Mode Played & Completed: [Easy] [Normal] [*HARD*] [Very Hard]
Acquired via: Full Purchase
Time spent: Over 10hrs
PRESENTATION:Let's cut through the chase shall we; The presentation in HAZE is pretty much last gen quality. That's not to say it's bad but it's certainly not up to snuff for current gen. The game menu screen is decently designed and it's theme music is very remenisent of military shooters like SOCOM and is probably the best thing about the menu screen.
Online lobby system is functional but feels dated (again, PS2esque). There isn't really much to write home about on this front with HAZE. The design of the NPCs like the Mantel & Rebel military and their weaponary (Ships, Air ships and vehicles in general) were done very well and probably what helps keep this part of the game from recieving a "meh" rating.
RATING: - ONE THUMB UP
GRAPHICS:
I'm not one to over look shoody gaming for uber graphics but I do feel graphics are part and parcel of gameplay that helps immerse a gamer into a particular universe.
There are certain things we as a community have come to expect of current gen games - and especially those from seasoned developers like Free Radical - and had HAZE been developed by a new guy on the scene, it would have been considered a decent try. However, for a Free Radical type developer, it's not up to par at all with what current gen is about.
Lighting in the game is nothing to speak off and you'll encounter environments that have very little or no interactive quality to them. Foliage in the game is stagnant and unresponsive to the touch while water effects are obviously last gen material. Should be noted that the graphics are not at all bad but just not what you'd expect from a developer of this caliber.
There also were pop-in glitches on character models which doesn't really make a lick of sense seeing as the game doesn't push any kind of current gen boundries in it's single player mode.
Graphically, Haze is pretty much a last gen game rendered in HD.
RATING: - ONE THUMB UP
SOUND:
*sigh* I seem to sound like a broken record on this game but should tell you about the game in general. The sound is functional.. but last genish. There isn't anything that stands out in this department. Guns sound like guns, Airplanes sound like Airplanes and vehicles sound... well, you get the point.
The voice acting manages to get the job done but, again, nothing to write home about. The repetitive voice overs during battles are glaringly last gen. If I hear "There will be no mercy for Mantel" or "Remember your promise to Merino" one more time I swear I'll spit. With the space Blu-ray gives to developers, this is trully inexcusable.
On the Mantel side the voice acting isn't bad but it's not great either. The actors did manage to try and capture the general attitude an tone of military men in combat but it had little depth.
There is a bright spot in the voice acting which is the work [-] did with the character Merino. I feel it was a better performance than the rest and probably the one thing that tips the voice acting into the "one thumb up" range... but bearly.
RATING: - ONE THUMB UP
GAMEPLAY:
Ahh, now we come to the main deal. The gameplay in HAZE is... yes, you guessed it - last genish. It's single player campaign can be fun but when you find yourself wanting it to be over already - like I did - that's not a great sign.
The main premise of HAZE's gameplay is the use of drugs. Yup, you heard me - DRUGS. Sounds interesting uh? well, it is kinda. As a Mantel Solider you can inject yourself, via a patch on your back, with this nectar drug and it aids in giving you upgraded health, strength and helps you pin point and take out your enemies much easier as it highlights them with an organe glow. On the flip side, the Rebels can also use this nectar on grenades and cause Mantel troops to overdose on the substance which leads them to do unpredictable things like commit suicide or kill their comrades and this adds to the the general gameplay experience.
The story in HAZE does have potential but this was certainly not realised in HAZE. It's a decent run through but one can see that it could have been so much better rather easily. As it stands the story is simpy palatable.
HAZE has an online multiplayer mode that can be fun but it's not something you'd feel you're missing out on if you never get to play it. It has three modes of play [Death Match, Team Death Match and Assault] with the latter having mulitple modes and conveying a mixed bag of feelings about it's gameplay. The DM & TDM modes are fun and modes I enjoyed better.
HAZE also has a Co-op multiplayer mode and this, IMO, is it's saving grace as the co-op enables you to play through the campaign missions (in any order) with friends online and is expedentially a much better experience than the single player mode. It is very very good and the best thing about this game.
You can play with up to three other gamers and the game enables a pop-in pop-out feature that lets players join and leave these sessions rather seemlessly.
This mode is no doubt the bread and butter of HAZE. Without this HAZE would suffer more down grades in it's assement.
RATING - TWO THUMBS UP
REPLAYBILITY:
I doubt alot of gamers would bother going through the single player campaign twice but I guess I can only talk for myself and I didnt bother with a second play through. The multiplayer kept me entertained for a bit. However, where I found great replay value is most certainly in the co-op mode which I could certainly see it carrying me through more hours of gaming on HAZE.
RATING: - TWO THUMBS UP
VERDICT:
When I stand back and view the overall experience of HAZE I can't help but feel thoroughly disappointed. As I said, had this been done by a relatively new development team I would have considered it a good and decent effort but as the entry to currrent gen from the likes of a seasoned developer like Free Radical, I find it inexcusable.
I dont exactly know what Free Radical were trying to pull here but I surely don't find it funny and hope this is not a sign that they just don't have the juice for this current generation of gaming. Yes this is hard for me to believe so I'll wait to see their next presentation to the industry.. but I'm not holding my breathe at all on this one. As stated earlier, HAZE is a last gen experience rendered in HD.
I cannot in any way recommend a full purchase of this game but I can however trully recommend a trial rental and if it's good enough for you then by all means go out, support the developer and buy the game.
*** ONE THUMB UP ***
Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "When shopping for new video games you can often trust the name publisher or developer on the box to be an indication of the quality of the game. Names like Nintendo, Square Enix, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Capcom, Xbox Game Studios and Sega are world famous because they helped shape the industry by releasing some of the most defining video games of all time. Though sometimes even these great gaming houses stumble and put out a stinker."
Splatterhouse remake . Loved the og’s at the arcade growing up . Hell the best thing about the remake was the og,s were included . And left alive by Square . That game had so much potential , but the gameplay was worse horrendous .
once Great studios getting destroyed is actually common. happened with ND and Last of Us2, Bioware and Mass Effect Andromeda/Anthem, Bungle and Destiny .
I'm pretty much certain that any Sonic game that comes out will be terrible, I've not enjoyed one since the original side-scrolling days of the MegaDrive.
For this Topic it says Good Studios that make bad games. Sonic Team hasn't been good in years.
Guns, drugs, and unnecessary war. Fun for the whole family.
So you actually liked the graphics and the sound? That's pretty surprising. The character models are decent but the environments are complete garbage. The writing and dialogue are pretty bad, but you hit the nail on the head with the repetitive one liners though.
To me, the graphics and sound were not bad. I'd say acceptable; between fair & average. Did you read the actual segments or did you just look at the ratings? Just wondering, not busting nuts or anything.
Yes, they were nothing to write home about and presented ok to what we've come to know as great for last gen gaming but that doesn't mean they were bad.
that is what haze truly deserves
Some of the gripes I found:
Forgive me if I’m wrong but I don’t think you mentioned the AI, which was easily the worst part of the game. The computer controlled characters were the most suicidal of any I’ve ever experienced. Just standing in fire until they died, or standing happily next to an overdosing Mantel soldier whose about to explode killing them both, or diving into a grenade. I’ve many more example which happened throughout.
The sound was just awful, awful voice acting, awful dialogue, the voice active was so repetitive I would routinely kill rebel allies just to get them to shut up.
Graphics were not much better, we have to remember it’s native resolution is the lowest I’ve seen, 576p, and it shows. COD can look so much better at 60fps, this just makes me question Free Radical.
The spawning was so bad on the online multi-player, people from the opposite team would routenly spawn right in front of me, they didn’t stand a chance. The game doesn’t even keep tract of your total deaths, so there is no way to know your K/D ratio.