We wouldn’t do multiplayer in God of War unless we knew we could do it right. That’s why I’m extremely excited to finally be able to talk publicly about it and share all the gory details with you live. I even have some exclusive gameplay footage to share with you, so be sure to tune in to see it all live.”

– Todd Papy

Be sure to check out the stream on the blog in less than an hour from now to see the exclusive footage which Todd speaks of.

During the course of Starhawk’s single-player you will assume the role of Emmett who is a gun for hire caught up in a war for what’s known as Rift Energy. You fight alongside the Rifters as they fight off The Outcasts who aim to obtain all this newly discovered Rift Energy for themselves, whilst the Rifters aim to harvest and make money from it.

Starhawk has a very inFamous feel about it, in that the graphic novel style story telling is exactly like what we’ve seen in the inFamous series developed by Sucker Punch. It’s not just the graphic novel either, the movement of characters and the look of the enemies are also quite similar. This isn’t a bad thing, as inFamous is an amazing series itself, I just feel it’s worth pointing out the similarities between the two games.

During my preview session with the campaign I got to play three main missions in the game, which all included smaller objectives within them. The first mission had me defending a Rift Energy Generator from The Outcasts. On my way to the generator I got to ride one of the vehicles known as the Sidewinder which allowed me to speed through vast desert setting on the planet known as Dust. Pressing X allows you to jump with the Sidewinder, allowing you to pull of some meaningless stunts, as well as dodging obstacles. I was forced to hop off my Sidewinder a few times to gun down some enemies on route.

Combat is easy to get the hang of but also fun and challenging as you get swarmed by enemies. R1 is your trigger, pressing circle will lock you in or out of crouch mode, L2 lobs grenades at the enemy, and R2 allows you to sprint. Starhawk is of course a 3rd person game, but no cover system is necessary due to the nature of the battles the game provides. Things get much more complex as I quickly discovered once I made it to the generator.

You’ll have 30 seconds before the Outcast horde will approach, and during this time you’re able to build structures to aid you in your defense of the station. You must use the Rift Energy at your disposal (which is indicated via a meter in the top right of the screen) to build turrets, supply bunkers (which come with ammo), and defensive walls to fortify the area. You are still able to build after the horde has already began swarming you, provided you have enough Rift Energy and space to place structures. As you progress through the campaign you’ll find new structures that you can build to help during your mission. The amount of options at your disposal forces you to make strategic decisions about how to withstand your enemies. The result is an addictive desire to win, which will keep you engrossed.

Once you get the chance to utilise a Hawk Mech you’ll realise how dynamic Starhawk is. The ground battles are enough fun, but when hopping into a Mech you are able to transform into a star-fighter and engage in air based combat. The second part of the preview saw me flying through the space-ways above planet Dust to take out enemy hawks. If you don’t enjoy flying you can remain in Mech mode and pick off the rival Hawks from one of the platforms below, but how could that possibly be more fun than engaging in a dog-fight?

Keeping enemies within your sights can be difficult to get the hang of at first, as they are fast moving and you’ll be required to maneuver just like they do if you wish to take them out quickly. You can again shoot right R1, and picking up supply drops scattered near the various platforms will give you missiles and homing rockets. Eventually when more and more hawks joined the fray I found myself having to corkscrew and barrel-roll constantly to avoid a constant barrage of missiles. Thus it is vital that you can pick off the enemies as quick as possible when you’re out-numbered, as they’ll have you constantly on defense if given the chance. If you take too much damage you need only fly through a repair kit near one of the platforms.

Dog-fights are a lot easier to handle than they were in Warhawk. And with a campaign mode you’re able to perfect flying without having to worry about your online stats plummeting. Eventually you’ll be able to build structures that will spawn Hawk Mechs, ensuring you’ll be able to take flight in a battle whenever necessary.

The final mission in the preview basically urged me to use everything I had either learned or gained in the previous missions to capture and defend a base. It all came to an abrupt ending as the preview stopped me playing any further, but now I’m anxious more than ever to get my hands on this game.

The beta already proved that Starhawk has everything it takes to be a lasting PS3 online experience, but this preview showed me that the single-player campaign is more than just a booster to add more value to the game. It stands on it’s own as an engrossing, energetic experience. Emmett may seem like a generic action hero, but you’ll be bursting to find out more about him as the game progresses.

If you’re a fan of tower defense games, then Starhawk is easily the best experience you can get on a console.

We are both huge fans of each company and their main franchises, but we had to put our love for the companies aside and argue with cold hard facts. So expect a very interesting episode of Versus, with a completely new 3 round structure.

Be sure to let us know who you think won, and what you think about Bethesda Vs. Bioware yourself.

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I feel like Crooked I should take a miss when it comes to radio friendly records (Cee-lo’s ‘motherfucking’ can easily be rubbed out), as it’s very difficult to get to terms with hearing him on such a watered down record. On this track in particular I think Joe Budden stood out the most. Overall though, I can only hope that the rest of the album wont sound so forced.

I have to say though, Cee-lo went in on that hook.

welcome to: Our House drops June 12.

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts on some of the topics we discussed. We love to hear new voices.

Related Links
- What we want from God of War Ascension
- Darksiders 2 delayed
- Halo 4 release date announcement

Recently myself and Edward V. have gone back and forth over a Sega Genesis/Megadrive and Super Nintendo debate which came about when I said I didn’t own a Super Nintendo or N64. Listen as we debate the issue back and forth with Richard Bailey moderating. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on all the issues we brought up as I feel there are points both me and Ed could have articulated better.

Also look out for Episode 2 next week, in which we introduce a structured debate system with 3 rounds.

Related Links
The Co-op Episode 29

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Don’t forget to add the date to your calenders.

Not only will Kinect support allow you to yell Dragon Shouts out loud (F***ing awesome), but you’ll also be able to give commands and access hotkeys, completely minimizing the use of the menus.  A full list of shouts will emerge “in the coming weeks”. Other options will include map functions and the ability to to sort items by name, weight and value.

Towards the end of the show me and Edward V also have the never-ending debate about Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, this is mostly us just messing around, but it’s definitely an interesting debate that will stand the test of time. 20+ years from now, perhaps people will be having the same conversation about Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Related Links
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Max Payne 3 Shotgun Trailer
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As always, go on over to Get Playd to get the app for your smartphone or check out their very cool blog.

Let us know what you think.

This is not me trying to sell you on the game, as I have already written a full review on The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, this is just me showing off some of my very own gameplay with a commentary. If you’re a regular Koalition reader/listener then you would have heard me praise this game like no other, so you’ll get a look into why I enjoy it so much.

I didn’t play any quests during this video, it’s simply me exploring the south west section of the map.

Note: The audio is a few seconds off, this is due to some lag on my computer when I was recording the vocals.

Check out some pictures of the controllers below.

We Interviewed: Jonathan Liebesman (Director), Dan Mazeau (Screenwriter), Liam Neeson (Zeus), Toby Kebbell(Agenor), Sam Worthington (Perseus)

Not present: Ralph Fiennes (Hades), Édgar Ramírez (Ares), Rosamund Pike (Andromeda), Bill Nighy (Hephaestus), Danny Huston (Poseidon)

GFN: Liam, How did you maintain the character of Zeus while working with CG?

Neeson: I liked it, I’m old school. Dealing with “Star Wars” where they had color tennis balls, fun color tape, and we had to work with what we had, so it wasn’t a problem.

–

GFN: In Clash of the Titans we saw the rise of Perseus as he took on the Kracken and discovered his father Zeus, what was your approach for the second movie?

Neeson: As Zeus I just wanted more interaction with my son & brothers. To show the dynamics of our family’s jealousy, hate, and love.

Worthington: I agree with Neeson, it was about family. Take the beginning scene with the chimera I was just trying to save my son. Also, there was a scene towards the end where Zeus and Hades came together to fight their father. That’s what this film really needed.

—

GFN: As far as story, was Wrath an attempt to reconcile the dysfunctional relationship of the mythological Olympus family?

Liebesman: Wrath is like a Greek mafia movie, where family issues are screwed up. Throughout the film they find a way to deal with their problems between man and Gods, father and son.

GFN: Did you all have fun on the set?

Neeson: Yeah, Ralph and I had a good time playing Gods. We also Had a lot of hair to fool with.

—

GFN: Did any of you get hurt while on set?

Worthington: I don’t like talking about that. I got a friend that plays rugby, so I look like a p$#%y compared to them. Still, only a couple of bruises were accrued nothing to major.

—

GFN: What was your favorite scene?

Worthington: I love all the scenes. I love the labyrinth scene because we had a moving set. So that was cool to work on. Plus, my big fight with the Minotaur felt like a UFC match.

Neeson: My favorite scene is anything with Sam, Ralph, and Toby.

Kebbell: I enjoy working everyday on set. It was a pleasure working with everyone.

—

GFN: Who or what was your favorite villain to fight?

Neeson: The Albanian drug cartel (Everyone in the room laughs)

Worthington: I like all of them. I like all of the creatures in the movie. Especially when it came to my battle with Aries.

—

GFN: Did any of you study Greek mythology?

Kebbell: My older brother read stories to me about them. Then I just followed up on what my brothers taught me.

Neeson: I’ve watched a lot of westerns. Western movies are like Greek myths in the sense that they all have the similar stories. I started learning about Greek mythology around my 20′s, when starring in Star Wars. (Everyone in the room Laughs)

—

GFN: Of all your roles, which one do you hold most dear?

Neeson: I actually hold all my roles to heart.

—

GFN: What traits did you use to play Zeus?

Neeson: Well, I can’t stop being me. Plus, I had a great set of hair, which helped a lot. Still the way I approached it was not to show power. Showing power is a form of weakening one’s self. Also, this is the God of Gods so just a strong presence is all that is needed.

—

GFN: How did it feel to shoot on location?

Worthington: It was awesome, because you can get into your character more. Plus it’s an Island! It’s Beautiful!

Speaking to Neeson, Toby, and Worthington was an honor and we can’t wait to see what Director Jonthan Liebesman and Screenwriter Dan Mazeau will work on in the future.

—
Much props to the Gamer Fit Nation team who conducted this interview on behalf of themselves and The Koalition.

Don’t forget to Get Playd, the free mobile app for gamers that allows you to check into games and unlock tokens and rewards.