1. GarrettStrahan

   9

   Hawken is a mech game fast & light mechs similar to gundam mechs NOT SIMILAR TO mechwarrior mechs. Its a quick learning curve game. For a free game this game is a winner, especially because this is a beautiful graphic game. To the reviewer that says you need to pay to win, maybe he didn't play it long enough but the only thing that I can figure you can buy with money that you cant buy with play credit is aesthetics parts. YOU WILL ENJOY THIS GAME IF YOU LOVE MECHS OR FPS games.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 3 users said Yes.
2. FoxUnbeatable

   8

   I have put in a considerable amount of time into Hawken over the past couple of weeks. Firstly, I'd like to clear this up and say that this game is NOT pay to win. The starter recruit mech is customizable, and is one of the stronger loadouts, so if you're struggling, I'm afraid the problem lies with the user. Playing with friends is a blast and adds a lot more depth to combat. Relying on your team mates for drop repairs, cover fire, shields and radars and baiting / ambushing your oponents is very rewarding. With repair guns and a Technician class hinted in the game files, I can only speculate that we can see some whole new elements of gameplay being added in the future. Being a beta, I have high hopes for Hawkens future. There are some balance issues here and there, but nothing that cant be overcome with solid communication and maneuvering with your team. I would love to see a lot more customization for the mechs, some form of ranking system or rated play and a party system and have faith that the Hawken devs are listening to their playerbase. Hawken is a great game, and worth a try.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 3 users said Yes.
3. AlienSpaceBats

   7

   After the closed Beta, I just don't feel Hawken gives me any incentive to play any more. Player customization is lacklustre, and only available to those paying for it. However all players have the opportunity to purchase new mech types after grinding. I found the game itself to have limited appeal due to the fact that 80% of the gameplay consists of dashing around unloading ordinance into enemy players.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 3 users said Yes.
4. Atryeu

   3

   While it can be fun to jump in for brief periods of time, the learning curve is steep for new players and the gameplay is hectic and repetitive in the long term. Even when winning matches, the frustration due to the game's chaotic nature can have a tendency to outweigh the overall fun factor. Matchmaking is constantly being worked on but seemingly never improved. Playing in team based modes (which comprises 3/4 of the currently available game modes) tend to result in one team dominating while the other team struggles and constantly deals with a rotating team due to players constantly leaving due to frustration. Making matters worse, while still in the open beta the game functionality and regular player base seems to have filtered out many of the curious newcomers and has culled the herd down to those hardcore players that have mastered their mechs, leveled each one to the maximum level, and don't necessarily want things to change. This leads to very limited options when searching for available servers and almost guarantees a new player to be dumped into a match full of high level, very experienced players. If in the US and searching at night on a weekend, you may be hard pressed to find just one server for each type due to the lack of activity. New players that express their concern about this painful level gap in game or on the message boards results in many of the established players explaining as a fact that mech level means nothing in Hawken (if you are as incredulous reading this as I was when someone first tried to explain this concept to me check the hawken message boards as there are many discussion regarding it). Even if this were the case (which obviously it is not leveling gives bonuses and bonuses give advantages), this would mean that the best case scenario is that the currently implemented upgrades system is close to worthless. =/
   
   If you are curious go check it out and think for yourself, but based on experience it would seem the best course of action would be to wait until the game is out of beta before really investing any time (or God forbid money) in hopes that the fixes to gameplay and balancing are ironed out. While the game is in beta it seems as though focus is mainly on overall stability (there are very few crashes) and implementing new content for the dedicated fan base as opposed to making the game more accessible and enjoyable for new players.… Expand

   • Helpful? 3 of 5 users said Yes.

See all 20 User Reviews