E3 2011: Starhawk Updated Impressions - Galactic Battlefield

Some might say that space is the final frontier. But if the most recent Starhawk trailer is to be believed, outer space is simply the new frontier. During Sony's E3 2011 press conference, Santa Monica and LightBox Interactive showed off a new trailer for Starhawk, a sci-fi shooter inspired by 2007's Warhawk and developed in part by members of that team. The trailer itself opened on a dusty, sunbaked planet that invoked the Wild West vibe the game is aiming for. A menacing half-cowboy, half-cyborg filled the screen, sporting pulsing blue lines of energy down his arm.

The trailer picked up quickly after that. Bullets starting flying, and things started blowing up left and right. Structures were called down from the heavens, which unloaded numerous vehicles onto the battlefield. There were buggies and shooting. There were hoverbikes and shooting. There was even a giant robot that transformed into a jet (and also did some shooting). In essence, it looked like a game that knows where it came from: competitive multiplayer mayhem. But it didn't end there, as the camera pulled back into the sky, through the clouds, and up into outer space.

"The universe is a brutal place," narrated the trailer, presumably the voice of Starhawk poster boy Emmett Graves. What we saw was a glimpse into the grand scale the developers are going for with this release: a massive battlefield containing dozens of small fighter craft and large battleships conducting a war that spawned worlds. We're definitely excited to see more of this game, including its extensive single-player campaign, on the show floor. Starhawk will be released sometime next year. For more information on the game, be sure to check out our most recent impressions piece.