Haze Review

[MacRumorUser]

I knew it all along that this was going to be a turkey (check my post history where i've always said it looked like generic crap to me) so I can safely say I told you so :D


IGN first review


Closing Comments
Haze was touted as a great PS3 exclusive from a developer well versed in first-person shooter mechanics. While Free Radical does have a solid pedigree, Haze does not live up to the company's reputation thanks to a horrible plot, weak gameplay mechanics and visuals that are truly underwhelming. While playing with friends is enjoyable, not even those are enough to bring this lackluster title around.


IGN Ratings for Haze (PS3)
Rating out of 10 Description

4.5 Presentation
A bland story with weak characters and simplistic commentaries on serious topics, Haze is a generic tale at best about war.

4.0 Graphics
Tons of visual issues abound within the game, from texture tears and non-descript environments to pop-in and odd animation problems.

5.0 Sound
Dialogue is hokey and repetitive regardless of what side you're on. Sound effects are good, but that's not enough to make you turn the volume up once you've hit mute.

4.5 Gameplay
A creative concept hampered by gimmicks, a weak story and poor AI, Haze is a disappointment from a developer well versed in shooter mechanics.

4.5 Lasting Appeal
Two player split-screen and four player co-op helps put a minor spin on the campaign, but it won't extend the replayability of the game much. Nor will multiplayer modes and its useless merit system.

4.5 OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)
Poor


http://ps3.ign.com/articles/875/875229p1.html

[Dagless]

Ouch, I wonder what the point was behind this game? As the reviewer says these guys know how to make good FPS's*, so why make a terrible one? It's not 7, 8. 4.5 is dire.

*then again Ubisoft gave us Red Steel and they know how to make a good game too...

[MacRumorUser]

Don't worry. I'm sure this thread will soon be filled up with the 'well we never said it was going to be a AAA big title anyways' or the 'no one really cared about it anyways' and the 'we never said it would be better than HALO anyways' crowds ;)

The truth is that this WAS a big named, super hyped PS3 EXCLUSIVE. Not only hyped by the publisher, but Sony too. You only have to log on to PSN/internet to see that.

The fact that it has turned out to be nothing more than generic dire-tribe doesn't surprise me, but it does mean 'yet another' exclusive is added to the failed ranks alongside Lair et all; which is disappointing for all us PS3 owners.

With Killzone 2 now relegated to Feb 2009, it means the only other 'decent' looking FPS we have to look forward to on the platform at the moment is Resistance 2 and thats over 6 months away assuming it's not delayed.

Hey ho! Life goes on.

[zap2]

4.5?
Wow....I want to play it now, to check if its really that bad, or its a reaction to the hype it got.

[Much Ado]

Never liked FPSs anyway :D

[Soulstorm]

I hope resistance 2 isn't such a big disappointment, either. I expected more of this game. Although this could be a reaction to all that hype, I have a feeling that IGN is right.

[MacRumorUser]

Never liked FPSs anyway :D

Damn how did I miss that one :D:D:p:p


Although this could be a reaction to all that hype, I have a feeling that IGN is right.

Well the demo was certainly a 4.5 so it doesn't surprise me. I was 'slightly' hopeful that the demo was of a poorer older version, but it looks like that was indeed false hope.

:o

Oh well back to GTA I guess :)

[spyker3292]

The videos made it looks pretty nice. The demo, not so much. After playing the demo I knew I wouldn't be buying this. What a great game to get as an exclusive... lol

[MacRumorUser]

The videos made it looks pretty nice. The demo, not so much. After playing the demo I knew I wouldn't be buying this. What a great game to get as an exclusive... lol


True indeed on all accounts.

What is so so so annoying is when you get the preview screenshots and they are nothing more that super touched up, high res captures. Basically they are photoshop'd up to the hilt. It's all so utterly bogus.

Then you get the in depth previews and 'hands on' from magazines and reviewers. I mean come on guys, could they not really sense this was a turkey from those play throughs ?

The answer of course is that 'they knew all along' but simply put aside all that in order to feed the hyperbole machine that was putting big budget marketing money in their pockets.

Of course most of the magazine reviews wont actually hit the shelves until 'after' the game hits retail, which of course by that time - those that have been fed on the the sweet fruits of 'previews and hands on' BS will have already bought their pre-ordered copy of the supposed 'next big thing'...

It's just all so $$ BS

[Soulstorm]

Then you get the in depth previews and 'hands on' from magazines and reviewers. I mean come on guys, could they not really sense this was a turkey from those play throughs ?

The answer of course is that 'they knew all along' but simply put aside all that in order to feed the hyperbole machine that was putting big budget marketing money in their pockets.

Actually, that isn't the case. I remember an in-depth preview from GameTrailers showcasing Haze. They said right from the start that this isn't gonna bring down Halo or Half Life.

Also, it would be unfair to condemn the game before its release.

[zelmo]

My post history should back up my claims of indifference towards this title. That aside, Haze being a mediocre FPS is not good news after all the hype about this game. I'm not sure how much of the hype was really driven by Sony themselves, though. Seems to me that I hear PS3 fanboys and the media talking about this being a top tier exclusive far more often than I hear Sony trumpeting it's virtues.

[2nyRiggz]

I'm not too happy about this because in the end I lose a game that had potential...oh well on to the other. I still don't see how Sony hyped this game though....it build its hype on the web(by PS fannys) and thats where the hype stayed.

So far the review(s) show its either a hate/love game with IGN and games radar thinking its average/poor and that Japanese magazine, PSM and one other Italian Mag loving it.


I myself was in the middle.....trying to give it a chance even the demo wasn't all that bad but I'm thinking its just an average title that I won't waste my time on.

Wii fit it is then...



Bless

[sikkinixx]

Capitan Negativity errr.... MRU strikes again.

I'm pretty surprised at the score actually. I would have given the demo somewhere in the 7 range but ah well. The Timesplitters games were always quite good. Haze seemed troubled from the start, much like Warhawk was, but looks like unlike the awesome Warhawk it crashed :p

[MacRumorUser]

Capitan Negativity errr.... MRU strikes again.


:rolleyes:




cheeky bugger
:p:D

[Agathon]

I downloaded the demo. I wasn't planning to buy it, and after playing the demo I won't bother. Another shooter... oh lord.

The PS3 already has five excellent shooter games in COD4, UT, Warhawk, RBSV2, and Resistance. GTA4 multiplayer counts as well (although it is far better than the others due to the sheer variety of game modes on offer). More would be overkill, unless they brought something new and interesting, which Haze doesn't.

Shooters are to our decade what scrolling space ship games were to the early 80s. Enough already.

[ebel3003]

I'm actually kinda disappointed. Famitsu and PSM Italy gave it positive reviews, but IGN gave it the opposite. I'm thinking it can't be as bad as they say, personally, but I'm going to wait to see what some of the others say before passing it up or purchasing. I'm happy that I didn't commit to the reserve, either.

On the upside, I haven't had a chance to finish GTA4 yet anyways, so at least I still have something to play until MGS hits the shelves.

[MacRumorUser]

On the upside, I haven't had a chance to finish GTA4 yet anyways, so at least I still have something to play until MGS hits the shelves.

That's HAZE's biggest challenge isn't it. Most of us will end up getting MGS4 on the PS3 as the Exclusive that really matters, and we have GTA4 to last us a couple more weeks before it hits anyways.


Another review hits the airwaves on GamersHell.com

http://www.gamershell.com/ps3/haze/review.html

Graphics: 7.5
Sound : 5.5
Gameplay : 6.0
Multiplayer : 7.0
Overall : 6.5

Meh…

Ultimately, Haze is still sitting in the wake of Call of Duty 4, and falls into that category of being just another FPS. The game tries to include different content with Nectar abilities and rebel dynamics, but a confused story, lacking gameplay elements and technical bugs bog the game down from being a stellar PS3 exclusive. It’s worth a rental, but know that Haze isn’t a name you want throw out there next time you’re having a console-focused debate.


Hell yeah:
+ Bots in online play ensure you always have 16 players
+ Great animations give characters a “realer” feeling
+ Tries to death with the philosophical/ideological dilemma of war

Oh, hell no:
- Short campaign, without the ability to skip in-game cinematics
- Overacted, “Huh?” plot
- Mantel-Rebel dynamic misses the mark

[sikkinixx]

:rolleyes:




cheeky bugger
:p:D

I love you man but dude... you're soooo negative nowadays! Everything is doom and gloom!

Money says Haze gets a metacritic of around 65-75 in the "meh, worth a shot but not worth a purchase" range.

[MacRumorUser]

Everything is doom and gloom!

Now who's being dramatic :p

Yeah I agree the 'rent not buy' kind of game. I actually do have it on my game rental list though still, so I'll probably leave it there regardless.

I have become increasingly fussy and critical over games asking me to part with €60+ and worse still my time.

It's not that everything is black and white with me, in fact my life is indeed a myriad shades in between and so is my mood.

Lately there have been very few gaming 'highlights' for me to really get excited and enthusiastic about though.

That's not the PS3's fault, just a general thing on ALL the formats. I'm just looking for that next 'hit' that rejuvenates and rekindles my passion.

At the moment all my energies are focussed on outside/other activities as I just haven't found anything keeping me glued to my pad.

Sorry if my judgment has seemed overly critical lately, I guess I just expect more than what we are being delivered right now game wise.

[NAG]

It is understandable. The PS3 keeps getting these overhyped generic games. Its like how the Wii seems to be getting nothing but party games and the xbox gets nothing but red lights.

[pianoplayer1]

Man, I have to say after the demo I'm not surprised, but I really hoped that the demo was just really outdated...

[sikkinixx]

didn't mean to bag on you MRU, just seeing a lot of negativity about everything when onNeogaf and 1up boards and just... I dunno it seems that everyone expects everything to be 10/10 nowadays.

But it seems like a generation thing. Like PS1 to PS2 was crazy, the games had voice acting (well so did MGS1) amazing graphics (FFX blew my mind) they were longer, more epic etc. Games like Halo or KOTOR or Ico or whatever were new ground

This generation isn't as amazing. Most games are just gussied up versions of the PS2 era games. and honestly? I'm playing Persona 3 FES and other older PS2 games more than I'm playing any 'this-gen' games since they are better than most of the dribble released now. The leap just isn't as significant.




(ok I will admit... Uncharted looks damn purdy on my new 1080p... :D)

[spyker3292]

(ok I will admit... Uncharted looks damn purdy on my new 1080p... :D)

Of course it does :). Can't wait for #2!

[MacRumorUser]

Well more scores from the sites

game informer (http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/AFF1EFEC-A083-46FD-93BD-2F834CAB6739.htm)


Like the band Metallica, when the game abandons the only feature that made it interesting — drugs — it leaves you with a drab experience akin to watching Lars Ulrich complain about his band mates; that is, repetitive, uninteresting, and intolerable. The poorly implemented threat indicators make it tough to figure out where fire is coming from, and enemies display the intelligence of raging bulls, relentlessly charging you with total disregard for tactics — it’s a wonder Mantel ever comes out on top in a fight. Your comrades are equally moribund; you’ll spend so much time healing them that it’s often best to let them die and go it alone. Haze also features the worst variety of weapons I’ve seen in a long while, and you’ll only fight variations of two enemies over the course of the campaign. Players won’t find solace in the neglected multiplayer, either, which offers all the excitement of a St. Anger b-side.

Haze’s saving grace is its co-op gameplay, which can be fun when you shoot a friend’s Nectar tank from behind to watch him freak out. But these short experiences do nothing to offset the major disappointment the rest of the game delivers.


Bottom line 6.25

At the beginning of Haze, your character, Shane Carpenter, uses performance-enhancing drugs to gain an advantage on the battlefield. After “juicing” for a few levels, he realizes that the drugs are hurting him, and that the corporation encouraging their usage is corrupt. He then spends the rest of the game battling against his former employer for a drug-free future. There are bad stories, and then there is this colossally stupid waste of time. The game’s inability to deliver an entertaining firefight won’t help you shake the thought that this story might be based on Jose Canseco’s life. The controls are solid, but after shooting one enemy in the game, you’ve basically seen everything Haze has to offer. Its selection of weapons is slim, and its variety of enemies even slimmer. It also has a hard time leading players along. After a battle, you’ll likely wander the barren level for a few minutes before figuring out where to go next. Heed my advice, Haze should only be played if you intend to mock it Mystery Science Theater-style with buddies in co-op.

Bottom Line 5.75



Games Radar (http://www.gamesradar.com/ps3/haze/review/haze/a-2008052011511817003/g-20060510152415722017/p-1) (the most glowing of reviews yet)

Haze’s fall is, in part, amplified by our heightened expectations, but by next-gen standards, it looks undeniable shabby. While we’re impressed by the scale of the environments (and the absence of loading times), they’re populated by uninspiring terrain and objects. The trees look like they’re made from cardboard, the flat-textured interiors are poor and the pop-up that sees a soldier’s armor disappear when you nudge the left stick toward or away from them is embarrassing. It’s not even on par with Half-Life 2 from The Orange Box, and that was originally made in 2004. To our eyes, the game looked better at E3 over two years ago - but maybe that’s the pace of change. Thankfully, Free Radical’s shooting mechanics are as tight as ever - so Haze, disappointing or not, retains focus.

So Haze, as a PS3 exclusive, is far from a reason to own a PS3. But there is a certain charm to it. Under the rough exterior there’s an engine almost on par with the perfect Call of Duty 4 mechanics. It’s just a shame that the other ingredients that make Free Radical’s PS3 debut are poorly emphasized (Rebel skills), shallow (the story and lack of Nectar-fueled hours) or damn ugly (just about anything you look at). We don’t doubt that TimeSplitters 4 will be great - well, a tiny bit, but we’re optimistic Free Radical will bounce back - but we just hope that the developers can match their mastery of core FPS mechanics with visuals to match. Haze’s final twist is the cruelest of all: good things don’t always come to those who wait.

7/10




GamesTap (http://www.gametap.com/articles/gamereviews/haze_ps3-05202008)


Despite the nectar premise and the "plucky guerrilla fighter" counters to the Nectar gameplay, the rest of the game ranges from pedestrian to unrefined. Sure, it has a consistent framerate and no loadtimes (thanks to its four gigabyte install), but its looks vary from "pretty good for an HD-gen shooter" to "wow, look at those textures change from low- to high-res back to low-, and check out those cracks!" The weapon pool is really scant, with just a pistol, assault rifle, sniper rifle, flamethrower, and rocket launcher. Sure, there are Mantel and Promise Hand versions of each weapon, but it realistically translates into the Mantel type looking futuristic while the Promise Hand version looks budget and uses a Spanish name. There is a great deal of button-pushing and lever-pulling. The AI ranges from "can sort of keep up with you" to "happily jumps in the line of fire and whines about revival" for friendlies; for opponents, it remains firmly in a "jump out of cover idiotically and shoot away!" mindset. It's also interesting that while I actually love the banal one-liners the Mantel troops scream out, the Promise Hand guys continual shouting of stuff like "Your tyranny ends!" and "Fulfill the promise!" actually ends up being aggravating because they don't have the same "I'm addicted to drugs and say stupid things" excuse.

Its weak-to-mediocre single-player is helped a bit by its multiplayer. There's support for four-player co-op (having three real friends in the campaign is much less aggravating than the gaggle of idiots you get in the single-player) throughout the campaign, and there's even four-seated vehicles to zip around in (though the vehicle control is stiff and not nearly as smooth as in other co-op vehicle games like Halo). Besides that, there's a litany of multiplayer maps that can be played in various modes (deathmatch, team deathmatch, and assault, which grants objectives to Mantel and Promise Hand players). These are passable, and make decent use of the Mantel-versus-Promise Hand interplay, but they lack the pure speed and hilarity of Free Radical's previous efforts.

Haze is a pretty textbook case of "goals far outreaching grasp" in the dictionary of writerly clichés. There are many great ideas within Haze, they just happened to be trapped in an extraordinarily mediocre game. I have a lot of respect for Free Radical, and am hoping that Haze's mediocrity is a fluke. Hopefully this merely adequate turn means that the studio's upcoming TimeSplitters 4 turns out to be brainmeltingly awesome to compensate.

Pros: Hints of a great story and themes; nectar mechanic; runs smoothly with no loadtimes.
Cons: Those story hints get lost in predictable clichés; nectar mechanic is taken away in lieu of lame plucky rebels; glitches and general gameplay consign it to mediocrity.


6/10


And the only other 'glowing' review so far

Game Daily

Visually, the game looks decent. Although some of the up-close facial expressions and in-game effects need polish (hopefully something that'll be fixed with a patch), the animations are above-average and the game moves at thirty frames per second. Many of the environments look good, even on a high-definition television. Yes, it's true, the game runs at a dwindled 576p resolution instead of 720p, but we still find it attractive. One word of caution, though – you'll need some extra room on your hard drive. Haze requires a mandatory 4 GB install.

The in-game music isn't bad and the sound effects really hit the mark, but the dialogue is cheesy. When your soldiers aren't feeding you military garble, they're saying something completely out of whack. At one point, one of your teammates even makes up a rap, right there on the spot. As for Korn's "exclusive" in-game track, it's not their best. In fact, it sounds like they phoned it in.

Despite these issues - the ridiculous space needed for install, the lame characterizations and the utterly laughable dialogue - Haze is a good first person shooter. It doesn't do anything vastly different from its competitors, but it doesn't need to. Just pop it into your PS3, relax and start shooting. Just take it easy on the Nectar.

7/10




Even with the two 7/10 propping up the score..
So far meta critic are giving it a 54

[MacRumorUser]

Gamespot review just in too..


If you held out hope that the multiplayer could succeed in spite of the campaign's shortcomings, you may be disappointed to learn that competitive play is at best underwhelming, and at worst, weirdly out of balance. Up to 16 players can compete in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Assault modes. You can also fill out unranked matches with bots, but considering the moronic AI, why would you want to? Assault is the clearly superior mode here, in which rebel and trooper teams take on opposing objectives, which in turn lead to the occasional focused and intense firefight. The other modes are exactly what you'd expect. Unfortunately, shortcomings that aren't readily apparent in the campaign due to the horrible AI are obvious the moment that other players join the fray. Although you'd think that the inherent strength that nectar provides troopers would make them the more powerful faction, the upper hand goes easily to the rebels, thanks to the playing-dead mechanic and each rebel's ability to dodge by double-tapping the jump button. An effective rebel can rack up the kills in this manner, because in a full match, opposing players aren't apt to hang around and see if you spring up 10 seconds later. It's also proof that nectar is, at its core, a gimmick. Being able to cause a trooper's overdose is great in theory, but in practice, it's more efficient to just mow them down as you would in any shooter.

A seven-hour campaign and uneventful multiplayer modes just don't cut it in light of the far better modern shooters available on the market. The patchy quality of the entire package is surprising, considering the developer's fine pedigree. Yet Haze is a roller-coaster ride made up of tall peaks and unfathomable valleys, and it won't leave you so much breathless as disappointed with its squandered potential.


6/10

[Dagless]

This generation isn't as amazing.

Speak for yourself. IMO This gen has brought the best Mario, the best Mario Kart, a Zelda game almost equal to Ocarina of Time. I'm not so keen on Halo 3 and GTA IV, as far as sequels go they didn't really improve on much. On the handheld side of things it's brought us Crisis Core (best FF since 7, again IMO), Dawn of Sorrow, New Super Mario.

Meh, maybe it's more that Sony and MS pumped out great games last gen. Nintendo not so much (Double Dash, Sunshine). Now they're just playing it the other way around.

[MacRumorUser]

Well gamesenders have just emailed me to tell me they have sent me this out on rental anyway, so I guess I'll see for myself. Certainly not wasting €69.99 on it though :)

[2nyRiggz]

To be honest this gen is going down like the gen before it...A lot of generic stuff then some diamond out the rough....we still got along time before this gen is complete(well not if MS has anything to say about it but thats another story) and the diamonds will shine through...remember the PS1/PS2/Xbox/GC 1st year was maxium suckage.

Well Silent Hill: Homecoming will be my "game to end it all" this year and if I hear one smart remark about SH from MRU I will personally bring a copy of HAZE and Vampire Rain to your house:mad:



Bless

[sikkinixx]

Speak for yourself. IMO This gen has brought the best Mario, the best Mario Kart, a Zelda game almost equal to Ocarina of Time. I'm not so keen on Halo 3 and GTA IV, as far as sequels go they didn't really improve on much. On the handheld side of things it's brought us Crisis Core (best FF since 7, again IMO), Dawn of Sorrow, New Super Mario.



wow dude really? I would argue the total opposite. Mario Galaxy is no where near Mario 64, Mario Kart Wii, while not too bad, is a joke compared to DS/SNES/N64 version and Twlight Princess was hours upon hours of monotony with a waggle function shoehorned in.

But to each their own.

[NAG]

Well they obviously didn't pay Gamespot enough.

[Antares]

Speak for yourself. IMO This gen has brought the best Mario, the best Mario Kart, a Zelda game almost equal to Ocarina of Time. I'm not so keen on Halo 3 and GTA IV, as far as sequels go they didn't really improve on much. On the handheld side of things it's brought us Crisis Core (best FF since 7, again IMO), Dawn of Sorrow, New Super Mario.

Meh, maybe it's more that Sony and MS pumped out great games last gen. Nintendo not so much (Double Dash, Sunshine). Now they're just playing it the other way around.

I agree.

As for Haze, I'm totally disappointed. From the previews, I, too, thought it looked a bit generic and it didn't really interest me. But the sheer fact that Free Radical was making it, I thought it would surely end up being a candidate for FPS GOTY. The Free Radical team makes some of the best FPS's around....what happend with Haze? Is it just a holdover for Time Splitters 4? Is that where most of their resources went?

[Agathon]

Well gamesenders have just emailed me to tell me they have sent me this out on rental anyway, so I guess I'll see for myself. Certainly not wasting €69.99 on it though :)

!

That's over twice what I pay for PS3 games.

[gkarris]

Worth the eventually $29.99 bargain-bin pricing down the road?

Or more the $19.99 used pricing?

[Taustin Powers]

After playing the demo and reading some reviews, it appears the game is not at all what I thought it was going to be. From skimming the previews in the past, this is what I expected of the Nectar concept:

The war (or battle or whatever) is taking place in an ugly, dirty, desolate, and destroyed landscape; everything's looking dark, gray and brutal. When you are on Nectar, it puts a "mask" over this landscape, and makes you feel like you're battling in a beautiful tropical setting, everything pretty and all. Once the effect wears off, the illusion goes away and you see the harsh reality.

And I could have sworn I read something about multiplayer where one team would have access to Nectar and therefore see the "fake pretty tropical island world", while the other team sees the harsh brutal landscape, while they are fighting each other.

This, I think, would have been an amazing concept and probably made for a great game. What it seems to be instead (nectar gives enemies shiny outlines, reduces damage, makes soldiers blurt embarrassing one-liners...) is rather disappointing.

Guess I need to read the previews more carefully next time to avoid such disappointments. :)

[MacRumorUser]

Well Silent Hill: Homecoming will be my "game to end it all" this year and if I hear one smart remark about SH from MRU I will personally bring a copy of HAZE and Vampire Rain to your house:mad:



I'm a silent hill fan matey, so no worries there. I'm also looking forward to Alone in the Dark ;)

But i'm sure no horrors in SH wil compare to those two games :D

[Taustin Powers]

Speak for yourself. IMO This gen has brought the best Mario, the best Mario Kart, a Zelda game almost equal to Ocarina of Time. I'm not so keen on Halo 3 and GTA IV, as far as sequels go they didn't really improve on much. On the handheld side of things it's brought us Crisis Core (best FF since 7, again IMO), Dawn of Sorrow, New Super Mario.

Meh, maybe it's more that Sony and MS pumped out great games last gen. Nintendo not so much (Double Dash, Sunshine). Now they're just playing it the other way around.

So mainly, what makes this generation awesome for you is Nintendo's recooking their decade-old franchises for the umpteenth time? ;)

Don't get me wrong, they're great games, but there is just really nothing new here. (Besides the spastic controller-wiggling, which just does not happen to appeal to me at all...) Same with the other consoles. We don't really get a lot of *new* titles anymore - just new numbers attached to old titles. Almost every title worth getting excited about has a number attached to it nowadays.

Curious to see what Little Big Planet may bring. It may be the most original and innovative concept of the current generation so far.

[MacRumorUser]

Well my rental came anyway and I've played it a bit today. I'm a few levels in and past the point of turning against mantle.

Graphics are still hokey. The dialogue is simply appalling with mantle having zero redeemable quality to ascertain from it. I know they intended to make mantle like stupid marines, but this is a stereotype too far - especially given the supposedly morality reasoning behind the game, it makes all the enemies on either side just nothing but frag figures rather than making them real.

Motorbike/Quad driving is awful control wise, in fact vehicle control is simply wrong especially given that we have plenty of FPS's where they got it right.

Graphics are ok but just look obviously low res. If the game managed to ever reach proper 720p or 1080p for that matter it would look nice, but it really does look like black on the xbox more than anything else because of the 576p resolution they have opted for.

Some of the animation is well done though and very fluid, shame that the AI is ridiculous and spoils it.

MY GOD FLAME THROWERS SUCK! in all ways, graphically and effect they are really bloody useless. Whoever was in charge of particle effects on this game needs a kick in the crotch. Really I haven't seen such bad flame effects in a game since 2004.



Despite all of this - its ok'ish and does pass the hours....
Yes its ultra generic in every sense,
Yes its more red faction than anything else,
But for a mindless rental it's ok and worth a shot...
Certainly have no interest turning my rental into a purchase though. ever...


5.5 - 6 /10

[Dagless]

So mainly, what makes this generation awesome for you is Nintendo's recooking their decade-old franchises for the umpteenth time? ;)

Don't get me wrong, they're great games, but there is just really nothing new here. (Besides the spastic controller-wiggling, which just does not happen to appeal to me at all...) Same with the other consoles.

Exactly. How many Final Fantasy games are we up to now (no really, I actually did lose count after 11)? Remakes and ports of each series aside- since 1997 there have been as many console Zelda games as Metal Gear Solid ;) even fewer proper Mario titles. But there are so many of these games because they do well in the market. And just like the Wii controller doesn't appeal to you, upping the res doesn't appeal to me :) ... or not in the case of Haze, GTA.
As teh MRU says; different strokes and all that!

[MacRumorUser]

I finished the game and actually thought it was ok. Characters in the game suck and the rebels are nothing but clones which is shocking in this day and age, but despite its glaring faults it was ok. Final rating 67%

[KurtangleTN]

I just picked up my PS3 this friday, and man I can't believe how flooded this market is with FPS (Next gen market). I'm shocked people aren't tired of them, but it seems like any FPS that looks nice ends up having a lot of hype.

[MacRumorUser]

I just picked up my PS3 this friday, and man I can't believe how flooded this market is with FPS (Next gen market). I'm shocked people aren't tired of them, but it seems like any FPS that looks nice ends up having a lot of hype.

But don't you see, they have to the hype in order to make them stand out of the crowd, but games publishers / developers are as guilty as sin for this and not just marketing side of things.

When they give 'bogus' screenshots which are at resolutions simply not possible, when they apply extra rendering and such to those shots, when preview builds / videos are running on super computers with hyper resolutions and yet the final game runs at basically PAL progressive.

I mean they fed that bogus development stuff to the press, so they are the ones guilty.

When I look at a magazine showing me screenshots of a forthcoming game, one assumes correctly that what we see is what we will get.

However I still can't quite understand how the press go along with this rubbish during preview process, other than lots of money and free trips to studios etc.... I mean how the hell did they not spot that this was nothing more than MEH! ?

It's all so bloody bogus, and I guess as games development increases in cost, we are going to see more and more of these BS tactics.


HAZE deserves the ***** being flung at it. Free Radical deserve the ***** being aimed at them, and the press who overly asserted and went along with the publishers press release hype deserve a kick in the ass too.

[takao]

But don't you see, they have to the hype in order to make them stand out of the crowd, but games publishers / developers are as guilty as sin for this and not just marketing side of things.

When they give 'bogus' screenshots which are at resolutions simply not possible, when they apply extra rendering and such to those shots, when preview builds / videos are running on super computers with hyper resolutions and yet the final game runs at basically PAL progressive.

I mean they fed that bogus development stuff to the press, so they are the ones guilty.

When I look at a magazine showing me screenshots of a forthcoming game, one assumes correctly that what we see is what we will get.


i stopped assuming that a few years ago when this generation was about to launch where it especially was bad

actually penny arcade even came up with a name for it already

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/09/12/

for me it's just further proof that this current fixation on graphics will take another turn in the next years and how you actually play will become more important again

[iEdd]

Final rating 67%

So what made it better than 65.5% but not as good as 68.4% ? :D

[Chone]

I'm disappointed in Haze not because it's a miserable PS3 exclusive but because it's a miserable Free Radical game, those games used to make incredible shooters, TimeSplitters is one of my favorite console FPS ever and we all know how good GoldenEye was.

[MacRumorUser]

So what made it better than 65.5% but not as good as 68.4% ? :D

:rolleyes::p

Actually in all seriousness I think this game has caused me some serious mental damage. I keep hearing the words 'don't forget your promise to moreno' repeated over and over again in my head. I think its because in the latter part of the game you hear that said around 100 times or more that your head begins to ache.

In retrospect I think I was being generous ;)

[iEdd]

TimeSplitters is one of my favorite console FPS ever and we all know how good GoldenEye was.
Amen. Especially when TS2 came out and it had mapmaker, as well as being quirky and having weapons from all periods in time. Future perfect was a little less than I expected, but still 9.5/10. :)
Is there an estimate for Timesplitters 4 or not?

I'm disappointed after reading these reviews, because Haze sounded like a great original idea. If it were just graphics being a low score then I could deal with it, but repetitive gameplay... :(

Edit: Wow, here's one of the low metacritic reviews of the original timesplitters:
65 Happy Puppy
It is extremely awkward trying to control your basic movements with the left analog stick while at the same time controlling your look and aim movements with the right analog stick.

Reminded me that it was one of the first games to be controlled this way. Gee we all know how badly that worked. ;)

[NatPro]

it has a nice front cover...

[takao]

Reminded me that it was one of the first games to be controlled this way. Gee we all know how badly that worked. ;)

it still controls badly ... it's just that many people got used to it


i just played GTA4 on ps3 last weekend and it took me hours to even remotely control the thing ... i wonder how long it would take somebody who doesn't play as much video games as i do ... (off topic: compared to Scarface on the wii the controls in GTA4 are a disaster ... it's like night and day)

[MacRumorUser]

it still controls badly ... it's just that many people got used to it

I never did get to grips with timesplitters control scheme. Red Steel on the wii was the last game to remind me of how timesplitters control/movement worked and I hated that too.

[iEdd]

What? It's nothing like red steel... Have you even seen a wii control setup? :rolleyes: ;)

I guess you guys are KB/Mouse gamers then. Well that's okay if you like that sort of thing I guess...

[Zwhaler]

Gametrailers gave it a fair review. But I will probably end up renting it and giving it a whirl, but MRU´s complaints about mental issues after playing the game are scaring me :p

[MacRumorUser]

Gametrailers gave it a fair review. But I will probably end up renting it and giving it a whirl, but MRU´s complaints about mental issues after playing the game are scaring me :p

if you do, "dont forget your promise to moreno" ;):(:D (twitch twitch)

What? It's nothing like red steel... Have you even seen a wii control setup? :rolleyes: ;)

Yes it is in the sense that to turn, you have to do so with your guns waving at the side of the screen. That's how all the timesplitters controlled, and how red steel handles turning also.


- Haze however controls in the normal way.

[iEdd]

Oh now I know what you mean, the screen has to "catch-up" with the gun. More of a problem the faster you go. I remember that from the first two, but in TS: FP, wasn't the cross-hair in the middle of the screen so it moved with you (ie. 'normal')?
Anyway, the point I'm making is that the article thought it was bad to have strafe/walk on left stick and look/aim on right, which is now the norm. Though timesplitters had 100% customisable controls, so you could make walk/turn on left, then aim on left when you hold L2 so that it's like Goldeneye 64. :)

[Dagless]

Though timesplitters had 100% customisable controls, so you could make walk/turn on left, then aim on left when you hold L2 so that it's like Goldeneye 64. :)

Well I'm guilty of that :o figured TS2 was the closest we're ever going to get to Goldeneye so I thought I'd go the extra mile and mimic the controls. Way before I could use dual analogue. Didn't like the acceleration of the turning/look. Maybe I'm more a twitch gamer but I like it to be dictated by the position of the analogue stick, not how long I've been turning.