K. Hawk: Survival Instinct

Talk about a poor man’s Metal Gear Solid. I actually fell asleep three times in one afternoon playing K. Hawk, which is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, it beat my previous record of falling asleep twice while playing a game (PGA 2000 in the early hours of the morning last summer). And secondly, I had more fun asleep than I did while conscious - unusual, especially when there’s a bird involved.

K.Hawk: Survival Instinct is simply tedious. Graphically it's a shadow of Konami’s seminal infiltrator, in fact the visual glamour of this 3D aberration lies somewhere between the original Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. It’s not just the model textures or backgrounds that sully the feel either; the stiff animation makes our Navy S.E.A.L heroine look like her hands are handcuffed together when she runs. K.Hawk is basically about four years behind current 3D technology, which is actually impressive when compared to its gameplay which is probably on a par with Pong - hold on, what am I saying? It’s nowhere near that good.

Mountain Of Problems

The action is so bland and the enemy soldiers’ line of sight so poor, you literally have to stand nose to nose with them before they even register your existence. They are also appalling shots; you can sprint between two guards and disappear into the jungle without so much as a graze. What does cause problems though is the way each enemy agent needs about four straight headshots before they die. With the added problem of extremely well-hidden ammunition for your guns, it’s safe to say that there’s no easy killing spree. Your time is mostly spent exploring the undergrowth, or if you venture further into the game, shuffling around nervously behind barrels and crates looking for ammo and medi-paks.

Dazed And Confused

Those who get to the later stages of the game may also discover some of the most tenuous and confusing missions ever devised. Our eponymous hero will occasionally try to make things more obvious by saying things like: "Oh - that mountain over there looks interesting..." But it doesn’t really do much for the game. Wandering from one side of a secret base to another, monotonously switching machinery on and off in the vain hope of making a lift move is clearly not why one becomes a S.E.A.L.

So, K.Hawk? What are we going to do with you? Well, if this game was to join the US Navy it’d have a tough time. Firstly it would need a serious haircut; you gotta look good to be a S.E.A.L. Secondly it would need a change of attitude, as right now, its attitude sucks. There’s only one place this hawk’s going, and that’s down.