Starhawk

Whoa! Trippy

Whether on vehicle or on foot, you have your choice of a 32 (or less) player Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, CTF, and Zones –  fun control points on the map game type. Where Starhawk trips up slightly is in the balancing of these modes. You’ll notice certain matches becoming quite drawn out either due to neither side having the tools needed to break a stalemate or players not coordinating well enough to make a concerted push to a definitive win. Turtle yourself in your base with a bunch of walls, tanks and flak cannons for example, and you’ll be sitting pretty for a long while. Although the game is structured to not require voice-chat, it does benefit from team communication so everyone knows what structures are being built where and when the appropriate time to rush or defend a control point is.

Battles are set across 10 maps, planet-side as well as space. The maps have a good look to them and never default to drab colour palettes or boring layouts. In fact, Starhawk may just have some of the most beautiful skyboxes this side of Halo: Reach. Load times are quick enough and the main menu is always available no matter where you are in game. The game also comes with a lovely, always-on server browser that takes some of the guesswork away from matchmaking. You’ll also find a reasonably detailed character and vehicle customization tool, lobbies, clan management, a scheduling calendar, skills that you can enable once you hit certain in-game achievements, and a free play mode that lets you play around the maps at your leisure.

Kill 'em all

The acid test for any multiplayer game is its longevity. Lightbox Interactive hasn’t skimped on the features, which is nice, and full props to them for offering all future map packs to the community for free. This ensures that playlists don’t fragment and players don’t wander off to other games. There’s also the promise of the game being constantly tweaked via patches to iron out post-release balance issues. And while the game could certainly have used a couple of modes and vehicles, and perhaps some less conventional weaponry, what’s on the disc as of now is perfectly competent – especially if you’re looking for a multiplayer game that doesn’t involve modern conflict.