Haze demo labelled “a complete mess”
Having gotten his clammy paws on the demo taster of Ubisoft’s and Free Radical’s futuristic first-person shooter ‘Haze’, Neil Springer of Wham! Gaming has declared that the outlook for the (timed) PlayStation 3 exclusive is “not so good” despite tantalising trailer footage that would seem to suggest otherwise.
Specifically, Springer’s limited time with Haze revealed that the use of NECTAR, the game’s core bio-medicinal substance, had little obvious effect on gameplay beyond rendering the screen with coloured streaks and making enemies considerably easier to kill, which he points out isn’t particularly satisfying.
Conceding that NECTAR’s implementation could likely be more influential the further the player progresses throughout the game, Springer also criticises the demo’s combat tutorial, which popped up while he was already immersed in breakneck action, and was “akin to teaching an aspiring boxer how to punch only after the opening bell.”
It would appear that the hands-on opportunity enjoyed (or not, as the case may be) by Springer didn’t afford him time with the multiplayer component of Haze, which will apparently host up to 24 online players. But, on the evidence of what he did play, Wham’s man was forced to label Ubisoft’s one-man-against-a-cruel-multinational-corporation-with-aspirations-of-world-domination (yawn) as “a complete mess.”
While not tarring Springer with any particular brush of condemnation, his rather brief ‘preview’ doesn’t offer any worthy information on the game’s graphical prowess, its aural oomph, how the character performs, the control integration, environmental atmosphere, or the variety of in-game weaponry… so placing too much concrete credence in this sole opinion is perhaps to be avoided ahead of previews offering genuinely thorough coverage.
Still, it does succeed in taking the shine off a game that certainly looks like a promising addition to Ubisoft’s portfolio, which invokes a sense of trepidation that can often serve well in an industry where trailers can often hide a multitude of destructive sins.
Want to know more about Haze? Check out this Walkthrough trailer clip, courtesy of GameTrailers.com.
Umm UBIsoft, nuff said.
Let me guess. This guy saw a stand with this game running on it that someone abandoned and grabbed the controller… playing a bit, demo restarted and he got the tutorial. That doesn’t mean the demo was a complete mess, just that a cup of coffee would have been a better idea for him before placing judgment.
looks like just another FPS. you need to play the multiplayer portion to find out if the game is worth buying or not.
BioShock? multiplayer doesn always make or break a game. If this game has a solid singleplayer(the gameplay seems good. I got to play it at a local gaming expo, rAge) then its worth it for me
in the demo the tutorial does come after about 30 seconds of fighting, so hes right. also, nectar literaly just lights up enemies and dats it really
I found the demo to be distinctly average both in terms of graphics and gameplay. There was nothing new and I agree the whole Nectar addition isnt really an addition at all. I remember being a bit disapointed by the graphics in Halo3 and again feel the same on this PS3 title, actually its worse. I could just about live with it if the demo provided anything else to get excited about but sadly it didnt. I’ll wait for the full game reviews I think.
@ Guy. apparently you didn’t play the demo. Nectar makes the enemies easier to see as well as makes you move a lot faster and greatly improves melee damage.
Adding onto dudeman’s post,
Nectar also makes you super strong so when you do a melee attack, the enemy goes flying due to force of impact. Also, there are warning ripples of any future dangers, such as where a grenade has just been thrown. Try throwing a grenade when you are on Nectar and you will see ripples on the ground as a warning due to Nectar. Its one of those small things that isn’t usually noticed but can be helpful if you recognise it during the game.