Review : Starhawk Single Player Campaign

Platform : Playstation 3 exclusive
Developer: LightBox Interactive and SCE Santa Monica Studio
Price : 39,99$ On PSN including multiplayer. Free for PSN Plus member (Single player only)
Type : 3rd person shooter
Status : Completed in less than 5 hours

Starhawk is the second game of this multiplayer driven franchise. Unfortunately, I will only focus on the Single Player campaign because that is what I was able to play.

The story tells the tale of two brothers that used to work as miners of Rift Energy. After an Outcast attack, both brothers got exposed to the energy and while one mutated into an Outcast and became this game's nemesis, the other was saved with a device that keeps him from turning into one of the enemy. You became a gun for hire that protects Rift Energy mining sites that are getting more attacks then ever from the Outcast, that are now lead by your brother. Really, there's nothing more in there.

The campaign spans over 8 missions. The maps all looks like small scale open world and offer plenty of space to build structures.  For every mission, you are given indications on how to achieve the next goal. Indications like "Build some turrets to defeat the next wave". Structures are unlocked exactly when you need them and often you are shown where to build them. You probably won't find any challenges as soon as you understand the strongest structure combinations. There's not much room for replayability as you'll mostly do the same thing over and over again.

Structures play a major role in Starhawk. You can see this as like the buildings in any RTS, minus the management. They come prepackaged with weapons and there's no need to upgrade or send in troops.  You want help, you can build a beacon that sends in troops. You want a sniper, build a watchtower and go get the weapon in it.  You want to defend all that, turrets make a good defense. There are 9 different structures available.  But you'll often have access to about 5 or 6 in any missions.  Building costs Rift Energy that is obtained by killing Outcasts or destroying barrels besides Rift Energy sources.

You also have a bunch of weapons and vehicles to help you out.  Weapons are the standard variety you find in most shooters : A pistol you'll use for about 2 minutes, an automatic rifle, a shotgun, a sniper rifle, a rocket launcher, explosives, plasma cutter, a knife for instant melee kill, and a few more.

The biggest part of the game is how it mixes on foot combat, vehicles, and aerial dogfights. 

The first vehicle you'll get is a motor bike that can jump. Very agile, it will let you go everywhere, really fast. It does not offer much protection, but it can get you from A to B, and that is sometimes crucial to get by quickly.

The second vehicle you will use is some kind of jetpack. It will let you propel upward for a few seconds, until you deplete the fuel that will automatically refill once on the ground again.

The third vehicle is a 2 seats + 1 turret buggy.  It lets you get around the map faster, gives you some extra protection and firepower.

The last one is the most impressive : The Hawk. The Hawk is a Transformer. It is mainly a mech that can be transformed into a plane for fast travel and aerial combat.  The Hawk comes with its own set of weapons to take on other Hawks, big creatures or a massive group of outcasts.

Conclusion :

I would have never paid for the Single Player campaign, but the game mechanics will translate into enjoyable multiplayer matches. The building aspect makes dynamic battlefields that will change every combat. The campaign feels no more than a long tutorial and does not let you feel you control the battlefield.  You are better off buying the Multiplayer portion only (for 19,99$ on PSN) and save the 20$ if you are not a PSN Plus member... unless you want those trophies so bad.