Developer: SCE

Publisher: SCE

Reviewed by: Michael Cohen

The spiritual successor, but not direct sequel, to the Playstation 3 launch-title, Warhawk, Starhawk is focused on third-person multi-player combat...with a twist. Two twists, in fact! First is some pretty comprehensive vehicle combat, including jetpacks, hover bikes, off-road vehicels, and most importantly, the Starhawk itself (a mech that transforms into a starfighter). Or is it a starfighter that transforms into a mech? I can never tell. The second twist is the way you get these vehicles, which is by orbital drop, along with a myriad of other structures, such as barricade, turrets, and shield generators. These two aspects make for some very interesting multi-player combat, which itself is pretty solid. The weapons are balanced, the vehicles are fun to control (but dangerous for newbies), and the Starhawk is some of the best fighter combat since Rogue Squadron.

Along with the multi-player mode, Starhawk outdoes Warhawk with an interesting single-player campaign. However, the story suffers from a few flaws, including poorly written characters. Thankfully the setting makes up for it, because who doesn’t want to fly a transforming starfighter around in a space western? That’s right. Nobody. Where the single-player mode excels is in teaching you the basics of a very complex and frenetic multi-player game.

Some are lauding Starhawk as the best multi-player exclusive that the Playstation 3 has to offer, and I don’t disagree with them. If you’re into third-person space shooters that demands some real strategy, then this is all you.