Tom Clancy’s HAWX puts you in the pilot’s seat as a pilot of the elite HAWX squadron, flying secret missions in top of the line aircraft employing the latest weapons in a uncertain future, where private military companies are constantly questioning your skills and forcing you to prove you are one of the best pilots on Earth. The Reykjavik Accords of 2012 made it  legal for these pmc’s to purchase weapons from the arms dealers, creating a military complex power shift. The world of HAWX has been hardened by years of war.

Beginning the game assigned to provide air support for the Ghost Recon team. HAWX pilots are some of the most highly-trained pilots in the world and, you’re given tasks including flying  combat missions, training other pilots, testing new aircraft, and espionage missions requiring you to steal enemy technology. With 49 playable planes , plus additional planes available to some pilots through pre-order bonuses or VIP memberships, there’s no shortage of aircraft in which to prove your skill.

HAWX (High-Altitude Warfare Experimental Squadron) is not a flight-sim. With no fuel gauge to worry about, no real ammunition controls, and no concerns of blackouts, you are left with little worries other than to fly the plane. Unfortunately the planes in HAWX move with very little realism. They look life-like but you can easily push them through the skies, regardless of g-force restrictions and such, with any model plane available. And , like most games of this genre, you just don’t get a good feel for the actual speeds as you cruise through the skies, faster than the speed of sound. It feels more like flying a transport plane than a fighter jet.

There’s no question that the gameplay has flaws, but the assortment of  planes and weapons that you’ll unlock throughout the game and the locales you get to fly around is worth the time playing. And while the combat may not be the most intense moment of your gaming life, it is just challenging enough to keep you coming back for that next mission.

Available on Xbox 360, PS3. and PC.