ERS gives you a helping hand
HAWX makes fighting in the skies relatively easy for you with a smooth control system that’s easy to pick up and an auto lock-on function that generally relies on you pointing in the right direction rather than using your piloting skills. The Enhanced Reality System (ERS) helps you even further. The ERS mode triggers whenever you’re close to an enemy plane, or directly above a ground target, such as a tank, or when an enemy locks onto you with a missile. An on-screen prompt appears and when you press ‘X’ a virtual tunnel appears on the screen. If you can navigate your plane through the tunnel for the amount of time indicated then you’ll get to take an accurate shot an enemy fighter, or ground troop, or be able to dodge an incoming missile. Despite the ERS system being nothing more than a way to cheat your way to victory rather than rely on skill, it is very addictive and although we knew we had the skills to take out planes and ground forces, the temptation to press ‘X’ was a big one. Rely on it too much, however, and HAWX can soon become a shallow experience.Nevertheless, ERS is there to help you if you need it. You don’t have to use it. Later on in the game, things get slightly trickier once you’re able to turn ‘Assistance Off.’ In this mode, it feels like you’re playing a different game. The camera pans out from your plane, showing it from the third person perspective, but leaving you feeling somewhat detached from the action. You now have increased maneuverability to be able to loop-the-loop and pull off drifts to get behind enemy craft. Now you can now even stall your plane if you move too slowly. With the camera panned so far back from your plane, it looks like you’re playing a 2D multi-directional shooter. While we really didn’t really like the sudden switch in gameplay, we can see its appeal. With ‘Assistance Off,’ you get gameplay variety and more of a challenge.
As mentioned previously though, HAWX does lack the challenge and tactical depth of other Clancy games. There’s a wide variety of weapons on offer, including cluster bombs, cannons, radar guided missiles and rocket pod units, but you’ll be tipped off on what plane to bring into battle prior to each mission and hints appear on screen to tell you if you need to equip a different weapon. The main challenge of HAWX really ends up being how fast you can eliminate targets before they swarm upon your position from all angles and destroy you or the target you’re defending. Tactics rarely come into it. HAWX is certainly an accessible arcade fighter, but its simplicity is also its appeal.
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