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Haze
Free Radical's game fails to be the hit FPS that shooter junkies crave.
May 29, 2008 | 8:53 PM PSTby: A. McDaniel
Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game's About
Haze is the latest release from Free Radical, the studio responsible for two first-person shooter classics (GoldEneye for the N64 and TimeSplitters for the PS2). Needless to say, there has been much hype over the repeatedly delayed title. Thanks to the delays and questions over its console exclusivity, the hype for Haze has grown exponentially since it was first announced.
The game follows the life of Shane Carpenter, a soldier working for a private military contractor named the Mantel Corporation. Mantel soldiers rely on a compound called nectar in order to enhance their fighting abilities. Much of the story revolves around nectar and the soldier's dependence on the drug.
You are sent in to eliminate a South American organization called "The Promise Hand", which is led by Gabriel "Skin Coat" Merino -- yes, that really is his name. Over the course of the plot, you decide to switch sides and join the guerillas in their fight against your former employer.
What's Hot
From the outset, Haze offers what seems to be a fully loaded FPS package. Many options that should be standard (but aren't) in modern games are all present. You have a single-player campaign which allows for up to four players to simultaneously play, whether online or offline. You also have your three solid online multiplayer modes, each with the ability to pad out smaller games with bots.
The most important aspect to a game that revolves around guns is whether the guns feel realistic. Haze offers solid gunplay at the very least. The game handles recoil realistically and you can be assured that your shots aim true.
Each of the faction's gameplay mechanics work well. As you play the role of a Mantel soldier, using nectar gives you the type of fighting edge you would expect. Under the influence of the drug, your vision blurs, refocuses and rebel soldier are highlighted. You can aim further and recoil is reduced. If you are shot from behind or you overdo it on the nectar button, you and your allies are prone to overdosing. While overdosed you temporarily lose control of your character and shoot wildly, making it easy to accidentally kill your teammates.
As a rebel, you employ reasonable guerilla tactics. You can infuse grenades and knives with nectar, using these as weapons cause your victims to overdose. You can also dodge by double-tapping the jump button; an ability the heavily armored Mantel soldiers lack. You can also feign death should you receive heavy damage. Playing dead enables you to fool soldiers long enough for you to regain your health and continue the fight.
The multiplayer offers three modes: deathmatch, team deathmatch offerings, and team assault. The standard deathmatch and team deathmatch offerings are straight forward. In the case of team deathmatch, the two opposing teams play as the two main factions of the game: Mantel soldiers and Promise Hand rebels, each with access to their specific faction abilities. Team Assault offers an objective based mode that mixes things up a bit.
What's Not
The first thing that alerts you to the fact that something is amiss is the voice acting. The shoddy voice acting nearly destroys the premise of the single-player campaign completely. Given that the script is not terribly strong, the fact that the voice acting sounds lost in translation makes the story seem very contrived and predictable. The muscle-head ramblings of the Mantel soldiers give you an idea of what Free Radical was aiming for, but the wooden acting fails to sell that idea. Turning on the subtitles and turning down the volume definitely helps make the story more interesting, but at the expense of the sound cues.
As a FPS in the post-Call of Duty 4 world, it's understandably difficult to compete graphically amidst the crowded battleground of the genre, but Haze seems to have just given up on that competition altogether. Haze's graphics are uneven. Some points are rendered very nicely, while others are marred by poor texture work. Character faces resemble models used in PS2 games. Grenades explode beautifully, yet somehow the flame effects used by the flamethrower, for example, resemble something from the PS1/ N64 era.
For a game that revolves around playing as a team, cunning artificial intelligence is a must. Unfortunately, Haze is severely lacking in this department. Your teammates will constantly run into your line of sight. Due to the overdosing mechanic, one stupid ally in the center of your team overdosing in this way can cause serious problems for you even when you have the numerical advantage. Enemies are plentiful in the co-op campaign and in the higher difficulties, but being forced to notice their poor AI can ruin sections that were otherwise fun shootouts or chases.
The multiplayer options are slim, but more focused. Unfortunately, team deathmatch and assault are unbalanced. The Mantel Soldiers are stronger and take more hits than the Rebels, but due to the overdosing mechanic and the various ways to induce an overdose, the rebels are easily the faction of choice. Once you add their dodge and ability to feign death, the rebels are easily overpowered. One skill rebel camping with a sniper rifle can easily decimate an entire squad with a few well placed shots; even if you miss a nectar injector, they will probably score a headshot. Adding insult to injury, the Mantel ability to focus zoom while aiming becomes a liability when it comes to fast moving multiplayer matches. Free Radical would do better by offering Mantel versus Mantel and Rebel versus rebel options.
Final Word
Haze has the makings of a great game, but due to various issues the formula seems to have gone askew. The gameplay mechanics of the Mantel soldier levels are well done and fun, but playing as a rebel later on will have you going through withdrawal yourself as you lose access to the nectar induced abilities.
The story and voice-acting finish putting the damper on what could have be a compelling campaign, leaving the multiplayer aspect as the game's saving grace. The fact that the multiplayer options are unbalanced but otherwise average further hurts a game that has so much fumbled promise.
What the Game's About
Haze is the latest release from Free Radical, the studio responsible for two first-person shooter classics (GoldEneye for the N64 and TimeSplitters for the PS2). Needless to say, there has been much hype over the repeatedly delayed title. Thanks to the delays and questions over its console exclusivity, the hype for Haze has grown exponentially since it was first announced.
The game follows the life of Shane Carpenter, a soldier working for a private military contractor named the Mantel Corporation. Mantel soldiers rely on a compound called nectar in order to enhance their fighting abilities. Much of the story revolves around nectar and the soldier's dependence on the drug.
You are sent in to eliminate a South American organization called "The Promise Hand", which is led by Gabriel "Skin Coat" Merino -- yes, that really is his name. Over the course of the plot, you decide to switch sides and join the guerillas in their fight against your former employer.
What's Hot
From the outset, Haze offers what seems to be a fully loaded FPS package. Many options that should be standard (but aren't) in modern games are all present. You have a single-player campaign which allows for up to four players to simultaneously play, whether online or offline. You also have your three solid online multiplayer modes, each with the ability to pad out smaller games with bots.
The most important aspect to a game that revolves around guns is whether the guns feel realistic. Haze offers solid gunplay at the very least. The game handles recoil realistically and you can be assured that your shots aim true.
Each of the faction's gameplay mechanics work well. As you play the role of a Mantel soldier, using nectar gives you the type of fighting edge you would expect. Under the influence of the drug, your vision blurs, refocuses and rebel soldier are highlighted. You can aim further and recoil is reduced. If you are shot from behind or you overdo it on the nectar button, you and your allies are prone to overdosing. While overdosed you temporarily lose control of your character and shoot wildly, making it easy to accidentally kill your teammates.
As a rebel, you employ reasonable guerilla tactics. You can infuse grenades and knives with nectar, using these as weapons cause your victims to overdose. You can also dodge by double-tapping the jump button; an ability the heavily armored Mantel soldiers lack. You can also feign death should you receive heavy damage. Playing dead enables you to fool soldiers long enough for you to regain your health and continue the fight.
The multiplayer offers three modes: deathmatch, team deathmatch offerings, and team assault. The standard deathmatch and team deathmatch offerings are straight forward. In the case of team deathmatch, the two opposing teams play as the two main factions of the game: Mantel soldiers and Promise Hand rebels, each with access to their specific faction abilities. Team Assault offers an objective based mode that mixes things up a bit.
What's Not
The first thing that alerts you to the fact that something is amiss is the voice acting. The shoddy voice acting nearly destroys the premise of the single-player campaign completely. Given that the script is not terribly strong, the fact that the voice acting sounds lost in translation makes the story seem very contrived and predictable. The muscle-head ramblings of the Mantel soldiers give you an idea of what Free Radical was aiming for, but the wooden acting fails to sell that idea. Turning on the subtitles and turning down the volume definitely helps make the story more interesting, but at the expense of the sound cues.
As a FPS in the post-Call of Duty 4 world, it's understandably difficult to compete graphically amidst the crowded battleground of the genre, but Haze seems to have just given up on that competition altogether. Haze's graphics are uneven. Some points are rendered very nicely, while others are marred by poor texture work. Character faces resemble models used in PS2 games. Grenades explode beautifully, yet somehow the flame effects used by the flamethrower, for example, resemble something from the PS1/ N64 era.
For a game that revolves around playing as a team, cunning artificial intelligence is a must. Unfortunately, Haze is severely lacking in this department. Your teammates will constantly run into your line of sight. Due to the overdosing mechanic, one stupid ally in the center of your team overdosing in this way can cause serious problems for you even when you have the numerical advantage. Enemies are plentiful in the co-op campaign and in the higher difficulties, but being forced to notice their poor AI can ruin sections that were otherwise fun shootouts or chases.
The multiplayer options are slim, but more focused. Unfortunately, team deathmatch and assault are unbalanced. The Mantel Soldiers are stronger and take more hits than the Rebels, but due to the overdosing mechanic and the various ways to induce an overdose, the rebels are easily the faction of choice. Once you add their dodge and ability to feign death, the rebels are easily overpowered. One skill rebel camping with a sniper rifle can easily decimate an entire squad with a few well placed shots; even if you miss a nectar injector, they will probably score a headshot. Adding insult to injury, the Mantel ability to focus zoom while aiming becomes a liability when it comes to fast moving multiplayer matches. Free Radical would do better by offering Mantel versus Mantel and Rebel versus rebel options.
Final Word
Haze has the makings of a great game, but due to various issues the formula seems to have gone askew. The gameplay mechanics of the Mantel soldier levels are well done and fun, but playing as a rebel later on will have you going through withdrawal yourself as you lose access to the nectar induced abilities.
The story and voice-acting finish putting the damper on what could have be a compelling campaign, leaving the multiplayer aspect as the game's saving grace. The fact that the multiplayer options are unbalanced but otherwise average further hurts a game that has so much fumbled promise.
February 8, 2010
