Top Ten Game List

          Title (Formats)
1.       Mafia 2 (PC, PS3, XBOX360)
2.       Kane & Lynch 2 (PC, PS3, XBOX360)
3.       Toy Story 3 (NDS, PS3, PSP, Wii, XBOX360)
4.       Sniper Ghost Warrior (PC, XBOX360)
5.       Tom Clancy Hawx 2 (XBOX360)
6.       Mass Effect 2 (PC, XBOX360)
7.       New Super Mario Bros (NDS, Wii)
8.       Metroid Prime Other M (Wii)
9.       NFS Shift (PS3, PSP, XBOX360)
10.     Red Dead Redemption (PS3, XBOX360)

Tom Clancy’s HAWX 2 – Review

In HAWK 2 you'll assume the role of HAWX 1's returning hero pilot Colonel David Crenshaw, who is subsequently captured by shady insurgent forces (of course) and declared MIA after three nuclear warheads go missing in Russia, before taking the reins as other pilots from three nations.

In typical Clancy stylee, HAWX 2 weaves conspiracy and intrigue among its narrative threads and tells its story from three different perspectives, so while you start out as Crenshaw, you'll soon be playing as American pilot, Major Alex Hunter, British RAF fella Lt. Colin Munro and Russian airman Captain Dimitri Sokov, who are all involved in the same overarching plot that runs throughout the game. It's the same old Clancy stuff though, with enough frankly missable military blather and techno-babble to have you constantly clawing at the 'skip' button during the cut-scenes.

However, telling the story using three different nations is a neat device that ensures you're presented with a veritable hangar-full of fighter jets to choose from, each of which is lovingly crafted and can be drooled over in the selection screen, where you can rotate and zoom in and out of each model, if you're so inclined. And once you're in the skies, things handle with just as much arcade style as the previous game, although this time, some missions demand that you take-off and land, which isn't nearly as daunting as you might think.

Taking-off is a simple operation, where you merely press a button to start up your engines and then use the triggers to taxi to the runway, accelerate, brake and keep your nose straight with the bumper buttons. When you reach optimum speed, pull back on the analogue stick and up you go. Easy. Less simple is executing a landing, as it's easy to come in too hot and crash. Slow right down and pop out your landing gear when prompted though, and you'll come up against few problems. There's always assistance just a single button away too, if you need it.

In the air, the action is much as you'd expect, with fast-paced dogfights the order of the day for the most part, with an occasional shift in objectives to keep things varied. Like early on in the game for example, when you're tasked with controlling a UAV to scan a suspicious enemy complex where Crenshaw is potentially being held or a bit later on, when you're manning the artillery in a heavily armed gunship to protect a vulnerable transport plane from hostile ground targets and helicopters, before escorting a Ghost Recon jeep to the safety of a waiting ship.

Playing HAWX 2 is still as accessible and arcade-centric as ever, meaning that it's uncomplicated, if slightly throwaway fun. Settling in for a long session with the game can be interminable stuff though, so we'd recommend tackling HAWX 2 in small sittings. HAWX 2 is still undoubtedly an improvement over its predecessor and the presentation and gameplay is much slicker than before. However, despite boasting a host of modes like Survival, Free Flight, Arcade and online competitive multiplayer and four-player co-op, there's a nagging feeling that HAWX 2 isn't quite the thrust forward for the franchise that we were hoping for. If you enjoyed the original HAWX, you'll find a lot to like here, and dogfighting is enjoyably robust. It's just a shame that the sequel fails to advance things in any kind of meaningful way with a tired narrative and copious missile-dodging that will rapidly wear thin.