The single player is a bit 'meh', but its acts as more of a tutorial for the insanely fun multiplayer, which is great since its predecessor never had a single-player. Turn up the difficulty if you plan on playing single player, turns it into a whole new beast of gameplay. Now Co-op is awesome, its straight up horde mode, but you get to plan your defense with your building placement alongside a friend via 2 player split-screen or up to 4 players online. (Which gets hectic and is actually REALLY fun) Anyways, the competitive multi-player is what this game is all about. It's freakin fun, and includes Team deathmatch, capture the flag, Zones mode ( like Conquest in Battlefield) and a dogfighting-only mode for the pilots. Overall, starhawk's multipalyer has has trully unique and diverse gameplay (a rarity in todays COD generation of gaming standards), that can be twitch action, but also accommodate some strategy and teamwork in how you attack, and build your bases. No other multiplayer game supports great teamwork, but also rewards skilled players who go out on their own to make a difference (especially in Zones mode, where 1 lone wolf can turn around the tide of an entire game). Now CTF, is usually a game mode I avoid in other shooters, but in Starhawk, it becomes a whole new game, EVERY flag capture can make a difference and can turn into an epic battle. Those "holy crap" moments that happen rarely in other games, happen all the time in Starhawk, having jeeps and hawks flying after you while you race home with the flag, and if you die, it now turns into a mad dash for both teams to go and reclaim the flag, because there's a chance to reclaim it and keep going. So now the other team has to surround the dropped flag it and protect it, throw down some turrets and defenses, while waiting for the timer to go down and the flag returns home. Overall, the only downside is that you have a building limit of 32, which can get restricting in a 32 player match. I hope they can raise that eventually with a patch or something. Other positives: the developer LBI announced on release day that every single future map-pack will be absolutely FREE (with a map pack DLC already previewed). FREE map packs is a rarity in this day and age of gaming. A must-buy if you're into multiplayer.… Expand

Starhawk is an amazing multi player experience with a long tutorial cleverly disguised as a single player element. The game seems really polished. Very stylish. It is the shot in the arm that the boring, overdone 3rd person genre has needed for a long time. Kudos to Lightbox for trying something different, it has paid off big time in my opinion.

Well starhawk was docked in pre-order stage and boy i was worried w/ seeing some of the mixed reviews, some were scary.. Well im proud to say that i picked up starhawk and probably some of the best co-op EVER, or in a very long time.. Let me start @ the campaign, Its been the major thorn up to this point in the negative critique and I can see that it would be a perfect place to pick starhawk apart because compared to the other elements it is the one which is somewhat flawed but not flawed by means of hella boring or glitch galore no the graphics are done nicely and the design is marvelous, the voice acting isnt laid on thick and heavy but there is just enough of it to appreciate, not too much to want to be annoying. The voice acting was very good, some cheap one liners here and there but overall voices which sound "believable" and imo very well done.. The story wil not blow ones mind, nothing groundbreaking here but certainly nothing that is "ruining the overall exp", story rather straight to the point and i was fine with that because the gameplay , level design and eye candy was keeping my hands eyes and ears busy and the story did not create emotional ties w/ me and my play but the lack of did not kill the exp either. I would have loved a genuinely engrossing story but it isnt here, but like i said i was too busy to care.. story was nothing to write home about, everything else in campaign was quite good, visuals, controls . voice acting, pace etc.. The beta of multiplayer was up and down to me, some things i just could not overlook and im thrilled to say that the dev team matched their words and did correct the main issues i did have, also wowee the maps are awesome, talk about design! well done lightbox.. the atmosphere is wonderful, one map may be wide open, the next may be more "ground friendly" with indoor type corridors as well as pre-made structures.. the build and battle will be implemented in more shooters in the future, absolutely. I love this element to no end but it does stink when on a team w/ a bunch of solo artists against a proper team based enemy.. multiplayer is solid, beta does not do justice to this feature.. also the browser menu is always a plus and a rarity these days on consoles.. The co-op can be done w/ friends or with a.i, either way it is a freakin blast and will lengthen the replay value on this title for sure regardless if you are playing w/ a few buddies or want to play offline w/ the a.i. (sometimes the a.i can be a breath of fresh air compared to lone wolfs), build and battle waves of enemies which never really feels generic because random generation of enemies and situations is very obvious. i love this mode. The music and sound f/x top notch, lightbox will bring a "playlist" feature at a later date. Im a big fan of playing my own music but starhawks official soundtrack is of near perfect quality. Many games come and go, some get better scores than others, some getting better scores than they deserve and some getting penalized for some things which others dont, reviews have become tainted by publishing juggernauts, sponsors, fanboys and biased reviews. half the time i wounder if they had even played the game and this is one of those times. But as gamers we are learning now to read between the lines, read many reviews and see common pro's and cons and then filter out the trash.. Many will say the controls are spot on because they are spot on,lol.. i was reading yesterday that they were "clunky", say what ?!!! clunky? well im certain they have not played this game.. also many have praised the team play and unfortunately i read a review for penalizing team play, i found it off a review from here, found them both off here.. Well this brings the score down, doesnt help the the alphabet rating and stars do not compute here, just numbers. well dont let these numbers fool you.. It is because of a few reviews which unfairly penalize this game for which the majority praise it for, and these are not opinions, they are fact related.. opinions i can respect, defying facts i do not.. so hey listen to yourself, do the research and read between the lines with every game Starhawk is a game which is one that should be owned if you enjoy team based multiplayer games, fresh designs, tons of content and maps (announced to be free, forever !) in the future and just a solid game overall.… Expand

I went against most reviews I've read about Starhawk and played the single player this afternoon... It was good! It wasn't at the level of Half Life 2, or Bioshock, but it was fun, easy to follow and straight forward. I mean, the critics love games like Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 3, and Rage, but they are technically flawed; this has been pointed out by the fans, not the press. Give it up to Lightbox for trying to give a solid story while other games just act like they have one.… Expand

I remember the first game of this saga, Warhawk, a great game, with some mistakes, but really good, now appear Starhawk and I need say: wow, the game is better than Warhawk, the mistakes of the last game in this don't appear. This is a great sequel.

This game is ADDICTING! The multiplayer is nothing I have ever played before and that is what makes this game incredible. This is why I have a PS3 for games like this (Xbox is better but PC takes the cake). When I first started playing I jumped into multiplayer; that was a bad decision. I was clueless on what to do but the campaign fixed my problems. The campaign acts as a tutorial and after completing it... I WAS READY. The multiplayer is amazing nuf said.… Expand

Starhawk is a fun game, its just lacking in some key areas. As others have stated the single player is essentially a 3-5 hour tutorial for the multiplayer. In other words it's (the single player campaign) uninspired and not worth anywhere near $60. So if you are looking for an in depth single player game Starhawk is not for you. With respect to the multiplayer, it feels well balanced and can be a lot of fun assuming that you have a group of people you know to play with. My time with the multiplayer was frustrating to say the least. Don't get me wrong there is nothing better than dropping a building on an enemy tank. It's just that Starhawk's multiplayer does require some teamwork and without it the match can be over before it starts. Oftentimes players would go off in their own directions without concern for the game type specific goals or the teams ability to achieve those goals. This of course made way for complete domination by the other team and players constantly dropping out of matches. The multiplayer framework is very well balanced but with such a strong focus on teamwork there isn't much you can do to stand a chance when the rest of your team is a bunch of idiots. Sure this could be said for many other multiplayer games but at least in COD if you have 1 or 2 good players on a team you still have a chance for success. Starhawk doesn't require that everyone on a team is a good player just that they are a good team member, something that is increasingly hard to find in online multiplayer games.… Expand

I have zero clue where the negatives for this game come from. Yes, the SP is a tutorial, but that's the point of it: short an effficient. The multiplayer is some of the best of all time. The game mechanics are innovative, the art style is amazing, and the soundtrack is the best I've heard in recent years. Games like Starhawk and Twisted Metal get flak for lackluster campaigns when they're obviously MP-driven games. But Battlefield and CoD get a free pass for having crap campaigns? I guess, these days, good tough games with strategy required are scored low while adhd stuff is gloriously praised. Remember guys, if CoD is highly rated, then ratings have become useless. Buy the game now.… Expand

Please read on for my review of Starhawk, for the ps3. For anybody who is reading this review, I just have to say, and you HAVE to believe me, that machinima's review of this game, and any review that gave this below an 8.5, are completely false and wrong reviews, that is if you like multiplayer at all. Story: Yes, the single player is nothing special, but does get the job done as preparation for multiplayer. 7/10 Graphics: The visuals are not "top of the line", but are very impressive and the frame rate on the multiplayer matches is very impressive and feels like 60 fps. Draw distances and skies are very pretty and it is easy to stop and stare sometimes. 9/10 Sound: In the story, the main character Emmett Graves has some cheesy lines sometimes, but in the multiplayer and even in the campaign, the soundtrack and sound effects are amazing. I especially enjoyed hearing the sound of hawks plummeting to the ground after being shot out of the sky. Hearing all the carnage going on all across the map is also quite impressive. 9.5/10 Multiplayer: This multiplayer far surpasses any multiplayer I have ever played. I love battlefield and uncharted, but they don't stand up to this game. I played the beta and wasn't very impressed, but man has it improved! Being able to build things in real time and using them, while maintaining a silky smooth framerate, is quite impressive. Co op works especially well while you are constantly communicating with you're buddy on how to get past the next wave, and it does not get old. There are 10 huge maps (even the smaller ones are very big), lots and lots of customization options, nice skill points system which also helps you want to play more to level and get even more, and 32 player, epic, great multiplayer matches and modes will keep players coming for years. If I could give the multiplayer aspect of this game an 11/10, I most definitely would, as it surpasses my high expectations and any other multiplayer game I've played. If you like multiplayer games at all and own a ps3, this is a definite must buy game. My score for starhawk, is a 10/10. Buy this game.… Expand

This game really takes a stands, I've never been big into getting a game solely for the multiplier but this game really stands out in so many ways due to its creative multiplier style that it has. i hope many other games look at this and take an example from it

Well once again there are mixed reviews for a great game that brings something new to the table of online gaming. My words of advice to anyone looking to buy this game are to stop waiting and buy it. It is clear to me the "critics" are no longer in touch with what makes a game unique and fun. I see the campaign getting blasted by every reviewer and yet they don't seem to understand its purpose. It is for those who have never played Warhawk or the Starhawk beta so they have some clue as to what to do when they start multiplayer and it does a pretty good job of doing that. Do not pay attention to the "critics" because all they are a bunch of COD lovers who hate anything that isn't like COD. The market is so filled with FPS it pretty much leaves no room for innovation, which this game screams. Multiplayer alone is worth 60 dollars due to the long term playability it has. The battlefield is constantly changing which means no match is ever the same. Its really an empowering experience knowing youre not some guy with just a rifle. YOU have the power to summon ANY type of war machine the game can offer and not wait for it to respawn (BF3). This game does a great job of combining chaos and fun into one package. Last words: Starhawk isn't played, its learned then played.… Expand

Successor to my beloved Warhawk and genuinely one of only two games I had on pre-order since 2011, Starhawk had a lot to live up to in my mind. It didn't, but it did manage to justify the wait. The single player is a no thrills answer to the critics who felt Warhawk 'needed' a campaign - it didn't - to understand the gameplay. The plot is thin, the set pieces are challenging and everything as a whole was underwhelming. It's one of those rare occasions where a game's campaign feels like the tack on, the effortless attempt to appease a small crowd of greedy consumers. The online, however, didn't disappoint. Its as refreshing as Warhawk but with a few new twists and turns, with the versatile Hawk only the poster boy. Dozens of options open up hundreds of tactics. Meaning a player genuinely has to engage the game with their brain as much as they would their thumbs. Turrets, bases, walls, depots and more. Call it, build it, use it. I can't give the campaign much praise, it isn't that good. But the multiplayer, oh god the multiplayer, is something completely out of this world. You must at least try this, you simply can't miss out on the one great tonic gamers are afforded in the midst of the endless FPS online market.… Expand

While the single-player campaign is short and a bit weak, the multiplayer is beyond incredible and more than makes up for it. Recommended for everyone with a PS3.

Um... WOW. The ability to build structures while in battle and then jet into the air to shoot down other starhawks makes me SQUEE every time. I really have not enjoyed a shooter this much since Gears of War.

So far, so good. As a diehard Warhawk fan, I anticipated this game with a fervor I never experienced. I feel like my appetite for a new take on my favorite game has worked out well. Controls are fluid and responsive, can't ask for anything more. Gameplay is frenetic when you can find the hot-spots, but big maps and the high cost of spawn beacon mean that two teams are separated by vast space, unless players conserve rift energy to build beacons in forward locations. I am concerned that the short time it takes to reach the maximum level will lead to a shorter lifespan than Warhawk. That game maxed out at 275,000 points, with a kill ranging from 1-3 pts. Even the most point hungry players still took ~900 hours to reach General, the highest rank. Starhawk has been out for less than a week and people have already reached 50. What happens next, I don't know, but I'll probably find out next week! 1 thing to change: allow for players to shoot while accelerating on jetbikes. Maybe just with the pistol, since it's one handed. I actually haven't tried that! I will inspect. Otherwise, allow us to share rift!… Expand

Is it a 10? No, I'd give it a 9.5 or so if Metacritic let me, but since not, I'm rounding. I picked it up today and tried every game mode - it truly is a complete package. The campaign isn't particularly memorable, but it doesn't have to be - its purpose is multiplayer training and it does a great job of gearing players up for the online component (which is truly the core of the experience here). I'll admit that the game isn't perfect by any means - between meh AI, low production values, and little variety in the campaign, there really isn't much worth replaying in the solo affairs. But again, that's not the point by any means. This game is the spiritual successor to 2007's Warhawk, which was a multiplayer only game. It was the first incredibly popular game on the PS3, and made its name by the skill based, teamwork-oriented, fast-paced gameplay with good balance of vehicular and ground combat. Starhawk adds an extra dimension to this with build and battle, making this game feel like a real time strategy third person shooter. Teamwork is the key to success in Starhawk, and the new clan system makes it really easy to set up a dedicated team to play with. While Machinima and GameInformer bash Starhawk for the teamwork emphasis, they don't realize that it's the point of the game. Starhawk is easily one of the most innovative games of this generation, and this gem contains everything a game really needs (coop is a blast as well). The music is incredible and fits the western theme. The graphics, while not realistic by any means, are still strikingly beautiful. The gameplay is polished and well balanced. And with a well built, active, and long supported (free map packs inbound) online component, what more could you ask for? I honestly find it embarrassing that each year's Madden or Call of Duty tops the critical and commercial success (thank you EA and Activision -_-) while the truly innovative games go largely ignored. Oh well, to each his own I suppose. Basically, I'm fine if people dislike it, but I'd like them to at least know what they're talking about. For now, I'll give Starhawk one of my strongest recommendations of this generation, and I encourage readers to look past the mixed reviews and see if they like the game itself - they may be surprised.… Expand

I can't believe this game isn't selling that well. It is the best multi-player experience I've ever had! The single player campaign alone is addicting and well choreographed. It may not have the deepest story in the world, but the gameplay more than makes up for that. The mechanics are pitch-perfect and it never slows down. It's a constant onslaught of lasers and bullets. Not only does it give you a fun 2 player co-op through the campaign, but it gives you the option to have 4 players splitscreen online! Other games like Halo and Haze have done this before, but none as well as Starhawk. Getting into a game is quick, too. I can't stress how quickly they get you into a game. They even give you the option to run around empty versions of the maps, so you can finely tune your strategies. The build mechanic is possibly the most important new multi-player mechanic of this generation. It is brilliant! The game lends itself to both new players and Warhawk veterans. I don't see any balancing issues...and I'm a great judge. I SUCK at shooters. Please pick this up, if you get the chance!… Expand

Great game, fun and addicting multiplayer, and even though it has a short campaign, its better then nothing. Since the game is mainly focused around online play, they really didnt need a single player, but it was nice to have. A sort of multiplayer tutorial i guess. The multiplayer is an experience you would not want to miss. It has loads of content and community organization, i see it lasting a long time. Large beautiful maps, a ton of vehicles, and the most interesting, and what sets it apart from a lot of games, the build and battle system. This is a very fun aspect of the game to get used to, and tinker around with. Set up bases for your allies to spawn at, set up a shield to protect that spawn, place down turrets, a tank station, hawk station, and youre set.… Expand

The long and short of it is that the single player is brief and uninspired, but worth a rental at the very least. The multiplayer was seemingly designed for greifers and between them and players who don't have a clue what they're doing, finding the fun is nigh impossible. Even people who enjoy the multiplayer will tell you it has problems. Personally, this was some of the least fun multiplayer I've experienced.… Expand

I really didn't enjoy this game. I bought it mainly for the Multi-player but gave the campaign a shot too. The Multi-player is weak. The guns are far too simple and lack any punch whatsoever. The campaign is quite good fun, but way too linear and voice acting is elementary. The building aspect - which all the magazines talk about as the best thing since slice bread - becomes very old very quickly. The Mulitplayer maps are either far too large or far too small. 2/10.… Expand

Epic multiplayer experience that utilizes strategic and easy building elements, fun weapons/vehicles, great graphical style, and free map packs in the months/years ahead. 10 easily. If you like multiplayer shooters with more depth than CoD (not knocking CoD, it just doesn't encompass everything a multiplayer shooters can be) than you will love this game. This game is all about the MULTIPLAYER. That's what it's predecessor was all about. That's what this is all about. It just also has added a single player and co-op mode. These are great bonuses, that some idiots seem to think drags down the game because they weren't as long as others. These are add-on bonuses to a multiplayer game. If you're happy with a steak dinner, surely an addition of a small potato and a bread roll can't detract from it right? Well when you read the idiot reviews they knock the add-ons and utilizing incorrect methodology review this game as a single player first game. These people are mindless idiots who only review based not on utilizing their heads and treating each game differently, but try to fit a square peg in a round hole. Without further adieu here are some important aspects of Warhawk you might want to know about before you buy. You can play with the Warhawk which is like a flying transformer/Robotech mech and lay carnage. You can use a tank and lay carnage. You can be in a truck and lay carnage/steal flags/capture territories. You can use the vulture which is like a harrier style jetpack and wreck shop. There's a hovercycle that can zip around maps and if you come to a stop you can use your weapons to take out targets and move on (like your rocket launcher). Even on foot you can easily take down a Warhawk. So there are so many ways to play this game with incredible balance. Each map doesn't have each vehicle, though the Warhawk is on each map, you generally either have the hovercycle and tank or the vulture jetpack and truck. Though there may be some combinations of it. Either way this provides variety as not each game will be the same. The maps are huge, and multi-layered. What this means is, you aren't just running around a certain elevation and maybe looking up for a 2nd story. You can be shooting at people from hundred of game feet up and anywhere in between if there are rocks or structures, which there are in many areas of each map. The rocket launcher can lock onto warhawks. They can easily destroy vehicles, though they won't lock onto the others which makes for great balance. The foot soldier is still very powerful, provided you equip yourselves with the weapons, which are readily available with the build elements. The sniper rifle is fair, because you see the laser beam on you, but it can wreak shop from an extreme distance equal to probably 2-3x the distance of an entire CoD map. The strategic aspect of buildings is immense. You can protect your zones or flags with various buildings. Funneling people certain ways. Making it hard for vehicles to swoop in. You can build forward bases so you can launch your attacks quicker and hold a territorial advantage over your opponent (at least until they take it back). You have shields that can force enemies to get close before they can destroy your buildings by getting beyond the shield. Which can present a problem for vehicles since their are smaller gun style turrets and big laser turrets. The laser turrets will lock onto any vehicles and since it takes a second or two to lock on, once they start hitting you, you're also can't escape out of their zone for a couple of seconds. Communication sure helps, but it isn't always needed. It's pretty self explanatory. You need a weapons depot. You need those big laser cannons. You need walls. You need other vehicle spawns. You need to compact these as much as possible to try to fit them in under the range of a shield. Look around and if someone else has already built one, or if you see they are about to, then build something else. It really isn't hard. In a few weeks (like the beta) people will routinely understand and without voice communication will know what to do for the most part on building stuff. The game play is extremely fun. Even the discovering of the different tactics and the growth of the player in discovering these is worth the price of admission. Impatient people or those who sometimes are might need to give the game a little more time. But generally speaking you will have a blast from the get go. It's so easy to build to buildings, and you constantly accrue the energy currency to do so while be near base, and the buildings come so quickly it's amazing. Someone getting away with the flag and you have no vehicle? Spawn one and go after them and if they're not in a vehicle or in a slower one YOU CAN CATCH THEM! This is absolutely worth the price AND YOU GET FREE MAPS for the life of the game! No community dividing. A+ 10/10 5 stars A MUST BUY!… Expand

THIS GAME IS AMAZING!!! THE HAWKS ARE A INVENTION THAT MAKE THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE WORTH THE $60 and more. SONY Take my money and keep dishing out these amazing games that are far from being that generic COD crap

Great game.

I pre/ordered the limited edition and definitively got my moneys worth... as "santagria" said the single player is "meh" but its because it was simply made to show you the mechanics on how to truly master the battlefield online with 32 other players.... on single player only you control the structure process... Imagine that times 32... 32 brains working as one constantly changing a landscape... if that plus tons of vehicles, weapons and skins doesnt add replay value i dont know what will... happy hunting!!!… Expand

Very good this game, play with friends online is super amazing, have a strategy helps a lot further with your friends helping. The graphics are beautiful, and excellent gameplay.

SINGLEPLAYER: Starhawk isn't about a long drawn out story that invokes ones feelings, as mentioned before, the campaign is more of a tutorial for multiplayer. With that being said, I personally found singleplayer addictive; trying to juggle between placing buildings, killing enemies and getting rift energy was fun and kept me on my toes. I suggest playing on mercenary difficulty as it becomes of a beast of a game to beat, much nicer than recent shooters cake walk campaigns. MULTIPLAYER: The only thing holding Starhawk back is it's singleplayer, but lets face it, who buys a shooting game for it's campaign? Multiplayer in Starhawk is nothing short of amazing, team work isn't a must but it sure helps, being able to alter the landscape by placing your own buildings is awesome and adds that needed dimension missing in most shooters. Oddly enough these so called critic's that review games for a living, the same ones complaining the shooter market is stale and needs something new, deducts score for a developer trying something that's never been done before. Graphics are awesome, controls are different (layout) but work well when you get use to them, multiplayer is great, -1 for story If you own a PS3 pick this game up, you won't be dissappointed!… Expand

starhawk is a cool unique twist game compared to the typical online players. Its no secret that the multiplayer is the best part of this game. The multiplayer shows its roots from the developers original ps3 game war hawk however it has some good new additions as well. The building aspect of the game is really cool where players can choose what they want to build and how it will change the pace of the game. The hawks don't dominate the game like war hawk did however if certain things are blocked by the creator of the game it can occur that way. But the single player of the game is a drawn out tutorial for the multiplayer and i have trouble caring about it. The AI is crazy stupid and will make you fail missions if you let them drive razorbacks or anything of that sort. But overall, star hawk is a fun unique change in the types of games you play and it a fun entertaining multiplayer game that i suggest you add to your gaming library.… Expand

If you don't have access to the internet Starhawk isn't the game for you. The multiplayers one of the best I've played this generation but the learning curve is rather high.

good game.

A lot of Warhawk(the predecessor to Starhawk) complain about how its not Warhawk 2 or how it has some copy-paste code from War hawk. However as a player who is brand new to the franchise I love it! The single player may be repetitive in terms of gameplay, but the story is at least amusing. Where the game really shines is the multiplayer. It is very well balanced and all the game modes are enjoyable. Some complain that the building system is a griefers paradise, but that just gives incentive to band together with fellow players who are interested in winning. One aspect of the game that is often overlooked is the customization in the multiplayer. The unlockable head, torso, arms and legs add a sense of ownership that is lacking in many large scale multiplayer games. You can even customize the paint schemes on your vehicles Starhawk has been a truly enjoyable experience for me, and I look forward to the free updates the developers will be putting out!… Expand

This is the best game I have played from 2012 so far. Why is that? It's because of the ridiculously fun multiplayer. The single player is hardly any fun past the first few missions and throws an uninteresting story in to disguise i th campaign as being more than a tutorial. First, the innovative build and battle mechanic injects a healthy dose of RTS into the experience. It's always fun to see the massive fortresses people have built.Then when you get a tank you can blow it to pieces.The controls feel flawless and the hawks handle like a dream. Getting a hawk doesn't make you overpowered as there are tons of ways your enemy can destroy you.Overall, the game is packaged with a boring single player but an absolutely enthralling multiplayer that makes this title a must have for any PS3 owner with an internet connection.… Expand

Forget what you know about online gaming. For the majority of us the subject of mutiplayer usually conjures up frantic images of run and gunning, crude insults and getting ones head blown off. I am speaking generally as for many folk the typical FPS is the holy grail of gaming. It does seem however that which each new incarnation the die hard fans will complain that the latest is inferior to the last and I am not surprised that the business of ranking up every year is something of a chore. Bring in Starhawk and what is it that is different. I will still endure frantic shootouts and have my virtual head removed from a couple of clicks away but... Aside from the hell for leather Free For All deathmatches. The thing that separates Starhawk from every other online multiplayer is the selfish co-operation system it uses. This needs a little explanation; Each player has the same ability to build structures and vehicles as they see fit. You want to snipe - Build a watchtower. You need to get from A to B - Build a Sidewinder (speederbike). This all adds to a sense of co-operative mayhem and a kind of organised chaos. Each team member is contributing to the cause in there own way. So my Sidewinder corral is accessible for every player on my team to access and spawn a Sidewinder of their own, like wise for the Watchtower, there is a sniper rifle ready and waiting for any team-mate who climbs the ladder. The greatest success is when you get together on the headsets and plan and plot your strategy as the battle unfolds. Tell your mates you have build an outpost on the farside of the map for sneaky troop deployment or they may not see it to take advantage. The battles; There is no need to go hell for leather all guns blazing, unless you want to, each battle lasts for 45 minutes - YES 45 minutes, less if there is a score limit but even with a limit we are talking a good 20 - 25 mins plus. This massive amount of time allows players to try a number of tactics and gauge the battlefield as it develops. Snipers can truly camp out and enjoy the hunt (This camping is addressed cleverly by way of a bright lazer beam emitting from the scope if a player aims for more than a few seconds, notifying enemies and making the sniper hit and run with grater frequency). Players receive XP for building and destroying structures so the great architects and military officianardos can indulge themselves in base building and strategy if the firefight is not going their way. All of this coupled with jawdropping scenery, huge maps, transforming mechs and an epic score all amounts to something very special and a real treasure of gaming. Starhawk is here to stay and the community online is still going strong with lists of matches filled with players. A note on the single player - It is a flat tutorial. Great to be included as as a tutorial it is really good but take it with a pinch of salt. If it were not for the campaign many would not bother with this game so it is needed but the heart and soul of Starhawk is online.… Expand

Great game i must say, single player is just to wet your teeth and the meat is the multi, seems to have everything from inspecting maps alone to get used to them and every control option to make that crappy controller better for impressive combat thru to fun team based/building aspects rarely seen in games on consoles. This is a true 8.5 score, if it had keyboard and mouse support i'd give it a 9 and if it was also on PC i'd give it a 10 lol The morons giving this low scores need to go back to MW and have a cry.… Expand

Singleplayer isnt much like people say. The premise for the game is great, strategy and action game in one but once you start playing, you realize that this game is nothing but who gets to spawncamp first. Not my cup of tea

StarHawk is a great game but there are flaws that push it away from excellence. For starters the multiplayer needs more polishing. It's a bit to frantic and unorganized. The singleplayer is fantastic lasting only about 6-7 hours. The Single player experience was so great that it just needed a little bit more. I played the Single Player and Co-op way more than i did the multiplayer. Nonetheless a great exclusive but not a must buy. Get on it.… Expand

Huge Warhawk fan here, and this game turned up the dial for this addition to the franchise, but didn't extend their creative arms as much as they could. The Pros; gameplay has been revolutionized, I mean Mechs? Can't go wrong with a Piloting system that transforms into a Mech. Audio was epic, be it the score or the sound effects. Graphics are a huge improvement from Warhawk while keeping the same mechanics but with a few extras. Single player story was short, but worth its quick play through. Now the Cons; Graphic Novel style cut scenes seem to be overdone with Sony, enough is enough and it feels like a cop-out since the character isn't very comic-booky. The graphics could be improved but it doesn't take away from the gameplay. You can always use more weapons choices, but the multiplayer is so addictive it doesn't feel like an issue. Great game, but could be improved on. Still worth owning it, maybe once it goes on sale.… Expand

As other people have mentioned, the single-player for this game is a bit of a miss. That's not to say it's bad, just the characters aren't very interesting and the missions aren't very varied. Thankfully, multi-player makes up the meat of the experience and it is absolutely glorious. The battlegrounds feel wonderfully epic to explore and they're constantly changing thanks to the build & battle system, where structures can be called down from the sky to aid you in battle. There's more than a hint of Star Wars Battlefront in some of the modes (such as zones) and maps (such as Cypress), and that's no bad thing. The shooting is very solid and there's a great tactical layer underlying everything. And there's a fantastic co-op horde mode as well, which is well worth your time. If you're looking for a single-player experience, Starhawk probably isn't it, but if you're looking for arguably the best multi-player experience on the console then it's well worth your time.… Expand

An amazing and bold direction for console multiplayer! In a world of call of duty and halo it makes me wonder how those games can still have a following. It makes most console multiplayer games look like child's play. Kudos to SCEA and Lightbox.

Lightbox Interactive nailed the Multiplayer aspect of this game, The "Build and Battle" feature that they implemented to the Multiplayer battlefield is a very nice touch to a now addictive formula that the Multiplayer has in Starhawk. But, however the Singleplayer campaign felt short and forgettable. However, the Multiplayer has outshined the Singleplayer, just like what happened on Battlefield 3, This is a great game, a formula that will live within the industry for years to come. Lightbox made their first steps successfully and I'm looking forward to their future projects. Starhawk is good, but not great enough for me to give it a 9 or 10/10. Congratulations to Lightbox for Starhawk!… Expand

Starhawk is fun, unique and totally original. Makes a nice change from your standard shooter. The multiplayer is incredibly smooth with no glitches or lag that I have noticed. Controls are spot on. Playing the single player definitely helps prepare you for multiplayer. So I'd recommended playing this first. You can customize your characters appearance, and vehicles. It has 2 player split screen off and online, co-op and everything else you would expect from a MP. The best feature is the build and battle system. This idea is so that the whole match play is purely driven by the players strategy. So every match won't reallyplay out the same way. Brilliant!. Oh and free dlc and expansion packs so I read, that's always good news. So get on it, its awesome!.… Expand

Single player is short and enjoyable but not outstanding. Multi is pretty awesome and pretty original. Definite buy if you want to try something new and interesting, just don't expect a perfect game.

This game is GREAT. Its the most fun i have had playing multiplayer in quite a while. It has its own unique style and deserves higher critic scores than it gets

Starhawk, spiritual successor to Warhawk is what I and all Warhawk fans were hoping for. The single player campaign gets you used to the mechanics of build and battle and gets you familiar with the all of the vehicles and weaponry. It is a real campaign that has a storyline, rather than the simple tutorial that was apart of Warhawk. The online mode is capable of being one of the best times you can have in a multiplayer setting, you get all this: huge maps to strategize your attacks and plan defenses, awesome vehicles to get around in, great feel to everything you are able to do, and great options for building a base and organizing a defense/attack position. However organizing people to commit to a strategy and help you in forwarding your bases is a hard task. As well, once you actually get a Spawn Outpost set up, they are far too easy to destroy with one swoop of a Hawk, or practically 1 shot from the big tank vehicle. In fact I would say everything gets destroyed too easily when using those 2 vehicles. And it is hard to strategize, or at least just give a heads up or a quick tactic suggestion when nobody has a Mic to talk with. Seriously it's 2012, if you don't have a mic, you should invest a games worth of money to get one. But this isn't the only game that is hurt because of that. But it hurts it a good amount when nobody communicates. Six out of 10 for now. *Updated* Apparently there were a few major updates to Starhawk in the 1st week of June which addressed "base-ravaging" and a host of other welcome changes that actually do make it harder to ravage and more worthwhile to strategize around the map by reducing the cost of an outpost from 8 to 4! My favorite change since it was always impossible to get troops around the map having to wait for [8] bars of Rift Energy. As well, changes were made to the OX Tank rail-gun and the Tank now costs [4] to spawn it from the depot. Also the Hawk weapons and invisibility problem were solved to make them much more balanced. Thank you Lightbox for listening and knowing what's up with your game. They are great improvements for this really unique game. Now I have to go to Gamestop to get that game back!… Expand

favorite third person shooter yet. and iv played all the gears, ghost recons, and more. the single player is ok, but the online is outstanding. the theme is wierd, becuase you are literally a space cowboy. the style, music, and setting is all western, exept with like wih space technolegy. interesting, and fun. play it.

Perhaps the last great PS3 multiplayer shooter. This game is epic online. I've had TDM games go 100-99 in the last seconds, flag captures in sudden death with hawks flying above. This game is just getting started online. Where other shooters seem to focus on short bursts of action in distracting landscapes, Starhawk focuses on strategy and skill in the air and on the ground. Find and play with people at your skill level and you'll have a great time. The coming free DLC maps will ensure that this game will stay an online classic. The co-op is also fun and pretty damn challenging as well. I really love this game. Get a mic and go rock out.… Expand

This game is a Total Letdown when the 2nd patch came along... The 2nd patch made the game unbalanced for Air Jets. Can you please let this know to Lightbox so they can make the game balanced back again?

One of the best online experiances on this generation. Large servers, awesome mechs, and sweet knifing makes the multiplayer a must. Single player uninspired, but the campaign is still fun despite this, and that is what matters.

The story is not really anything new (it's like Star Wars set in the wild west in some places), but the actual gameplay and multiplayer modes are so addicting that you don't want to stop playing. Awesome graphics and visuals, smooth, satisfying gameplay and no-nonsense action from start to finish. I rate this game Solid.

If you're getting this for the single-player, don't bother. The single-player sucks. It's the online multiplayer that rocks. It's not as good as Warhawk, but if you already have Warhawk and you're getting bored with it, go get this.

This game adds lots from it's predecessor, better graphics, better soundtrack, the option to use your own stored music and plus, Online multiplayer splitscreen. BUT, it's sometimes gets laggy, and in 2p splitscreen gets unplayable, the weapons are bland and pretty common, ZERO imagination there, Tanks are 2 shot busted, making them rather useless, the Turbo button on a Hawk is annoying as hell, very unresponsive, there are no flavor or racial unique vehicles, weapons or abilities which is a bummer and there are so few maps, you get bored from them easily. This game is Fun? Yes Addictive? Yes i gotta say But it could've been better much much better.… Expand

So I rented the game, and the people who made the game are stupid and decided to put an online pass, so I was a little mad about that, played through the campaign in one night, it's not too long, but it is great. The gameplay surprisingly never got repetitive, the fights are always really nice and you never really stop doing anything, if there arent any enemies on ecreen, you build, then an army drops, you kill... I thought this was a great game just from the campaign.… Expand

this game is FUN, and if you are a ps3 owner check it out. If you love shooters but are getting tired of cod, battlefield, or pretty much every other shooter out there, then this game is one to pick up because it is so unique. It combines third person shooting with base building like in a strategy game. The gunplay is silky smooth, which admittedly i wasnt expecting. The controls for everything from flying to laying down buildings in your base ( or wherever you choose to lay them) is very smooth and intuitive. the singleplayer campaign is fun in its own right, but it gets really good online. and whats great is that however you choose to attack or defend, whether it be flying your spaceship, walking in your mech, driving a tank, or just going at it on foot (my favorite), you are not at a disadvantage, you can wreck it however you want. oh and the jetpack is a blast. if you want a fun, smooth, unique third person shooter on ps3 (that also offers so much more), this is the way to go.… Expand

I know this game is really about the multiplayer but I couldn't stand to jump into a multiplayer game at the moment and will wait to really give it a shot some time later. That being said, what I did play felt similar to war hawk but at the same time not. I jumped into the single player thinking it would be a good tutorial but found myself liking it for the missions and the story as well. Although the story was not overly compelling it served as a good way to introduce new things and the characters seemed to have a reasonable dynamic that tied them together. It was relatively fast paced and didn't penalize you hugely for making mistakes. I got annoyed once or twice but it was nothing more than feeling stupid for taking to many risks. The controls felt good and the visuals were fairly snappy. I don't know what the fps is on this game (30 probably, right?) but they did a good making it feel like more. The art style felt similar to Warkhawk with the exception of QTE's but I didn't find it to take away or give value. It was brief, sensible, and enjoyable, but by no means great. Am I happy I played it? Yes. Would I recommend it to a friend? Probably not.… Expand

This is one of those games that needs more attention. Its got so much going for it, its a shame that too many people are wrapped up in the more mainstream games. To name some of the things it has going, its got amazing graphics, great setting and story, wonderful multiplayer, and extremely fun gameplay. Even if you were only allowed to use the Hawk, essentially Starscream if you could pilot him, this game would still be amazing. Yet its got so many other options, updates constantly, and is still releasing DLC content, including new vehicles. The reason its a 9 though is that the learning curve is somewhat high, especially with the Hawks, as a well trained pilot can instakill less skilled pilots whenever they want. Aside from that, the game has a well balanced multiplayer thats well worth the price, so get it while you still can… Expand