Hawken is back! Except that it really isn't. 505 Games has taken the corpse of the fantastic mech PvP romp—which died well before its time—and turned it into an ugly PvE game that I've had to stop playing because the broken mouse sensitivity and overenthusiastic cockpit animation have hammered my head.
I knew I'd need to temper my expectations when it was announced that Hawken Reborn was a PvE-only affair. No more thrilling fights against human-piloted mechs for me. But multiplayer wasn't the only thing that I loved about the original Hawken. The impeccable art, sound design and the lumbering feel of the mechs also played a big role. It had this wonderful ability to conjure up compelling, fast-paced brawls that still managed to feel tactical and considered. None of this is evident in Hawken Reborn, sadly.
