Since last Tuesday night my fingers are still twitching after the exciting experience of getting my hands on the upcoming free to play mech battle game known as Hawken. I didn’t just sit down at any old rig to play it though, thanks to the fun loving spirits at Adhesive Games and Meteor Entertainment, I along with several other video game reviewers and Machinima makers had the chance to play it in style. Below is my account of the Hawken E3 Machinima Party and details about what you can expect in the beta.
Party Details
Waiting for me atop the balcony of the LUXE Hotel in Los Angeles was a gaming mecca constructed by the Hawken team. The strobing lights from above were nothing less than hypnotizing and caused me to quicken my pace as I got closer and closer. Masses teemed around the entrance hungering to get inside. After being cleared by several security guards with ear pieces and slick black suits, I finally gained entry to the party. Immediately as I stepped inside the sight of monster computer rigs, Mix Master Mike’s DJ tower, and cool little doohickeys like the one you see on the right greeted me.
Serious firepower…
Crowd surfing definitely wasn’t easy and I literally had to navigate the place by keeping my elbows tucked to my side. A few people noticed that I was new on the scene and were kind enough to chat with me. I recall one man politely ribbed me and said I was like Charlie from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with my very own golden ticket. I laughed and embarrassed myself by singing aloud a few lines of “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket”…goodness still haven’t got that song out of my head!
Eventually I made my way to the computer area and was – I believe the word is “glomped” – by Social Media Manager for Hawken Melissa Dingmon. Melissa didn’t end the warm welcome there. She placed her hand on my shoulder and led me to a computer and immediately said: “Hey you can have Miles’ space, he’s our concept artist!” With all the willpower I could muster I prevented my jaw from dropping to the floor. Miles, a man with an afro worthy of being coined god-like, got me up to snuff on the controls right away. Despite struggling for the first ten minutes, he was sweet enough to keep cheering me on and assuring me that I wasn’t doing so bad…even though I was! After several terrible rounds, I managed to get on a winning streak and even hit the top of the leaderboards once.
Amongst my mech battles, I gamed alongside Justine from the ijustine channel and Ahmed AL-Nasheet Community Manager for Machinima Respawn Middle East and Founder of DvLZCommunity. They listened to me as I blabbered away and we laughed at the corniest of things. Poor Justine had a temperamental D key and I felt super guilty taking advantage of that fact. She was a good sport and kept soldiering on despite her dreadful keyboard. Eventually the night came to close with me and Ahmed spending the last few minutes of the party taking on some pilots with amazing mech prowess.
Beta Details
Thanks to the extensive gameplay I got to experience and an interview I conducted with concept artist Miles Williams, I have several insights to share on what you can expect in the beta. Before I report what I was able to glean from Miles, here is what I personally feel in regards to how Hawken handles.
Personal Thoughts
Controls and Gameplay
Adhesive wasn’t kidding when they said that this isn’t your typical lumbering mech type of gameplay. The response time on everything were quite fast and immediate. Somehow turning felt a little clunky, as if you were trying to get a big rig to cooperate with you, but a straight sprint seemed pretty zippy even with the non-light mechs.
The reticle was a tad too twitchy for my liking but this is most likely because the mouse sensitivity was placed very high. Such a thing is a matter of personal taste and can probably be finetuned by the user themselves in the game’s options menu. I like the fact that even though your ammo is unlimited realistic heat gauges keep you in check. So don’t go thinking that you can just run in like a maniac and start emptying clips. Your mech’s fuel and heat sinks will definitely stop you in your tracks if you try that.
What I appreciate the most out of the experience though was the fact that teamwork isn’t just some additive like some FPSes on the market. It is crucial that you pack together with teammates to survive. I learned the hard way that even when you can get the jump on an opponent, going mano-a-mano isn’t always the wisest of choices.
Graphics
The environment while gritty and urban is pleasantly well-lit. I cannot stand games that go for such looks and leave you navigating in pitch black lighting. There is a bit of texture popping in the deployment screen but on the battlefield you hardly notice anything of the sort. The motion blur was not disorienting but perhaps it was turned off or toned down while I was playing. The interface of the cockpit feels a tad overwhelming but still helpful just the same.
Look out below!
The death animations were a bit simplistic but then again, this is not the finished product, and who wants to spend an hour watching your mech blast apart anyway? I liked the hybrid square and round reticle but I felt the center round reticle was not as prominent as it should be. All in all, it was certainly impressive for something that is not in its final stages just yet.
Sound
From what my ear strained to hear over the buzz of the party crowd, sound in Hawken felt realistic and not tinny. Gun fire rattles in a satisfying way and explosions sound pretty lethal. I appreciate the helpful alerts that chime in to inform you of low fuel, incoming fire, or overheating. I cannot tell you how many times such sounds saved me over any of the flashing indicators in the cockpit. Ambient wind wisps are also a nice touch and helped put me in the mood.
I was unable to hear if there was any music in the build I played but I believe it certainly should be employed in the finished production. As much as all the environmental sound effects were a delight, battles felt a little stagnant without an injection of tension building music every now and then. After watching Hawken’s live action trailer, I’m pretty sure that some sweet scores are on the way.
Miles Williams Interview
Miles agreed to off-camera interview about Hawken and his experience at Adhesive. Written below are paraphrases of the answers he provide me.
1. What is your role on the Hawken team?
Miles is the concept artist behind the light and medium mechs. He is also contributing to the growing storyline that will be featured in the game.
2. What’s it like to work at Adhesive?
The environment is very fun and laidback. Everyone is super focused but still makes time to enjoy themselves. There are hardly any dull moments.
3. How do you characterize Hawken?
Hawken is visceral and fast-paced. The goal is to get people into the action from the get-go. Ideally, it is a very team-based game and the path to victory can be best achieved by working together.
4. Will Hawken have factions or clan support?
Hawken will have joinable in-game factions during the squad to squad combat. Support will be in place for player clans but Miles currently could not divulge much information as to how this will be implemented.
5. Will Hawken remain in beta for long?
The plan is to allow all players to get their hands on the game as soon as possible so there is a good chance that Hawken will be slotted for a quick release.
6. What kind of mech do you like to pilot?
Miles has a sweet spot for light and medium mechs seeing as he had a hand in designing them. He appreciates their good balance of agility and weaponry.
Stay tuned to Dragonblogger.com for more Hawken coverage and a review of the upcoming beta.
Mitra Faridian
Latest posts by Mitra Faridian (see all)
- HAWKEN Promo Code and iPhone Case Giveaway - June 9, 2013
- Xbox One Press Conference Reveal - May 21, 2013
- Game Dev Tycoon Review: A Beautiful Simulation - May 14, 2013
-
http://www.dragonblogger.com/ Dragon Blogger
-
http://www.yourshop7.com/ ankit11