SALON

Thursday, May 10, 2012 12:45 PM UTC

Review: ‘Starhawk’ soars, with a bumpy landing

By

Topics: From the Wires,

Review: 'Starhawk' soars, with a bumpy landingIn this video game image released by Sony, Space miners try to protect their claim from a mutant invasion in "Starhawk." (AP Photo/Sony)(Credit: AP)

Here’s the problem with science fiction video games: At some point, you know you’re going to run into some alien race that wants to crush humanity. From “Halo” to “Gears of War” to “Mass Effect,” the scenario is so familiar it’s become exhausting. One can only save the universe so many times.

So it’s refreshing to jump into “Starhawk” (Sony, $59.99, for the PlayStation 3), where the stakes are a bit more humble. The heroes are just a bunch of working stiffs trying to make a living by mining an exotic substance called “rift energy.” The villains — well, they’re human, too, except they’ve mutated into bloodthirsty monsters after being exposed to too much of the glowing blue fuel.

The protagonist, Emmett Graves, falls somewhere in between, part human Rifter, part mutant Outcast. He’s been ostracized because of his exposure to rift energy, but maintains his grip on sanity. When his hometown on the planet Dust reaches out for help, he answers the call.

“Starhawk” has the flavor of a classic Western, with the noble but tormented gunslinger defending a ramshackle frontier town from ruthless outlaws. The twangy soundtrack reinforces the connection; sci-fi fans will be reminded of Joss Whedon’s cult space opera “Firefly.”

Emmett’s odyssey is presented as a series of set pieces broken up by comic book-like exposition. One mission may have you storming an Outcast fortress; the next may have you defending the town of White Sands from invasion.

“Starhawk” adds a nifty strategic element: Killing Outcasts earns you rift energy, which you can spend to build offensive or defensive structures. You can build walls, watchtowers or turrets to defend your turf, or you can call up garages that squirt out land speeders or fighter jets.

Those jets — “Hawks” — are essential to the game’s best feature: its thrilling outer space combat. Much of the “Starhawk” development team worked on 2007′s flight combat simulator “Warhawk,” and their experience pays off. Three-dimensional aerial combat can be confusing, but I never felt overwhelmed in “Starhawk,” no matter how many Outcast raiders were chasing me.

Usually, when a game has so many different elements, some are less successful than others. But I was surprised by how nimbly “Starhawk” shifts among genres, from third-person shooter to tower defense to dogfighting.

The single-player campaign, however, isn’t entirely satisfying. About six hours long, it’s stubbornly linear. Despite the intriguing setup, the missions never become a compelling drama. Essentially, it feels like an extended tutorial for all the cool tools you can use in multiplayer matches.

And yet, online competition isn’t thoroughly realized either. “Starhawk” offers a basic set of familiar multiplayer modes, like deathmatch and capture-the-flag, but nothing original. I’m impressed by its sprawling battlefields and 32-player matches, but it remains to be seen how well the PlayStation nation will adjust to its more strategic elements.

As a complete package, “Starhawk” feels somewhat undercooked. But when you’re soaring through space in your Hawk, it’s exhilarating. Two-and-a-half stars out of four.

___

Online:

http://www.starhawkthegame.com/

___

Follow Lou Kesten on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lkesten

Lou Kesten

More Lou Kesten.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments are not enabled for this story.

follow salon

Most Read

Video of the Day

Watch More Here »

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations