Haze - Free Radical's new game (yet another FPS)

[Loke]

Official website

May 10, 2006 - Ubisoft is taking another step into the next generation with Haze, a new first-person shooter from TimeSplitters creator Free Radical. The game will mix near-future combat with "stunning visuals," advanced artificial intelligence, and realistic physics.

Haze takes place 25 years in the future, when governments outsource military operations to corporations. Players take the role of Jake Carpenter, a new recruit in the Mantel army, which fights with an arsenal of vehicles, weapons, and bio-medical enhancements. Your mission begins in South Africa, where you must quell a rebellion - though evidently the story only grows more complex from there.

Free Radical is creating Haze "from the ground up" for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. In addition to advanced visuals and physics, the game will offer multiple online modes, including co-op play.

IGN

 

[el Chi]

The game will mix near-future combat with "stunning visuals," advanced artificial intelligence, and realistic physics.

Sorry, which FPS are we talking about?

takes place 25 years in the future

Check.

governments outsource ... to corporations

Check.

Players take the role of ... a new recruit

Check.

bio-medical enhancements

Check.

you must quell a rebellion

Check.

It looks very pretty (nothing like lush jungle foliage to rape your frame rate), but it sounds pretty Generic Shooter 3. Oooh, I'm just so cynical.

 

[A True Canadian]

Believe it or not, the most encouraging thing I see from those screens is the brightness. FPS games recently have been way too dark for my liking, which makes Haze look all the more better.

 

[Sainku]

It looks very pretty (nothing like lush jungle foliage to rape your frame rate), but it sounds pretty Generic Shooter 3. Oooh, I'm just so cynical.

Yeah, but do those other games feature blatant misuse of HDR like this one?

 

[Cerpin]

I will buy this just for the pretty graphics.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Golly, you mean corporate armies aren't a good idea?
I'd better travel back in time to 1995, when that idea was unique.

It looks pretty good graphics, but I started to get tired of this type of rehashery after Timesplitters 6: Adrian's Revenge.

I guess it is innovative in that the actual environments in the game are out to kill you. That second screen shows the palm fronds glowing with energy before they blast the player with their beam attack.

 

[JNightshade]

Well, no wonder it's bright. The game's name is Haze, ffs

Anyway, yeah, it's pretty, but pretty damn generic as well.

 

[DeusExMachina]

I love Free Radical. TimeSplitters 3 was fun as hell and hilarious.

I expect Haze to entertain me.

 

[Loke]

Well, I'm not surprised it's going to offer co-operative. If it's anywhere similar like in Timesplitters then I'm all set.

 

[Asknoone]

Looks nice. Sounds poo.

 

[Dekstar]

It looks very pretty (nothing like lush jungle foliage to rape your frame rate), but it sounds pretty Generic Shooter 3. Oooh, I'm just so cynical.

I thought exactly the same thing when reading that :|.

It's like some sort of developer bandwagon.

 

[DeusExMachina]

The game was just announced, it's only general details. There's obviously going to be a lot more :|

 

[PriNcE oF SpAcE]

they could at least have found another name for the main character...

Jake Carpenter vs. Jack Carver ... duh!

looks pretty but nothing we haven't seen before(Far cry mainly) sounds rater boring so far.

 

[CptStern]

wahnahnahnah wahnahnahnah ... purple haze in my brain, lately things don't seem the same, actin' funny but I don't know why 'scuse me while I kiss the sky ..BWANAHNAHNAH ...

man I got the munchies

 

[Remus]

Meh, this game leaves me cold, from the screens it looks like a Far Cry clone. BTW I want Crysis! End of discussion.

 

[Ennui]

Free Radical made Timesplitters and is formed from ex-Rare employees, most of whom were part of the core team for Goldeneye and Perfect Dark.

That means they've made my three favorite (rather, the only three I play) FPS console franchises.

That means I'm buying this game, because they have hardcore oldschool FPS down to a science.

 

[A True Canadian]

they could at least have found another name for the main character...

Jake Carpenter vs. Jack Carver ... duh!

Yep. It's so close that it's hilarious, actually.

 

[Reginald]

Maybe they're doing a spoof of modern shooters? That would be quite interesting. Because I woudn't have thought they would be making a game quite SO similar to Crysis.

 

[smwScott]

Free Radical is far and away the best console FPS developer. Not only that, Second Sight was a damn good third person stealth/shooter as well. I look forward to all their games, they've yet to disappoint.

 

[ailevation]

"Hippies make rebel game"

 

[Gray Fox]

The HDR is used perfectly in this game, it fit's the setting a lot.
But to be honest the fps of free radical haven't really evolved enough in gameplay since goldeneye to really interest me much. But on the other hand, Cortez is my favoriete main character of all time. He is the main char from timesplitters 3:future perfect.

 

[Ennui]

The HDR is used perfectly in this game, it fit's the setting a lot.
But to be honest the fps of free radical haven't really evolved enough in gameplay since goldeneye to really interest me much. But on the other hand, Cortez is my favoriete main character of all time. He is the main char from timesplitters 3:future perfect.

they don't need to evolve the gameplay, its stellar as it is

 

[Gray Fox]

they don't need to evolve the gameplay, its stellar as it is

When IMO they do, it's very simplistic and outdated,like in the goldeneye days. I'm used to more, even from arcade shooters.

 

[Cole]

You know whats a fun game?
Goldeneye. Turn off Auto-Aim, use that Crosshair, and throw ya in a multiplayer map.
Few games later throw on Throwing Knives and License To Kill. I own at that lol when using the solitary control style. C buttons for moving(left and right are strafe) and analog for look.

Almost feels like a keyboard and mouse.

 

[DeusExMachina]

Free Radical is far and away the best console FPS developer. Not only that, Second Sight was a damn good third person stealth/shooter as well. I look forward to all their games, they've yet to disappoint.

Hell yes. Second Sight was a damn good game and that plotwist I totally didn't see coming at the end.

 

[Reginald]

Hell yes. Second Sight was a damn good game and that plotwist I totally didn't see coming at the end.

QFMFT!

That is one thing I would love to see... a Wii sequel. Imagine physically moving items with the Wiimote XD

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Maybe they're doing a spoof of modern shooters?

That's what the last three Timesplitters games were. :-o

 

[Asuka]

Looks good not nearly as good as Crysis but good. Would need some videos to get more interested. Theres just so much i cant keep up.

 

[Evo]

Timesplitters dev's? Im in

Cheesy? So what, if it's fun to play then gimme

 

[Ennui]

free radical has been the only developer for console that has ever made an fps that i dont get annoyed with the controls at... and this is on pc, so im excited.

 

[VictimOfScience]

You guys who are pumped for this one are so lucky!! I wish I could get happy about this one but I feel anything but excited about it. It looks damn trite to me...;(

 

[Bad^Hat]

Goldeneye yet remains my favourite console shooter of all time, and I never even owned an N64. But this looks so... generic.

One thing that struck me in particular was the weapon design. I really hate when "semi-futuristic" games go overboard with this. If they don't look and feel realistic, it's a real immersion buster for me (the exception being a game like Unreal - it's all in the title).

Take Halo for example. The weapons look futuristic, while still being simplistic enough to seem functional and realistic. Whereas something like this, it just looks like they've tried to shove as many polygons onto the thing as they can fit to make it look complex, but it just comes off looking like a fugly piece of plastic to me.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Trailer - http://files.filefront.com/Haze+E3+2006+Trailer/;5054959;;/fileinfo.html

Looks very meh to me =/

 

[hungryduck]

wEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, the NEXT HALO KILLER> OH MAN.


another bland shooter.