PSM previews Haze
by Ed Stasick 
{ May 2nd 2007 at 10:00PM }
One of our favorite rags, PSM: Independent PlayStation Magazine, has a world-premiere super-exclusive in their next issue. It's our first real peek at Haze, the FPS thats "poised to take over PS3" later this year.
According to the lucky fools at PSM:
· The main premise of the game is a war in Central South America that involves large corporations with an large weapons R&D budgets. Then something goes horribly wrong...
· "The prized product that the biomedical research and enhancements division produces is a substance known as Nectar that, when injected, makes soldiers better fighters."
· "Due to the realistic high dynamic range lighting in Haze, it's very easy for enemies to disappear into the shadows, particularly in outdoor levels and at night. A shot of Nectar will pull them into the foreground in a halo of light."
The magazine promises more (and hopefully more substantial) information next week when the June issue hits stands.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mccomber @ May 2nd 2007 10:55PM
Well, I've got said magazine in my hands right now... it's definitely a big, big article. 8 pages on the game. 2 pages about Free Radical, the company with the fine pedigree of FPS behind the title. 4 pages of interview with Derek Littlewood, Creative Director for the company. Oh yeah, and the cover.
As Nectar hints at, this game definitely has a bee theme going on. The logos, vehicles, and of course soldiers themselves are all decked out in black and yellow, futuristic armor. Seeing them against the natural backgrounds, fighting what looks like typical guerillas is interesting, and I think speaks to what the story will hold.
Your name is Shane Carpenter, and you work for a company called Mantel, which runs it's own private, outsourced army of super-soldiers, all juicing on the nectar, who also act as a sort of world police.
Two things I took away from the story so far that sound cool:
No waiting for things to load, and no cutscenes. Everything you experience will be from the viewpoint of the Carpenter. Plenty of scripted events in other words, but it sounds like there won't be that loss of control that tends to pull one out of the action rather than enforce the events.
Also, your suit, with all it's powerups and such, will malfunction. Sunny days turn to storms, and soldiers die screaming and covered in blood in a most disturbing manner.
Also worth noting, 4-person cooperative multiplayer. Whether AI, split-screen, online or in a good old lan-party, this definitely sounds cool.
There is of course a ton more, but that's the stuff that had me interested. The only thing I'm confused by is all the excitement by a playstation only magazine over a non-exclusive title. This is going to the pc and 360 as well, right? It looks great and all, and should be a ton of fun and worth buying, but they keep tossing around "halo killer for the ps3" like it's not also coming out for the system that already has Halo...
Jimmy @ May 2nd 2007 11:07PM
I've been confused about this game for quite a while, and I also have the mag, and have not read the whole thing. I feel stupid for asking this, but: Is this an exclusive for the PS3?
mccomber @ May 3rd 2007 12:04AM
From everything I've read, at least outside of PSM... nope, not exclusive. 360 + PC versions are in the works.
drchucks @ May 3rd 2007 12:18AM
This looks good and all, but I just want to see a next gen version of time splitters. Nothing beats a goldeneye style FPS when it comes to multiplayer.
Colin @ May 3rd 2007 11:24AM
The ubisoft official site only has the PS3 logo...no X or PC logos?
http://hazegame.uk.ubi.com/teaser/
Perhaps that is where the confusion comes in?
Colin @ May 3rd 2007 11:34AM
there is a fellow in the ubisoft haze forum going by the name neko that seems to be part of the development team...he says:
something like HAZE which is being developed on all platforms simultaneously. And that's before you even begin to consider that we produced some of the most technically proficient games on PS2 (I don't recall any other FPS's running at 60fps...Wink), and have been applying a lot of that experience onto our work with the PS3.
So, to summarise: all versions will be great. Everyone will be happy, world peace will occur and HAZE will sell twelvety million copies. \o/
So there ya are...not exclusive to PS3
Adam @ May 3rd 2007 2:00PM
Maybe the PS3 will simply get a much better game
Naaiif @ May 3rd 2007 4:13PM
Yeh this is confusing, they make it seem like the ps3 is the primary platform for this game, and that the other versions are "in the works". But then that dude said they're all being developed simultaneously...confusing...hmmm
Maven @ May 4th 2007 3:28PM
Playstation Mag introduces Haze. It's a world premiere preview with the scoop on features, graphics and other cool info.
This is stuff I took from the new mag that I just got in the mail. I think it's on stands May 8th:
The main premise of the game is you’ve been dropped into a war in Central South America...One of their main divisions is involved in military arms...
There is a prized product that the division produces is known as Nectar that, when injected, makes soldiers better fighters.
The realistic high dynamic range lighting in Haze, it’s very easy for enemies to disappear into the shadows, particularly in outdoor levels and at night. A shot of Nectar will pull them into the foreground in a halo of light.