Of course, it helps that the Ubisoft Romania studio
made video game imagines aircraft as significantly sturdier that they are in real life, in maybe it's biggest concession to the arcade style. A pilot can sit tight in the cockpit without fear as a few missiles hit his machine after failed flare runs and a few attempts at getting the pursuers off course. It doesn’t feel natural to get hit and only see a number go towards zero percent although it makes sense in the world of video games.
Consoles don't get too many flight simulation games these days so it's nice to see that the developers at Ubisoft Romania have created a series where pilots are heroes, able to almost decide the outcome of potential World Wars on their own, and where planes are lovingly detailed and beautifully rendered as they engage in their high altitude deadly dance of cannon, missile, flares and quick accelerations. But as you climb into the cockpit be prepared for a bumpy ride.
It's hard to know what H.A.W.X. 2 is trying to be deep down inside. On one hand the game aims to be more of a simulation than the first title in the series, with landing and take off included as mandatory elements in most missions and with more of an emphasis on close quarters dog fighting.
 |  |
On the other hand the game is clearly arcade, with some enemies nearly impervious to missile fire and with stalling only a real problem when the game itself needs it to be one. Planes also carry more ammo and more tech than they would be able to in real life.
The problem is not only linked to how this particular game has been built but to the actual need of the genre to create a balance, attracting players by making the experience accessible but also keeping the gameplay as close to real life as possible.
H.A.W.X. 2 is clearly more of an arcade than a sim but the second installment in the series introduces take offs and landings. Getting off the ground is not hard at all and is mostly tedious, making the addition seem a bit unnecessary. Landing on the other hand can be punishing, which means that the return of the Enhanced Reality System is a welcome one, guiding the player back to the landing strip and telling him when to reduce speed and when to drop the landing gear in order to make sure that the billion dollar flying machine makes it to the ground safely.
In the air refueling is another real life challenge that has been added and it can be really tough to pull off, especially with a threatening timer counting the seconds down in the background. The initial approach is similar to the landing sequence but the final tweaks needed to link up to the fuel hose can be real hard to pull off. I literally lined up my plane in the final two seconds on my first try, leaving me with vaguely shaking hands which lead to a short pause before continuing the missions.
The air battles are pretty similar to the first title in the series and that holds true for both the good and the bad parts of the experience. Wingmen seem pretty ineffectual, meaning that the player controlled plane needs to do 90 percent of the work in order for a mission to succeed. That's good because it means that there are a lot of planes to engage and then shoot down but also bad because combat can drag on for quite a long time with adrenaline bursts turning into frustration pangs as time goes by.
 |  |
Enemies also seem, at times, bizarrely capable to throw flares continuously from an endless supply, throwing off all missiles you fire at them and leaving only the cannon as a viable alternative. It makes sense to push the player into some close fights but the developers make it feel too forced in H.A.W.X. 2.
The game also varies the type of missions by introducing a bit of stealth via drone and some escort action via an AC-130 and its full complement of cannons, fully controllable by the player. The drone missions can be pretty boring, with limited movement and no actual enemy planes, feeling a bit empty after the huge action pieces.
But the first escort mission in the game, where the main hero of the first game is rescued by Ghost operatives from terrorists, is one of the highlights. Babysitting a fragile vehicle does not sound like a good idea but in H.A.W.X. 2 it works beautifully, with varied threats emerging left and right and guns overheating as you move to target and eliminate them all as the package proceeds to a friendly rescue ship.
