The story begins in the year 2012. As the era of the nation-state draws quickly to a close, the rules of warfare evolve even more rapidly. More and more nations become increasingly dependent on private military companies (PMCs), elite mercenaries with a lax view of the law. The Reykjavik Accords further legitimize their existence by authorizing their right to serve in every aspect of military operations. While the benefits of such PMCs are apparent, growing concerns surrounding giving them too much power begin to mount.Developed by Ubisoft's Bucharest studio, Tom Clancy's HAWX delivers an intense and authentic aerial combat experience by fully leveraging the benefits of the next-generation platform. The story begins in the year 2012. As the era of the nation-state draws quickly to a close, the rules of warfare evolve even more rapidly. More and more nations become increasingly dependent on private military companies (PMCs), elite mercenaries with a lax view of the law. The Reykjavik Accords further legitimize their existence by authorizing their right to serve in every aspect of military operations. While the benefits of such PMCs are apparent, growing concerns surrounding giving them too much power begin to mount.
Tom Clancy's HAWX is the first air combat game set in the world-renowned Tom Clancy's video game universe. Cutting-edge technology, devastating firepower, and intense dogfights bestow this new title a deserving place in the prestigious Tom Clancy franchise. Soon, flying at Mach 3 becomes a right, not a privilege.
Tom Clancy's HAWX uses an Enhanced Reality System to turn novice gaming aviators into the elite fighter pilots of the future, featuring weapons systems, interception trajectories, incoming missile detection, anti-crash systems, damage assessment, tactical maps and the ability for pilots to issue orders to their squadron and other units – all of which will be radically enhanced through amBX. The Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range, including RGB LED lights capable of 16 million different colours, variable speed desktop fans capable of up to 5000 RPM and the variable rotation speed wrist rumble strip, will create all kinds of spectacular air combat lighting, air movement and rumble effects, taking the gameplay out of the screen and into the real world.
There are 50 achievements with a total of 1000 points available:
- Operation Ghost Rider - Finish the 1st mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite difficulty setting (5).
- Team player - Complete a mission on coop mode (10).
- Operation Adder - Unlock and finish the 2nd mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Cobalt - Unlock and finish the 3rd mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Blacklight - Unlock and finish the 4th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- OFF certification - Unlock and finish the 5th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Glass Hammer - Unlock and finish the 6th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Backfire - Unlock and finish the 7th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Ulysses - Unlock and finish the 8th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Stiletto - Unlock and finish the 9th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Red Eagle - Unlock and finish the 10th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Torchlight - Unlock and finish the 11th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Iron Arrow - Unlock and finish the 12th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Backhand - Unlock and finish the 14th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Thunderbolt - Unlock and finish the 15th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Wildhorse - Unlock and finish the 16th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Javelin - Unlock and finish the 17th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Operation Twilight - Unlock and finish the 18th mission of the Campaign on Normal, Hard, or Elite (15).
- Practice makes perfect - Spend 1 hour flying in Assistance OFF mode (15).
- Afterburner - Fly faster than Mach 2 for 1 hour in campaign (15).
- Campaign Complete: Normal - Finish the Campaign on Normal (30).
- General of the Airforce - Reach level 40 and become "General of the Airforce" (50).
- The hard way - Finish the Campaign on Hard (unlocks achievement for Normal, if not earned) (60).
- Extreme challenge - Finish the Campaign on Elite (unlocks achievements for Normal and Hard, if not earned) (90).
- TDM rookie - Win a Team Deathmatch game (10)
- Support ace - Call in every support element at least once (10).
- Cannon ace - Destroy 50 enemies with the cannon in multiplayer matches (15).
- Joint Strike missile ace - Score 135 kills with Joint Strike missiles in multiplayer matches (15).
- Multi Target AA missile ace - Score 100 kills with Multi Target AA missiles in multiplayer matches (15).
- Radar-Guided missile ace - Score 75 kills with Radar Guided missiles in multiplayer matches (15).
- All Aspect missile ace - Score 75 kills with All Aspect missiles in multiplayer matches (15).
- Deflector ace - Deflect 150 missiles from friendly planes (15).
- Wing ace pilot - Remain the Team Ace for a total time of 20 minutes (15).
- Versatile pilot - Obtain an end-match award 20 times (15).
- Christine - Kill 100 opponents using the same plane in multiplayer matches (15).
- Gladiator - Participate in 100 Team Deathmatch games (15)
- Not safe enough - Kill an enemy with a missile while being jammed in a multiplayer match (15)
- Ambush! - Score a cannon kill while having Radar Suppression active in a multiplayer match (15).
- Medic - Repair 90 hp by using a single Repair Drone support (15)
- Unimpressed - Score a kill with the Cannon while the enemy has Missile Suppression active (15).
- Avoidance ace - Dodge a total of 100 missiles without using flares in multiplayer matches (20).
- Counter support ace - Complete all counter support challenges (20).
- Predator - Score 5 kills on an enemy Team Ace using Radar Guided missiles (20).
- Veteran - Win 25 Team Deathmatch games (20).
- Sitting ducks - Kill 2 enemies with Multi Target AA missiles while they are affected by your EMP strike (25).
- Point blank shot - Hit a target that's closer than 3000m with a Radar Guided missile in multiplayer (25).
- Test pilot - Play Team Deathmatch games using 30 different planes (30).
- Risky stuff - Recover from stall at an altitude of 30 meters or lower in Team Deathmatch (30).
- Evasion ace - Dodge 10 Radar-Guided missiles without using flares in multiplayer matches (50).
- Wing leader - Be the Match Leader for a total time of 20 minutes (15).
Composer and music producer Tom Salta, whose previous credits include the MTV VMA-nominated original score for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) and the sequel GRAW 2, has written and recorded the exhilarating original music score for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
To emphasize the game's cutting-edge technology, devastating firepower, and intense dogfights, Salta composed an adrenalized and emotionally-charged live orchestral / electronic hybrid score recorded at Legacy Studios in New York with A-list musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Key features of the H.A.W.X demo:
- Co-op enabled for up to 4 players – Jump in/Jump out
- Gain experience points and unlock up to three real, licensed planes in the demo:
- F-16A Fighting Falcon
- SU-35 Super Flanker
- AV-8B Harrier II
- Choose between two different game modes:
- Normal – Default control type
- Expert – Allows full control over the aircraft in “Assistance Off” mode
- Two heart-pounding missions:
- Operation: Off Certification (Training mode)
- Operation: Glass Hammer (Rio De Janeiro)
- Take flight over GeoEye technology (the world’s best satellite data), and witness Brazil like never before
- Learn the skills of an elite pilot in “Assistance Off” mode and pull extreme maneuvers
- Learn to use the Enhanced Reality System in “Assistance On” mode, where your plane’s computer calculates the best interception course for you to follow to attack an enemy, evade a missile or hit a ground target
Key Features:
- E.R.S. is in-game technology that helps turn novice aviators into elite pilots of the future. The Enhanced Reality System is the backbone of the HAWX flight experience: radars and incoming missile detection, anti-crash system, damage control system, tactical map and information relay, and weapons trajectory control. E.R.S. also allows players to issue orders to their squadron, making this system as iconic to HAWX as the Cross-Com system is to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter!
- Players can ease into their flight missions and gain a level of comfort with the use of the assistance mode. Once employed, players can take full advantage of their technological support through the E.R.S and gain maximum piloting security. If the situation calls for the player to unleash the full potential of the aircraft, the assistance mode can be switched off and all safety features will be deactivated. This comes with increased risks, but allows the player advanced dogfighting maneuvers and stunning third-person views.
- For the first time ever in the air-combat genre, players will be able to experience the entire solo campaign in four-player JUMP IN co-op mode. In PVP mode, players can challenge up to 15 friends in intense dogfighting sessions and find out who's the top gun. Winning players are rewarded with experience points and money to unlock more weapons.
- Players have the opportunity to take the throttle of over 50 of the world's famous aircrafts, as well as being able to dogfight over realistic modern landscapes that have endured years of post-war trauma.
More articles about Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.