Sony has lifted the lid on the long-rumored shooter Starhawk during a preview event in London earlier today.
The sequel to PlayStation 3-exclusive blaster Warhawk, the game is currently in the works at Dylan Jobe’s Lightbox Interactive alongside God of War studio Sony Santa Monica.
The game has been under hammer and nail since Incognito finished up on Warhawk’s expansion packs, with Lightbox being in pre-production on the sequel for over 18 months.
Unlike its predecessor, Starhawk will release exclusively on Blu-ray disc and features an extensive single-player component in addition to the meaty multiplayer offering the series has become renowned for.
The game plonks you in command of gun-for-hire chap Emmett Graves, a former Rift miner who has been altered by Rift energy and found in the outer reaches of space. Your adversary this time around is the Outcast; former humans transformed into vicious creatures as a result of exposure to Rift energy.
Early impressions cite a Wild West-meets-space feel, with Graves’ main priorities centred on finding his brother, who just happens to be the leader of the Outcasts. Stages will be fairly large to accommodate more dynamic gameplay, with AI adapting to your actions.
New to the action this time around is an RTS-style element known as “Build and Battle.” Players will gather resources after dispatching enemies, which can then be used to call down structures from orbit and placed on the battlefield. These include anything from walls, gates, turrets and landing pads.
As for multiplayer, Starhawk accommodates 32-player matches, four-player online and offline co-op, as well as split-screen action within multiplayer and co-op matches against a never-ending onslaught of bad guys.
Leaderboards will be included, as will tournaments, clans, additional friend lists and quick matches. Starhawk also features a community events calendar, ticker updates, as well as plans for an Android application.
Stay tuned for more on Starhawk as it breaks.