It’s almost two years since Incognito Entertainment’s Dylan Jobe revealed the PlayStation 3 version of Warhawk to the world as a demonstration of the Sixaxis motion sensing controller. Since then, it’s undertaken substantial change, going from a standard game with a single player component, to an online multiplayer only frag fest. Now we’re getting ready for its second batch of premium downloadable content and Tom Eccles, Three Speech’s young hot-shot, has been putting it through its paces. Here’s what he thought.
Operation: Broken Mirror brings two major updates to Warhawk: a new snowy battlefield under the name of Vaporfield Glacier, and a new vehicle, the APC. Vaporfield Glacier is a gigantic snow filled winter battlefield. After feedback from fellow players that Omega Factory in the previous release was too large, the team at Incognito have decided to give us the best of both worlds – ten layouts ranging from miniscule villages to huge full size areas. One of the smallest layouts, Grinder, consists of just two bases in close proximity and one central checkpoint in the middle. Grinder is perfect for those playing with just a few other people, and while it doesn’t involve the full scope of Warhawk by limiting your choice of vehicle to only a jeep, it makes for a great close quarters match.
If you are in the mood for the full on thirty-two player battlefield, the Tundra Assault layout is the one for you. Basically the full map, the landscape stretches over the various hills and provides numerous valleys and crevices for skilled Warhawk pilots to swoop through as they target their prey. The map consists of four main outposts in each corner, one large village in the centre, and various smaller outposts in between. The contrast offered on Vaporfield Glacier between different areas is simply massive; you can go from a busy village centre full of buildings to a sparsely populated snowy wasteland in the middle of a blizzard. There’s also plenty of space high above the clouds reserved for Warhawk dogfights, signalling the all clear for the true ‘dog on dog’ intimate battles that we’ve seen on previous maps.
Another major new feature is dynamic weather. You may have noticed in various screenshots that despite being on the same map, the conditions go from beautiful sunshine to a furious blizzard: this is dynamic weather. While during our testing it didn’t make much of a difference to the gameplay itself, it provided a great variety inside the map and it was nice to see the environment change around you as the battle raged on. It was also pretty cool to be flying around one side of the map in the clear, then head over to the other side to enter an intense blizzard. It makes things feel like they’re happening in real time, rather than restarting every ten minutes. Moreover, according to Dylan Jobe on the PlayStation blog, the state of weather is synchronised across the entire network.
Vaporfield Glacier isn’t the only addition in Operation: Broken Mirror, as mentioned before it also hails the arrival of a brand new vehicle, the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). So what can it do? Well first of all it’s most basic function is the ability to transport six passengers, excluding the driver, all of whom are able to pop up through a hatch, as in a tank, to fend off attacking infantry. Another function activated by the driver is the deployment of what’s called an E-POD: a metal pod that turns into a gigantic shield to cover you and your teammates. Those inside the shield’s sphere are protected from outside gunfire while they can flawlessly return fire through the shield though enemies can destroy the E-POD by shooting at it and it will also disappear after a pre-determined amount of time so be prepared to quickly jump back inside the APC in the case of this happening.
The APC driver can also activate a boost facility, which propels the APC at high speed towards a nearby target. This will obliterate any jeeps in the firing line - just don’t try it with an enemy tank. It can also be used to simply speed up your journey. The final function of the APC is the ability to use it as a mobile spawn point; perhaps the biggest change to core gameplay that this expansion brings. Providing there is somebody in the driving seat, the APC will show as a spawn point and anyone can spawn straight into it, receiving a bonus weapon at the same time. Couple this with the skilled positioning of the vehicle and the use of the E-POD shields, and you’ve got a pretty comprehensive method of invasion.
Operation: Broken Mirror brings a whole host of new functionality to Warhawk. The new map offers a new landscape and promises to please all with ten layouts to suit every style of gameplay. The APC will also without a doubt change tactics of all games it’s involved in. As a mobile spawn point it’s the biggest addition in terms of gameplay and we can’t wait to get in some huge games to see how, and to what extent, it changes the gameplay. The update also brings new layouts to the traditional maps to enable APC use, and for those interested, Dylan Jobe has stated that to avoid locking people out who have one out of the two available expansion packs, content from both won’t be mixed; so you won’t see the Dropship (from Operation: Omega Dawn) and APC in the same match.
Operation: Broken Mirror is available from the PlayStation store now, for £3.99.
Looks like damned good fun! More than willing to become a bullet magnet for anyone wanting a game!
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 17, 2008 @ 11:42 am
Just downloaded it. Brilliant new vehicle, and the map is alright too..
Comment by Artiom — Apr 17, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Hey all - the store update is now live!
>700Mb Metal Gear Online preview downloading now >.
Comment by DrNeil — Apr 17, 2008 @ 11:59 am
the mgo is pretty pointless till the 21st. the store update is a pile of shit as per usual.
Comment by scott — Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
This is going to be the first thing I buy when I get home from work!
WarHawk is probably one of my most played games this year. I can’t recommend it enough to people, the only thing I always say is “Don’t expect CoD4, its not like that, its different!”.
Comment by KillerDr3w — Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
Been playing it all this morning - its awesome!
Comment by MaxQ333 — Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
Woo Hoo! I’ve been playin. It made me feel chilly as hell, and burning people with a flame thrower didn’t seem to warm me up none. I like the APC too. Just need a few more peeps to join in, which I’m sure they will after they’ve downloaded this.
Quite simply, this has to be the most brilliant game on the PS3. It has lasted so long, and seems to have so much more to give. Fab.
Comment by LordOfRuin — Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:55 pm
Totally cant wait to get home from work and download this bad boy…is it £3.99 like the last one?!
JohnSketch…i’ll take you up on that offer at some point…I need some easy kills >:D
Comment by elephant_stone — Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
I’ve had mixed reactions to this game… I’ve had some quality games where people spoke and worked as a team which was brilliant! However, I’ve also had some bad experiences with it, constant spawn camping, the usual suspects in the aircraft…. maybe it’s just a steeper learning curve than expected? I’ll continue to dip into this one though in the hope that the experience gets better!
Comment by Monkey Rimmer — Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:58 pm
Can’t wait to get home
but @9 iknow what you mean about the usual suspects though
Comment by KillingNine — Apr 17, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
i will agree with anyone that says this game is one of the best, or dare i say it the best game on the ps3!!!
cant wait to get my hands on the apc, running ove jeeps is exactly what the tank needed, but now i have it.
@9 & 10
the good pilots (like myself:-)) are always the usual suspects cause we are good in the air, seems like you need a flight school to hone your skills.
the learning curve in the warhawks is very steep but managable.
@johnsketch
you will always be my bullet magnet, time and a place thats all i need!
Comment by manley — Apr 17, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
@All those that wish to destroy me…*thinks*….
@Everyone!
Take your best shot! *cowers behind a big rock and cloaks*
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 17, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
Just noticed…..threespeech - you strip any tags don’t you (HTML) from the comments for fear of nasty things being done!
Had never noticed that before
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 17, 2008 @ 2:12 pm
hmm…to be more precise you just hate “insert arrow bracket shift, and shift . symbols here”
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 17, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
@ JohnSketch
I take it your PSN ID is “JohnSketch”?
Comment by elephant_stone — Apr 17, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
@johnsketch
my clan DMA! my tag turnget2005!
dont sing it,, bring it!! lol (will regret being so confident)
Comment by manley — Apr 17, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
Nice reporting Tom! I really want this but have to wait for it to make it to the US store - that’s something I never thought I’d have to say.
Comment by Astraeus — Apr 17, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
Doesn’t that kinda make the APC the dominant “weapon” in-game? Warhawk kills Self, 4×4s, Tanks. Turret kills Warhawk. Foot soldier kills Self, Turrets. 4×4/Tanks kill Self, Foot soldiers. Everything is pretty much balanced.
(i know sometimes it goes the other way, and pretty much anything can kill anything, but generally this happens)
APC doesn’t sound like it can be killed. Take some damage, put the shield on, step out and wrench the APC. Meanwhile people respawn in, already with weapons, shoot out at attackers. Shield runs out/destroyed, use the speed boost a much as you can to run away. With new troops, it shouldn’t be a problem to fend off the remaining attackers. New attackers come, repeat.
Comment by 2Perfect — Apr 17, 2008 @ 9:06 pm
yeah this is awsome! because of the assymetrical layouts it creates loads of different crazy hot spots around the map =D
Comment by coster — Apr 18, 2008 @ 6:49 am
I liked the new map but wasn’t happy that the official servers all changed too. The mix stuff doesn’t work for me. I liked a whole server full of TDM as I’m rubbish with the planes and I get bored with CTF and Zones.
I played on some player hosted games but 2 out of 3 times the host disconnected toward the end of the game.
I could host my own game but I liked the official servers before, so I could dip in and out if it was a good crowd playing or not…
Comment by Wizardweb — Apr 18, 2008 @ 8:02 am
Just noticed I started every sentence with “I” on that last post. There’s no “I” in team ! :o)
Comment by Wizardweb — Apr 18, 2008 @ 8:03 am
that apc is darn powerful.
had a quick game this morning where our team had a constant stream of apcs attacking the flag usually with a full complement of people due to spawn-to-apc.
the opposition where on constant defence.
it changes (some games) of warhawk from a laid back tactical + stealth shooter into a full-on twitch gaming fireworks show.
good but oh-so intense.
new snow map is ace though.
but will someone tell me why every person who has access to fast upload speeds ( i.e. can host big servers ) seems unaware that they can change the map from the HUMONGOUS Tundra Assault?!?
please people!
Comment by d33p — Apr 18, 2008 @ 8:26 am
i was playing a bit yesterday and the new APC was not as powerfull as one might think.
because they are so big and filled with lots of people they are great targets for any pilot coupled with the fact if you do take it down its garenteed to score highly.
a good tow missile shot will take one down or take most of its life only to be finished by a few machine gun rounds. the shield actually take a while to deploy its not instant, and the boost isnt that fast, just fast enough to get away from a tank when you need to. so it does not upset the balance at all, just gives more tactical options.
Comment by manley — Apr 18, 2008 @ 9:51 am
oh,,
not that im a member of the H8 squad but,,
the only bad point of this update is the fact that you cant have a drogship and an apc in the same game!! which is silly, i dont care if some people are too broke to buy both updates, thats not my problem, a drogship would be the a perfect counter to the apc!
Comment by manley — Apr 18, 2008 @ 10:02 am
You know, I can’t wait for the next installment. I don’t mean another map pack thing, I mean a whole new Warhawk game. There must be something in the pipeline. I’d like to see all the same game mechanics, just new graphical goodness, using all that’s been learnt so far, and then pushing the PS3 a little further. Ol’ Resistance is getting 60 player online soon, so who knows what’s possible after that. I guess we’ll be up against the bandwidth issue. I wonder how much data load these games put on the net connections we’ve got. Personally I have a fair usage cap of about 40Gb a month and blast that most months (not just gaming of course), but if someone were on a lighter service, how much would they get through? Mmm! Anyway, I’m blethering. It’s Friday afternoon and quite frankly, if I pull my finger out, I’m leaving early for some more cold weather action. See you there peeps.
Comment by LordOfRuin — Apr 18, 2008 @ 11:54 am
Again I find myself agreeing with the LordOfRuin - a new Warhawk could be amazing. There’s life in this version yet through, I’ll be going for this map pack once I’ve got the damn MGO update through.
I’d prefer to see some APC AND Dropship maps as well, surely most purchasers will have both packs. All they need to do to support that is make sure the filter option works with a server map selection flag
Comment by MrJimmy — Apr 18, 2008 @ 1:01 pm
MrJimmy is right, let those of us who’ve bought both packs, mix them up. Also, I can see updates and DLC continuing on this for a wee while yet. What might be awsome to consider is that perhaps the DLC and existing maps could be used in any future game too. Kinda like Unreal using old maps and mods. Anyway, this is all likely a pipe dream (I wonder where that phrase comes from?)
See you there peeps.
Comment by LordOfRuin — Apr 19, 2008 @ 7:40 am
Dont listen to this boy
He has moobs and doesnt buy me tictacs…
nah im only kidding
he doesnt have moobs
and by the looks of what i can be bothered to read he is a pretty good writer :]
wow i set out to destroy ur reputation and ended up complimenting you?!
Oh aye
this game looks… interesting 
maybe ill play it (or not) when i finish reading the whole review 
Comment by EMuh ;) — Jun 22, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
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