GameCyte

Remember Tom Clancy's Air Combat, the game that Ubisoft Bucharest boasted would "become the new benchmark for flight combat games"? Well, apparently 'Air Combat' didn't turn enough barrel rolls in the heads of focus testers, and so now they're calling it HAWX. As in, "I would HAWX my signed copy of Ace Combat 6 for a chance to play this sucker."

Like Metal Gear Solid 4, the story of HAWX revolves around PMCs, private military companies who will apparently run amuck in 2012, no doubt to the great delight of those who love a heaping tablespoonful of political intrigue in their military simulation. It's a Tom Clancy game -- what did you expect?

But since it's 2012, we also get the Future Weapons candidates that made Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter such a blast. Here, the "ENHANCED REALITY SYSTEM" adds safety features and assistance functions (damage control, anti-crash system, weapons trajectory control and more) that sound more Starship Enterprise than fighter jet. Here's hoping it's also got an A.I. with a soothing female voice... we don't get nearly enough of those these days.

50 different aircraft, 16-player simultaneous dogfighting, due Fall 2008 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

We've got the full press release below, and there's a teaser trailer at the official website.

London, UNITED KINGDOM – April 3rd, 2008 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announces the development of Tom Clancy’s HAWX (high-altitude warfare), an awe-inspiring game that is primed to revolutionize the way players think about combat in the sky. Scheduled for release in Fall 2008, Tom Clancy’s HAWX turns consumers into elite pilots of the future. The game will appear on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and on Windows-based PC.

“Tom Clancy’s HAWX marks the next evolution of high altitude warfare in the Tom Clancy video game universe,” said John Parkes, EMEA Marketing Director at Ubisoft. “We are thrilled to take to the skies and provide a new environment along with an extension of a familiar storyline from our other successful Tom Clancy franchises such as Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.”

Developed by Ubisoft’s Bucharest studio, Tom Clancy’s HAWX delivers an intense and authentic aerial combat experience by fully leveraging the benefits of the next-generation platform. The story begins in the year 2012. As the era of the nation-state draws quickly to a close, the rules of warfare evolve even more rapidly. More and more nations become increasingly dependent on private military companies (PMCs), elite mercenaries with a lax view of the law. The Reykjavik Accords further legitimize their existence by authorizing their right to serve in every aspect of military operations. While the benefits of such PMCs are apparent, growing concerns surrounding giving them too much power begin to mount.

Tom Clancy’s HAWX is the first air combat game set in the world-renowned Tom Clancy’s video game universe. Cutting-edge technology, devastating firepower, and intense dogfights bestow this new title a deserving place in the prestigious Tom Clancy franchise. Soon, flying at Mach 3 becomes a right, not a privilege.

Key Features of Tom Clancy’s HAWX:

• ENHANCED REALITY SYSTEM (E.R.S.) - E.R.S. is in-game technology that helps turn novice aviators into elite pilots of the future. The Enhanced Reality System is the backbone of the HAWX flight experience: radars and incoming missile detection, anti-crash system, damage control system, tactical map and information relay, and weapons trajectory control. E.R.S. also allows players to issue orders to their squadron, making this system as iconic to HAWX as the Cross-Com system is to Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter!

• ASSISTANCE MODE – Players can ease into their flight missions and gain a level of comfort with the use of the assistance mode. Once employed, players can take full advantage of their technological support through the E.R.S and gain maximum piloting security. If the situation calls for the player to unleash the full potential of the aircraft, the assistance mode can be switched off and all safety features will be deactivated. This comes with increased risks, but allows the player advanced dogfighting maneuvers and stunning third-person views.

• REVOLUTIONARY MULTIPLAYER - For the first time ever in the air-combat genre, players will be able to experience the entire solo campaign in four-player JUMP IN co-op mode. In PVP mode, players can challenge up to 15 friends in intense dogfighting sessions and find out who's the top gun. Winning players are rewarded with experience points and money to unlock more weapons.

• REALISM AND AUTHENTICITY – Players have the opportunity to take the throttle of over 50 of the world’s famous aircrafts, as well as being able to dogfight over realistic modern landscapes that have endured years of post-war trauma.

For more information on Tom Clancy’s HAWX, please visit www.hawxgame.com