Patrick Elliot
Shaun InguanzoHaze Demo Review - PS3
May 11th 2008 02:56
Does Haze amaze or daze?
ONE of this year's most highly anticipated game releases, Haze, has been touted as the PS3's answer to Halo.
With its release date of 22 May tantalisingly close, Gamer Herald got up close and personal with the nectar-laced playable demo, developed by Ubisoft, and discovered whether or not Haze is hype-worthy.
The Haze demo is a 1.5GB download, and is definitely worth the time and space on your precious PS3 hard drive.
While you're at it, download the Haze theme. It's only a 1MB file and it's easily the coolest theme on the Playstation 3 store (the newly released Manga theme is also great).
In the first moments of firing up the single player campaign, the neurons in my brain began making connections to other great titles. I felt BioShock, Gears of War and of course, Halo. Understandably, I was initially impressed.
The demo is set in a jungle-like environment (Halo 3), you instantly feel the need to rise up against the commercial company driving the storyline (BioShock) and your fellow soldiers are big, bad and entertaining (Gears of War).
You play as sergeant Jake Carpenter, a new recruit in the Mantel Global Industries army. In the demo, you battle rebels in the jungles of South America.
There is no time to catch your breath when the campaign demo begins, you are dropped into the scene of a fierce battle between soldiers and rebels and must shoot dead about a dozen of your enemies before pausing for a well-overdue tutorial.
I initially felt cheated to be given the 'how to play' spiel after what turned out to be the demo's most chaotic battle, but it soon became clear why the developer chose to do it this way.
Nectar. Sweet, sweet nectar.
Mantel Global Industries is multi-national company that specialises in bio-medical enhancements and supplements. Nectar is a nutritional supplement that allows Mantel's soldiers fight harder, smarter and longer in the heat of battle.
Nectar is what sets Haze apart from other first-person-shooters, and the game's success (or failure) will be directly linked to how well Ubisoft has intertwined the nectar concept into the game.
How does the nectar work?
Mantel soldiers carry up to six 'shots' of nectar, each is delivered intravenously when you hold down the L2 trigger. In the bottom left of screen is the 'nectar meter', which fills when you hold L2 and then rapidly drains away as the soldier enjoys his 'high'.
What effect does it have?
When injected, nectar gives you a rush. A rush of speed, accuracy, determination and strength. Enemies that were once camouflaged behind thick scrub turn into bright yellow beacons. Rebels are easily spotted, and your increased accuracy allows them to be easily killed.
What else does it do?
Hmm... not much, in the demo at least. I suspect a number of other nectar benefits will be revealed when the game is released later this month. In the demo, the only real advantage of taking a nectar hit is that enemies turn into bright yellow bulbs of light.
In general, nectar is Mantel's method of keeping its soldiers from discovering the 'truth' about what they are doing and who they are killing. In a sense, it pulls cotton wool over the eyes of the soldiers. But the full extent of its implications are unclear in the demo.
Can anything go wrong with nectar?
Yes! If you hold down the L2 trigger for a moment too long, too much nectar is delivered into your bloodstream. This is not good. You become aggressive, too aggressive, the world becomes blurry and your trigger finger is uncontrollable.
I overdosed and ended up killing three of my fellow recruits. Taking too much nectar is easy to do, when in the heat of the battle, you hold L2 while shooting and running. It's easy to forget to look at the meter.
Within three minutes of demo playing, I was addicted to nectar. The developer has cleverly designed the enemies to be hard-to-see without sipping some of the good stuff. You'll find yourself wanting nectar more and more as the demo progresses.
Then, all of a sudden, you'll hold the L2 trigger and nothing happens.
You've exhausted your supply.
It's a weird sensation. It must be like a smoker, who puffs through two packets a day, running out of cancer sticks. I instantly became nervous during the demo, and refused to tackle the next batch of rebels without more nectar.
I resorted to stealing a shot from one of my team mates. This can be done by pressing and holding square when standing next to a soldier.
Nectar aside, and based on post-demo impressions, Haze won't revolutionise the FPS genre. It certainly looks promising and playing through the demo was thoroughly enjoyable. The game hinges on the concept of nectar, and whether or not it will make the game more interesting, and more playable.
At this stage, I'm a believer.
In the full version, gamers will also have the chance to play as rebels, and fight back against Mantel and its addictive wonder-drug. Rebels will use their knowledge of nectar, and its adverse side affects, to fight back against the soldiers.
Will the chance to turn the table on Mantel be Ubisoft's ace up the sleeve? We'll soon find out!
For those playing through the demo, and wanting a different experience, check out the video below.
Gamer Herald will review the full version of Haze in the lead up to its release.
Haze - Nectar of life
ONE of this year's most highly anticipated game releases, Haze, has been touted as the PS3's answer to Halo.
With its release date of 22 May tantalisingly close, Gamer Herald got up close and personal with the nectar-laced playable demo, developed by Ubisoft, and discovered whether or not Haze is hype-worthy.
The Haze demo is a 1.5GB download, and is definitely worth the time and space on your precious PS3 hard drive.
While you're at it, download the Haze theme. It's only a 1MB file and it's easily the coolest theme on the Playstation 3 store (the newly released Manga theme is also great).
In the first moments of firing up the single player campaign, the neurons in my brain began making connections to other great titles. I felt BioShock, Gears of War and of course, Halo. Understandably, I was initially impressed.
The demo is set in a jungle-like environment (Halo 3), you instantly feel the need to rise up against the commercial company driving the storyline (BioShock) and your fellow soldiers are big, bad and entertaining (Gears of War).
You play as sergeant Jake Carpenter, a new recruit in the Mantel Global Industries army. In the demo, you battle rebels in the jungles of South America.
There is no time to catch your breath when the campaign demo begins, you are dropped into the scene of a fierce battle between soldiers and rebels and must shoot dead about a dozen of your enemies before pausing for a well-overdue tutorial.
I initially felt cheated to be given the 'how to play' spiel after what turned out to be the demo's most chaotic battle, but it soon became clear why the developer chose to do it this way.
Nectar. Sweet, sweet nectar.
Mantel Global Industries is multi-national company that specialises in bio-medical enhancements and supplements. Nectar is a nutritional supplement that allows Mantel's soldiers fight harder, smarter and longer in the heat of battle.
Nectar is what sets Haze apart from other first-person-shooters, and the game's success (or failure) will be directly linked to how well Ubisoft has intertwined the nectar concept into the game.
Soldier of Fortune - Yellow helmet style
How does the nectar work?
Mantel soldiers carry up to six 'shots' of nectar, each is delivered intravenously when you hold down the L2 trigger. In the bottom left of screen is the 'nectar meter', which fills when you hold L2 and then rapidly drains away as the soldier enjoys his 'high'.
What effect does it have?
When injected, nectar gives you a rush. A rush of speed, accuracy, determination and strength. Enemies that were once camouflaged behind thick scrub turn into bright yellow beacons. Rebels are easily spotted, and your increased accuracy allows them to be easily killed.
What else does it do?
Hmm... not much, in the demo at least. I suspect a number of other nectar benefits will be revealed when the game is released later this month. In the demo, the only real advantage of taking a nectar hit is that enemies turn into bright yellow bulbs of light.
In general, nectar is Mantel's method of keeping its soldiers from discovering the 'truth' about what they are doing and who they are killing. In a sense, it pulls cotton wool over the eyes of the soldiers. But the full extent of its implications are unclear in the demo.
Can anything go wrong with nectar?
Yes! If you hold down the L2 trigger for a moment too long, too much nectar is delivered into your bloodstream. This is not good. You become aggressive, too aggressive, the world becomes blurry and your trigger finger is uncontrollable.
I overdosed and ended up killing three of my fellow recruits. Taking too much nectar is easy to do, when in the heat of the battle, you hold L2 while shooting and running. It's easy to forget to look at the meter.
Haze allows gamers to control both soldiers and rebels. What will you choose?
Within three minutes of demo playing, I was addicted to nectar. The developer has cleverly designed the enemies to be hard-to-see without sipping some of the good stuff. You'll find yourself wanting nectar more and more as the demo progresses.
Then, all of a sudden, you'll hold the L2 trigger and nothing happens.
You've exhausted your supply.
It's a weird sensation. It must be like a smoker, who puffs through two packets a day, running out of cancer sticks. I instantly became nervous during the demo, and refused to tackle the next batch of rebels without more nectar.
I resorted to stealing a shot from one of my team mates. This can be done by pressing and holding square when standing next to a soldier.
Nectar aside, and based on post-demo impressions, Haze won't revolutionise the FPS genre. It certainly looks promising and playing through the demo was thoroughly enjoyable. The game hinges on the concept of nectar, and whether or not it will make the game more interesting, and more playable.
At this stage, I'm a believer.
In the full version, gamers will also have the chance to play as rebels, and fight back against Mantel and its addictive wonder-drug. Rebels will use their knowledge of nectar, and its adverse side affects, to fight back against the soldiers.
Will the chance to turn the table on Mantel be Ubisoft's ace up the sleeve? We'll soon find out!
For those playing through the demo, and wanting a different experience, check out the video below.
Gamer Herald will review the full version of Haze in the lead up to its release.
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Comment by Ann 2
Muzikal Mafia
Canadiens Watch
Football Slate
Comment by Shaun Inguanzo
Blogocratic Nightmare
Free Radical has always said that Haze would be different, and it has played down comparisons to other franchises.
Ann 2 - I think Haze will shine online, and at least give us something to do before Resistance 2 or Killzone 2
Comment by Ann 2
Muzikal Mafia
Canadiens Watch
Football Slate
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Glen Atwell
Computer Game
thanks for your input!!!