Haze (2008) (VG)

Director:

David Doak

Writer:

Rob Yescombe (writer)

Release Date:

20 May 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Plot:

Twenty-five years into the future. Governments have outsourced military operations to private multi-national corporations...

Plot Keywords:

Futuristic | One Word Title | Drug

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Pepe Balderrama
Ramon Camín
Ernesto Cantu	...	South American Rebels (voice) (as Ernesto Leszek)
Bertie Carvel	...	Shane Carpenter
John Chancer
Daniel Curshen
Jot Davies
Rupert Degas	...	Various
Rupert Evans	...	Duvall
Derek Hagen
Sean Knopp
Aleks Krotoski
Eric Loren
Noah Lee Margetts
Qarie Marshall
Lucy Middleweek
Asier Newman	...	Amargeet
Mikey O'Conner
Francisco Orjales-Mourente
Carlos Riera
Jay Simon
Jonathan Venguer	...	Pico
Ed Weeks
Nigel Whitmey
Andres Williams

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA (2007)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Free Radical Design

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Jake Carpenter: They told me I would be the best. They gave me the best weapons. They gave me Nectar.

Fun

The problem with Haze is quite simply the hype that preceded it. If you pick it up with no expectations, you get a simple but fun FPS with a nice online component and a reasonable story and graphics. If you expect it to be a "Halo killer" or the best FPS of all time, you'll be disappointed and you will hate it. Haze starts with you as a soldier working for Mantel Corporation, in a not so distant future. Governments don't have armies anymore and Mantel has stepped in, hired to maintain order around the world. The game takes place in a South American country, where ethnic cleansing is going on and where Mantel is trying to save the people from an evil dictator. Mantel soldiers not only have better and more powerful weapons they also have Nectar, a drug that makes them stronger, quicker and fearless. The first third of the game is all about Nectar. When you push L2 you get a shot of the drug which makes enemies shine, gives you more health and gives you an edge in most situations. Soon enough you see that Mantel is not so innocent and you will then turn on your fellow soldiers and join the rebels. You then lose Nectar but gain other abilities like the agility to dodge bullets or playing dead. You can also plant grenades on the floor, as traps or steal a Mantel's soldier's weapon by pressing R2 and then square. These are not bad abilities but the game takes Nectar away too soon and you miss it. Nectar is fun to use and some of the rebels attributes are somewhat useless. For example, you can steal weapons but expect to die most of the times you try it. Another problem with the game are the vehicles which are not very easy to control, sometimes being downright frustrating. The graphics are from average to bad. With Uncharted or CoD4 you really expect more and Haze is not even close to it. The gameplay is where the game shines. The guns are fun to use and the controls are tight. You can also customize all the controls, if you wish. Simply put, the game is fun. You also have online co-op with 3 other players which works flawlessly. Players come in or leave, seamlessly and everything works perfectly. It's really entertaining to play with other people by your side. There's also the usual Team Death Match and there's a mode called Team Assault where you play as the rebels or Mantel soldiers and where you have objectives to achieve such as preventing a Nectar field from being burned or Nectar crates in the caves, from being destroyed among others. The game is easy, even on harder difficulties and at about 7 hours, not very long. The AI also has problems and could have used more work but is not bad enough to break the game. The story is overly simplistic and underdeveloped but if you look closely, there's actually a message to it. The acting goes from acceptable to abysmal. Some fault also goes to some lines which are almost unbelievably bad. Haze is in its essence an average game. Its gameplay shines and nothing about it is really bad. A good online component and a fun and rewarding shooting mechanic make it a good bet for fans of the genre. Take is for what it is. It's an entertaining, flawed but very enjoyable experience. I loved it.