Republished on Wednesday twenty first September 2022: It’s the fifteenth anniversary of Warhawk, so we thought we might deliver again this Soapbox from the archives to have a good time the traditional PS3 shooter.

The yr 2007 was a very good classic for on-line multiplayer. Most notably, this was the yr Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare launched, and its affect cannot be overstated: it modified the panorama of multiplayer shooters for good. While I completely beloved my time taking part in Infinity Ward’s seminal FPS, one other PS3 shooter launched a number of months earlier had already gained me over. Its identify was Warhawk.

Obviously, this third-person shooter was a smaller scale providing than the mighty Call of Duty. There was no offline play, and no single-player marketing campaign; it was on-line solely, which was a comparatively international idea in console gaming again then. It had a restricted variety of maps, weapons, and sport modes. You might commandeer a small number of automobiles, together with the titular fighter planes. While you could possibly degree as much as unlock numerous customisation choices, Warhawk wasn’t actually working on the identical degree as Modern Warfare. The factor is, although, it did not want to be. It was a slightly easy sport, however every little thing in it was simply wonderful.

Despite early points with server disconnects, I could not cease taking part in it. Getting right into a spherical of Team Deathmatch, piloting a fighter jet/helicopter hybrid Warhawk to spots I might discover weapon pick-ups, and interesting in tense shootouts with enemy gamers — it was easy however endlessly enjoyable. There wasn’t something significantly distinctive about this sport, save for the aforementioned remodeling planes, however I used to be compelled to keep it up for hours and hours regardless.

I actually appreciated how lean it was. All of the weapons, most of which had been customary archetypes like assault rifles and rocket launchers, had been helpful in a technique or one other. Similarly, all of the automobiles had objective, and even the anti-air weapons, by which you had been type of a sitting duck, might show very useful too. I distinctly keep in mind the sound design being an actual power, with impactful gunfire and explosions, and the whoosh of Warhawks flying overhead from time to time. The sound aided the gameplay too; it simply felt so good to shoot issues on this sport. The time-to-kill was beneficiant, such that you could possibly doubtlessly recuperate from sticky conditions, and each elimination felt satisfying.

You might pull off some mad stuff, as effectively. I keep in mind the scrumptious overkill of utilizing the binoculars to name an airstrike on one hapless soldier, or blasting a Warhawk out of the sky with a well-placed shot from a tank. If you had been ok, you could possibly use a sniper rifle to one-shot the pilot of a Warhawk, and it could not solely kill the participant, however it could blow up the airplane. I might record loads of different issues like this, however for sure, there was a number of enjoyable available with, actually, fairly a small variety of components.

Because the planes had been so core to the expertise, every map had a lot of verticality, and there have been so many nice vantage factors and sneaky spots to find. While I principally performed Team Deathmatch, different modes like Capture the Flag and Zones had been equally enjoyable. Even after the post-launch launch of latest maps and different bits and items, the content material was on the slim facet, however I did not thoughts — this was an unpredictable, moreish multiplayer sport I’d be delighted to nonetheless be taking part in in the present day.

Unfortunately, the percentages are stacked in opposition to a revival. Online servers had been shuttered, and the studio behind the sport, Incognito Entertainment, now not exists. However, I believe Warhawk might thrive on PS5. The preferrred situation could be a remake that retains the gameplay feeling the identical whereas refreshing the visuals for a contemporary viewers. Perhaps the reply could be to make it free-to-play, and maintain it going with cosmetic-based microtransactions and new maps each infrequently. Heck, it is good for a battle royale mode, too.

Sony’s expressed curiosity within the multiplayer area offers me the smallest sliver of hope that it might occur. We additionally know the platform holder is cooking up a number of reside service video games, and this shooter would slot into that framework completely. I do know it is unrealistic to count on Warhawk to return, so I’m not holding my breath, however I give it some thought on PS5 with 3D audio, DualSense options, and improved visuals and efficiency, and I abruptly do not need to play the rest.

Do you agree with Stephen? Should Warhawk fly again into our lives on PS5? Have your say within the feedback part under.