Haze Reviews (PlayStation 3)

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Un gran juego que, a pesar de no ser el bombazo que se esperaba, se convierte en una gran opción dentro del género shooter. Muy recomendado.

Haze ist wieder einmal so ein Titel, den wir mit gemischten Gefühlen betrachten. Einerseits bietet der Titel eine gelungene Steuerung und eine deutsche Lokalisierung, welche sofort Gefallen findet. Andererseits weist die Grafik kaum neue Aspekte auf und zeigt einfach viel zu wenig für einen Titel auf einer Next-Generation Konsole. Äußerst unspektakulär wirkte auch die K.I.. Das Ergebnis sind unrealistische Aktionen der Mitstreiter und Gegner. Durch die kurze Spieldauer wird auch der Spielspass getrübt. Positiv zeichneten sich dafür der Mehrspielermodus mit all seinen Finessen (besonders der Coop-Modus) aus und die geringen Ladezeiten.

Tanto su severa fluidez como la inyección jugable de Néctar hacen de Haze un competente videojuego de acción futurista que experimenta en el modo cooperativo la mejor dosis de su propuesta. Visual y técnicamente presenta claros altibajos y la campaña individual ha acabado siendo mucho más lineal de lo que cabía esperar; aún así su acción directa sin miramientos dentro de los estándares del género hacen de él un buen shooter para los incondicionales de la acción en primera persona.

Een zeven uur tellende campagne en wat voor velen een net iets te teleurstellende multiplayer zal zijn halen het niet ten opzichte van de concurrentie. Haze is als een achtbaanrit met hoge pieken, maar ook steile afdalingen en een algemeen gevoel dat er veel, veel meer in zat dan er uit is gehaald.

Der erhoffte Superhit ist der Kampf gegen die Mantle-Corporation nicht. Die Spielstufen sind aber überwiegend detailliert und lebendig gestaltet, auch wenn die Bildauflösung generell nur 576p beträgt. Nicht alle Einsätze erreichen eine hohe Qualität. Zudem sehen die Bewegungen Ihrer Computer-Kameraden oft ungelenk aus und einige Effekte, wie der aufgewirbelte Staub Ihres Buggys, wirken wie einst auf der Playstation 2. Spielerisch sind die Aufgaben abwechslungsreich und die Kämpfe rasant und fordernd. Pluspunkte sammeln die Nectar-Krieger auch im Mehrspielermodus, die mit leichter Zugänglichkeit der Koop-Variante punktet. Erwachsenen Kämpfern an der PS 3 wird mit Haze "gute" Action geboten, nicht mehr, nicht weniger.

The saddest thing about Haze is that if the game hadn’t received so much hype and media attention, then half of the problems that have appeared in the game wouldn’t have been such as issue. But because of the hype and expectation of Free Radical, Haze becomes a thorn in the side of an otherwise pretty good portfolio. Haze seems to have failed through the singular reason that it simply missed the boat, if it had come out before Call of Duty 4 it would have done just fine. We’ve got to give it a generous 7.

Also lacking is the game's graphics, which are a huge letdown. Despite its tight story and well-balanced action, the killer buzz Haze cultivates all but dies when it comes to the visuals thanks to janky animations, blurry textures, and downright pitiful special effects-it really is fitting that the game is called Haze. Still, Haze offers up enough action and an intriguing enough story to keep you playing, even if it doesn't have the addictive staying power of other shooters like Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4.

The immediate association with Haze as an underperforming FPS with lofty ambitions will be Saber Interactive's TimeShift, where the boat anchor, besides some awkward but forgivable vehicular control mechanics, was an excellent gameplay design hook that worked well, but almost no one got it, so no one used it, and ergo the title was ultimately just another shooter. In Haze, almost all of us will get Free Radical's unique design element, but it just doesn't work.

There's no avoiding the fact that HAZE is a huge disappointment. It was billed as a PS3 exclusive that would demonstrate what the system's Cell chip could do, but its graphics are well below par. A refreshingly original Mantel/rebel combat dynamic was supposed to offer groundbreaking gameplay for an FPS, but it doesn't. Let's just hope that Free Radical can get Timesplitters 4 right.

Despite these issues - the ridiculous space needed for install, the lame characterizations and the utterly laughable dialogue - Haze is a good first person shooter. It doesn't do anything vastly different from its competitors, but it doesn't need to. Just pop it into your PS3, relax and start shooting. Just take it easy on the Nectar.

The PS3 has little to offer in the way of exclusive first-person-shooters, so it would’ve been nice if Haze provided a killer app for the genre. As is, it’s an average entry that had potential, but due to poorly implemented mechanics and sub-par visuals, will likely be forgotten soon after Metal Gear Solid 4 arrives. If you’re sick of Resistance and can’t wait for Killzone 2, then this one will keep your itchy trigger finger busy for a while. Just don’t expect to become addicted to this drug-themed game.

Toisin kuin ulkomaisten lehtien pisteistä ja kirjoituksista voisi ymmärtää, Haze ei ole pelinä mikään täysi susi tyyliin Daikatana. Sen pelaa kerran läpi ilman itsetuhoajatuksia (paitsi vähän alussa ja lopussa). Vastaavasti se ei ole lähelläkään sitä jumalapeliä, jota jotkut PS3-omistajat odottivat. Kaiken ennakkokohunsa jälkeen se on pikemminkin hämmentävän yhdentekevä peli. Yksinpeli kestää kymmenisen tuntia, mikä lienee nykyään hyväksyttävä määrä pelattavaa. Sen jälkeen voi sitten kokeilla moninpeliä, jos huvittaa - minua ei huvittanut. Nappasin levyn asemasta, suljin sen promokuoreensa ja laitoin hyllyyn pölyttymään muiden alle 70 pisteen pelien seuraksi. Vaikea kuvitella, että samoja hemmoja oli tekemässä N64:n loistavaa GoldenEye-peliä.

Is Haze a bad game? Absolutely not, but it is a disappointing one. Despite some early promise and hype, Haze has a lot of trouble living up to those high expectations set forth by its developers’ past triumphs. Despite its problems, there is a solid game at its core, but you’ll have to do some serious digging to find it. Still, if you’re a PS3 owner who has already conquered superior FPS alternatives such as Call of Duty 4, Resistance, and the Orange Box, there’s some fun to be had here with a weekend rental.

Die größtenteils vorhersehbare Action von der Stange bietet zwar eine Hand voll interessanter Momente, doch unter dem Strich ist das zu wenig, um auf Dauer zu motivieren. Auch die üblichen Stärken der Briten, also Erzählstuktur, Story und Technik, bieten außer guten Ansätzen nur das Nötigste, um Haze vor dem Absturz in den Shooter-Orkus zu retten. Nektar als Triebfeder und Spielelement verliert etwa zur Hälfte der ca. sieben bis zehn Stunden dauernden Solokampagne an Reiz. Ab diesem Moment sind es nur noch die teils stark überzeichneten Figuren, die die Geschichte zumindest mit einem Hauch von Leben versehen. Und drumherum gibt es lineare Standard-Action, wie man sie schon tausendfach gesehen hat. Nicht wirklich schlecht, aber wahrlich nicht herausragend. Eben genau das, was man als solide bezeichnen würde. Und die Technik? Für das Team, das mit der TimeSplitters-Serie schnelle Ego-Action auf Konsolen salonfähig gemacht hat, ist das Ergebnis schlichtweg enttäuschend.

Haze kan in geen enkel opzicht uitblinken en weet mijn verwachtingspatroon niet waar te maken. ‘Teleurstellend’ is het woord dat mijn gevoel voor Haze perfect omschrijft.

You know if it just had one or two extra enemies that looked different, or a few extra weapons this could have been really cool, but as it stands it’s just a bit unexciting. I’m giving it 6.5 too.

Like you said Baj, it’s not a BAD game, and there’s an interesting story but there’s just nothing to wow you here and parts of the game like traps and vehicles just feel tacked on. I’m giving it 6.5/10

Haze is the type of shooter that will be taken differently from every player. Some will love running around half blitzed on an adrenaline boosting Nectar, and others will find the entire experience a little shallow and contrived. However you take Haze, it’s clear it’s not the “Halo-killer” Sony has been waiting for, but really, does it half to be? In own merits, Haze is worth a rental if you enjoy FPS.

Ultimately, Haze is still sitting in the wake of Call of Duty 4, and falls into that category of being just another FPS. The game tries to include different content with Nectar abilities and rebel dynamics, but a confused story, lacking gameplay elements and technical bugs bog the game down from being a stellar PS3 exclusive. It’s worth a rental, but know that Haze isn’t a name you want throw out there next time you’re having a console-focused debate.

Haze is a game that could have been great. Unfortunately, too many aspects of Haze's execution fail to live up to what they could have been.

For all its promise to deliver a thoughtful take on the murkier aspects of war combined with Free Radical’s proven prestige with first person shooters, ultimately Haze is a resounding disappointment that never truly shines in any department. Feeling for all intents and purposes like a game pulled from the last generation, only the most determined genre fan will be able to forgive all its shortcomings and be satisfied with the foundations it is built upon. A missed opportunity, it ultimately only raises the question of what could have been.

Ein echter Systemseller: Das war es eigentlich, was man sich von Haze erhofft hatte. Während die Xbox 360 ihr Halo hat, sollte Haze die PS3-Fraktion beglücken… eigentlich! Dumm nur, dass man teilweise das Gefühl nicht los wird, hier ein lediglich etwas besseres PS2-Vergnügen zu haben. Da wird so manch frisch gebackener PS3-Besitzer doch ein wenig enttäuscht sein. Ordentliche Arbeit hat hingegen die akustische Seite abgeliefert (bis auf die deutschen Sprecher allerdings). Zwar reicht es nicht, um den Titel in schwindelerregende Höhen zu katapultieren, aber im gesunden Mittelfeld ist man so zumindest gelandet. Allerdings dürfte eine solche Platzierung garantiert nicht im Sinne des Publishers gewesen sein. Schade, denn auf Haze hat sich garantiert so mancher Zeitgenosse gefreut.

Wer sich den kompletten Test durchgelesen hat, der wird sich denken, dass Haze ein total miserables Spiel ist. Nicht ganz. Die Schießereien machen, vor allem dank der grandiosen Steuerung, unglaublich viel Spaß. Doch was bringt einem das, wenn die Story keine Spannung aufbaut, die Grafik eher einem PlayStation 2-Shooter gleicht, die KI der Gegner dumm ist und die Sprachausgabe auf die Dauer ausgelutscht klingt? Richtig, nicht viel. Deshalb ist Haze auch wirklich nur für Hardcore-Shooter-Fans zu empfehlen, die unbedingt jedes Spiel aus dem Genre zocken wollen.

Haze's saving grace is its co-op gameplay, which can be fun when you shoot a friend's Nectar tank from behind to watch him freak out. But these short experiences do nothing to offset the major disappointment the rest of the game delivers.

Overall, I would say Haze is worth PS3 owners considering as it is something a little new, and has an interesting plot. The main campaign is really very short but this actually works in its favour as you can enjoy the story without having the flaws in the game annoy you for too long. The gameplay itself doesn't really offer anything new but it is a refreshing change to have a futuristic shooter against humans rather than aliens. Haze is worth a look if you really enjoy your shooters and like a good old yarn but for anyone seeking the revolution some hoped Free Radical and Haze could deliver, there are definitely games already out that you will enjoy much more.

Haze war wohl schon zu Beginn zum Scheitern verurteilt. Um aus diesem Titel einen guten Shooter zu machen, würde selbst ein Jahr weitere Entwicklungszeit nicht reichen. Die selbstgebastelte Engine läuft zwar stets flüssig, ist aber optisch bei weitem nicht auf der Höhe der Zeit. Grafik ist natürlich nicht alles, aber wenn dann auch noch die KI und die im Ansatz eigentlich interessante Story versagt, bleibt ein Spiel, das niemand braucht. Begleitet wird dieses Debakel mit einer gigantischen Werbekampagne. Es wäre sicherlich besser gewesen, diese Unsummen in ein anderes Spiel zu investieren und Haze still und heimlich zu veröffentlichen, so dass wir diesen Flop schnell wieder vergessen hätten …

Overall, I think Haze is a passable entry in the PlayStation 3's growing library of exclusive games. In the PlayStation 3's short history, there have been several exclusive games that have been hyped as showpieces for the console. Titles like Heavenly Sword and Lair received a good deal of attention before their release and were then subject to serious criticism thereafter. Haze is another title that has been the recipient of some serious criticism post-release, but I do not think Haze is a bad game. Haze does have its share of issues, but the gameplay is solid enough, the story is passable, and the graphics work. Even though nothing here is truly groundbreaking, if you just want another shooter you can do a lot worse than Haze. But, if you're looking for a title that gives you a long-lasting experience, then you may need to look elsewhere.

Despite bugs that seem to pop up around every corner, Haze isn’t an awful first-person shooter. It’s just not a very good one. The ham-handed storytelling, melodramatic script, and over-the-top voice-acting conspire up front to turn you off to the whole experience. But stick with it, and despite the generic weapons, the combat is primarily solid, and the different abilities of the rebels and troopers do add something to the game. If you can get friends together to battle through coop, find a few favorite assault maps, or ignore the unimpressive tech, you’ll be able to see something on the other side of the haze. We just can’t promise that it will be something good.

It feels like we’ve been overly harsh on Haze. It’s not a terrible game at all. It’s simply that it’s such an ordinary and unremarkable shooter, and we were expecting so much, that we can’t help but bitch about all the areas we wish were better. If you’re absolutely busting for some co-op blasting on PS3 then Haze will fit the bill. If, on the other hand, you only have enough time, or money, to spend on truly great shooters then don’t set your sights on this one. It doesn’t look like Free Radical Design showed any real enthusiasm for the project, so why should you?

If you ignore my rant and look at the game, seeing the wood for the trees, it’s possible to pick out some of the better parts, it’s just that the good parts are overshadowed by the awful parts and whilst you might have some different/cool abilities for your soldiers on both sides of the fence and be able to convince your friends to play with you on assault and generally romp through the game in the aforementioned time together. It’s not quite enough to lift the pall of mediocre that surrounds the game for me. You might have a better experience and be one of the few out there that actually really likes Haze.

Das kommt davon, wenn man nicht auf die Konkurrenz schaut. Haze macht so ziemlich alles falsch, was bei anderen Shootern längst erfolgreich praktiziert wurde. Story? Die interessanten Ansätze verlieren sich in der langweiligen Erzählweise. Leveldesign? Schlichtweg grausam und mit das Uninspirierteste was ich bislang im Shootergenre gesehen habe. Technik? Für ein PS2-Spiel sähe Haze sehr gut aus, doch wir schreiben das Jahr 2008 und die Blu-Ray-Disc dreht in der PS3 ihre Runden! Was bleibt ist letztlich nur ein Allerwelts-Shooter ohne Herz und Highlights, der aufgrund des Nektars und der gebotenen Action sicherlich kein Totalflop ist, aber einen Kauf sowohl für Solo- als auch Mehrspielerfans kaum rechtfertigt.

Considerando o glorioso histórico da Free Radical, é impossível não se decepcionar com o resultado final de "Haze", ainda mais se lembrarmos dos vários atrasos que sofreu até chegar às lojas. A história, apesar de interessante, não é explorada como deveria e você simplesmente não se importa com o que acontece e nem com quem acontece. Como agravante, esta narrativa também não cria situações suficientes para aproveitar todas as habilidades dos heróis, desperdiçando conceitos bacanas. Pelo menos há alguma chance de redenção no modo multiplayer, que conta com um modo cooperativo que melhora bastante a aventura principal e um modo assault que aumenta um pouco a vida do jogo. Mas ainda é pouco diante do potencial dos envolvidos.

'Haze' spielt sich über weite Strecken erschreckend belanglos. Über die maue Optik und die allenfalls in Ansätzen interessante Story könnte ich ja noch hinwegsehen, doch das extrem langweilige Leveldesign raubt zusammen mit der dummen Gegner-KI jeglichen Spielspaß. An Allerweltsschauplätzen kämpfe ich mich daher quälend durch die viel zu schnell fallenden Gegnerhorden und habe auch ohne Einsatz des Nektars keine großen Probleme. Die Droge ist an sich durchaus ein spannendes Gameplay-Element, wirkt am Ende aber nicht ganz durchdacht, gerade wenn ihr später das Nektar nicht mehr selbst einsetzen dürft, sondern gegen Soldaten unter Drogeneinfluss kämpft. Trotz der großen Enttäuschung bei Optik und Leveldesign ist 'Haze' aber auch kein Vollflop. Die Action stimmt, die Steuerung ist beim Schießen sehr eingängig und zumindest in der zweiten Spielhälfte zieht die Handlung ein wenig an.

Positiivista kierrettä sekä tarinaan että pelattavuuteen haetaan Shanen Nectar-vieroituksesta. Ajoittain Shanen taistelupuvun Nectar-järjestelmä reistailee ja annostus häiriytyy. Silloin pelaaja näkee painajaismaisia vilahduksia "todellisesta" maailmasta, jossa ammutut viholliset makaavat maassa huutaen ja verissään. Väistämätön kapinallisjoukkoihin siirtyminen ei kuitenkaan muuta pelattavuutta miksikään, sillä kapinallisriveihin siirtymisen myötä avautuvat erikoisliikkeet - aseen ryöstö, kuolleeksi tekeytyminen, heittäytyminen ja miinojen hautaaminen - ovat melkoisen yhdentekeviä. Mantelin sotilaille voi aiheuttaa Nectar-yliannostuksen muutamallakin tavalla ja siten saada viholliset ampumaan toisiaan, mutta yleensä on helpompaa ja nopeampaa yksinkertaisesti ampua viholliset nurin parilla sarjalla. Tarinan kulkukin jää lopulta ennalta arvattavaksi.

Haze was developed by Free Radical, which include many of the people behind Goldeneye 007 for the N64, which many console players of my generation cut their teeth on as gateways to the genre on consoles and the whimsical, but wonderfully executed Timesplitters franchise. And to be given this; something that I barely want to touch ever again is heartbreaking. Haze is so painfully average that the only reason why Ubisoft released it when they did was to keep it out of vaporware territory and to beat MGS 4 to the shelves.

Haze kann den hohen Erwartungen der Fans leider nicht gerecht werden. Zugegeben: Der Mehrspielermodus ist gut bis sehr gut. Ich schätze vor allem den Coop-Modus. Lange Abende mit Kollegen in reinster Resistance-Manier sind damit vorprogrammiert. Aber es gilt viel Kritik im Einzelspielermodus zu üben. Die Story ist durchschnittlich und auch schnell ausgelutscht, die Technik der PlayStation 3 unwürdig. Die Sache mit der Nectar-Droge ist nett, aber auch schnell langweilig und erinnert stark an das Adrenalin aus Unreal Tournament. Toll sind die Waffensounds, vor allem auf 5.1-Systemen. Dies wird aber durch die mässige KI wieder aufgewogen. Haze ist ein Durchschnitts-Shooter, nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Zehn Stunden Spass sind drin. Eine uneingeschränkte Kaufempfehlung erhält der Titel deshalb nicht.

At best, Haze is a great idea that just never comes together. There are a few fun moments, but these don't happen nearly as much as they should and the heavy-handed narrative drags it down even more. At best, Haze is a rental, but not a purchase.

Quoique certains en pensent, Haze n’est pas un mauvais jeu. Cependant, comme on le dit souvent, l’enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions et c’est encore le cas ici. Sur le papier, il avait tout pour plaire au plus grand nombre. Malheureusement, ses défauts sont trop nombreux pour prétendre à autre chose qu’à une location de fin de semaine, juste pour dire "j’y ai joué !".

Den oplevelse du får i selskab med Haze afhænger af to ting: Om du føler dig bevæget og motiveret af historien, og om du spiller online. Er ikke mindst ét af disse punkter opfyldt, vil Haze give dig en middelmådig FPS-oplevelse.

Haze is a surprise lapse for Free Radical. For a company that has churned out some sensational hits, this effort is a real disappointment. With shoddy graphics, slack gameplay and that poorly thought-out Nectar system, this first-person shooter is way behind the times.

A seven-hour campaign and uneventful multiplayer modes just don't cut it in light of the far better modern shooters available on the market. The patchy quality of the entire package is surprising, considering the developer's fine pedigree. Yet Haze is a roller-coaster ride made up of tall peaks and unfathomable valleys, and it won't leave you so much breathless as disappointed with its squandered potential.

Its selection of weapons is slim, and its variety of enemies even slimmer. It also has a hard time leading players along. After a battle, you'll likely wander the barren level for a few minutes before figuring out where to go next. Heed my advice, Haze should only be played if you intend to mock it Mystery Science Theater-style with buddies in co-op.

There’s really no reason to pick this one up over a title like Call of Duty 4 or Resistance – both will offer a far better experience and much more value for your money. The game had a lot of promise, but it’s almost all unfulfilled.

Hazen voi hyvin tiivistää yhteen lauseeseen: On vaikea ymmärtää, kuinka niin osaava porukka on onnistunut tuottamaan jotakin näin keskinkertaista? Keskinkertaisuus ei tee Hazesta huonoa peliä, mutta näinkin kovilla markkinoilla se ei yksinkertaisesti riitä.

A game like Haze from a developer like Free Radical had so much potential, but there are just too many issues with the end product, making it very hard to recommend.

On paper, Haze had all the makings of a PS3-exclusive classic but, thanks to poor execution, it just doesn’t have what it takes to be a fun first-person shooter or a good game in general. I really wanted to like this game but there are so many elements that work against it. Do yourself a favor and skip this one or consider it a weekend rental.

When it comes down to it, Haze isn’t a bad game at all, just a very mediocre game that would have felt more at home a year and a half ago at the PlayStation 3’s launch. Being a game coming out in 2008, with the likes of Halo 3 doing much of what Haze is doing for over eight months now, it’s amazing what Ubisoft and Free Radical have actually let out of the bag with confidence. It’s just lucky for them that they’ve lost all of their hype that would’ve made this the second-coming of Lair, though for different reasons. If you’re somehow compelled to play this game, stick to renting it and saving yourself the $60 for an exclusive that should actually deliver on its hype, Metal Gear Solid 4.

Don't get me wrong, there's still some fun to be had in Haze, especially in co-op. The drop in and drop out works really well, even allowing you to have random players join in. And there's still nothing more exhilarating than standing your ground with 3 friends and overtaking seemingly insurmountable odds. The game would be a tough pill to swallow at $60, especially considering the 6 or so hour playtime. Here's hope Resistance 2 this fall will be a much more solid co-op experience on the Playstation 3.

More than anything, Haze feels like an appalling waste; a waste of a talented development team on a premise which never sounded impressive or interesting, and a waste of time and money which could have been put to much better use elsewhere. While its weaknesses such as pathetically bad scripting and uninteresting level design are offset by decent controls and solid co-op, in such a busy and competitive genre Haze is unable to stand out in any way against its peers.

Haze is a middle-of-the-road first-person shooter, warranting slightly more merit than Jericho and TimeShift thanks to the numerous co-op options and multiplayer modes alone. There are, of course, a few saving graces: we can't fault the solid feel of firing a weapon; there is a degree of variety spread across the chapters; and the game's engine is reliably stable, but none of this stops the game from qualifying as a major letdown.

There was promise here. The storyline needs some refining, the graphics need serious polish, the A.I. needs to be completely overhauled and the constant looping of laughable voice acting will annoy you to death. If you are unfortunate enough to buy this game, at least play it with a friend to replace your A.I. allies. I can not and will not recommend Haze to anyone. This game is neither worth a rental, purchase nor the disc that it was put on.

What could have been so good and what - according to the hype - was going to be so great has proven to be nothing more than a complete and total let down, tied together with some decent ideas but coming out as nothing but totally, completely and utterly shonky.

Haze se révèle sans doute comme l’un des plus beaux pétards mouillés de 2008. Sur le papier, le titre avait tout d’un grand : des développeurs talentueux, un univers attirant, un mode coopératif accessible… Au final, le malheureux joueur ayant dépensé 70€ se retrouvera face à un FPS dénué de personnalité et n’offrant au final rien de plus que d’autres (si l’on excepte l’utilisation du Nectar, amusante au début). Le titre aurait pu en rester là, mais l’aspect technique totalement dépassé et la mise en scène molle nous font poser la question suivante : Que s’est t-il-passé durant ces deux années de développement ?

Haze is awful. It's hard to believe that this game was crafted by some of the same people who pretty much inaugurated the console shooter. Only the co-op mode saves it from being a complete waste of time, and even then your buddies will likely get sick of the repetitive combat long before getting to the conclusion of the campaign.

Présenté depuis longtemps comme une solide exclusivité PS3, amenée par un développeur versé dans l'art du FPS, Haze déçoit finalement dans presque tous les domaines. Son scénario se perd dans une pseudo critique malhabile de la guerre, sa campagne accumule les incohérences et les bourdes, tandis que ses graphismes peinent à plonger le joueur au coeur du combat. Ne reste que le multi, correct sans plus.

Haze was touted as a great PS3 exclusive from a developer well versed in first-person shooter mechanics. While Free Radical does have a solid pedigree, Haze does not live up to the company's reputation thanks to a horrible plot, weak gameplay mechanics and visuals that are truly underwhelming. While playing with friends is enjoyable, not even those are enough to bring this lackluster title around.

It’s not all bad, Free Radical. Haze is still a playable shooter, and it has all those overpowered weapons. This Nectar also seems kind of cool, but we’re worried that maybe it’s thrown you off-track. Resistance had impossible weapons, and Halo had vehicle playgrounds, and even Timesplitters had its comedy shtick. Haze is stuck spinning its wheels on this whole drug thing. At this point, a game as basic as Haze looks amateurish.

Playing Haze left me disappointed, for sure, but it also left me extremely curious about its development. Free Radical, the developers of Haze, have done better in the past in almost every single way possible, from weapons, to levels, to bot intelligence. Though it was announced just over two years ago, the end result plays like something that was slapped together and shipped after a year or so, rather than something that was painstakingly developed and refined. While there’s nothing about Haze that’s out-and-out broken or completely terrible, it doesn’t come close to meeting the expectations that today’s first-person shooter market creates.

When stacked up against fellow first-person shooters, Haze is incredibly weak. Graphics are shoddy. The weapon selection is sparse. The only intriguing weapon is a Nectar grenade. When you toss one at troopers, a yellow cloud of smoke shoots out. This causes the troopers to overdose and either attack teammates or turn insane. Strategically, you can go without Nectar grenades since the troopers are complete dolts. You can break down a metal door and troops remain oblivious. Computer-controlled teammates are equally useless. Either they step into your line of fire or don't bother helping until you've cleared an area. Targeting, crucial to any first-person shooter -- feels consistently off. Haze also offers online multiplayer and four-player co-op, but there's no incentive to play when you consider the game's core issues. Maybe developers would've been better off delaying this title much, much longer.

Don't let the namesake of this game fool you; Haze is a game you shouldn't bother with. Free Radical and Ubisoft missed quite a few things in the quality assurance department with this one and it would seem that the project was rushed somewhere along the line. From concept to final product this game has many flaws that it never fully recuperates from. Sure the Nectar thing is kind of neat and the co-op can make the game somewhat better, but when the rest of the experience is below average is there really any point? Skip this one.

Regardless of its name, it’s still clear to see Haze is a disappointing game based on a weak premise that has been half-heartedly realised. As a result it is all too easy to label it one of the greatest disappointments the industry has seen in the past few years.

The online component of Haze generally plays better than the campaign which can also be played with up to three other players cooperatively. There’s nothing remotely compelling enough in the online modes good enough to take the focus away from the disappointing single-player mode.

It's clear from the bare-bones multiplayer, glitchy graphics and incredibly short storyline that Haze is a game interrupted. Discussion of whether Free Radical did not anticipate the difficulty of building a next-gen engine or whether it ran out of resources is academic at this point, because we can all see that Haze is not finished... not graphically and not narratively, either. For a much-hyped, blockbuster PS3 exclusive, Haze does very little to endear itself or the PS3 to anyone.

You really have to wonder how it all ended up this dreadful, especially after all the time and resource Ubisoft and Free Radical expended telling people the opposite. The combat's weak, the storyline's excruciating, it's technically deficient - Haze really is this year's most significant gaming disappointment. The fact that the creative forces behind this moribund excuse for a blockbuster feel that it is BAFTA-worthy has to be one of the most tragically comic examples of self-delusion we've ever witnessed.

Annoncé depuis belle lurette et en grande pompe, Haze avait peu à peu commencé à nous inquiéter avec ses nombreux retards et quelques revirements créatifs en cours de développement. Enfin disponible, le jeu s'avère être une immense déception. Free Radical Design a en effet totalement raté le coche avec une aventure classique et linéaire qui nous enterre dans des niveaux ennuyeux et une histoire maladroite et mal exploitée. On la traverse donc avec une nonchalance à peine troublée par quelques passages plus nerveux ou des petites idées de gameplay bien trouvées. Plombé en plus par des soucis d'I.A., quelques bugs et surtout une réalisation indigne de la PS3, Haze ne se montrera intéressant qu'à plusieurs, notamment en y jouant en coop. En tout cas, la réputation de Free Radical Design est sérieusement entamée par ce raté flagrant. Gageons que le prochain TimeSplitters saura les remettre sur le droit chemin.

I wanted to like this game Free Radical, I really did. I wanted to believe. I even defended you when Korn came on board to write an original song for Haze. I held out to the very end to find out for myself if this was the next big tick on your resume. I hoped it would be, and having played right through the entire three-day campaign and tried all the online multi stuff Haze has to offer, I am praying this game is quickly forgotten and at least TimeSplitters 4 is not, in any way, influenced by what transpired on my TV over the last two days. I can forgive Free Radical, but I will never forget.

On the whole, Haze isn't outright terrible or broken -- it's just unsatisfying and misguided and would have been merely average on the Xbox and PS2. Its campaign, with or without friends, is a typical, sometimes offensive six-to-eight hour hodgepodge of gameplay that's been done better many times over, co-op or not. Multiplayer, meanwhile, has glimmers of potential and can be fun, but it has nothing that approaches an addiction level of replayability (and it's sad that last-gen's TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, for one, had many more multiplayer options). Kicking this habit won't be hard; better yet, don't even take the initial hit.

Which leads us to a troubling dilemma: as much as PlayStation 3 owners want exclusive games, if this is what we have to look forward to, maybe a multi-platform future isn’t so bad.

Haze carried a lot of buzz and a massive ad campaign from UbiSoft but do yourself a favor and skip it—there are simply far better games worth buying or even renting. Every developer is allowed to lay an egg, and this is definitely Free Radical’s turn to drop one.