The guys over at Incognito seem to be doing everything they can to make your Warhawk playing time one of the better experiences on the PlayStation 3. With a booster pack and a free update already released, Incognito has given players the opportunity to utilize a Dropship transporter, a wrench to repair or destroy vehicles, a bio-field generator to replenish health or poison an enemy and a large scaled map with several variations depending on the game mode. With the newly released booster pack entitled Broken Mirror, gamers can enjoy even more Warhawk without the thought of repetition taking over.
Broken Mirror adds two more elements to the already deep game and keeps users on their toes more than ever. The addition of the Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) offers a variety of options to not only the soldiers within it, but the driver as well. With the APC, users can transport up to six soldiers at a time. It also offers a variety of options to not only the soldiers within it, but the driver as well. Soldiers will have the ability to pop out of one of the six portholes placed on the roof of the vehicle in order to snipe or gun down nearby enemy troops. While this tactic can be extremely effective, it requires strong teamwork and an excellent driver to pull off.
If soldiers choose to take advantage of the 1.3 update, they can load the APC with wrench-equipped troops and literally repair the vehicle while it takes incoming fire. With enough communication, you can utilize this tactic with three gunners and three repairmen and just devastate a warzone unlike ever before. While this all sounds good if you’re not planning to drive the vehicle, drivers won’t be left in the cold either.
While the APC may move at a slow pace, the driver is equipped with the ability to use a speed booster to navigate across a map much quicker. You can use this speed boost to run over enemies that lie in your tracks or to take jeeps out of play. However, when in use, this speed increase will cause a downgrade in maneuverability in order to balance things out. Drivers will also be given the opportunity of employing an Electrostatic Plasma Ordinance Disrupter (E-Pod) device in order to deflect incoming fire away from the vehicle. The E-Pod can be taken down early via two different methods. Land troops can choose to run into the E-Pod’s protective area and destroy the emitter at its center or it can be taken down by fully-charged lightning gun strikes from above.
We understand that this may seem like the APC is a tad overpowered, but Incognito has always done a great job of balancing the gameplay out to avoid such controversy. While the E-Pod is effective, you can’t just litter them across the map. There can only be one E-Pod activated at a time per team. There is also a limit of two APC vehicles on the map at any given time. On top of this limit, the transporting vehicle takes a lot longer to respawn than Jeeps or Warhawks. The APC will also find itself very vulnerable when it is in a boosted state as well as quite susceptible to attacks from behind. Finally, by only allowing one of the new vehicles within a map at a single time, the developers were able to balance the playing field even further. The host must make the decision between allowing either the Dropship or the APC to be used in any specific game.
Broken Mirror also included a map entitled Vaporfield Glacier, which can only be described as a frozen tundra of war. This map, while quite vast in general, can be broken up into a plethora of various-sized variations depending on what game type you’re playing. This gives you the perception that you’re playing on a handful of new maps instead of just one.
One of the more impressive locations within this new field of play takes shape directly in the middle of the map. A deep, narrow valley layout offers not only an excellent escape option for Warhawks, but an awesome opportunity for some exciting chase battles between two skilled pilots. On top of that impressive feature, the map also has one of the sweetest sniper spots available throughout the entire game. If you can figure out a way to the top of the Church’s bell tower, you’ll be in prime positioning to have a snipe-happy experience unlike anywhere else the game has to offer.
Overall, we’d have to say that Incognito has done more than a fantastic job by offering its supporters a handful of new ways to enjoy their game throughout several different updates and add-ons. With a retail price of just $7.99 ($11.99 if you’d like to package Broken Mirror with Omega Dawn), Broken Mirror adds enough elements to warrant the purchase without a nagging feeling of regret. If Warhawk is something you enjoy often, you’ll just be enjoying it that much more.