Hardware Online Arena

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Hardware: Online Arena
Developer(s) London Studio
Publisher(s) Sony
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release date November 7, 2003
Genre(s) online multiplayer
Mode(s) Single player offline, online multiplayer
Rating(s) pegi: 7+
Media DVD-ROM PlayStation disc
System requirements 1 network adaptor (Ethernet) for PS2, Broadband connection

Hardware: Online Arena is an online multiplayer game that focuses on vehicular destruction using varying means such as missiles, lasers and machine guns. The game was released for PlayStation 2 with the launch of online play for the console and was possibly the first online game for PS2. The game was not a huge commercial success, selling very little. Later the game was added onto the network access disk that comes when you buy the network adaptor and during 2005 was one of the three most popular games played online having over 200 users on at any one time. GamesMaster Magazine said the game was, "A great indicator of the shape of things to come for PS2 online."

Contents

[edit] Features

  • Online multiplayer military action game
  • Offline mode available but online play strongly recommended
  • Multiple game modes include King of the Hill, Team King of the Hill, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch
  • 5 different expansive environments
  • 8 tanks and jeeps to choose from
  • Wide array of weapons, from cannons to heavy missiles
  • Talk to other players online with a USB headset
  • For 1-16 players

[edit] In-Game

Online Arena is a very functional title, eschewing presentation in favour of what it does best, which is to present arcade-style blasting action without letting real-world physics get in the way of a good time. It has to be said that vehicle handling is straight out of the cartoons, with tanks developing the ability the race off of cliffs and buildings and soar through the air before bouncing like a space hopper when they finally touch bare earth.

That said, the sole objective of Hardware: Online Arena or HOA is to destroy everything that moves with your weapons. Or at least that's what you do most of the time, using tanks and jeeps to combust rivals or enemy clan members. Some strategy is involved and in modes such as capture the flag it is needed but mostly the player just blows up anything that isn't on their side.

This provides a lot of explosions and although the premise may be simple it provides a lot of entertainment and there are many different situations that can occur in the same environment. A game can turn either which way between two warring game clans and the result is not always the same. The main things to do are these:

  • Go head to head with friends or enemies
  • Destroy anybody with your arsenal in deathmatch
  • Team up and take out a rival clan in team deathmatch

[edit] Vehicles

Tanks:

Jeeps:

[edit] Arsenal

Laser: Although it isn't the most accurate of weapons, a laser kills on contact and if used in an area where a group of rival players are seen it can be put to devastating effect. Usage drains the power and the weapon only lasts for a couple of seconds before it dying out.

Rockets: Fast spreading short distance weapon. You fire 5 rockets at once. Perfect tank killer. Harms enormous when you shoot them in a "dog fight". 10 rockets are usually enough to destroy any enemies vehicle. It is possible to fire rockets continuously (without any reload). This can be achieved by obtaining 5 rockets, shooting them, and then retrieving the desired number of rockets that the player would like to fire ceaselessly. By tapping the "fire" button (usually R2), the rockets will erupt out of the players turret until ammunition runs out, causing devastating effects in close-quarter battles.

Light Missile: Not very effective unless used in bulk. A number of "lights" is needed to destroy a vehicle unlike the heavy missile. These use a heat-seeking target mechanism to lock onto targets to track them, this can be achieved from the other side of the level in safety if need be and can be done with the heavy missile and railgun too if you are a proficient sniper. Lights are flying high into air when shot and hit the enemy falling down on him. Escape is hard when there is no possibility of cover.

Heavy Missile: "Heavies" are lock-on missiles similar to the lighter version except for the fact that they pack a much bigger punch. Two can usually be picked up at a time and when locked on they track with the target through the air to reach their destination. Two shots will usually explode a tank. Heavies don't fly up in the air when shot. They are deepfliers so you can escape them easily when you reach a wall or something. Lights are faster than heavies.

Railgun: Primarily the weapon of a sniper, the Railgun is used for making long-distance kills and destroys anything with one shot.

Plasma: A multi-firing weapon that shoots a barrage of blue plasma at an enemy. Damage is medium but can be fatal if used in combination with say a tank's turret. Plasma has a very fast lock on.

Machine Gun: On Jeeps only. A rapid-firing piece of equipment that can prove more effective than larger weapons in close-combat situations.

Bombs: 5 small bombs flying around and bouncing like balls when they hit something and explode when they don't bounce anymore or hit the enemies jeep/tank. You can shoot them continuously.

Cannon: On tanks only. A powerful endless firing gun which harms more than the machine gun but needs some time to reload. It can be turned 360 with the tank's turret.

Emps: Missiles which do not harm the opponent but cause a freeze movement or firing lock on the enemy.

Note: If you collect a powerup different from the current, it replaces the current, and if you collect the same type of powerup it increases the amount of that weapon held. The maximum is 100 pieces.

[edit] Specials

Countdowns: On Mayan and Area 51 only. Mass-Destruction-Weapons which can be started by reaching a certain spot that reappears every 5 minutes after it gets launched. On Mayan a special laserbeam is shining from the magma up to the sky and destroys every vehicle outside the temple. On Area 51 after the countdown F-16 Jets bomb the whole level and destroy everything outside. The only place to hide is the bunker underneath the main hangar with two tunnel entrances, AI in the single player model will attempt to reach the tunnel before 50 seconds is over to achieve maximum effectiveness, keep the enemy out. In the Bunker there is quite a selection but not a great quantity of weapons.

[edit] Network Play

HOA is an online game. Although it does have an offline training mode the bulk of the gaming experience is garnered through connecting and playing against real people other than computerized bots used in offline play. It is not all that difficult to get Hardware working online. What you need is a Broadband connection, Ethernet adaptor for PS2 (not required for the Slimline version) and then you're ready to go. A couple of button clicks, log into the online service and you're off, thundering around a half dozen combat zones with a vehicle selected from the tanks and armoured personnel carriers on offer.

[edit] Game Bugs

  • firing though walls possible, e.g. with a laser
  • possibility to get out of the boarder-lined map
  • lagg: time delay, due to low connection speed (usually from Australia, the Netherlands, France or Spain), pc internet downloads or on purpose by "lagg-switches" (modified network-wires) or players pulling the network cable for a second - these players are called "switchers"
  • various glitches
  • cheats: infinite weapons and unvulnerability, used by the German NGE-Clan; the cheaters handles are "NGE (name)" or "x (name) x", "xx (name) xx", "o (name) o" or "oo (name) oo"
  • server refresh: leads to disconnection in a game
  • other server problems: Australian players can enter and play the European server, Europeans can not join the Australian servers
  • teamers: team-players who enter a deathmatch game and team up there to shoot the solo-players

[edit] Links