Haze video warns us not to eat too much nectar

by Nick Doerr { Jul 7th 2007 at 2:30PM }

We're all excited about Haze, probably more so than other FPS titles to be announced lately. That means something, because there are a ton of those being announced or released, previewed, reviewed, or introduced. This new video of Haze is awfully long -- clocking in nearly 13 minutes of your weekend time, but the footage shown a few minutes in is something impressive, for sure. We won't ruin the surprise for you, but if you've seen the film Jacob's Ladder, you might giggle at the parallel between it and overdosing on Nectar. Enjoy!

[via PS3Attitude]

[Thanks, DolphGB!]

Tags: free radical design, FreeRadicalDesign, haze, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, sony, ubisoft

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

humpty @ Jul 7th 2007 2:52PM

Why did they blur out the controllers during the demos?

manic @ Jul 7th 2007 2:54PM

Notice how only they only show the Playstation 3 logo at the end of the video.

Could this mean Haze is a PS3 exclusive?

They said they will announce something at E3.

manic @ Jul 7th 2007 2:54PM

Don't know, but all the controllers in the video seemed to look like Sixaxis pads.

AznSniper @ Jul 7th 2007 2:57PM

maybe they blurred out the controllers because it's the new sixaxis rumble

L @ Jul 7th 2007 3:01PM

Good watch ^__^ hear as he says

"shows what next gen consoles can do"
emmm 360?

4 player co-op online NICe

"We're all excited about Haze, probably more so than other FPS titles to be announced lately. "
which are?

o and you can,t read the subs on the video ..other than that looks like a normal Par FPS

sheamus @ Jul 7th 2007 3:14PM

I am 90% sure that the sound engr was using a 360 controller. Even though it was blurred, it was white. Even ps3 dev kits don't have white controllers. I am guessing that sony would not be happy if that was not blurred out, so Ubi probably warning FR to be careful about showing the 360 stuff, as it would affect their deal with Sony. I believe Haze is officially a timed exclusive, so that would make sense.

Looks like the title I have been waiting for... They should put that demo up on PSN!

Cheers to a (kind of) exclusive.

~S

Hatchetforce @ Jul 7th 2007 3:26PM

Haze is scheduled to be a PS3 exclusive. Since HAZE uses the HDD for streaming that discounts the 360 unless they parse the levels.

At 9:50 in Alex is introduced and the narrator makes a point of saying they are optimizing some things on the PS3.

My guess is the controller is blurred out because they are using the new Sixaxis with rumble. That isn't a joke. Having done some work for Ubisoft I can tell you it does happen that dev teams get hardware from the manufacturer in order to incorporate it into games.

L @ Jul 7th 2007 3:32PM

@7 lets face it ... the game will come out on 360 end of story ... he does say

"shows what next gen consoles can do"

plus if the game was only on Ps3 he woulden have to state "optimizing some things on the PS3"

Hatchetforce @ Jul 7th 2007 3:32PM

More info on HAZE. It has been announced as Multiplatform, not exclusive but Ubi has pushed back the 360 version. I am still puzzled how they will stream the data without an HDD since the data has to be decompressed first. Even with a bit of extra memory the 360 will be hardpressed to pull this off. No doubt it is a minuimum of a timed exclusive though since Doak has been pretty much a PS3 salesman in interviews lately.

Hatchetforce @ Jul 7th 2007 3:34PM

L, he does state in one point - the 9:50 mark, that they are optimizing some things on the PS3. Now that doesn't mean anything since optimization occurs at the individual console level 90% of the time. Especially when you have two platforms with vastly different architecture.

humpty @ Jul 7th 2007 3:35PM

"shows what next gen consoles can do" ... could mean Wii as well, lol.

Anyways, i dont care if this comes out for 360 since it doesnt affect me playing it on ps3.

Hatchetforce @ Jul 7th 2007 3:38PM

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6171219.html

"This morning, Ubisoft revealed that the PS3 is now the "lead platform" for Free Radical's forthcoming shooter, Haze. Originally set for a release on the Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 this spring, the game will now debut solely on the PS3 this fall.

In fact, the fact sheet provided by Ubisoft no longer lists the PC or Xbox 360 versions of the game, prompting some speculation that it may become PS3-exclusive. The UK Haze site for the game also only bears the PS3 logo, although the American Haze site still sports the Xbox 360 and PC-DVD logos at its bottom.

When contacted by GameSpot, Ubisoft reps were somewhat cagey. "Haze is leading on PS3, but no exclusivity for any platform has been officially announced," a spokesperson said. This leaves open the possibility that the game could arrive on the 360 and PC sometime in 2008."

Hatchetforce @ Jul 7th 2007 3:44PM

The last Gamespot articel I mentioned needs to be amended. if you go to the US Ubi site:

http://hazegame.us.ubi.com/

the 360 and PC logos are now gone from there as well. Only the PS3 logo is shown. Some of the footage ion the video is months old so the white controller may no longer be a factor.

Bored @ Jul 7th 2007 3:49PM

Are people still arguing over this? It's a known fact that Haze is just a timed exclusive on the PS3.

So what?

I'll be buying myself the PS3 version, thank you very much.

manic @ Jul 7th 2007 3:50PM

The 'blurred' controller is unblurred for 1 second before the 'static' effect kicks in.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE CONTROLLER!
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1962/93548589hx4.jpg

It's a PS3 controller. Yup.

Could well be the Rumble Sixaxis. My guess is that they blurred it so you couldn't see the rumble effect.

Bored @ Jul 7th 2007 3:54PM

@ manic:

Talk about unneeded secrecy. Everybody is pretty sure the rumble sixaxis is going to be announced at E3...

manic @ Jul 7th 2007 3:57PM

@ Bored
Sony have never confirmed it themselves though.

Stellarpimp @ Jul 7th 2007 4:26PM

Bring on the demo because what I just saw wasn't overly impressive.

Stellarpimp @ Jul 7th 2007 4:27PM

Btw, PS3Fanboy editors...who won the Darkness game giveaway? Yeah I had to tac it on to this thread as you don't have a forum.

Stef Geiger @ Jul 7th 2007 5:29PM

@Manic: Don't be ridiculous. Are you suggesting that it's blurred because, at that low resolution, someone might be able to tell that the controller is different? Never mind the fact that Sony's already flat-out said they're making a controller with rumble - why would they hide it? Also, I wouldn't expect developers to get their hands on rumble controllers for another few months.

It's also worth noting that that video was done in April at the latest (one guy talks about the UBIday event that took place in early may in the future tense). There's no way in hell they had rumble controllers a few weeks after Sony settled the lawsuit with Immersion.

tristan88 @ Jul 7th 2007 6:13PM

also during the optimizing comment he says after "so he has that version running". if it was a ps3 exclusive he wouldnt need to say what version it is. i know this wont be a ps3 exclusive (what third party game is) but i still wish it was.

manic @ Jul 7th 2007 6:37PM

@Stef Geiger;
I don't know then.

But it definitely is a PS3 controller. Why did they blur it on that scene but left the controller visible on all other parts of the video?

Andy @ Jul 7th 2007 6:48PM

I love the Milli Vanilli joke. Still the funniest game I have ever played is Bully.

Dlaf42 @ Jul 7th 2007 6:54PM

I wonder if it was because it was a new rumble pad already to go but sony had not settled the lawsuit with Immersion, and dont want it to come out about it.Maybe thats why it has taken this time for the video to come out.

Andy @ Jul 7th 2007 7:01PM

I have ten ideas why they blurred the controller
1. It had a picture of Thomas Edison
2. It had a rude word written on it like "Squishable"
3. It is a just a pre-rendered video and he is playing his air controller
4. It is a new prototype controller from Sony that blurs when a loser looks at it.
5. The controller caught fire and they were embarrassed
6. Microsoft payed them to shame Sony by blurring it
7. They were trying to blur his face but they missed
8. To show us what its like to be on nectar
9. To secretly brainwash you with subliminal blurring and force you to buy the game
10. They didn't realise they were playing with a gameboy.

Hatchetforce @ Jul 7th 2007 9:44PM

tristan88, it doesn't usually mean the alternative platform version since different different teams are assigned to different consoles when a title is being developed for multiple platforms at the same time. If they are doing multiple platforms in consecutive development then that would be different.

Having been involved in game development when we say 'that version' it is referring to a current or past build of a game, not the platform for which a build or version is designed. With the game we are currently developing, when on a dev kit or debug unit you can toggle the build version on and off at the type of the screen.

wompywomperson @ Jul 7th 2007 10:05PM

Pretty sure that it is a PS3 controller that they blurred out. The analog sticks are on the same plane therefore, only on PlayStation. It is probably the SixAxiS controller, maybe the new rumble version. Maybe Sony sent them the rumble version for giving them the exclusivity. If you look at the IGN version of the video, it has better resolution and you can easily tell that it is a PS3 controller.

wompywomperson @ Jul 7th 2007 11:03PM

At the end of the video, it says that "See you at E3 with an important announcement" which may relate to either the announcement of rumble support in PS3 version or announcement for the 360 and PC versions. Check out the video at
http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/784/784480/vids_1.html
for a high-def version where it clearly show that it is a PS3 controller...not white at all. They show the controller in the beginning of the video when they are demoing for the journos but blur it when the designers are working on it confirming that its probably the rumble controller for PS3.

Hatchetforce @ Jul 7th 2007 11:33PM

#11, "shows what next gen consoles can do" No that isn't what Keywood says. He states "showing what the next gen console can do" He uses a singular form, not the plural.

Bored @ Jul 8th 2007 12:40AM

There's still people insisting on the notion that Haze is only a PS3 exclusive... Come on, don't waste effort on such an unimportant thing. The game was designed for the PS3 as the primary platform, but keeping in mind to make it easy to port to the other next-gen platforms, for which it will surley be released later on...

Is there a problem at all with that? I won't enjoy the PS3 version any less because of that...

Andir3.0 @ Jul 8th 2007 2:54AM

"no way in hell they had rumble controllers a few weeks after Sony settled the lawsuit with Immersion."

Unless they've been working with them all along since Immersion stated way back that they have a working "different" solution.

mccomber @ Jul 8th 2007 4:09AM

Well, maybe we never even landed on the moon, and Kennedy knew it was going to happen that way all along... that's why he had to be taken out.

Bangbang... @ Jul 8th 2007 5:05AM

I really dont think it matters if its exclusive or not. It's launching in the same window as mass effect, Bioshock, and Halo 3 on the 360 and MGS4, FF, and Drake on the ps3. Can you say overlooked.

wompywomperson @ Jul 8th 2007 9:27AM

@33: What world are you living in? FF is not scheduled to come out until after April 2008, probably Fall 2008 at the earliest. MGS4...well if the delay rumors are true, that's not coming out this year either. So while there are excellent games in other genres, i.e. Drake (Action/Adventure), R&C (Action Platformer), and Heavenly Sword (Action/Adventure), Haze is really the only FPS arriving on the PS3 that has some merit. Unless Killzone 2 blows everyone away (highly unlikely). Plus Mass Effect and Bioshock are in completely different genres so really, Haze has one competitor, Halo 3. Personally I have liked Free Radical's other FPS, TimeSplitters, much more than Halo anyway.

dontlikeitmodit @ Jul 8th 2007 9:27AM

@Stef

What does a lawsuit have to do with development? They can make any item they want as a tool for development, even if its patented by another company. They cannot, however, sell it retail to make money off of it.

A patent only keeps people from making money off of someone else's idea. It doesn't stop people from creating the same item for their own use.

It is common practice to begin development on a product that is patented by another company and put it through testing before initiating dialog for licensing.

As for whatever controller it is I could care less, hell it could be a PS2 controller for all we know.

Hatchetforce @ Jul 8th 2007 10:13AM

Wompy, that;s true. MGS4 is now loisting as March which is humorous considering last year's trailer that showed 2008 being slashed and 2007 being writen in.

There are other FPS titles coming. MoH A delayed to November, CoD4, BF Bad Company, ET Quake Wars, along with games such as Kane and Lynch, Army of Two, Assassin's Creed, Blacksite Area 51, GRAW2 (which looks better than the 360, has 8 new weapons, 14 additional maps and a new MP mode) GTA IV, HL2, Hellboy, Jericho, Timeshift, and Turok just to name a few.

L @ Jul 8th 2007 11:17AM

@Hatchetforce ..... emmm i think you should look at your list of FPS games =P

"first person shooter"

Andy @ Jul 8th 2007 1:06PM

"Can you say overlooked."

No. I say that but not for this game. Maybe a little overlooked but if they put out a quality game I'll buy. For me I don't care if its exclusive or not but if it is a killer game and exclusive it would attract more people for me to shoot their heads off.

Hatchetforce @ Jul 8th 2007 1:48PM

@ L, all the initial games I listed are FPS titles. Then I said "along with" which includes other types of titles. =P I taled about MGS4 at the beginnig becuase I was responding to wompy and that was before I listed those 4 major FPS titles.

Deathalo @ Jul 8th 2007 1:56PM

@sheamus

Are you color blind or something? That blurred out controller is most definitely black... It's darker than his hands, and a white controller would be way whiter... I have no idea what you are seeing. It's being developed for the PS3, if it goes to 360, they'll port it to that later. That's a SIXAXIS in his hands.

GodisaMyth @ Jul 8th 2007 2:28PM

The controller at times looks white because it is reflecting the light that is coming in from the window and bouncing off the ceiling and the controller. If you look at it when he moves the controller, the intensity of the reflected light changes just as it would if it were any shiny reflective surface.

By the time Sony announced that they had settled with immersion....I would assume that it had been going on for a very long time and that it is entirely possible that a prototype ShockAxis was being used.

We will know soon enough at E3 so in a way all of this speculation is moot.