Warhawk comes alive on the larger maps, like Eucadia and Island Outpost, when it can properly flex its long-distance muscles. Play shifts rapidly from sneaking around a ruined town, ducking behind smoldering tires and watching for anyone using the game’s semi-automatic, on-foot targeting system - intelligently utilized to combat the pad’s sluggishness compared to keyboard and mouse - to tossing the Warhawk between islands, evading missiles and searching for crucial flags, cruising over water that, suspiciously, resembles aluminum foil. Graphics are surprisingly vibrant and polished, like a hi-res Freedom Fighters; there isn’t a hint of slowdown, even on cramped, busy worlds, but the really impressive aspect is the rock-solid draw-distance as you take to the skies tackling up to 30 enemy fighters. We can only hope that a larger map selection will be playable than the handful available now.
