Let me start with the mechs...
In my opinion this is where Hawken really shines- with a diverse range of mechs and nicely balanced abilities you cant just excel by buying an OP mech- not only is there not one, but you actually have to learn to use your Mech properly. Each Mech makes you adapt to its play style, whether it be support, raiding, nuking em' or just the good old sub-standard shooting at anything that moves. Now, as you may know the Mechs are split into three main classes; the A class, B class and C class.

Before we discuss classes, however, it's good to understand Effective Hit Point (EHP). EHP is generally how well you are able to survive, as opposed to the actual amount of health you have. For example, the Bruiser has the ability called Damage Absorb. For about a second and a half the Bruiser take 15% less damage. If the Bruiser, who has 550 armor, uses this ability. For that second and a half his EHP is 632.5.
With damage reductions EHP is easy to calculate. However it is impossible to do so mathematically with regards to dodging, as there's too many variables. Generally speaking, though, higher agility and more evasive potential creates a higher EHP.


The A class has the smallest fuel tanks and armour levels often from the low to high 300's. That said, they are also the fastest moving and most mobile mechs. Their dodge cooldown is 1.0 seconds with the furthest dodge distance and speed in the game, giving them a potentially very high EHP.

The B class is the middles grounds of the three classes. Their fuel tanks are a fair size and armour levels are often in the high 400's to the high 500's. Their speed isn't too fast, but they still have decent mobility. Their dodge cooldown is 1.2 seconds to balance out their already high health points, with a medium distance being dodged at a fair speed.

And finally, the C class. The C class have both the largest fuel tanks and highest armour levels in the game, boasting HP in the high 800's. They are, however, also the slowest and least mobile mechs in the game. With a sluggish dodge cooldown of 1.4 seconds, and the lowest distance at the smallest speed, C class rely heavily on their already high armour levels to survive.
Furthermore: most C class mechs have the turret mode ability- (a mode where you take less damage from the front, depending on the mech, but extra from behind) which can be used to blockade/ guard chokepoints throughout the map. While in this mode you are highly susceptible to burst assassins and mobile mechs, so make sure you have your team near you.

Now for...the Maps
All the maps are well-balanced and any unfair advantage points have been blocked off. Many of the Maps are class oriented though, so for ease of reference I shall divide the mechs into these groups: A class, B class, C class, and Snipers.
Prosk: B class and A class excel.
Bazar: A class and B class excel. Snipers and C class do alright.
Origin: A class, Snipers excel. B class do alright.
Uptown: Never actually played it. Perhaps it has been replaced? :(
Front line: A class and C class excell. Snipers and B class do alright.
Facility: Every class does well. (C class and B class appear to be the best suited to it though).
Bunker: Snipers and B class do well. A class and C class do alright.

As for the Maps descriptions:
Prosk: Clear layout, with a few big skyscrapers acting as walls. Nice to play in.
Bazzar: Somewhat like the WallE world, but with more radio towers and cobbled together buildings.
Origin:A few choice sniping platforms, but a warren of tunnels below, with jump pads scattered in the general vicinity. Two tiers to it.
Uptown:?
Front Line: Clean, inhabited looking area with Arabian like surroundings. Also has a clear layout.
Facility: Same as Front Line, but with big rock walls instead of Arabian surroundings.
Bunker: Snowy, miltary looking area with odd metal domes strewn around the outskirts.

As Hawken is a free to play game, it has Meteor Credits (only obtained by paying real money for them, other than the 500 you gain after the first hour) which allow small bonuses such as cosmetics, early unlocking, Credit and XP boosters and as an alternative way to pay for Mechs.
Hawken credits (ingame money generated through playing the game) can buy everything else, and you earn just enough per game to make you think about purchasing a Mech twice, but not so little you are left pennyless and bankrupted after buying a decent Mech.

Like I mentioned before, cosmetics can only be bought with Meteor Credits, but you still get the small mercy of choosing a paint colour to highlight your Mech. Whil the options are still limited, they are improving with many different styles of paint jobs on the outside, and things such as stuffed animals or cups of noodles in the actual cockpit. Meanwhile, I await the day when they add the ability to install neon lights on the dashboard and columns inside the cockpit with abaited breath.

Yet again I am not much of an expert on this, but for me Siege mode and Missile assualt are my favourite gamemodes. I love how in Siege mode there is a wide range of roles, from defending the AA to collecting EU. I also like Missile Assualt because it acts just like team deathmatch, but better co-ordinated and with a shared objective meaning more massacre in one place.
However, the others are good for testing out your skill/ teamsmanship/synergy/new Mech in my opinion.

You should, having played the game now, know the basic controls. I am merely here to review how the Mechs move, so if you want a tutorial, Shoo! Any how, in my opinion Hawken has reached the perfect balance where your Mechs respond instantly, but still feel like the great, solid beasts they are. This is especially well displayed in the dodging, where one moment you are drifting gracefully sideways, and the next your entire mech is lurching drunkenly from the mad slide you just peformed. What can I say, other than that is well polished?

Dodge. Thats it. Just dodge. I have taken down so many people that way, even when evenly matched, purely because I am cascading everywhere while spamming the mouse button for fire. All you have to do is slide eratically everywhere, and you will come away from the fight with only a rather tattered piece of armour while the enemy is still burning on the ground.

Fast paced and tense with Maps just the right size, Hawken keeps you on your toes even though your feet have been knocked out from beneath you from the breathtaking beauty and rocket trails. The Mechs are just big enough to give you a feel for the power, but small enough for you to still cower in fear from the battleships in Siege mode, and desperately spam the dodge button when you face a flying grenade. The best part of my favourite game, however, is the comradeship. From screaming "Die son of a depressed panda!" to exclaiming "GG" politely at the end of a match, I have not yet suffered a rant from a nine year old with the language skills of a three year old.
So really Hawken is a good, solid, skillfull and diverse game adding things people could only hope to match to the Free to play Genre, and leaving you mumbling "depressed panda..." in your sleep.

PS: Thanks for reading if you butted your way through my large amount of text. :) Here's a tip: press j when your team wins a match- it will make your Mech do a signature move in the carousel, such as bow or wave.
PPS: Remember to DODGE!

Here is a list of all available weapons, the mechs they are available on, and the damage they deal along with a little writing on their use or tactics.

AM-SAR
30 damage
A semi automatic, high damage sniper rifle. High precision and useful for covering fire, along with flurrys of damage.

Assault Rifle
19 damage
Accurate, and good for precision shooting. Accuracy decreases when used in long bursts.

EOC Repeater
On contact and with mines: 90 damage (180 charged)
Contact: 30 (60 charged)
Mines: 60 (120 charged)
Fires a series of explosive, sticky pucks. Will fire more when charged.

Flak Cannon
120 damage (10 each bullet)
Semi-automatic, slow loading powerhouse. Lethal at short range.

Hawkins-RPR
16 damage
Automatic [citation needed] and good at all ranges.

Heat Cannon
80 damage (90 charged)
Splash damage medium range primary weapon that will, if charged, fire upon death

Mini Flak Cannon
40 damage (5 each bullet)
Rapid fire close range weapon.

Point D Vulcan
13 damage
Utterly lethal at close range, and will shred targets. Takes around one second to "warm up" when fired.

Redox-O2
25 damage
Quick firing weapon, shoots projectiles. Will "poison" enemies hit with it, causing them to take increased damage. (Stacks three times). When a Mech has all 3 "buffs" on it it takes 16% more damage.

Reflak-35
54 damage (9 each bullet)
Semi-automatic shotgun that takes a bit to master but will then completely dominate.

REV-GL
75 damage
A revolving grenade launcher which will fire grenades that explode right after contact with a surface.

SA Hawkins
26 damage
Fast firing long range weapon, but with high heat generation.

Seeker
55 damage
Explosive projectile with low heat seeking capabilities. Weak at close range.

Slug Rifle
76 damage (80 scoped)
Slow firing, hitscan weapon that deals high damage of long range.

Submachine Cannon
11 damage
Medium to close range fast firing weapon. Similar to a Point D Vulcan.

T32 Bolt
72 damage, (120 charged, 8 per bullet)
Chargeable shotgun with high damage.

Corsair-KLA
MIRV: 208 damage (26 per bullet)
Grenade: 170
A multi purpose, dual mode weapon that shoots grenades or EMP laced bullets. Slow firing.

Grenade Launcher
150 damage
Launches grenades which can be manually detonated. The curve of the grenades makes it usefull for shooting over walls.

Hellfire Missiles
184 damage (23 per missile)
Extremely lethal missiles that can lock on. Will utterly own in wide open, medium distance conditions.

Sabot Rifle
124 damage (155 scoped)
Highly dangerous weapon, that is good for either weakening or finishing off enemies.

KE-Sabot
85 damage (95 scoped)
Highly dangerous weapon, that is good for either weakening or finishing off enemies. Also makes an extremely satisfying noise when fired.

TOW Rocket
153 damage
The good old sub-standard missile that can be manually detonated.

Helix Repair Torch
Healing Beam: 50/s (15/s self heal)
Deconstruction Beam: 28/s (40% damage done used to heal self)
A good healing weapon which can be surprisingly nasty when turned on an enemy Mech.

While this is a small factor in combat, custom body parts can tell you a lot about the Mech the enemy is driving, how good they are with it (this can be done by counting the number of body parts unlocked through levelling, as more bodyparts unlocked = more time played on the Mech = experience and skill). By wearing a Raider chassis while playing a Bruiser, at first glance you would assume the Bruiser to be a Raider and underestimate its ability's. While closer scrutiny/ looking at the name tag would reveal the true Mech model, in a firefight most do not care to know the name of the person they are killing.

Differentiating between allies and enemies is another important aspect, so keep your tags polarising colours. I find the default colours perfectly fine.