Standing in a small aircraft hanger, smack in the middle of some private airfield somewhere along the M40, you could tell it was just going to be one of those days. Tired, bleary eyes, and holding my coffee like it was a gift from the heavens, I couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. Granted, Ubisoft's H.A.W.X. 2 is about aerial combat, and this was an airfield (even though there wasn't a real military plane in site) but it all seemed rather surreal for a preview session. Still, it was fun, and we came away with some much needed hands-on impressions for Ubisofts' dog-fighting sequel.
 

Dogfighting has been improved, but it can still take some getting used to

The original H.A.W.X., whilst generally considered an ok game, didn't quite do as well on a couple of points. Some felt the story to be a bit confusing or a tad far-fetched, whilst others criticised the lack of decent multiplayer, or how the level quality degraded the closer you got to the ground. Ubisoft Bucharest have taken all of this onboard and come out with a game that they hope addresses these problems.

This being a Tom Clancy game, there's still going to be that element of political intrigue and shadow-wars mixed into a near-future world. To be honest, if you don't like Tom Clancy stories in general, you probably won't be a fan of the new story, but as usual details are sparse at this point anyway. What we do know though is that campaign is split between the American H.A.W.X. squadron from the first game, and new main characters on the British and Russian side as well, along with supporting figures. A bit Modern Warfare you could say, but a good story always uses multiple viewpoints anyway. There'll also be references and crossovers to other Clancy games as well, like Splinter Cell.

The main focus of this latest title in the franchise however has been to expand what H.A.W.X. as a aerial combat game means. In the previous outing, you'd start in the air, do some dog fighting, and finish in the air. This time around the development team have tried to add a whole lot more depth to the proceedings, and it really shows. Now, most missions involve you taking off, and then landing again at the end. Some missions even involve you securing an airfield mid-mission so you can land, refuel/rearm and then carry on with the rest of the mission. They've also added a whole host of other mission 'types' and mini-games as well. You can do mid-air refuelling, you can do precision stealth bomber runs at night, you can even do recon with UAV's before you even get into the cockpit.
 

The stealth missions are a tad easy, but add an extra dynamic to the game

Granted, these new scenarios will be tied to specific missions, and not all of them may transfer over to the multiplayer, but it still shows a commitment by Ubisoft to try and diversify the players experience during the game, and also means they can do more with the story as well.

In the preview build shown to us, there were four missions available: Three American and one Russian, all apparently from the early portion of the game. The first mission is the actual first mission of the game, and acts as a very apt tutorial. The second mission takes place in the air above the Caucuses, and introduces dogfighting and mid-air refuelling. The third mission is an assault if you will on a series of oil platforms, including taking an airfield mid mission to refuel, and the last mission shows off the stealth bombing. A smart choice by Ubisoft, as this demonstration really helped prove that their wishes were more than just that.

If we're being honest, handling is a bit fiddly. Obviously you'll be able to adjust things like sensitivity to your liking, but if you're just giving it a casual play it can take some getting used to. When dog-fighting especially, you can use this camera tracking mode that makes manoeuvring a bit complicated as you lose your sense of orientation... and can often crash into a wall as well. Camera angles as well can only be changed through the main menu, which is a bit of an odd choice, as in a game like this some players would probably want to change angles on the fly.

Another thing they've addressed is the levels themselves. As with the last game, they used proper satellite imaging to help create the combat zones you'll be flying around with, but this time they've used their enhanced engine to help them maintain integrity as you get closer to the ground. Gone are the degraded or pixelated textures as you do low flybys (mostly). It's still not the most stunning thing in the world close up, but it's still an improvement, so credit where credit's due. The most noticeably visual difference can be seen, as you would expect, in the air.

It's clear that a lot of effort has gone into improving the single-player, and generally what the game 'means' on the whole. Equally clear, is how Ubisoft have made sure these changes translate into the multiplayer environment. Along with four-player co-op that's available for the entire single-player campaign, there's also the adversarial mode for up to eight players. The territorial mechanics, ground forces, other added games modes... most of these have been translated to the online space where applicable, and add a new dynamic to multiplayer games. Like the single-player, it's not just about dog-fighting anymore, and they've even included the rewards and upgrades as well.
 

There are 32 licensed playable planes, as well as an additional 17 non-playable, along with custom skins

There's no doubt that this is an improvement on the last game. The controls may be a bit fiddly, there's some odd design choices and in general you have to be fan of flight combat to really get 'into' a game like H.A.W.X. 2, but so far so good. The multiplayer should also add some longevity to the title, and hopefully the story is going to be more grounded this time, but we'll see.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 is due for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and (hopefully) PC on September 3rd.

Most Anticipated Feature: The multi-part assault missions are rather fun, as they really give off the impression of being in a combat zone.