Support NeoGAF

[AltogetherAndrews]

Haze, the new AAA shooter from Ubisoft and Free Radical, puts players in the boots of a new recruit in the privately run Mantel army. Set in the year 2048 in a world where Governments have outsourced military operations to Private Military Corporations (PMC), you play a newly enlisted soldier seeking fulfillment and thrills by fighting for a good cause.

As the leading PMC, Mantel Global Industries offers a high-tech arsenal of vehicles, deadly weaponry, and on top of that a performance enhancing bio-medical support known as Nectar. As a result, Mantel troopers are the most feared by terrorists, dictators, and the corporation’s political enemies.

Your conflict begins in a war-torn country where you have been sent to fight a vicious rebel faction, the Promise Hand. At first glance, all is well, but things quickly begin to look a little strange…


Key Features

* Impeccable FPS credentials: from the developers of the critically-acclaimed TimeSplitters series and the publishers of Far Cry and Ghost Recon® Advanced Warfighter™. Free Radical and Ubisoft have proven their ability to create innovative platform-defining FPS titles.

* Become a Mantel Trooper and fight the merciless guerrillas of the Promise Hand with the most advanced gear, the fastest vehicles, the deadliest weapons – and Nectar, Mantel’s battlefield-optimized performance-enhancing medication.

* Boost your fighting abilities with Nectar, empowering Mantel troopers with fighting abilities such as Nectar Focus, Nectar Foresight, Nectar Perception and Melee Blast. Using these skills, troopers are able to detect and avoid imminent danger as well as deliver powerful attacks in close quarters.

* Mature and compelling storyline. A tightly integrated storyline makes Haze an immersive narrative experience as well as a cutting-edge shooter.

* Cutting edge gaming technology featuring the Disparity Rendering System™ shaping the players’ views of the world on and off Nectar. Haze also features an entirely streamed experience with no loading times between levels.

* State of the art multiplayer modes. Fire up your console for online battles and choose from a variety of online modes including furious 4 player co-op action!


Official HAZE site


Playsyde/Xboxyde Gameplay clip <--- Awesome | Gamersyde diaries <--- Also awesome


Developer video diary 1 New gameplay footage, June 12

Developer video diary 3



IGN Screens | Videos | Previews | Developer Blog 1 | Developer Blog 2

The story of Haze is based around a conglomerate called Mantel, a pharmaceutical/weapons/you-name-it company that has its fingers in everything from the water we drink to the shoes we wear to perhaps even the air we breathe. Mantel even has its own private army which it uses to help quell the constant civil uprisings commonplace in this not-too-distant future.

One of Mantel's most advanced, and perhaps unstable, technologies comes in the form of Nectar, a serum that its soldiers use to heighten their senses. This ties directly into Haze's gameplay as you're able to tap into the Nectar tank on your back at any time and get a number of sensory boosts. Your aiming will be increased with a bit of lock-on help and enemies will stand out from the environment as glowing figures. Coolest of all though is the foresight that you'll gain that will warn you of incoming dangers. For instance, when a grenade lands near you you'll see a distortion wave emit from its location a second or two before it goes off, giving you just enough time to back away and at least lessen the damage, if not avoid it entirely.

While using Nectar certainly gives you an advantage in battle, it is not to be abused. Overdosing on the substance will cause you to become confused and automatically fire at anyone in front of you, and your vision becomes distorted to the point that friends and enemies alike look the same. This isn't just a downside for you as your teammates can overdose as well, and should they begin firing upon the rest of the squad, interesting gameplay scenarios open up. Do you fire back and try and minimize damage to your entire squad, or get out of the way until they calm down and hope your men do the same?

But it's not just aggressive use of Nectar that can cause you to overdose as rebels have learned to take advantage of it as well and use it against you. Nectar grenades will increase your intake, and a honed shot can puncture your tank and flood your mask with the gaseous drug.

Aside from the setup and Nectar elements, details on the story are rather sketchy. We do know that the story touches on how there really are no "good" or "bad" sides to a war, but rather differing views. We also know that your character has rather interesting visions from time to time where your surroundings will change slightly as the screen changes to black and white. The reasoning for this is hinted in the latest trailer on our video page, which you can check out right here, though we're still in the dark as to what the visions actually mean.

Gamespot Screens | Videos | Previews

As you play through the three days during in which Haze is set, you'll move seamlessly--that means no load screens--among a dozen different environments. These environments are known to include a jungle, a quarry, an observatory, a holiday resort, and a disused container ship. The first part of our demo took place in the jungle, which was the perfect locale to show off the aforementioned perception ability. As the Nectar was administered, we noticed that at least two components of the heads-up display superimposed on the screen-filling helmet visor are devoted to the substance. One indicator shows how many doses you have left, while another indictor shows the level of Nectar in your bloodstream. Other elements on the HUD included a health bar and a compass. The level of Nectar in your bloodstream is important because if you use too much, you'll overdose, which causes the screen to blur and enemies or allies to become indistinguishable. You'll also lose control of your trigger, which will automatically open fire on anyone who comes into view. Regardless of whether or not they're being controlled by the CPU or by up to three other players in a co-op game, your squadmates will be vulnerable to the harmful effects of Nectar in the same way as you, and we're told that as you progress through the game, you'll inevitably end up getting addicted.

The third and final level that we were afforded a brief glimpse of during our demo was taken from later in the game. It tasked the MGI squad with locating and eliminating a rebel chief in an industrial setting. The whole environment's appearance was almost devoid of color, and perhaps as a result of excessive Nectar use in previous locales, the action had a much grittier feel to it. This was largely down to the enemies, who screamed and writhed around on the ground in agony after being shot, which was in stark contrast to the quiet deaths that we'd seen earlier. Perhaps it's only toward the end of the game that you'll get to see the combat in Haze for what it really is because you won't be in a "haze" anymore.

Toronto Sun article

"What we're looking at is, how is war represented in games? How is it represented in the media?" said Haze scriptwriter Rob Yescombe.

"What does it mean when, as a soldier, you have to obey commands the same way you do in a video game, because you have no option?" said Yescombe, who cites movies like Apocalypse Now and Platoon as inspirations for the game's dramatic vibe.

Yescombe vows that the Ubisoft-published Haze will achieve the oft-promised but seldom-realized goal of marrying a first-person shooter game to an emotional storyline. One so engaging, he says, that it attracted top-notch talent to the game's voice cast.

"The actors in Haze are from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art," said Yescombe. "These guys are the real deal, who would never touch a video game with a f---ing barge pole."

Eurogamer preview/interview

The game will take place in 2048, a time when NATO and the UN don't exist. And because of this, most Western governments outsource their military requirements to Mantel Global Industries - an enormous army for hire.

This is where you will come in, as you jump into Sergeant Shane Carpenter's biomedically-boosted shoes and head down to South America to get rid of The Promised Hand rebels. But over the course of three-days your life will change forever.

While no specific details were divulged, Free Radical was keen to point out that this will be a mature and deep experience; one that will have you thinking long after you finish it.

"I can't say too much about it even at this stage, but it asks questions and raises issues that are worth debating long after you've finished the game," said Derek Littlewood, team leader for the game. "Visually, Haze will certainly set a new benchmark, but we believe it will also set a precedent for the quality of writing that we believe should exist in the next generation of games."

"There's more to HAZE than meets the eye, and there's certainly more to Mantel too. In fact, every aspect of the game holds a surprise, secret or twist - the storyline, the gameplay, the graphics. Nothing is safe!"

Free Radical is also adamant that your experience will be seamless, allowing you to drift from one area of the story to another, without the hassle of navigating menus and breaking your immersion.

"It's a completely seamless experience - no loading screens, no missions select screens," Littlewood added. "This was a core aim from very early on in the project, because we're trying to create a realistic, immersive game world - and there are no loading screens in real life, my friends!

"We wanted to give the player a real sense of continuity throughout the game, so rather than simply jumping from one location to another, you'll catch a ride in a Mantel vehicle to get there instead. Think of it as a road movie through a war."

TotalPlaystation multiplayer preview

* At the core of the multiplayer experience is a basic rock/paper/scissors system that helps leverage the strengths of the Nectar-addled super-solider squads of the Mantel Corporation's private army against the soldiers of the resistance (for those not in the know, leading man Nick Something starts out on the former side and switches to the other during the course of the game), but gives the more agile, adaptable resistance fighters more than a few tricks of their own to even things out.

* By introducing more Nectar into an enemy's bloodstream, whether by coating a knife in the stuff, making a grenade out of it or puncturing the Nectar tank on an enemy's back, the OD will cause them to flip out and attack indiscriminately or just loose control period.

* The resistance's ability to jump and roll with a simple double-tap of the jump button gives them a number of advantages; for instance, Free Radical found that with the flips and dives, parts of the levels that were unavailable to the Mantel troops like rooftops could be traversed by the rebels. This combined with their ability to punch a Nectar troop in the face and steal their weapon in one smooth weapon gives the rebels some serious ammo -- even if they don't necessarily have the quasi-superpowers or heavy weaponry.

* Rebels have the ability to take ammo from one gun and modify it in order to use any ammo type for any weapon. Not only does this eliminate the need to search for specific weapons, but it actually adds a deeper level of strategy in that the resistance squads can stick to one weapon for a given situation. Who wouldn't love a near-endless supply of mini-gun rounds?

* Free Radical is trying to build a system that allows for multiple uses; one example given was using a Nectar Grenade as an impromptu smoke grenade. If Mantel troops are bearing down on a rebel, he can duck into a narrow alley and drop a nectar grenade. Since running into the Nectar cloud would cause a freak-out, it becomes a shield with which the rebel can turn the tide and either make a quick escape or sneak in a couple of shots.

* Troops on Nectar see things almost like a video game; enemies that die fade out slowly while in real life they're screaming and writhing around -- or they're laying motionless and playing possum until the troop passes at which point a rebel can stop playing dead and melee a Nectar tank to send a grunt into overdrive.

Gametrailers Ubidays 07 Backstory and Nectar System Interview HD | Comprehensive video interview (Derek Littlewood & Rob Yescombe)


Kotaku Q&A


JeuxFrance Gameplay demonstration


Developer Diary 1


Eurogamer Interview


-------

New hands-on August 24th

Gamespot hands-on

Playing as a Mantel trooper for the first time, it was easy to see how you could become dependent on the "Nectar" drug that they use to augment their abilities. Enemies are easier to see, targeting becomes semiautomatic, you're able to move more quickly, and the only possible adverse side effects--which may or may not bother you--are that your vision becomes blurred, and as friends and enemies become indistinguishable, you'll literally lose control and have to watch helplessly as you shoot at anything at moves. Another odd but very much intentional side effect of Nectar is that it prevents you from seeing dead bodies--which, as we'll explain shortly, isn't necessarily a good thing in multiplayer games.

As we scoured the relatively small Jungle level, our comrades did a good job of following us when we were headed in the right direction, and also of hanging back or moving away from us when they wanted us to go elsewhere. They also did their fair share of killing, but not to the point that we ever felt inferior or unnecessary in any way. The most memorable set piece in the level saw us standing atop a cliff and watching Mantel's military aircraft drop bombs into another jungle area in an attempt to flush out the remaining rebels. They succeeded, and so by the time we had made our way down the cliff path, there were plenty of enemies waiting for us there.

The second level was set in and around a large quarry, and tasked us with driving a four-man all-terrain vehicle to the end of a long road in pursuit of a rebel boss named Skin Coat. He likes to skin his enemies and make coats from them, apparently, but it's highly unlikely that we were after the guy because of his questionable wardrobe. The Mantel vehicle was easy to drive and, in the cooperative session that we watched, it was well defended courtesy of two players riding shotgun and a third manning a gun turret. Unfortunately, our comrades in the single-player game weren't nearly as effective, and, before reaching the end of the level, we'd lost both of the guys riding shotgun. The body of the guy on the turret was hanging limply from the roof of the vehicle.


http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/haze/news.html?sid=6177238





IGN hands-on

Needless to say, thanks to all this cutting edge equipment, when playing as a Mantel soldier the action comes thick and fast. Our first mission provided us with an introduction to combat, going through the basics of Nectar use. This took place in the jungle level that's been seen a lot since Free Radical began demoing Haze to the world. However, what doesn't come across in screens or even videos is how beautiful and lush the environment is. Poppies are dotted around grassy fields (which billow as you run through them) and mildew-encrusted rocks provide handy cover during fire-fights. Plus, the explosions that send clouds of black smoke billowing into the air look amazingly realistic. The guys at Free Radical were keen to point out that Haze doesn't just take place in a jungle but, after playing through several levels in the rainforest, we're certainly not complaining if the rest of the game looks this gorgeous.

Anyway, enough talk of flowers and smoke - onto the fighting. During Mantel sections, an icon at the top of the screen (shaped like the Mantel logo) indicates the direction of your next objective. Initially, this doesn't come into play too much, given the linearity of the jungle. However, this should be handy for later levels featuring multiple objectives. Alongside this, during co-op, other icons appear display the position of your team-mates - you'll also have these when playing as a rebel warrior. These are especially useful when planning flanking attacks against foes, making quick tactical strikes beautifully simple.

Admittedly, as an early stage in the game, there wasn't a great need for tactics. However, we did get to experience the excellent gunplay: aiming feels extremely tight and sweeping over enemies to pepper them with ammo is a doddle thanks to the responsive controls. What's more, despite the rumble-less PlayStation 3, each weapon manages to convey a real sense of force and you can practically feel each round making impact with your target. In another nice, subtle, touch, all guns are weighted meaning you can see them physically lean as you change your direction. It's extra layers of polish like this that really add to the overall Haze experience.

--------------------------

Our first rebel experience was played out in a level set around an abandoned block of flats, overrun by the Mantel Corporation. It's a complete contrast to the lush jungle we'd played previously and looked more like something from the debris-heavy Ghost Recon. As the complex is full of corridors, empty rooms and balconies, you never know where the next attack might come from, meaning you're constantly ducking behind cover just in case an enemy is camping round the next corner. As with all rebel stages, progress is extremely tense thanks to your extremely powerful Nectar-fuelled opposition. In fact, in many ways, we actually preferred the taught, terrifying atmosphere of these sections compared to the free-for-all gunplay earlier in the game.

Ultimately though, there's no denying Haze is shaping up to be something special. Not only do both contrasting halves of the game hold up well on their own, the four-player co-op mode is instantly gratifying - it feels great to be backed up by a squad of people, rather than AI-controlled bots. Free Radical has a long history of creating great shooters and it looks like Haze could even go one step further than the developer's previous titles.


http://ps3.ign.com/articles/814/814150p1.html




Multiplayer videos from GC 07

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24087.html

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24088.html


Singleplayer video from GC 07 (Jungle)

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23951.html

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Screens:

And some neat concept art:

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

This game is going to be awesome. I just know it.

 

[anddo0]

Nice thread- HAZE sounds pretty damn good now that we have solid info on it

 

[bud]

the game looks pretty good but the design of the armour guys is horrible, it looks so out of place.

 

[Francias Castiglione]

Sounds interesting, but we haven't seen much of that yet to be honest.

 

[Core407]

the game looks pretty good but the design of the armour guys is horrible, it looks so out of place.

It's all about the bees.

Nectar, yellow/black armor setup, etc.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

 

[Warm Machine]

Armor design is all kinds of old school last few generations Cobra. It may fit really well in context.

 

[mckmas8808]

the game looks pretty good but the design of the armour guys is horrible, it looks so out of place.

 

[pooteeweet]

Altogether Andrews covered in semen.

 

[strikeselect]

Altogether Andrews is the Brimstone of Haze

 

[Bad_Boy]

Sounds good, looking forward to some gameplay video.

 

[MercuryLS]

Spoiler

Don't diss the new joker

 

[plagiarize]

looking good. the pedigree and 4 player online co-op has me sold already.

 

[∀ Narayan]

This has an interesting premise.

 

[Dante]

Game is georgous. Love the smoke effects.

 

[Forsete]

Looking forward to this. Looks/sounds great.

 

[agent069]

Sounds good, looking forward to some gameplay video.

http://www.playsyde.com/news_4379_en.html

 

[Bad_Boy]

http://www.playsyde.com/news_4379_en.html

thanks, looks really good/fun.
For some reason I really like the hud.

 

[PS360]

Finally, a game with virtues we can both agree on. Question, though, what is this "Dubious exclusivity" you speak of?

http://www.gameswank.com/content/view/90/1/

timed exclusive for PS3, apparently

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

I am looking foward to this game, Free Radical has yet to let me down.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Finally, a game with virtues we can both agree on. Question, though, what is this "Dubious exclusivity" you speak of?

Something that should not be talked about in this thread. Or so I hope. There's a thread for it here.

 

[mckmas8808]

4 player co-op is the shits.

 

[SabinFigaro]

Why is it that this guy looks like a middle-age Ben Stiller?

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

4 player co-op is the shits.

Those vehicles, they seat 4 people don't they?

Our second demo took place in the quarry locale and saw four Free Radicals teaming up in a co-op game. The choke points where gunfights took place were quite far apart, and to travel between them, the squad was using a black "Marine Buggy" that was somewhat reminiscent of the Warthog vehicle in the Halo series. In addition to the driver, the Marine Buggy had room for a soldier to ride shotgun on each side of the driver, as well as someone manning a rear-mounted turret. The driving sequences saw the squad coming under heavy fire, so the Free Radical that we sat with made a point of administering Nectar at one point and putting the foresight ability to good use. Every missile that hit the road was preempted by the aforementioned ripple effect emanating from what would become its point of impact, making it much easier to steer clear of them because there was very little warning otherwise. Proximity mines that lined certain portions of the dirt road gave off the same warning ripples when the demo player was using Nectar, and we suspect that the level would be almost impossible to complete without the drug. Even with the Nectar, we had plenty of opportunities to see the Marine Buggy taking damage, and by the end of the demo, it was a smoking, dented mess.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Altogether Andrews covered in semen.

Grow up.

Altogether Andrews is the Brimstone of Haze

Yeah because lord knows we shouldn't show any positive interest in games around here.

the game looks pretty good but the design of the armour guys is horrible, it looks so out of place.

I like the helmet (nice wasp thing going there when viewed from the right angle), but the yellow pads on the upper arm, that seems like overkill. It ties in with the Mantel symbolism, but it's a bit overstated.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Added some links to the OP; link to playsyde where I assume we'll be seeing some nice gameplay vids soon enough, and a link to an interview with Dave Doak at gametrailers.com. That one actually shows some vehicular gameplay, but the quality isn't the best. Gamespot also has an interview with Dave Doak, but that contains no new footage.

 

[anddo0]

Kotaku interview: http://kotaku.com/gaming/free-radical/haze-impressions-262743.php?autoplay=true

 

[Tieno]

Can't see what people have against the bee-armor, it looks quite cool with the yellow.
While the early trailers had me believe it was more satirical and Straship Trooper like, the latest media and gameplay footage gave me the impression it's more serious than comicly satirical.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

I think the satire is limited to the underlying concept, with the story itself being quite serious. It's great to see that the company seems to be approaching this new territory with this much confidence, but it's also nice to see that characters are still somewhat "stylized". And the bee armor is cool, I just don't really like the pads on the upper arms.

 

[ice cream]

Wait, so is this actually PS3 exclusive? Or is it just a timed-exclusive?

 

[Brimstone]

Can't see what people have against the bee-armor, it looks quite cool with the yellow.
While the early trailers had me believe it was more satirical and Straship Trooper like, the latest media and gameplay footage gave me the impression it's more serious than comicly satirical.

Bee-leve!

 

[thefro]

This will be pretty awesome... Free Radical = top quality

They showed with Second Sight that they can make excellent stories when they want to be serious.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Kotaku interview: http://kotaku.com/gaming/free-radical/haze-impressions-262743.php?autoplay=true

Wicked, added to first post

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

Wow, The WHOLE Demo walkthrough

http://www.jeux-france.com/news20358_haze-se-nourrit-de-nectar.html

I like their smoke effect

 

[acklame]

Wow, The WHOLE Demo walkthrough

http://www.jeux-france.com/news20358_haze-se-nourrit-de-nectar.html

I like their smoke effect

that streaming is so slow

 

[reilo]

Are those really in game?

I'm having a hard time believing that those are not touched up.

 

[Anzu]

I love the bee soldiers....

I hate the genre.....

Too many FPS games on the market :/

This needs to be damn good.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Damn, the foresight looks awesome in action. And yeah, the smoke is top notch.

 

[Systems_id]

Are those really in game?

I'm having a hard time believing that those are not touched up.

I'm hoping the only thing added to these screens are AA.

 

[reilo]

I'm hoping the only thing added to these screens are AA.

I would take that. The textures are killer.

Could this be the sleeper hit FPS of the year?

 

[JB1981]

Game looks really really nice in that Gametrailers interview.

I like the rebel vs. Mantel soldier ideas for multiplayer as well. Sounds like each side has its own set of abilities/weaknesses. Very cool.

The vehicle stuff looked like it had some nice physics work too.

I'm not gonna have enough time to play all these frickin' games this fall/xmas.

 

[cyberheater]

I couldn't see from the trailers i've seen but does the plants/grass etc... move when you go thru them ala Crysis or are they static?

 

[strikeselect]

I would take that. The textures are killer.

Could this be the sleeper hit FPS of the year?

It's PS3 exclusive, no way this game will be a sleeper :lol

 

[mckmas8808]

It's PS3 exclusive, no way this game will be a sleeper :lol

Imma be playing it like a motha.

 

[Rorschach]

Wow...looks awesome!

 

[Bad_Boy]

So is this ps3 exclusive, ps3 timed exclusive, or multi platform day one?
The ubisoft thread, the other haze thread, and this thread have me much confused.

Either way it don't matter, game looks really fun. Didn't expect it to come this year actually so it was kinda off my radar.

 

[Systems_id]

Just watched the video, game looks incredible. Too many games this fall.

 

[acklame]

So is this ps3 exclusive, ps3 timed exclusive, or multi platform day one?
The ubisoft thread, the other haze thread, and this thread have me much confused.

Either way it don't matter, game looks really fun. Didn't expect it to come this year actually so it was kinda off my radar.

timed exclusive