Warhawk – PS3

Variety. It's the one thing the Playstation 3 needs in spades in the lead-up to the all-important Christmas shopping season which is something that has been missing so far in the trickle of games that have been released since the PS3 launch in March. Warhawk looks to fill one of those voids with a sensation online-only experience.

Available through the PSN (as a game-only), or as a blu-ray disc (with manuals and headset) Warhawk is the first mainstream Playstation 3 game that is multiplayer only, if you're looking for a single-player experience, stick with Resistance. If you're looking for a great exhilarating thrill-ride of a next-gen title, then pull up a chair and prepare to get your ass handed to you.

Warhawk apes the great online games like Counter-strike and Battlefield by making simplicity the most important attribute within the game. First-time online players can ease into the combat on foot, manipulating the efficient controls and orienting themselves before going for broke with one of the many vehicles placed strategically around the maps.

Because Warhawk is multiplayer only, developers Incognito have abandoned any pretence of a story and focuses all the attention on the age-old battle of red vs blue. Players are randomly assigned on teams of up to 16 and then proceed into one of five different maps, which are configured for different game modes and team sizes. Then they try to kill each other, repeat.

Where Warhawk differentiates itself from other multiplayer shooters is the variety and scope of the land-based vehicles and the sky-based Warhawks. Each gamer can use a vastly different strategy to play each map. The play types of each map will also affect the chosen tactics of both the individual and the team. A considered balance between air and ground attacks is essential for any one team to become dominant.

Available game types tick off all the classics of online gaming: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch (both of which can be played using Warhawks only), Capture the Flag and Capture the Node and while these modes may not be the most novel ever conceived, it's the way they play that makes the entire game special.

If you love your Playstation 3 and have access to a decent broadband connection, it would be a crime not to buy or download Warhawk. Great mechanics and a lasting appeal due to the amount of ribbons, skins and medals to be won, make Warhawk the first truly great Playstation 3 online experience.