HAZE

[nash]

Meh

[THE DIRECTOR]

have to wait for reviews for the game to decided, but its free radical..................... so must get for me.

[KnackChap]

PlayStation Legion - HAZE Hands on impressions

 

At Play.com LIVE 2 demos of the upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive HAZE were on display in playable form and I spent a while trying out this new FPS for the PS3.

 

I will Start by saying that the clerk at the event I was speaking to stated that these are playable builds from a few months ago, he also went on to state that Friday 23rd May is the target release date for HAZE in the UK and also that Rumble will be used in HAZE, however I’m unable to comment on that, since the stands used Sixaxis controllers.

 

Both Demos which I played had you placed as a Mantel Trooper. In the first demo had you set in a forest, the environments were lush with sharp visuals in most areas (however the clerk assured me that the not so sharp areas will be touched up by the time is released), which are a large improvement of previous screens of the game we have seen and have no doubt that the new screens recently released are in-game and can be achieved by Free Radical. I will also add that both demos I played had a solid framerate throughout which will come as great news to most. Now, onto the gameplay. This short 7/8minute demo was more than enough time to leave me feeling that this game will be successful and could easily become a solid franchise for Free Radical and Ubisoft. While the controls do take a few minutes to get the hang of (those who have played a lot of COD4 like I have to find it hard to adjust to begin with) they do work successfully with L2 being used to give yourself a nectar boost and Circle being used to crouch. The Pace of the demo varied throughout at some point you will be just walking, enjoying the views whereas 5 Seconds later you will have bullets being fired at you from left, right and centre. The health system works similar to the likes of Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War where the screen goes red as you are getting hurt. The short but sweet cutscenes really help the storyline, but also helps you get pumped up as well, one scene sees you hearing out one of you fellow mantel troopers speaking during his last moments, I won't say what he said but it really did help me to really get into the demo and was disappointed when it ended.

The second demo had a completely different approach to gameplay with you driving while your friendly AI takes out your rivals. You drive by using R1 & L1 plus the analogue sticks which takes a lot of getting used to, if you are used to the likes of Motorstorm where you use R2 & L2 instead. I did find that the Ai of your targets was impressive during this demo and weren't that easy to take out. I'm afraid that's all I had time for this demo due to time constraints. However the short time I played it left me with a positive feeling about the game.

 

Overall however I can now safely say that this will be a solid title for the PlayStation 3 and will feel the gap nicely between this and Killzone 2 and could and should be a sleeper hit. There are a few complaints however, I found the analogue sticks to be that little bit too loose and could do with some tweaking. I also found that the friendly Ai really wasn't that great, but saying that I was unaware on what difficulty I was playing it on which may have had an effect, plus also Free Radical are focusing on Co-op so I’m sure this game will benefit you completing it with mates rather than by yourself. Also take into account that the Ai will be improved before it’s released.

 

My final comment will be is that I enjoyed the short time I’ve spent on the game and judging on reactions of others playing around me, they did as well. I for one will be getting this game on day 1 and suggest all FPS fans at least consider it, that is providing something doesn't go wrong between now and May.

 

Andrew Jeffery

 

http://www.pslegion.com/news/playstation-l...nds-impressions

[KnackChap]

Play.com Live: Haze Hands On – The Horror Revealed

 

http://www.ripten.com/2008/03/16/playcom-l...orror-revealed/

Free Radical’s new FPS might just take the leap as being the first that really showcases the horror of war. We got to experience it for ourselves when we sat down with a February build of the game at Play.com Live.

 

The fact that the Mantel PMC in Haze pushes Nectar onto its soldiers as an enhancing drug is well known. It sounds simple enough, but the allegory here is relevant to war veterans who were fed drugs to make them fearless and unquestioning; because Nectar, as it turns out, is both a blessing and a curse.

Nectar wasn’t so useful when we were stuck inside closed underground environments, but when you’re fighting in dense foliage, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

 

The big thing when you tank up on Nectar is enhancements to your vision. Rebels shine brightly as if they were being viewed through thermal goggles. If a grenade is thrown, a sixth sense kicks in and sends out a pulse from where it lands, giving you just enough time to get out of the way; or at least avoid the brunt of the damage. We saw the same happen with rockfalls. It also boosts your speed. But it’s still not a patch on Timesplitters.

Just to prove the point of how essential it is, you can even siphon more off from other members of your squad. But as with any drug it’s possible to overdose on the stuff, which as Patrick pointed out, is rather disorientating.

 

The larger the OD, the greater the effect. It starts off with a little bit of screen blurring, ending up with a total loss of control. Friend and foe alike become indistinguishable black silhouettes and your movement and shooting becomes random for a fixed period.

 

There also appear to be drawbacks to using Nectar in the form of a ‘bloodstream abnormality’, which appear to be scripted, causing your vision to distort slightly as with a mild overdose.

 

There’s no reason that you would OD intentionally of course, but as a tactical element, Nectar packs are physically represented on Mantel soldiers - shooting them will have the same effect.

 

We thought it would be fine if we just stayed in cover – and we were - but the Promised Hand rebels have an unnerving knack of hitting your team mates’ packs, which means that they go into a blind rage. And I don’t mean they stand still and fire blindly – they pursue with intent. That killed us far more frequently than the rebels themselves.

 

That problem would probably be non-existent if you were playing multiplayer co-op of course. Otherwise, your AI companions are pretty good at flanking and taking people out. It’s just a pity there’s no map to tell you where they all are.

 

In the second part of the game you realise that Mantel isn’t a particularly ethical employer and quit the force to join the rebels. You see, Nectar distorts the reality around you so much that it hides dead bodies and blood from view. At that point – our Ubisoft rep tells us – ammo is a lot scarcer, so Nectar it becomes the weapon of choice.

 

Let’s say you’re faced with a group of Mantel soldiers. Shoot one of their packs and he’ll start taking his team out. Even better, you could lob a Nectar bomb their way and send the whole lot bananas. All you have to do is mop up. No bullets? Apparently you can do the same by dipping throwing knives in Nectar.

 

But for all its illusionary properties, Nectar can’t change the way you see Haze, because it looks quite average. One look at the wall textures will tell you that. Likewise the heated flamethrower death was more reminiscent of a stream of crepe paper. Naturally since this is not the final build, improvements here can be expected. Oh and the framerate, it’s a solid 30fps, with narry a drop below.

Meanwhile, the environments are selectively destructible. In one underground complex we were able to shoot a fire extinguisher clean off a wall, but we were damned if we could make the thing leak.

Realtime cutscenes had entertaining and well performed voice-overs, with sufficiently expressive movements from the characters. Nonetheless, when talking about facial expressions and lip movements Haze left a lot to be desired.

 

The real horror, with Nectar given such a prominence, will be if Haze turns out to be a bit of a one trick pony – but then we weren’t able to try the four player co-op which is such a massive part of the package. We did want to play more, but our Ubisoft rep wouldn’t attempt to jump to a latter level. A shame, but understandable.

 

However, we did notice that the Haze box in our demo pod had a sticker with a 10/10 review score and the quotation; “The Best Playstation 3 game yet” . Ah wait, it hasn’t been reviewed yet. Freed Radical are cheeky scamps.

[Tyler]

The larger the OD, the greater the effect. It starts off with a little bit of screen blurring, ending up with a total loss of control. Friend and foe alike become indistinguishable black silhouettes and your movement and shooting becomes random for a fixed period.

 

 

Jacob's Ladder?

 

[Liquid ocelot]

^^ yeah exactly my thoughts too...

[SchizoidFreud]

Haze Plays at 30 Frame Per Second as Promised

 

While playing Haze at Play.com Live yesterday I noticed in the bottom right corner that the Frames Per Second were only 30. I thought that this was weird as some other games play around 60 now such as COD 4 . This no moan though as the gameplay was excellent and look very smooth.

 

 

 

 

Head to the given link for the video.

[Hot-Drake-Pixel]

HAZE: Hands on Preview

[RobotsAlive]

I'm still pretty iffy about the game

 

atleast its cool thats it just a Ps3 exclusive because of the unknown that is Kill Zone 2 its good to have another FPS out there for us PS3 owners.

[Liquid ocelot]

Isnt it funny...playstation try to woo people with shooters while the 360 is trying to win people over with jrpgs.....

[jackhammer06]

Haze confirmed for May 22

 

European release date for the PS3 FPS announced.

 

Ubisoft has today revealed that Haze is scheduled for release in Europe for PlayStation 3 on May 22.

 

The Free Radical first-person shooter has suffered some considerable delays, but recent hands-on with the title suggest the wait will be worth it. You can expect our in-depth thoughts next week.

Link

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Edit:LINK added.

[ayush12ice]

acc to me ubisoft has chosen the release date very poorly

now this game is gonna be overshadowed by Mgs4 hype

[KnackChap]

Haze confirmed for May 22

 

[b

The Free Radical first-person shooter has suffered some considerable delays, but recent hands-on with the title suggest the wait will be worth it. You can expect our in-depth thoughts next week.

Link

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the imp part

[KnackChap]

IGN preview(rebel side)

gamespy preview (mantel side)

[jackhammer06]

will preorder this from PA....looks damn promising......

[jackhammer06]

^^yeah....looking at R6:V2,i prob. think you are right.......no sign of the game till now......

[KnackChap]

what happened??

[jackhammer06]

no idea...

[KnackChap]

new preview

Haze, the PS3-exclusive near-future FPS from Free Radical Design, the developer behind the TimeSplitters series, pretty much forces you to use nectar in the opening levels of the game, which we've soldiered our way through to bring you this report. As a Mantel soldier you're part of Mantel Global Industries, a humongous corporation with fingers in more pies than you'll find at a Bolton home match. Although you don't know it yet, you soon enough come to understand through cutscene conversations with your fellow Mantel soldiers and during missions that Mantel isn't quite as good as it ought to be, and Nectar, well, Nectar has its drawbacks too.

 

Playing Haze's first four or so campaign levels rekindles memories of Halo 3. You've got four player co-op, big levels, lots of vehicle driving and turret firing settings, and some spectacular set pieces. The game opens by dropping you in a jungle with a team of fellow Mantel soldiers. A band of rebels have shot down a Mantel plane and it's your job to investigate. As you make your way to the crash site, killing any rebels you encounter, you begin to get a feel for Haze's combat, which is slightly more considered an affair than other similar games. Most of the time you'll be running and gunning, or unveiling rebels with Nectar Perception from a distance and taking them out with The Blacksaw B72 Assault Rifle's zoom function. It's not blisteringly fast, but it is entertaining. If a fellow soldier is downed you can revive him by walking up to him and triggering an animation that looks like you're lifting him up with one hand. And, in a nice touch, if you accidentally shoot the Nectar-carrying disc on the back of a team mate, the Nectar will spray out and the unfortunate fellow will go nuts like he's overdosed. I did this more than once, especially when AI-controlled squad members ran in front of me while I was zoomed in. Once you've reached the crash site and defended yourself against further waves of rebels, your squad is picked up and brought back to a nearby land carrier.

 

Time to take revenge on the rebels. Here, you get your first taste of Haze's vehicles. The motor available is a hulking metal beast which looks a bit like Gears of War's UV-light blasting car. There's room for a driver, someone to man a turret and two hangers on. Driving the vehicle through narrow winding, mountain roads is a lot of fun, a lot more fun than using the turret or firing your rifle at the blur that is the scenery from the side. Haze can be quite hard, so more often than not you'll find your vehicle ticking, indicating it's damaged so much that it's going to blow up. You'll have to jump out and wait for it to explode when this happens. Conveniently, a brand-spanking new vehicle is usually never more than half a minute's jog away.

 

There is no doubt that Haze's campaign will be a blast with three friends online. Indeed most FPS games with online co-op, or split screen co-op, are better when played this way. This is no intense single-player corridor shooter after all. We love the fact that co-op is supported by some nice tech which allows seamless drop in and out campaign co-op gameplay, too. Haze is shaping up nicely - while it's not a graphical powerhouse it does have its moments, and its own unique look. We're getting a bit bored of identikit Unreal Engine 3 shooters, so Haze's aesthetic should prove to be a selling point. There's little revolutionary in terms of gameplay going on in the campaign, but it should keep PS3-owning shooters happy until big-hopes Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 arrive later in the year. The popularity of the switch from Mantel soldier to rebel will no doubt have less to do with being engaged with the story and more to do with how fun both are to play. My initial impressions are that most people will prefer the Mantel at first, but there's more sneaky fun to be had as a rebel. Colour us yellow.

[nameless]

^

Driving the vehicle through narrow winding, mountain roads is a lot of fun, a lot more fun than using the turret or firing your rifle at the blur that is the scenery from the side.

 

Nothing new about it. Driving vehicle was fun in Uncharted and R:FOM too.