Author Topic: IGN reviews Haze (Read 17809 times)

Tieno · « **on:** May 20, 2008, 04:10:19 AM »

And it's a Lair killer.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/875/875229p1.html
Did not expect it to be this negative after playing the average demo. I wonder how other people will receive it, very mixed or everything in this low range. I've certainly played worse demos who's full games got far better reception (Turok, Timeshift, etc)

Quote

Haze was touted as a great PS3 exclusive from a developer well versed in first-person shooter mechanics. While Free Radical does have a solid pedigree, Haze does not live up to the company's reputation thanks to a horrible plot, weak gameplay mechanics and visuals that are truly underwhelming. While playing with friends is enjoyable, not even those are enough to bring this lackluster title around.

4.5    Presentation
A bland story with weak characters and simplistic commentaries on serious topics, Haze is a generic tale at best about war.
4.0    Graphics
Tons of visual issues abound within the game, from texture tears and non-descript environments to pop-in and odd animation problems.
5.0    Sound
Dialogue is hokey and repetitive regardless of what side you're on. Sound effects are good, but that's not enough to make you turn the volume up once you've hit mute.
4.5    Gameplay
A creative concept hampered by gimmicks, a weak story and poor AI, Haze is a disappointment from a developer well versed in shooter mechanics.
4.5    Lasting Appeal
Two player split-screen and four player co-op helps put a minor spin on the campaign, but it won't extend the replayability of the game much. Nor will multiplayer modes and its useless merit system.
4.5
Poor    OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Ubi Marketting: KoRn/10

Also don't forget to check out this embarrassing Borys thread: http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=20981.0
He locked it to save himself from the lulz, but you can do that in this thread too.

demi · « **Reply #1 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:13:43 AM »

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!

Kyle · « **Reply #2 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:14:12 AM »

damn

demi · « **Reply #3 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:24:45 AM »

Where's duckman at, this is ultimate ownage, I bet you wish you could erase all your past posts

The Sceneman · « **Reply #4 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:27:05 AM »

bomba

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:27:23 AM »

god damn.

But Killzone 2 will still be awesome, right? After all it has a cool sci-fi setting and lots of resources poured into it... *crosses fingers*

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #6 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:27:57 AM »

also, awesome work on the news posts, Tieno! Are you EB-exclusive now or what?

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #7 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:28:02 AM »

Jesus Christ.

demi · « **Reply #8 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:28:32 AM »

Who's gonna buy this? Cmon, this is Lair 2008. I'm about to go buy a PS3 just for this game alone.

Pharmacy · « **Reply #9 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:31:56 AM »

Quote from: demi on May 20, 2008, 04:28:32 AM

Who's gonna buy this? Cmon, this is Lair 2008. I'm about to go buy a PS3 just for this game alone.

me

the review is a load of shit i never usually defend a game this way

demi · « **Reply #10 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:32:31 AM »

Please post impressions or something. I need a nice laugh.

Pharmacy · « **Reply #11 on:** May 20, 2008, 04:33:32 AM »

Quote from: demi on May 20, 2008, 04:32:31 AM

Please post impressions or something. I need a nice laugh.

im trading in gta4 for it next week

will post impressions then

MCD · « **Reply #12 on:** May 20, 2008, 05:25:27 AM »

BUBUBU RARE LOST ALL THEIR REAL TALENTS TO FREE RADICAL.

Eel O'Brian · « **Reply #13 on:** May 20, 2008, 05:28:37 AM »

yeah, that demo was underwhelming, to say the least

pilonv1 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 20, 2008, 05:40:10 AM »

YEAR OF PS3

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11248702&postcount=301

Quote

IGN are a too harsh on PS3 exclusives at times.

damage control inbound

GilloD · « **Reply #15 on:** May 20, 2008, 06:48:10 AM »

Oh shizz. I love this shit.

abrader · « **Reply #16 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:36:14 AM »

Wow I was gonna by this just because I assumed it would be good.

I really have not followed it or tried the demo or know much about it.

Now ill pass. No room in my schedule for ANOTHER shooter - especially a poor one.

At least LAIR offered something different with the controls....

Fragamemnon · « **Reply #17 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:38:59 AM »

Tom Chick weighs in over at Qt3:

Quote

Okay, it's after midnight so the embargo is lifted on the review copies of Haze that went out last week.

I've played through the whole thing and as much as it pains me to say this -- I've loved most everything these developers have been doing, and I wish them all the success in the world -- Haze is utter and complete tripe. If I can prevent just one of you from throwing away money on this underdone turd of a shooter, I will be happy.

I'll have a full review online somewhere in about a week, but I care enough about you guys, and I know that enough of you guys are Timesplitters fans like me, that I just had to warn you, before it was too late. Heck, get Dark Sector, or that cool Viking game, or that cool time travel one whose name I can never remember. But trust me: this is not the shooter you're looking for.

demi · « **Reply #18 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:39:04 AM »

It's ok guys, this may still be a monster hit. GoldenEye got a 4/10 too back in the day!!!

Quote

With early reviews for Haze looking good (Famitsu 34/40 and Italian PSM 9/10), it came as a bit of a shock when IGN bestowed a dreaded 4.5/10 on the game in their review this morning. In curiosity, PSU.com contacted Rob Yescombe of Free Radical to hear what he had to say.

"My thoughts are "Owch". No, wait - MEGAowch," wrote Yescombe. "Haze has had mixed reviews, but even GoldenEye got a 4/10 when it first came out. With a 9/10 in the Italian PSM, and an extremely positive review in Famitsu, we're looking forward to people playing Haze and making a judgment for themselves."

demi · « **Reply #19 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:40:27 AM »

The time travel game is TimeShift, btw

abrader · « **Reply #20 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:42:47 AM »

Hmm the Famitsu score intrigues me....

pilonv1 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:43:05 AM »

lol demi - he's recommending Viking over Haze

demi · « **Reply #22 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:43:52 AM »

I'm not so sure about Viking over Haze, I mean I really hate Viking.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:45:33 AM »

haze must be turning point levels of shite then.

shame its ps3 only, with a 5hr campaign it would be easy achievements

tiesto · « **Reply #24 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:48:14 AM »

Why did people care so much about this game to begin with? It looks like the definition of generic FPS...

Fragamemnon · « **Reply #25 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:52:12 AM »

Quote from: tiesto on May 20, 2008, 07:48:14 AM

Why did people care so much about this game to begin with? It looks like the definition of generic FPS...

Third party PS3 exclusive from a team with a pretty darn good track record. I don't think people thought that in the end the game would be bad-maybe medicore, probably good, but not outright BAD like it seems to have turned out.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #26 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:52:59 AM »

Quote

"It's about what's happening in the world today - it's ludicrous, and how can you make something that doesn't reflect that? Well, you could bury your head in the sand and make Halo 3, but the fact of the matter is there are more important things at stake." -- Rob Yescombe, Haze scriptwriter

owned

Beezy · « **Reply #27 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:09:25 AM »

Holy shit, what's going on at Free Radical? How could they make such a bad game?

MCD · « **Reply #28 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:18:19 AM »

pilonv1 · « **Reply #29 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:22:32 AM »

Rman · « **Reply #30 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:23:17 AM »

Wow. That's a low score. I expected more in the 6 range. And this from score inflation happy IGN.

Kyle · « **Reply #31 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:24:33 AM »

Quote from: demi on May 20, 2008, 07:39:04 AM

It's ok guys, this may still be a monster hit. GoldenEye got a 4/10 too back in the day!!!

Quote
With early reviews for Haze looking good (Famitsu 34/40 and Italian PSM 9/10), it came as a bit of a shock when IGN bestowed a dreaded 4.5/10 on the game in their review this morning. In curiosity, PSU.com contacted Rob Yescombe of Free Radical to hear what he had to say.

"My thoughts are "Owch". No, wait - MEGAowch," wrote Yescombe. "Haze has had mixed reviews, but even GoldenEye got a 4/10 when it first came out. With a 9/10 in the Italian PSM, and an extremely positive review in Famitsu, we're looking forward to people playing Haze and making a judgment for themselves."

whatdog.gif

GoldenEye 007 got 10s/9s and "A"s in every website or a gaming magazine.

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages4/197462.asp

I'm thinking PSU.com has a tengu restaurant-like story once again.

Darunia · « **Reply #32 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:31:40 AM »

Quote from: McDragon on May 20, 2008, 08:18:19 AM

[img]http://i30.tinypic.com/2r6fjw8.gif[img]

abrader · « **Reply #33 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:40:01 AM »

Whoa - i think i just noticed that Korn does the soundtrack?

If I would have known that i woulda been turned off long ago.

Korn?

Darunia · « **Reply #34 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:49:40 AM »

McDragon, did you make that gif?

MCD · « **Reply #35 on:** May 20, 2008, 08:51:46 AM »

Quote from: Darunia on May 20, 2008, 08:49:40 AM

McDragon, did you make that gif?

nope.

saw it here: http://www.forgotten-gamer.com/forums/index.php?s=9966804662af4f32c554c678adda6764&showtopic=111849

MCD · « **Reply #36 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:06:25 AM »

Pastor Gubble is Francias Castiglione?

hehe...

Hitler Stole My Potato · « **Reply #37 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:07:27 AM »

Shocking. Totally shocking.

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #38 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:11:35 AM »

wow, who could have EVER seen this coming

next thing you know, Too Human will turn out to be a 6.5 game!

disgruntled_jojo · « **Reply #39 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:38:43 AM »

Quote from: McDragon on May 20, 2008, 08:18:19 AM

(Image removed from quote.)

Raban · « **Reply #40 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:43:11 AM »

omg that gif is so awesome

duckman2000 · « **Reply #41 on:** May 20, 2008, 10:42:50 AM »

Quote from: demi on May 20, 2008, 04:24:45 AM

Where's duckman at, this is ultimate ownage, I bet you wish you could erase all your past posts

Not really. I was mostly interested in the game before they actually showed it. The game sounded cool as hell, when all you had to go by were the comments of the script writer. :/ Contrary to popular myth, I was mostly posting news threads and arguing with idiots who provided garbage commentary.

I'm not buying this review though. For one, it's fucking IGN. Second, for as generally meh as it was, the demo played well enough. And while this may have been poorly presented (trusting the TS developers with this was probably daft), it seems as if that the "finer" point of Haze, parodying killfest attitudes in movies and games, is somewhat lost on IGN. And the visuals of the demo certainly didn't warrant a 4, not from IGN.

CurseoftheGods · « **Reply #42 on:** May 20, 2008, 10:50:12 AM »

duckman2000 · « **Reply #43 on:** May 20, 2008, 10:56:53 AM »

Quote from: Beezy on May 20, 2008, 08:09:25 AM

Holy shit, what's going on at Free Radical? How could they make such a bad game?

They seem to have stepped outside of their comfort zone, and probably got in over their heads with these war themes. I'm tempted to post some early impressions and interviews with the scriptwriter, but really, I should have known better than to trust the TS developer to make a game of this type. I thought for sure they would at least have nailed the gameplay and multi-player stuff.

There was a slight moment of hope when Edge had some positive things to say about the game, but that was quickly washed away when the demo hit. Damned shame.

Grecco · « **Reply #44 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:07:00 AM »

totally expected. Hopefully they go work on TS4 now.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #45 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:10:03 AM »

I think they have been working on that for a while. Not that I care, I've never liked Timesplitters. But at least that's familiar territory for the developer.

MrSingh · « **Reply #46 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:20:15 AM »

Up next, Killzone 2.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #47 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:43:01 AM »

On the upside, maybe Yescombe won't be allowed to be the company spokesperson from here on.

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #48 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:44:53 AM »

I had my doubts about this game, but I never expected THIS. Good Lord. $:-\$

FancyFeast · « **Reply #49 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:52:15 AM »

http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=20981.0

Borys, closet Stard confirmed.

Stop fronting Borys we know your posts on this forum are a RUSE.

FancyFeast · « **Reply #50 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:52:49 AM »

Quote from: duckman2000 on May 20, 2008, 11:43:01 AM

On the upside, maybe Yescombe won't be allowed to be the company spokesperson from here on.

Are you currently 2nd in command?

FancyFeast · « **Reply #51 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:53:59 AM »

Quote from: duckman2000 on May 20, 2008, 11:10:03 AM

I think they have been working on that for a while. Not that I care, I've never liked Timesplitters. But at least that's familiar territory for the developer.

You didn't even LIKE Timesplitters yet you hyped this game till the ends of the earth?

God you are a fucking joooooooooooooooooke. Go buy this game.

hyp · « **Reply #52 on:** May 20, 2008, 12:10:32 PM »

i'm renting this bitch, i'll give y'all the real talk impressions when i get it.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #53 on:** May 20, 2008, 12:27:27 PM »

I was considering making it a rental, but I don't know if I'll even bother at this point. The IGN review skimmed the multiplayer stuff, have other reviews said anything more about that component?

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #54 on:** May 20, 2008, 12:31:12 PM »

rsx budget gpu

only the POWER OF XENOS can transform this ugly-ass duckling into a beautiful maiden-violating avatar of zeus

spoiler (click to show/hide)

no it can't, this game is unsalvageable if even tom chick can't pretend to like it

[close]

duckman2000 · « **Reply #55 on:** May 20, 2008, 12:36:17 PM »

Who is Tom Chick?

And yeah, apparent tech issues aside, it seems like FRD plain doesn't have what it takes to make the transition from goofy kill-em-down FPS to a serious-minded "critical eye on the horrors and media exploitation of war" type of shooter in a graceful manner. Even disregarding the IGN review, the demo suggested as much. Still, these guys should at least be capable of designing fun (if dumb) multi-player stuff in their sleep, so I don't know what in the hell went wrong here.

Oh well, back to dreaming about what could have been with Heartland, hadn't it been ditched by the bigwigs.

huckleberry · « **Reply #56 on:** May 20, 2008, 12:39:20 PM »

The PS3 has kept chugging along for a 1.5 years now without a real killer game list.

We are almost into June....year of PS3 is fading quickly.

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #57 on:** May 20, 2008, 12:49:43 PM »

I know you guys are having fun w/Duckman but don't forget about Mundane.

http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=20438.0

it's awesome, totally delivers

it takes the tired linear FPS genre and injects the right little touches here and there to deliver a great experience

graphics are surprisingly nice, it's all very smooth and clean, pretty detailed at places, framerate is rock-solid, character models look great and are very well animated

the interface is good, the nectar element is well implemented

I love the voice acting, the atmosphere, the odd premise and the humor, Free Radical in full glory again! even if it plays like a run-of-the-mill FPS it's now clear that they will deliver an above-average product

the full game can't come soon enough, give me more!

hyp · « **Reply #58 on:** May 20, 2008, 12:56:25 PM »

http://www.avclub.com/content/games/haze

avclub review - C+

duckman2000 · « **Reply #59 on:** May 20, 2008, 01:04:03 PM »

Worth playing for: Playing as a Rebel provides one of the game's more gratifying moments. Create a Nectar grenade, then lob it into a nest of Mantel Troopers. Any Troopers caught in the ensuing cloud of gas will turn on their own kind. Pull up a chair and let the rogue soldiers do the dirty work for you.

This is one of those jackhammer things I've never really come to terms with. If the effect of nectar overdose is that you either flip out or just can't see who you're targeting, then it doesn't make sense that you'd just fire wildly. It also doesn't make sense that you'd turn specifically against your own team mates. If you've lost track of who you're targeting, shouldn't anyone be fair game? That is, if you avoid taking the reasonable action and actually hold your fire a bit until you've gotten your own situation under control. Nectar is such a botched idea. And if we buy the Nectar idea, the really, for a corporation that is claimed to be massively resourceful, it sounds like Mantel has developed and implemented a drug that is a serious liability to its own operations. Which would be plain weird.

News:

Author Topic: IGN reviews Haze (Read 17809 times)