Game

[Borys]

.

[Brehvolution]

How can we forget it if a new thread is made for each review.

[Mondain]

I'm going to go rent it tonight, hopefully the video store's received it

[Smooth Groove]

I'm going to go rent it tonight, hopefully the video store's received it

Biased

[MCD]

[youtube=425,350]k5kZEgMcJfk&fmt=18[/youtube]

[cool breeze]

That was a very positive video review.  The guy basically says that half the game is brilliant and half the game is dog shit.

[duckman2000]

I recently went through posts on the official Haze forum, and comparing what the game (allegedly) contains to comments made by FRD staff in regards to Haze, it's really quite a sad read. Something clearly went terribly wrong when the game was moved from concept to production. And it really doesn't seem like it's something that could have been salvaged with yet more delays.

Still, and I'm really referencing other reviews here, the vitriol is becoming hard to stomach. When a game succeeds, there seems to be no end to the seemingly joyous hatred that is poured over the game, and I don't get that. If it's bad, tell this to potential customers, but some of these reviews seem down right malicious. The ego piece system that masquerades as a buyer's guide system these days is ridiculous. It reminds me of some of the reviews for Advent Rising.

[Mupepe]

t'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!

I'm going to go rent it tonight, hopefully the video store's received it

 

[duckman2000]

I don't really pity anyone here. FRD made a bad game, that's about all there is to it. Whether it's purely the fault of the studio or if it was somehow a joint Ubi/FRD failure is really irrelevant. Live and learn, do better next time. I certainly don't pity those who jumped on the "hype" train only when the topic of PS3 exclusivity came into play. I just don't get how it warrants the level of spiteful and nearly hateful commentary that some of these reviews are providing. It's as if these gasbags forget what it is that they are reviewing, and that what they are reviewing is made by actual people.

[demi]

I recently went through posts on the official Haze forum, and comparing what the game (allegedly) contains to comments made by FRD staff in regards to Haze, it's really quite a sad read. Something clearly went terribly wrong when the game was moved from concept to production. And it really doesn't seem like it's something that could have been salvaged with yet more delays.

Still, and I'm really referencing other reviews here, the vitriol is becoming hard to stomach. When a game succeeds, there seems to be no end to the seemingly joyous hatred that is poured over the game, and I don't get that. If it's bad, tell this to potential customers, but some of these reviews seem down right malicious. The ego piece system that masquerades as a buyer's guide system these days is ridiculous. It reminds me of some of the reviews for Advent Rising.

You lost, son

Advent Rising > Haze

[Mupepe]

I don't really pity anyone here. FRD made a bad game, that's about all there is to it. Whether it's purely the fault of the studio or if it was somehow a joint Ubi/FRD failure is really irrelevant. Live and learn, do better next time. I certainly don't pity those who jumped on the "hype" train only when the topic of PS3 exclusivity came into play. I just don't get how it warrants the level of spiteful and nearly hateful commentary that some of these reviews are providing. It's as if these gasbags forget what it is that they are reviewing, and that what they are reviewing is made by actual people.

Because in the end, these "journalists" are nothing but fanboys anyways.  That's why they forget.  They have no integrity to begin with.

[Mondain]

So you praised this game and you didn't even buy it?

I don't buy short games, or games that don't have any offline replay value, that's all there is to it

[Kyle]

[youtube=425,350]k5kZEgMcJfk&fmt=18[/youtube]

HALO 3

[Van Cruncheon]

maybe ps3 owners should suck it up and buy better hardware -- a pc or even a 360 -- instead of hyping substandard exclusive crap like this and killzone 2

[Kyle]

Professor Prole

[cool breeze]

maybe ps3 owners should suck it up and buy better hardware -- a pc or even a 360 -- instead of hyping substandard exclusive crap like this and killzone 2

I would suggest getting a new PC.  While you are missing out on two of the 360s best games, Dead Rising and Crackdown, pretty much everything else worth getting on PC.

[Pharmacy]

maybe ps3 owners should suck it up and buy better hardware -- a pc or even a 360 -- instead of hyping substandard exclusive crap like this and killzone 2

so i get to choose between a pc or a watered down pc?????

[Grecco]

The whole KORN thing marketing seems unreal now. Who will benefit from this?

Neither KORN no Free Radical that's for sure. Nor will Ubisoft.

ubi swept it under the rug. The song or Korn or Johnathan Davis is nowhere in the actual game.

[duckman2000]

So, with this and Army of Two in mind, do you think developers are just plain underestimating the audience? Looking at the original trailer for this, I was wholly expecting sharp satire, and as I recall, most of those with an early interest in the game saw that same quality. Instead, it seems as if FRD delivers commentary on war morality and such with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. And while the first Ao2 trailer was foreboding and somber, complete with an Eisenhower speech, the end result is at best very blunt satire. You'd think this industry would be large enough by now to support a "high-profile" game with plenty of action but that actually treats gamers like adults.

Army of Two trailer:

[Cormacaroni]

Half-Life? Bioshock? CoD? GTA?

All of which handily outsold Army of Two and no doubt Haze. If the public keep letting their wallets do the talking, I'd say we're ok.

[duckman2000]

COD, really? Seems like your standard good vs evil stuff to me. Very well written and presented, but pretty standard stuff anyway, certainly nothing emotionally stirring there.

[Cormacaroni]

YMMV obviously.

I have actually wept at the end of COD games (1 & 2), mostly because it made me empathize even more with the subjects of Band of Brothers (the book, which is one of my favorites). Why introduce moral ambiguity into a conflict that actually was 'good vs. evil'? (not just talking about COD4 here...). There is nothing patronizing or non-adult about the series though - the 1st person execution that opens COD4 is a slick piece of adult storytelling, as is the nuke scene to name a few.  It's not Catch 22 but then Catch 22 would be a horrible game.

[AdmiralViscen]

So, with this and Army of Two in mind, do you think developers are just plain underestimating the audience? Looking at the original trailer for this, I was wholly expecting sharp satire, and as I recall, most of those with an early interest in the game saw that same quality. Instead, it seems as if FRD delivers commentary on war morality and such with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. And while the first Ao2 trailer was foreboding and somber, complete with an Eisenhower speech, the end result is at best very blunt satire. You'd think this industry would be large enough by now to support a "high-profile" game with plenty of action but that actually treats gamers like adults.

Army of Two trailer:

Yea, it's really lame.

Sometimes I feel like we got more of what you're talking about back when gaming was supposedly niche and for kids.

[Smooth Groove]

Why can't the PS3 do proper fire effects?  Uncharted also had some of the sorriest looking explosions this gen. 

[TVC15]

This game is SUPREMELY bad.  I still don't think it's worse than Lair, but it's still pretty bad.  The presentation is embarrassing.  The voice acting has that "we hired people off the street" quality to it, and the snigger-worthy writing doesn't do them any favors.   It's Army of Two bad, but at least that game didn't take itself as seriously.

The gameplay is the definition of mediocre.  It might be the most mediocre FPS I've played in recent memory.

[duckman2000]

This game is SUPREMELY bad.  I still don't think it's worse than Lair, but it's still pretty bad.  The presentation is embarrassing.  The voice acting has that "we hired people off the street" quality to it, and the snigger-worthy writing doesn't do them any favors.   It's Army of Two bad, but at least that game didn't take itself as seriously.

The gameplay is the definition of mediocre.  It might be the most mediocre FPS I've played in recent memory.

Which makes the whole Shakespeare deal all the more humorous. Not that I'd ever advise anyone to use stage actors for anything other than throwing eggs at, mind you. I found it near impossible to stomach Heavenly Sword.

[Smooth Groove]

This game is SUPREMELY bad.  I still don't think it's worse than Lair, but it's still pretty bad.  The presentation is embarrassing.  The voice acting has that "we hired people off the street" quality to it, and the snigger-worthy writing doesn't do them any favors.   It's Army of Two bad, but at least that game didn't take itself as seriously.

The gameplay is the definition of mediocre.  It might be the most mediocre FPS I've played in recent memory.

Don't you get it?  It's all part of being a parody, according to Mundane. 

[Smooth Groove]

Haze definitely.  Too Human can at least do DX8 fire effects. 

[Mupepe]

This game is SUPREMELY bad.  I still don't think it's worse than Lair, but it's still pretty bad.  The presentation is embarrassing.  The voice acting has that "we hired people off the street" quality to it, and the snigger-worthy writing doesn't do them any favors.   It's Army of Two bad, but at least that game didn't take itself as seriously.

The gameplay is the definition of mediocre.  It might be the most mediocre FPS I've played in recent memory.

Which makes the whole Shakespeare deal all the more humorous. Not that I'd ever advise anyone to use stage actors for anything other than throwing eggs at, mind you. I found it near impossible to stomach Heavenly Sword.

Heavenly Sword VA and motion capture was awesome

[duckman2000]

Yeah, great dramatic stuff there, no overacting there for sure. It's time for stage actors to realize that their time has come and gone, that their medium is dead and that they too should be dead.



And because I feel like being a fifth columnist today, enjoy the insanity.

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7551024144/m/4981035166

I realized even when posting there that there is a certain, er, quality to an official game forum, but I don't think I've ever come across quite this level of denial on any message board. And that includes having observed cubites dealing with Double Dash receiving that infamous 7.9.

[Mupepe]

Yeah, great dramatic stuff there, no overacting there for sure. It's time for stage actors to realize that their time has come and gone, that their medium is dead and that they too should be dead.

I dunno, but I thought with a lot of the jokes like the whole "don't call me daddy" thing and the general lighthearted nature of the dialogue from the villian and his lackeys it was supposed to be a bit cheesy for the most part.  It was awesome.  It was really like watching flamboyant play and I'd be surprised if it wasn't supposed to come off that way.

[dark1x]

Why can't the PS3 do proper fire effects?  Uncharted also had some of the sorriest looking explosions this gen. 

Err, it obviously can.  The system uses a DX9 class nVidia chipset so it is technically capable of anything within the realm of DX9 (which is basically everything right now).  That is common sense.  It all comes down to how the developers choose to render fire.  Just one example off the top of my head would be Devil May Cry 4.  The first major bosses is completely on fire (as is the surrounding town).  It looks fantastic and runs at 60 fps.

I never did understand why Naughty Dog went with the type of fire seen in Uncharted, however.  Everything else places it among the most impressive console titles yet released, but those explosions just really don't look all that good.  It's clearly an artistic decision, but not one I agree with.

I dunno, but I thought with a lot of the jokes like the whole "don't call me daddy" thing and the general lighthearted nature of the dialogue from the villian and his lackeys it was supposed to be a bit cheesy for the most part.  It was awesome.  It was really like watching flamboyant play and I'd be surprised if it wasn't supposed to come off that way.

I agree.  I really didn't much care for Heavenly Sword (the framerate was painful), but the actual cutscenes were supremely entertaining.  Way over the top, for sure, but still very enjoyable.  There really isn't anything else quite like it on the games market today.  It's a shame it was wasted on a mediocre game with a god awful framerate.

[Joe Molotov]

The theory: Microsoft paid off major US reviewers to rate Haze badly.

The proof: Microsoft has a lot of money, and could easily pull this off.

I'm sold.

[duckman2000]

The theory: Microsoft paid off major US reviewers to rate Haze badly.

The proof: Microsoft has a lot of money, and could easily pull this off.

I'm sold.

That's not even the worst of it. Not surprisingly, they are clinging to Famitsu, and every other critic is either paid off or just doesn't get it, man. I can totally relate to wanting a much anticipated game to be good, but this is something else.

[dark1x]

The theory: Microsoft paid off major US reviewers to rate Haze badly.

The proof: Microsoft has a lot of money, and could easily pull this off.

I'm sold.

That's not even the worst of it. Not surprisingly, they are clinging to Famitsu, and every other critic is either paid off or just doesn't get it, man. I can totally relate to wanting a much anticipated game to be good, but this is something else.

Who are these people that are supposedly claiming that Haze is actually a GREAT game that is only being treated unfairly by the media?  From what I've read, the people that purchased the game all seem to think it's mediocre.  Every game is going to have a few nut jobs singing its praise, but there really haven't been many.

It's like everyone is standing around talking about fans and hype that don't actually exist.  :\  The "hype" was hollow promotional material that everyone has scoffed at from the beginning.

I just can't imagine anyone could seriously believe that MS would pay off reviewers in order to damage a games reputation (especially a game like this).

...and, no, I'm not actually defending this game.  I just find it amusing that people are getting worked up over these phantom fanboys.

[duckman2000]

Who are these people that are supposedly claiming that Haze is actually a GREAT game that is only being treated unfairly by the media?  From what I've read, the people that purchased the game all seem to think it's mediocre.  Every game is going to have a few nut jobs singing its praise, but there really haven't been many.

It's like everyone is standing around talking about fans and hype that don't actually exist.  :\  The "hype" was hollow promotional material that everyone has scoffed at from the beginning.

Did you follow the link I posted? I'm specifically talking about that forum.

[Smooth Groove]

I'm with Duckman on HS's terrible voice acting.  HS has some of the most annoying characters in history. 

Everyone was a distinguished mentally-challenged fellow, literally, except for Nariko and her dad.  SMH at the people there that thought it'd be a good idea to incorporate Turner syndrome into
character designs.  No wonder even Sony gave up on that shit company. 

[dark1x]

Who are these people that are supposedly claiming that Haze is actually a GREAT game that is only being treated unfairly by the media?  From what I've read, the people that purchased the game all seem to think it's mediocre.  Every game is going to have a few nut jobs singing its praise, but there really haven't been many.

It's like everyone is standing around talking about fans and hype that don't actually exist.  :\  The "hype" was hollow promotional material that everyone has scoffed at from the beginning.

Did you follow the link I posted? I'm specifically talking about that forum.

Oh shit, I totally missed that link.  I was talking about more...reputable forums.  Official forums always have crap like that. 

[duckman2000]

Who are these people that are supposedly claiming that Haze is actually a GREAT game that is only being treated unfairly by the media?  From what I've read, the people that purchased the game all seem to think it's mediocre.  Every game is going to have a few nut jobs singing its praise, but there really haven't been many.

It's like everyone is standing around talking about fans and hype that don't actually exist.  :\  The "hype" was hollow promotional material that everyone has scoffed at from the beginning.

Did you follow the link I posted? I'm specifically talking about that forum.

Oh shit, I totally missed that link.  I was talking about more...reputable forums.  Official forums always have crap like that. 

Of course. But it was actually sort of enjoyable to hang out there; people were discussing the concepts of the game with the developer, a pretty open atmosphere. Then the exclusivity bullshit happened, and everything went to shit; bunch of Sony fantards joined, and a bunch of people who had been looking forward to the 360 version felt understandably jilted. Not that it wouldn't have crashed eventually, and obviously quite a bit of the stuff blurted out by the dev team on the board has now emerged as ripe bullshit, but the system war crap is really a fucking rot. It's fun to engage in ever so often, but when it consumes everything, then it's really lame.

[duckman2000]

If anyone still gives a shit, GT put up its review. Couple of things. God damn, the vehicle levels look terrible. That flamethrower, on the other hand, doesn't look that fucking terrible. Maybe it's a case of having to see it for yourself. And check out 6:22 for the dumbest looking vehicle footage you'll ever see.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/34404.html

[Joe Molotov]

The theory: Microsoft paid off major US reviewers to rate Haze badly.

The proof: Microsoft has a lot of money, and could easily pull this off.

I'm sold.

WHAT ??

Sorry... but I thought you were a brighter fellow AV.

LOL, that was from the Official Ubisoft Forums's Haze Conspiracy thread.
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7551024144/m/4981035166

[AdmiralViscen]

The theory: Microsoft paid off major US reviewers to rate Haze badly.

The proof: Microsoft has a lot of money, and could easily pull this off.

I'm sold.

WHAT ??

Sorry... but I thought you were a brighter fellow AV.

huh?

[Pharmacy]

decided im going to buy turok instead

[Joe Molotov]

decided im going to buy turok instead

It's probably better. Turok is totally generic, but at least it's not actively terrible like Haze sounds like.