I should start by saying I’m not very good at flying games. I played Crimson Skies on the Xbox and enjoyed it, but games like Ace Combat 6 just are not my thing. However, Ubisoft has been saying since the announcement of HAWX that the controls will be setup so that both beginners and veteran pilots can both enjoy playing. So, I decided to trust Ubisoft and check out the demo.

Before we start digging into the controls I have to say that the graphics are gorgeous. At times it looks eerily realistic. The sound in the game is also really nicely done. The combination of audible alerts with the on screen warning lights really let you know when you’re doing something wrong. For a beginner like me it was really helpful to know when I as about to stall and when targets had a lock on me. If I missed the audible alert for whatever reason there was also a corresponding on-screen warning to get my attention.

The demo has two missions available. The first is a training mission to get you the basics of the controls. It is here you learn about the pilot assist option you can turn off/on at any time. When the assistance option is turned on it keeps you from stalling by going to slow but it also limits the maneuverability of your plane. When the assistance option is off you can perform much more tight rolls and turns for dodging and targeting, but you can also stall your plane. The assistance mode also gives you the option to use the Enhanced Reality System (ERS). The ERS will show you on screen where to fly to get the best trajectory for target locks, missle evasion, and bombing runs. Even though the game’s graphics are really realistic the controls and flying have enough of an arcade feel that it is accessible for someone like me. Plus, with the assistance mode turned on you have the option of 3 different camera angles. The third person view is helpful targeting and dodging, but the cockpit view is really fun. It makes things a little more different since you only see right in front of you but it is much more realistic.

After playing for about 10 minutes with the assistance mode turned on, I turned it off to see how I did. Once I got the hand of the new camera angle with assistance off I really started to like having it off. The camera jumps to a third person view but it is not just right above the plane like with assistance on. Instead, it is quite a distance back and does not follow the view of the plane. So, it takes some practice to get use to flying strait at the screen, but once I got use to assistance off (and quit stalling out) I was getting kills a lot quicker and easier. Since the plane is more maneuverable with assistance mode off I also found it much easier to doge incoming missile locks.

After the training missing completes there is another mission available to be played. It is actually a pretty good length for a demo. It took me around 15 minutes each time I played it to complete the whole mission. As you play through this mission in the demo you earn experience points. Even in the demo there are two additional planes you can unlock by getting up to level 3 experience. I got to level 2 after playing through once and then level 3 unlocked after my second play through of the second missions. The first plane you unlock is pretty fun because it swaps out your multi anti-aircraft missiles for free falling bombs. These bombs made the second mission a lot easier for me because of all the ground units that need to be destroyed. I have not tried the third plane yet but it looks to be similar to your starting plane, but with better air-to-air capabilities and a faster speed.

The HAWX demo does not have any verses modes available to play but is does support up to 4 player co-op. I played the second mission in co-op with a friend and it was exactly the same as the first time I played it except my wingman could talk and coordinate attacks with me. I’m really looking forward to trying it out again with 4 of us playing together.

Even if you’re not really into flying games I’d recommend checking out HAWX. The controls are friendly for beginners, but there is a lot of depth for hard core flight enthusiasts. Plus, 4 player co-op where you can jump in/out is always fun.