Some good ideas but it's over in a blink
Pros:
-Impressive visuals
-Game runs at a constant high frame rate
-Building structures adds a strategic element
-Vehicles are fun
-Combat is solid
-Multiplayer is fun and features epic 32 player battles
Cons:
-Single player is weak, repetitve, and way too short
-Multiplayer lacks content
Starhawk is a game that had the potential and the cool ideas, but failed to fulfill them. And while Starhawk is by no means a bad game, it still makes you wish that it's good elements had more depth to them. The result is a game that feels like a missed opportunity.
Starhawk's campaign puts you in the shoes of Emmett, a mercenary who protects "rifters" from monsters called outcasts in the outer reaches of space. The setting for the game is an interesting one, taking place on various planets Starhawk retains a "wild west" feel to it's world as people set up and civilize planets for their resources, particularly a special energy called "Rift Energy". However Rift Energy can be very dangerous, and those who are exposed to it turn into monsters known as Outcasts, luckily for you however, Emmet was exposed to it but did not fully transform into an Outcast, making him half Man and half Outcast. The storyline is told through very well done cartoon cut-scenes, it makes you feel like you are watching a moving comic book.
However Starhawk's setting and characters are never fully realized and you will quickly lose interest in it's world and plot. The campaign will send you to various different environments from space battles, desert canyon worlds, volcanic planets, and more. However each mission feels exactly the same as the last, fly here, build this, shoot these etc....it begins to grow repetitive and at no point does Starhawk offer any variety. The campaign is also a short one, lasting only around 5 hours or so. It is very disappointing and makes it feel as if the campaign was a mere tacked on afterthought and nothing more. It's a fairly forgettable experience and Starhawk gives you little reason to replay it.
Fortunately however Starhawk offers a fun and solid online experience with up to 32 players! The online battles are quite massive and makes you feel like you are in the middle of a huge intergalactic space war, with gun shots echoing in the distance, ships flying across the map, rockets flying past your head, Starhawk does an excellent job at making it's multiplayer a fun experience. Still it would have been nice to have gotten more gameplay options, Starhawk features only 5 different gameplay types; Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Zones, and Prospector. While all these modes are standard fair compared to other multiplayer games out there, Starhawk does a good job with them. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch are great with 32 players, Capture the Flag is intense as you chase your way to the flag in your air craft, Zones works great as you can build structures around your defense areas, and Prospector is a fun co-op survival mode. And while all these modes are fine, it would have been nice to have gotten more variety, especially given how unique Starhawks gameplay ideas are.
From a visual standpoint, Starhawk is quite impressive. Graphically there are better games, but Starhawk still does a pretty good job with it's detail. It also has fantastic art direction with moons and stars in the distance, bright colorful nebula shine in the night sky and space, large space ships hover above the battlefield, Starhawk is a nice looking game. It also does an excellent job with it's frame rate, which is very high and smooth, even during it's epic 32 player online battles, it's quite an impressive feat. Starhawk's core gameplay is solid, there is a good selection of weapons and each one feels unique, the vehicles are easy and fun to use, and building structures is a game changing experience, which gives Starhawk a good amount of strategy in it's gameplay as you can change the battlefield with ease, provided you have enough rift energy to do so.
There are a variety of different structures you can build, each one with it's own unique purpose, and they are all fully upgradable. With a mere press of a button, you can call a structure down from space and immediately change the course of a battle. It's quite a sight to see as your structure lands on top of an enemy and kills them, or stops an enemy advancement in it's path. However your enemies can also do the same, forcing you to change and adapt your strategy constantly, making Starhawk a bit of a thinking game.
Final Verdict:
Overall Starhawk is a good game, but it's really only worth getting if your going to play the multiplayer. However due to it's lack of content and weak campaign, Starhawk isn't really worth getting at full price. It's worth playing, just not at $60.
Starhawk get's a 3/5
