Hooked On Hawken

When a colleague reminded me of Hawken a month or so ago, I decided to check it out - and was very impressed. I nearly forgot about Hawken, developed by Adhesive Games and published by Meteor Entertainment. I recall some excitement over its first announcement a couple years ago, when people were talking about how it's going to bring mechs back into gaming, and that it was insanely impressive for a game developed by a very small team.

But if memory serves it was supposed to be a "regular" game back then, with a single player campaign and everything. Instead, Hawken emerged late last year as a multiplayer-only affair, nominally falling in with the massively multiplayer online/free to play crowd. Now, massive is very subjective, as while I can pronounce my love for this game, World of Warcraft it isn't. The servers are super-sleek, Adhesive are doing a great job with them, and you find matches with near-instant rapidity. Plus matches fill up, but I don't think the overall online population at any given time comes even close to the likes of Black Ops 2, which officially isn't thought of as an MMO.

Hawken has a backstory which you can delve into if you want, taking place on a planet where resources are dwindling and several factions are struggling for survival. Not sure how much of that actually goes into gameplay, because your mechs have unlimited fuel and ammo, so maybe on that planet the concept of scarce resources is dramatically different from ours.

While a story is nice, Hawken rules for action and progression. Mech games always filled me with some trepidation, as historically they tended to be more on the complex side of simulations, and not very accessible, with tons of controls to master and parameters to keep in mind. Hawken looks at all that and says "nah".

This is the Call of Duty of mech games. You get in your machine, run around, and shred your peers with various weapons. When you get blown up, you respawn right away. There's no waiting, no delays, and amazingly, no lag. This has to be one of the smoothest online shooters I've ever played, and any gamer can learn everything they need to know in a couple of TDM matches. Yes, there are more hardcore modes, but essentially this game is all about making things approachable right off the chaingun. 

The whole free to play angle. Well, my take on "free to play" is that it's another name for monetization.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, nobody's forcing us to play anything, and you can indeed sample much of Hawken gratis. But clearly gaming is a business, so if you think of free to play as anything more than an extended demo, you're quite mistaken. You definitely will not get the full experience in Hawken without ponying up for Meteor credits, the currency of the game. These are bought in the obligatory store, which looks a lot like any store in every other free to play title. I've become more comfortable with these having started gaming on Android devices. Games like the amazing Dead Trigger and Blood and Glory: Legend have convinced me that there's nothing wrong with giving your credit card info to myriad game publishers, and if you deny the market-like flavor of these places is addictive, you're doing it wrong. 

I for one fully embrace our new credit-minded benefactors. Daily deals, daily rewards, 20% extra for every $10 pack..actually I'm now officially addicted to the word pack. Anything with pack in it is good. I love checking the store to see what deals are up, since you can get different Meteor credit, hmmm, packs, weapon and credit packs, upgrade packs...well, you get the packture.

Sure, you could go the way of Hawken credits. These are the free version of Meteor credits, and can be used to buy stuff. You know most free to play games have this dual currency system, and naturally the free side of it takes forever to accumulate. Honestly if you even have a very part time job, the war in Hawken's story will likely be over by the time you have enough to put together the mech you want.

Besides, if you like something, pay for it. That's my approach, so if I enjoy a game offered to me supposedly for free, I'm more than happy to share with the developers. I don't think Hawken has an "unlock everything" option like some of the other freebies, where you pay $60 upfront and everything currently in stock becomes available to you.

Another point to remember is that Hawken is still officially in beta stage, so everything about it can change. I don't expect it to, and it definitely feels more finished than many paid games, but its status needs to be mentioned.

I've compiled a quick photolog of my antics to give you an impression of what Hawken is about, so let's get in that mechanical suit and take her for a spin.

 This is my beloved Bruiser mech, which I bought with my first Meteor credit....pack. I've only begun tuning it so it's quite basic at level 3, but you level up quickly if you have the time to spare.

 The main game modes, very much like any other multiplayer shooter. There's even a killcam. If they called this Modern Mech Ops of Duty, I don't think anyone would be overly surprised!

There are also training missions before you actually unlock all game modes, but that takes like a couple of matches and is very quick. By the way, the music that plays in the background doesn't really change, but it's very good. You'll be humming it in no time.

Mech selection and outfitting screen. Currently the weapon selection is rather limited, but Adhesive are constantly hard at work updating Hawken, and I believe right about now a massive patch is incoming that will add much to the roster of carnage implements.

Once inside your mech and in-match, Hawken's Unreal Engine 3 graphics impress with a very distinct style. This is a good looking game, though to be honest the visuals are intentionally washed out and have a grain effect to compensate for missing detail. The scenery is also not very deformable, but all that doesn't take away from the very creative art on show. The graphics artists definitely did a good job generating a unique feel. As you can see, your mech gets two primary weapons, plus special abilities like mines, deployable turrets, and EMP blasts.

Maps are brilliantly designed and sized. You never have to wander too long in search of action, and the average lifespan is sufficient to prevent frustration, yet keeps you on your toes. Unlike some other shooters, Hawken is very balanced. Even a total newbie can jump in with a level one default mech and wreak havoc on much more experienced players. This optimization is testament to Adhesive's dedication to making Hawken a really accessible experience.

It's also a very social game. People I've encountered so far tend to be very chatty, and team play is encouraged. The announcer even keeps harping on about how together we live, separated we die. Other gamers will cover you, and you're expected to come to the rescue when the other team attacks one of your comrades. The forums are also very lively. 

Hawken almost goes the way of regenerating health. In a move that would have shocked mech games from the 90's, all you have to do to fully repair your mech on the spot is hold C. You then go into repair mode, with little bots flying around and sparks and the whole shebang. This only takes a couple of seconds, but you're entirely vulnerable while repairing. If you're in the area and see someone repairing, you're supposed to guard them. Of course showing courtesy to repairing opponents is not expected. It's discouraged. 

Despite all that camaraderie, I've been getting this screen a lot!

One downside to Hawken is that as of this writing there aren't many maps available, at least for TDM, which is my primary mode.

And they can be classified into what I call the desert maps and the blue maps...I like them all equally!

Another great thing about Hawken is that it's crazy vertical, which is always nice in a shooter. You can literally climb all the way up there, then rain misery on your opponents. Who will promptly blow you away with guided Hellfire missiles. But such is the lot of the mech rider. 

So, Hawken. Thanks to Adhesive for the great effort, and to Meteor for their support of this gem. If you have time, download it from the link above. It's free...but won't stay that way for long, that much I can guarantee! You'll fall in love, and then spending becomes the right thing to do.

If you're a Hawken gamer already, let us know in the forums, soldier.