I have been playing a lot of Starhawk since it launched 11/05/12. Every opportunity I have had to play it, I have been playing it. Starbuck may have felt a little neglected but the Starhawk release is a special occasion for me so I'm sure she understands. X.
The single player campaign did not take long to get through and it did have some standout moments that made it somewhat
spectacular in places but the multiplayer
game is where it's really at.
Finding a match to join online is easy enough and they are all good matches in their own way but it's when you happen upon a really great match that Starhawk really shines. I took part in one such Starhawk match last night. I joined a server from the list just because they were playing a team death match instead of capture the flag. I spawned in but the match was well into the dying minutes. The next match in rotation turned out to be a capture the flag game after all, on the Acid Sea map. I like that map so I stayed. We spawn as rifters and straight away there are several guys on the team with headsets coordinating their game strategy in between advising another player on how to join their clan. It always seems to happen. I log in with my headset on and nobody's talking, I log in without my headset and everyone is.
But anyway, we get on with the match. One player lays down a supply bunker while the others coordinate building walls around the flag. A garage and a launchpad go up and I build auto turrets on the top of the walls surrounding the flag and a couple of beam turrets either side of the base. Somebody drops down a shield generator and rallies support over the mic to make a move on the enemy flag. I jump into a razorback and a teammate climbs in on the .50 cal machine gun. We head out on wheels while hawks launch overhead. We run into some opposition along the way and take care of it swiftly. The guys in hawks report strong defenses at the enemy base and set about taking them down. We race into the enemy base after a brief recon that reveals defensive walls around the flag and turrets mounted on top of the walls. There is also at least two beam turrets in the base. I dive out of the razorback in the middle of the enemy base while my teammate on the machine gun targets one of the beam turrets. I spy a gap in the defensive walls and make a run for it. I take out one enemy with a couple of shotgun blasts but I get taken out by enemy rocket fire.
I respawn at our base and set about stocking up on weapons and ammunition again. I wait in the base for a moment to accumulate enough rift energy in order to be able to build an outpost to the east of the enemy base to flank them but a report comes over from the hawk pilots that they have already built one and they are attacking the enemy defenses. I decide to build a hawk and join the fray. A quick pass over the enemy base reveals the beam turrets have been destroyed but the flag is still surrounded by auto turrets and walls. I choose a more direct approach. I transform my hawk mid air and crash down into the enemy base right in front of the defensive walls. The auto turrets target my mech as I jump out of it and over the walls to claim the enemy flag. Running out of the gap in the defensive walls I spotted earlier I hear my teammates cry "We have the flag!" I'm taking heavy fire as I run out of the enemy base but one of the hawk pilots shouts "Keep going, I'll cover you." Missiles fire overhead and I hear a mech crashing down behind me. The enemy attack is broken and I make it out of the base. A sniper gets a bead on me, I dodge to the right and the shot grazes me, I'm lucky to still be moving. I'm out in the open with no cover and a sniper taking shots at me. There is cover off to the left of the road but it's a long way to go when you're under fire. Two more shots miss as I desperately dodge the laser target. The reload gives me chance to make it to cover, I build a garage to spawn a razorback. A barrage of ally rockets up ahead take the sniper out and the path is cleared to make a run for the base.
Jumping into the drivers seat of the razorback I speed the rest of the way back to base only to find that our own defensive walls block the way. I crash the razorback into the walls and jump out trying to find a way through but there is none. A teammate builds a gate so I dive back into the razorback and race through to score the capture under the safety of the shield generator. My teammates cheer. It's an awesome moment but there is little time for celebration. The hawk pilots confirm the enemy has regrouped and is on the move. Moments later a razorback is speeding into the base from the only open point of entry on the south west road. I build a mech and open fire on the razorback. The combination of my own fire and the auto turrets make short work of the razorback but the driver has already jumped out and is making a run on the flag. He uses our own defensive walls as cover and manages to take the flag. His vehicle is destroyed though so he is on foot heading out of the base. I transform my mech and launch across to the other side of the base where the enemy is trying to escape with the flag. I transform back into a mech right in front of the enemy and stomp him into the ground to relieve him of his flag carrying responsibility.
The flag is safely returned but another wave of enemy forces has broken through the defensive walls at the north east road and snatches the flag again. An ally hawk transforms and lands in the north of the base while I am still defending from the south west. The enemy attack is outflanked and they do not get very far with the flag before being cut down. With merely minutes left in the match the enemy makes a few more scrappy uncoordinated attempts to take the flag but our defenses are too strong and their attacks fail. The timer counts down and the match is ours. The team cheers again, a moment to celebrate a great match well played by a well coordinated team with great team spirit. It truly is an awesome feeling to be a part of that. The team worked together and supported each others actions in order to take the win against a team that fought well but were ultimately undone by superior teamwork and coordination.
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