Haze
Playstation 3
7/10
To put it simply, Haze is an interesting video gaming experience. Ubisoft’s exclusive Playstation 3 shooter, developed by Free Radical Design, is good, bad, and often somewhere in between.
After a two-year development cycle and a worldwide hype campaign, gamers have the right to feel a little peeved after sucking back on their first shot of Nectar.
This is no Halo-killer.
In the single-player mission, players assume the role of Shane Carpenter, a military recruit fresh out of college.
The year is 2048, governments have outsourced their military operations, and you join Mantel Global Industries to fight a war that has erupted against rebels in the jungles of South America.
Mantel soldiers have the ability to inject themselves with Nectar, a lab drug designed to boost their awareness and skills in the heat of battle.
The story is intriguing and will hold your attention, and despite Haze’s underwhelming graphics, the visuals get the job done.
There are also plenty of niggles to keep you cursing along the way.
I had serious issues with the respawn system. Whenever a vehicle is destroyed, it magically reappears moments later.
It might be 2048, but this is ridiculous!
If one of your AI party members is killed, he’ll also respawn, and come babbling back into your life before you’ve even had time to wipe the tears away.
Shooting enemies, the bread and butter of any first-person shooter, was also error-riddled.
When sniping enemies from a distance, the Haze engine failed to respond, and the enemies were seemingly protected by an invisible wall – perhaps another 2048 modern technology?
Multiplayer is fun, and backed by a robust interface.
Haze’s replay value is embedded in its many multiplayer modes and options.
But is it worth your hard-earned cash? If fun is what you’re after, this game gets the thumbs up. Haze is happy being an averagely good game.
On the other hand, we’ve come to expect more from a proven development house that has spent two years working on what was a console-exclusive title.
