Haze

[yungflo]

Haze Preview
Free Radical's latest shooter has undergone some changes, and we have a feeling we haven't seen all of them.
by Chris Roper

May 22, 2007 - We last saw Haze a year ago during E3 2006 when Free Radical's latest title was premiered to the world. The game certainly caught our eye at the show with its fantastic visuals that really showed off the lush jungle setting that the demo was set in, and it certainly didn't hurt that we are all fans of the developer's Time Splitters series. But that was a year ago, and oh how things have changed since then...

Gone are the somewhat generic looking soldiers of yester-year, now replaced with squads of advanced men dressed in bee-themed gear with yellow and black masks, suits and so forth. Also gone are the squad controls with the game more focused around your individual actions now (though you are still part of a squad). Indeed, Haze is a different game than we'd seen before, but it's also tighter, more engaging and, most importantly, looks a good
deal more fun.

The story of Haze is based around a conglomerate called Mantel, a pharmaceutical/weapons/you-name-it company that has its fingers in everything from the water we drink to the shoes we wear to perhaps even the air we breathe. Mantel even has its own private army which it uses to help quell the constant civil uprisings commonplace in this not-too-distant future.

This is your brain...

One of Mantel's most advanced, and perhaps unstable, technologies comes in the form of Nectar, a serum that its soldiers use to heighten their senses. This ties directly into Haze's gameplay as you're able to tap into the Nectar tank on your back at any time and get a number of sensory boosts. Your aiming will be increased with a bit of lock-on help and enemies will stand out from the environment as glowing figures. Coolest of all though is the foresight that you'll gain that will warn you of incoming dangers. For instance, when a grenade lands near you you'll see a distortion wave emit from its location a second or two before it goes off, giving you just enough time to back away and at least lessen the damage, if not avoid it entirely.

While using Nectar certainly gives you an advantage in battle, it is not to be abused. Overdosing on the substance will cause you to become confused and automatically fire at anyone in front of you, and your vision becomes distorted to the point that friends and enemies alike look the same. This isn't just a downside for you as your teammates can overdose as well, and should they begin firing upon the rest of the squad, interesting gameplay scenarios open up. Do you fire back and try and minimize damage to your entire squad, or get out of the way until they calm down and hope your men do the same?

This is your brain on Nectar.

But it's not just aggressive use of Nectar that can cause you to overdose as rebels have learned to take advantage of it as well and use it against you. Nectar grenades will increase your intake, and a honed shot can puncture your tank and flood your mask with the gaseous drug.

Aside from the setup and Nectar elements, details on the story are rather sketchy. We do know that the story touches on how there really are no "good" or "bad" sides to a war, but rather differing views. We also know that your character has rather interesting visions from time to time where your surroundings will change slightly as the screen changes to black and white. The reasoning for this is hinted in the latest trailer on our video page, which you can check out right here, though we're still in the dark as to what the visions actually mean.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/790/790897p1.html

[Imadogg]

This is on the 360 too, and I heard it might have 4-player co-op.... DAMN nice

[yungflo]

really? I didn't see any story that said for 360 too and ign didn't list it on "also on" maybe it will appear later like all ps3 exclusives lol.

[tlo450]

Its exclusive to the ps3 in 2007 I think I read but will come out for the 360 later.

[Imadogg]

Originally Posted by yungflo

really? I didn't see any story that said for 360 too and ign didn't list it on "also on" maybe it will appear later like all ps3 exclusives lol.

Originally Posted by tlo450

Its exclusive to the ps3 in 2007 I think I read but will come out for the 360 later.

http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/784/784481.html

Same amount of images, videos, same preview is listed... so I doubt that it'll come out later

[yungflo]

these consoles industry needs to stop being so gey and let us integrate. Can you imagine if HP computers couldn't play against gateway comps online?

[Imadogg]

Originally Posted by yungflo

these consoles industry needs to stop being so gey and let us integrate. Can you imagine if HP computers couldn't play against gateway comps online?

Lmao wtf? It's more like a comparison between Windows playing with Macs. Can they? I have no idea, not a computer gaming guy.

I agree though, keep your exclusives, but let us play online for the multiplatform games. We're all human.

[yungflo]

Originally Posted by Imadogg99

Lmao wtf? It's more like a comparison between Windows playing with Macs. Can they? I have no idea, not a computer gaming guy.

I agree though, keep your exclusives, but let us play online for the multiplatform games. We're all human.

they can .

[Imadogg]

Originally Posted by tlo450

Its exclusive to the ps3 in 2007 I think I read but will come out for the 360 later.

Aw shucks I just saw it, my bad.
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/23/ha...med-exclusive/

You win :Censor:

[yungflo]

doesn't make a difference. you have bioshock. you would rather have this game then bioshock?