Last seen as a PlayStation 1 launch title, Warhawk roars back into next-gen skies with an online-only multiplayer game for the PS3 that offers much more than meets the eye. As in most online shooters, players do battle with a myriad of lethal weapons at their disposal, including pistols, rifles, rocket launchers and more. In this game, your arsenal extends to tanks, machinegun-equipped jeeps, manned turrets and the game's titular vehicle; the Warhawk, a fully customizable combat plane with numerous destructive options with which to unleash hell on your opposition. Despite the gameplay variety in this third-person effort, the developers at Incognito Games have commendably managed to maintain a level playing field among the available armaments. However, a bug-laden launch and a handful or poor design choices might prevent Warhawk from skyrocketing to its potential.

Warhawk offers four distinct game types that are playable on a total of five massive levels, each of which can hold up to 32 players. Although the maps are enormous, each has several variants that either reduce the accessible area to accommodate less players, or alter the map's structure to better suit certain game types. The four modes include genre standards such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, and the aptly named Zones. In this innovative mode, teams start at opposite ends of the battlefield and work their way towards each other while capturing key strategic bases called zones. These zones are captured when players position themselves near flagged points on the map, and control can change hands if enemies wipe out your defenses and stay long enough to take over. The more bases a team occupies, the more options its players have in choosing their spawn points across the map, which can prove quite the strategic advantage. A team will claim victory if it occupies more zones when the time limit is reached, or if it holds all of the zones simultaneously. Players can also capture bases in Team Deathmatch and CTF, and while this does not affect the game's score, controlling them offers the same valuable positions on the battlefield as in Zones mode, adding a welcome layer of strategy to otherwise familiar fare. Apart from these four match types, all levels also have a Dogfight variant, in which all of the action takes place in the sky and players spawn immediately in their Warhawks.

A Warhawk engages an enemy tank.

From ground to air, Warhawk presents you with a mess of ways to rain misery down on your enemies. But despite the extent of the destructive devices available, a well-trained soldier knows to expect the unexpected. In nearly all clashes involving any combination of foot soldiers, ground vehicles and Warhawks, the skill of each player is a higher determinant of the outcome than the weapon or vehicle they are using. This is because the developers have implemented a balanced combat system that makes eliminating your enemies a matter of exploiting their weaknesses while employing your strengths. For instance, a tank may be considerably slower than a Warhawk, but it will destroy its winged rival with a single missile, whereas a Warhawk must continuously lob projectiles at a tank to terminate it. So instead of aimlessly spitting rockets in the Warhawk's general direction, the tank should conserve its ammunition and let off a well-placed shot to bring it crashing down. Conversely, a Warhawk that stays still will nearly guarantee a respawn, while constantly moving and maintaining a steady rate of missiles and machinegun fire will certainly fare better.

Such diversity in gameplay must come at the expense of a good control scheme, right? Not true with Warhawk, as the configuration offers intuitive control and a satisfying level of precision that can be tweaked to your liking. Using the PS3's Sixaxis controller, you can operate the game's vehicles with motion-sensing to reach unparalleled heights of accuracy. While there is a steep learning curve for controlling the Warhawk this way, it's worth the effort, as it frees up the left thumb stick for more precise aiming. Operating ground vehicles with motion-sensing isn't as useful, but you'll have to toggle the option on and off when switching from ground to air, as the options are limited to either motion sensing for all vehicles or none at all.

Although the game places you in the middle of a full-scale war between two opposing nations - the Eucadians and the Chernovans - don't look for any information regarding who they are or what they represent, apart from the team colors they've been assigned. The Eucadians are blue, the Chernovans are red, and that's all there is to it. Incognito's decision to scrap the single-player campaign in Warhawk also came at the expense of any explanation of its world and warring factions. Other multiplayer-only games like Shadowrun benefit greatly from an underlying storyline, and with Warhawk's epic battles, one can't help but feel as though the lack of a back story detracts from the overall experience. Then again, you may be too caught up in the ensuing mayhem to notice.

Warhawk uses a military-style ranking system to track your progress while displaying your prowess, with titles ranging from the initial Airman class to the revered title of General. Each rank is shown as an icon next to your name on the battlefield, and by the level of customization available to your soldier and your Warhawk's appearances. Higher ranks are earned by gaining enough points in ranked games, and by being awarded medals for excellence in both combat and teamwork. While both contribute equally to your overall score, combat points and team points are awarded separately. Combat points are given for killing your opponents, while team points are earned by accomplishing tasks that support your team, such as defending a zone or capturing your enemy's flag.

While the ranking system sounds great, it's apparently a pain to implement as it hasn't functioned properly since the game's release date. There was a period of time when rank points were simply not being counted, and when that was finally corrected, players were given ranks that did not correspond to their total points. It is commonplace for someone who has the points of an Airman to hold the rank of a Sergeant, and while this may seem like a beneficial bug, it effectively destroys the system of progress and has turned many off to the entire game. Adding insult to injury is Warhawk's defective ranked games system, which only allows players to host ranked games if they choose not to participate in them. The vast majority of games created by players are thus unranked, and they exist solely because it's nearly impossible to join in the ranked games on Sony's servers, especially during peak hours. Distinguished by their blue font, the Sony ranked games are in short supply and do not refresh often enough to display the actual amount of players that are in them. You can expect to waste quite a bit of time attempting to join games that appear open but are in fact full.

Teamwork is crucial to claiming victory.

The problems don't end there, as a few questionable design choices further cripple an otherwise enjoyable experience. Imagine fighting diligently in CTF mode to seize your enemy's flag, narrowly escaping death several times to somehow transport the coveted item bag to your base, only to have your own teammate pump you full of bullets to steal the flag and score the points themselves. While the traitor may get a minuscule penalty for killing an ally, the reward for returning a flag is much higher, effectively drawing the friendly fire of these terrible teammates. Many elements of Warhawk insist upon the use of teamwork and strategy to claim victory, but this issue downright encourages poor sportsmanship, and makes teamkilling more prevalent than it should be.

Another aspect that suffers due to the focus on gameplay is the presentation, with audio and visual elements that aren't terrible, but won't garner any praise. Not much attention was given to the music and sound effects, as they're dull and quite repetitive. A generic opening theme is the highlight, as many areas of the game's interface are simply silent. As for the graphics, one redeeming aspect is the ample draw distance, which is satisfactory, especially given the size of the levels. However, the lackluster visual detail in the environments, vehicles and characters makes Warhawk look like a last-gen Xbox game. A few nice explosions punctuate an otherwise visually mundane experience that certainly does not make use of the PS3's power.

While Warhawk does have its faults, it should be noted that most online-game launches are rarely smooth, and the irritating bugs will eventually be patched. The primary reason the problems are so maddening is because the gameplay itself is riveting, but is hindered by these glaring flaws. The exhilarating experience is characterized by both variety and balance - a rare combination among exclusively multiplayer games - and by the refreshing injection of teamwork and strategy that make it more than mindless run-and-gun fare. However, the unchecked technical issues - although fixable - do well in debilitating an otherwise enjoyable game. Nevertheless, Warhawk does many things right, with action-packed, diverse and engaging gameplay that will surely help you dismiss its technical shortcomings.