Entertaining and fast paced, but H.A.W.X is lacking a certain something that would make it great.
Enter, Tom Clancy.
This addition to his myriad of 'war games' has given this gamer hope for flight simulators. The graphics are stunning, the controls are very easy to learn, and the in game banter is entertaining enough for me to want to pay attention to the storyline.
However, the storyline is somewhat lackluster. With the quick pace of the game itself, the plot seems to be a little...lost. It does offer a nice little twist here and there, but in the end, the finale is very anti-climactic. Fortunately, they've made up for this with the adding of proverbial 'chocolate to milk'. The wide selection of aircraft and weapon combinations are enough to keep you playing this game for a few extra days (maybe), although the lack of customizable armaments for each plane is a bit disappointing.
Still, in the end, it's all down to fun. The planes handle like they're floating on air (pardon the crappy pun), and the wingman orders are ridiculously easy (attack them, or defend me, pick one!). The lighting and texture detail are magnificent, as are the high altitude shots of the cities. Satellite imagery, and a pleasant and constant change of location makes Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X a very pretty game. I was actually quite pleased to see 'Christ the Redeemer' sitting on top of Corcovado Mountain.
Overall, this game's good for a quick 'I'm gonna kick your arse' run, and will definitely slake your thirst for explosive fury from the sky.