Image courtesy of GameFAQs.

Starhawk is one of the better games on the PlayStation 3
Starhawk is a 2012 pulse pounding action game released on the PlayStation 3. The game is a spiritual successor to the PS3 launch title Warhawk.

When it was released, Starhawk received average reviews and had very little to no marketing campaign. For a first party Sony game, this is strange. It also came out a week within Max Payne 3 and Diablo III. A minor burden, but not something in Starhawk’s favor. The game has sold less than 300,000 copies worldwide when it was released. To make matters worse, Starhawk’s only major sales came at the beginning of May of 2012. Starhawk was regulated to the bargain bin in all too quick fashion.

Starhawk is a game worth checking out just once. In short, the game is a blast to play. LightBox Interactive managed to make an action/RTS game that’s simplistic, yet still fun. Starhawk even manages to have a fun story mode as well. On top of those features, the soundtrack is a sublime mix of western and space opera.

Starhawk is light on story, incredibly heavy on action
The shockingly good story of Starhawk is told through well done motion comics. Starhawk’s space western universe focuses on the Rifts. Rifts are sources of powerful energy. When a person comes in contact with a Rift, they become a monster composed of pure energy called an Outcast. Emmett Graves is a bounty hunter who has been called on various jobs throughout the galaxy to get rid of the Outcasts and secure energy. However, lately the galaxy has had an outbreak of Outcasts. The leader of these Outcasts may have a personal connection to Emmett.

An example of the stylized cut scenes. Image courtesy of 3D Juegos.

The action of Starhawk  uses the typical third person shooter aesthetic. The PS3 controller was made for these kinds of games. The tight controls keep the game flowing with set pieces. With a wide variety of guns, vehicles and explosives, Emmett can take out Outcasts in a simplistic, but fun, way. However, where the RTS elements come in are with building support units and garages for vehicles.

Building a base! Image courtesy of Impulse Gamer.

Emmett’s friend Cutter shoots down all kinds of helpful items and vehicles. A highlight is the glider, which Emmett can use for ground fighting and aerial combat. As long as Emmett and Cutter have enough funds, the player can summon as much as they want. This keeps Starhawk fun, as the player will always have some sort of item to have gameplay fresh every time

Gun play is a lot of fun, but not as fun as riding some vehicles. Image courtesy of 3D Juegos.

It also helps that each mission is on a unique planet of the galaxy or on a space station. Each chapter of the game will have its own unique mission. Rather than having a variation of the same task, like securing Rift or eliminating all the enemies, Starhawk requires players to be a little experimental with what they create.

For a game focusing on its multiplayer aspect, Starhawk has a consistently solid single player mode.

Image courtesy of Impulse Gamer.

Multiplayer is one of the many bright moments
Starhawk has one of the most entertaining multiplayer modes in any game on the PS3. Utilizing the same chaotic energy the single player missions have, Starhawk is fun with friends. There are your standard deathmatch and capture the flag modes. However, Starhawk has so much freedom with its gameplay, it allows for some creative multiplayer experiences. Even after finishing the story mode, players will keep going back to Starhawk’s multiplayer. Granted if the servers are still up.

Multiplayer on Starhawk is a good times for all. Image courtesy of Impulse Gamer.

During Starhawk‘s development, the multiplayer component was highly anticipated. Unfortunately, a very little amount of gamers were online playing it. Which is a shame, as the easy-to-learn gameplay is perfect for a big game night with friends.

One of Gaming’s Undervalued Treasures
Starhawk is one of Sony’s more interesting first party games. Pity the company did not promote it better. Emmett Graves could be going on more adventures.

The space western design of the characters and story will certainly bring in people in. It’s the extremely enjoyable and overall inventiveness of the gameplay that will keep players on their PS3s. Starhawk may look like a generic third person shooter, but it’s a far better game than that assumption. It also won’t clean out any wallets with those prices on Amazon.