Following the completion of a closed, private beta, Lightbox Interactive has released the public beta for its upcoming tactical third-person shooter, Starhawk. A direct sequel to Warhawk, Starhawk has a surprisingly deep storyline and a variety of gameplay elements that promise to keep players engaged – not simply running, gunning, and ducking for cover.

As the public beta gets underway, players can look forward to Starhawk’s official release date, which has been announced as May 8, 2012.

Unlike many public betas, the Starhawk public beta is a, “real world ‘in the wild’ test of the core game systems and gameplay,” according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. Those expecting a full-on demo need not apply. As mentioned in Game Rant’s E3 2011 Starhawk preview, Starhawk players will need to rely on their intuition and in-game tools to accomplish a mission. This variety in gameplay is a welcome addition to a genre that too often takes a very formulaic approach to level design.

On top of a lot of fixes and updates, Lightbox Interactive is adding the following content to the Starhawk public beta:

  • Classic Arcade Flight-Mode: The classic arcade flight from Warhawk. Host Migration: The ability to transfer host control from one player to another. Language Support: European and Japanese languages are included. Korea, China, Latin America and Brazil will be in English, but will include full language support by the May 8 release date. Skills: Players can collect unique Skills and use them in their gameplay based on their performance. Playstation Network Friend Integration: Friends status, messages, and friend requests. Bug Fixes: Too many to include, but tons of bug fixes have been addressed.

The timeline of events begins today with the public beta going live to private beta testers and Playstation Plus members. On January 31, all players who received a code when purchasing a copy of Uncharted 3 will be allowed into the beta. On February 7, those who visit GameStop or the PlayStation Facebook page can gain early access. IGN.com will give away access codes on Valentine’s Day, Februrary 14, and on February 21, the beta officially opens to every user who has a PSN account.

Ranters, are you excited about the public beta, and will you be playing the game when it’s released in May?

Starhawk launches May 8, 2012, for the PS3.

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Source: Playstation Blog