Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Fast-paced action
Just because Hawken is a game that consists of large heavy mechs, don't expect to be spending it slowly clunking around. Hawken is an extremely fast-paced game, which is aided by the fact that each mech is equipped with jump-jets that enable quick movements such as a side dodge or short hover. This keeps games moving quick so there's never a dull moment.
Pro Great sense of immersion
In a mech game a sense of feeling is very important. Hawken does an excellent job of making you feel like you really are in the mech. Whether its firing off a salvo of missiles or stomping your way through a destroyed city, Hawken will always make you feel like your'e right in the action.
Pro Encourages teamplay
In a genre saturated with lone wolf games like Call of Duty, Hawken is a nice change that encourages working with your teammates. For example, to heal you must release a repair drone which leaves you very vulnerable if you don't have someone covering your back. Even during the thick of battle, enemies are quick and you always have to be watching your back for an enemy to flank you. Its moments like this that encourage players to work together.
Pro The mech's appearance itself really doesn't matter
Mechs come with the ability to completely change their appearance if you dont like how they look, from your boosters all the way to the actual chassis, legs and arms. Your weapons seem to be locked too the chassis original requirements unfortunately.
Pro There are no player tiers
There is no rampant elitism here to be top dog.
Just carnage as everyone fights to get the highest kill streaks.
You'll run into some insanely skilled pilots eventually, with stupidly potent equipment, but killing them and dominating them is also possible once you devise your own tactics to take care of whatever mech they are currently piloting. Heavily armored and slow? Get a light mech and jump behind or around them. Got a fast firing, fast heating mech on your tail? turn and face them with a sniper head on. (This seems counter intuitive but the sniper out damages some chainguns, is fairly fast firing, and can hit them at extreme ranges, where their range is limited. Walking toward or away from their wall of bullets is all about personal preference.)
Pro Drop in to random matches at any time
Hawken allows you to drop into instances or matches almost immediately and the advantage is clear: No long waits while the server finds enough players to balance teams and then drop you into the match. Sometimes it takes a minute to get running, but after that, things happen very quickly.
Pro Socializing and finding a decent team is not hard
It's fairly easy to meet new players and friend them, allowing you to slowly build a decent team of rollers. That doesn't stop your friend from joining the other side mid match to balance the teams and shooting you in the face, but it's still enjoyable.
Cons
Con No offline story
A current trend in online gaming is that many games do not offer a single player story mode/campaign. Sadly HAWKEN fits this trend as there is no story mode to be seen in the game, it is all online PvP play.
Con Some weapons and mechs are way better than others at solo kills and ttk
Want to lone wolf it for a bit? You might have to spend a generous amount of real world cash or many, many hours in game to get those mechs and weapons/modules. However, this isnt a be all end all. You will still get rolled by players in inferior machines working together or by players who are simply far more skilled than you.
TTK = Time to kill.
Con Troubled development history
Hawken has many unfixed bugs and an aggressive micro-transaction strategy. And the approach of complete silence taken by the game's previous developers Adhesive Games when players raised their concerns did not reinstate any trust. Luckily, Hawken was recently given off to a different development team that plans on addressing all of these issues and start implementing new content once that's done.
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Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Pro Also on PS4/Xbox One
.... FINALLY. You can USE YOUR FAVORITE CONTROLLER!!
NO MORE WASD FINGER FATIGUE!!