Year of PS3 more affordable than ever - Haze hits the bargain bin in record time

[Howard Alan Treesong]

http://kotaku.com/5014115/haze-gets-bargain-binned

GameStop's weekly ad reveals that the games retailer is moving copies of Haze for the low price of $39.99, a $20 drop from the suggested retail price it launched with less than three weeks ago.

the power of CELL accelerates sales cycles to beyond the infinite

[Rman]

ouch.

[Crushed]

Now if only it did that for the console itself amirite

[disgruntled_jojo]

I remember when this game was being touted as a 'Halo Killer'.  Tsk, Tsk.

[duckman2000]

There really needs to be a thorough Haze postmortem at some point. There's such a remarkable distance between concept and execution here that I'd wager that this postmortem would be quite invaluable.

[Grecco]

I wanted to post this. Damnit. Late. Hilarious thoug

[disgruntled_jojo]

Can anyone remember a system with such a shit lineup?  I give it another year before Sony pulls the plug.

/shrug

I have a PS3 and a 360.  I turn on the PS3 every day, I only even hook up the 360 once a month or so, when some exclusive or XBLA title comes out.  I only own 1 360 game, I own 4 PS3 games. /shrug

[Hollywood]

Too bad it didn't beat the record, currently held by every SEGA made since 2001.

[disgruntled_jojo]

I have a ps3 as well, but I can't think of good reason I do have it, outside of sshd which is a downloadable game.  If I was any good at rythm games I would most likely buy the ps3 version of Rock Band, considering the 360's awesome habit of breaking.

Ah, that's the reason that three of my four PS3 games are multi-platform games I chose to buy on PS3 instead of 360!

And yes, Rock Band is the reason I turn it on everyday.  But this is getting off topic.

Haze, WTF???  I agree, a postmortem is needed for this game.  I want to know how it got from what they were saying it would be to what it became. And why someone didn't put on the brakes and force it back for reworking before they released it.

[T234]

FUK YOU HOLLYWOOD

REMEMBER STEVE KRAGTHORPE

[duckman2000]

It was being touted as Halo killer by the script writer.

Not really, but close enough. Both him and the project lead did reference Apocalypse Now though, something I think is far more severe than claiming to have a more thought provoking story than Halo. That, and I don't think they researched narcotics and performance enhancing drugs well enough, as Nectar seems like a downright idiotic and completely unrealistic "combat enhancer".

[duckman2000]

Using drugs in combat is certainly not unheard of, true. I just don't think this particular drug makes sense, and its strengths do not seem even remotely great enough to counter the obvious downsides and risks, risks that in themselves would seem unacceptable for a corporation, whether the corporation is bent on armed world domination or not. I think it's an idea worth exploring even in games (the alleged distortion of reality was one of the reasons I was excited about the game), but from what little I've played of Haze, it seems like another poorly thought out idea. A poor man's Crysis nanosuit, really.

[AdmiralViscen]

It'd be nice if this happened with some other PS3 games. Too many of them are still $60, I can pick up 360 games from 2007 for $20-30. Blue Dragon, Overlord, Crackdown, PGR4, Forza 2...

[disgruntled_jojo]

I think it's an idea worth exploring even in games (the alleged distortion of reality was one of the reasons I was excited about the game)

Same.  I've been waiting for a long time for someone to grab the insanity effects idea from Eternal Darkness and actually integrate it well into a game.  It was a cool concept but was neutered by the actual gameplay design in ED.  I was hoping Nectar would cause you to hallucinate in much more interesting ways.

[siamesedreamer]

I don't feel bad for Sony, but I feel bad for Ubisoft and the development team.

But, seriously...what's better - Haze or Timeshift?

[duckman2000]

I don't feel bad for Sony, but I feel bad for Ubisoft and the development team.

But, seriously...what's better - Haze or Timeshift?

How could anyone feel bad for Ubi? The company has been absolute pricks with everything regarding Haze, from muddying up target platforms to getting fucking KoRn involved. Horrendous marketing and general handling of this game. I'm not feeling particularly bad for FRD either; I certainly don't wish failure on anyone and I'm sure there are plenty of people who did their best and in some cases even a good job, but FRD was quite vocal about the supposed strengths of its game, and failed to deliver on promises made. It's a shame it didn't turn out well because the base concepts are very interesting, but it's just plain not a good game.

Postmortem, please.

[Joe Molotov]

Less than a month and they've already cut the price? It must have put up Beyond Good and Evil numbers.

[siamesedreamer]

How could anyone feel bad for Ubi?

Dude I love Ubi. Might be more nostalgia from last generation because this gen they've taken a step or two back. But, I pretty much buy everything they put out.

[Hollywood]

FUK YOU HOLLYWOOD

REMEMBER STEVE KRAGTHORPE

BCS baby. 7 of 9 vs. the Kitty Cats. 

[Mupepe]

I never kept up with this game.  What exactly did they promise that was so revolutionary?

[chronovore]

How could anyone feel bad for Ubi?

Dude I love Ubi. Might be more nostalgia from last generation because this gen they've taken a step or two back. But, I pretty much buy everything they put out.

You and me both. Well... almost everything. 187 Ride or Die...? Word, up MAH 二99AHZ!

[Hollywood]

Is anyone exactly that broken up about Sony failing? They've been about as arrogant as it gets the past 10 years, now they're taking it up the ass. 

[Great Rumbler]

How could anyone feel bad for Ubi?

Dude I love Ubi. Might be more nostalgia from last generation because this gen they've taken a step or two back. But, I pretty much buy everything they put out.

Their output on the Wii and DS has been terrible. Plus they say one thing about casual games and then deliver something completely different.

I really liked Ubisoft from last generation, but they've been all over the place this time around.

[crimsondynamics]

I really liked Ubisoft from last generation, but they've been all over the place this time around.

Not that I am particularly fond of this company from any generation, but I think they are all over the place because the variety of strengths and weaknesses of this generation's consoles have been pretty much all over the place.

[Van Cruncheon]

Their output on the Wii and DS has been terrible. Plus they say one thing about casual games and then deliver something completely different.

how is this bad

[Mupepe]

I love Ubi for Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed

[Van Cruncheon]

assassin's creed

[Cravis]

Actually what I believe they were referencing the common practice in the Air Force of giving pilots speed to up their reflexes and keep them alert, so it's not that far off, just poorly, poorly implemented.

I'm on that same stuff prescribed by a doctor. It kicks ass. I take 200 mg a day and I'm good to go. The Air Foce gives their pilots 600 mg and it keeps them at peak alertness and accuracy for up to 40 hours without sleep.

[crimsondynamics]

I'm on that same stuff prescribed by a doctor.

What is this stuff? Sounds better than the 6 cups of coffee I drink every day to stay awake in the office.

[Cravis]

I'm on that same stuff prescribed by a doctor.

What is this stuff? Sounds better than the 6 cups of coffee I drink every day to stay awake in the office.

It's called Provigil. I used to stay tired all the time. Take way too many naps. Sleep too late. I wasn't depressed or anything I just couldn't get enough rest. They thought I might have sleep apnea but no dice. Did the whole over night sleep stuff where they hook you up to every monitor imaginable. They couldn't find anything so they prescribed that for me. I take 200 mg when I wake up and if I start to get tired I take 100 more and I'm good to go. I have so much freakin' energy some days it's not even funny.

[crimsondynamics]

Awesome. Thanks for the info.

Now I know exactly what to ask for. Drinking so much coffee every day can't be good for me. I'm not even sure if it really does anything to me anymore.

[Great Rumbler]

Their output on the Wii and DS has been terrible. Plus they say one thing about casual games and then deliver something completely different.

how is this bad

It's bad because they release games that are terrible. Who wants to play games that are terrible?

[Van Cruncheon]

so stop owning a ds and a wii and instead play good games

[demi]

I love Ubi for Beyond Good & Evil 2

Beyond Good & Evil 2

[Great Rumbler]

so stop owning a ds and a wii and instead play good games

Why would I want to stop owning systems that have games that I like to play?

[Flannel Boy]

I used Provigil/Modafinil last year; it worked pretty well.

[crimsondynamics]

so stop owning a ds and a wii and instead play good games

Why would I want to stop owning systems that have games that I like to play?

Because they also have games you don't like to play? 

Then... we wouldn't own any consoles!

[Mupepe]

Again, can someone name these revolutionary features that Haze was supposed to have?

[Jansen]

I don't feel bad for Sony, but I feel bad for Ubisoft and the development team.

But, seriously...what's better - Haze or Timeshift?

timeshit. without a doubt.

[chronovore]

i totally want to buy Haze, but it has maintained it's price in japan due to stellar sales with some people talking about it breaking the 300 barrier this week (cumulative)

Man, just fess up and admit that you purchased 10 of those 300 copies yourself, in an effort to boost Japanese market perception!

[siamesedreamer]

timeshit. without a doubt.

Yikes...

[Mondain]

It's still 59 bucks on the main GameStop site, probably just a temporary sale or something.

I've played through the whole thing, Haze is actually entertaining. I liked the campy atmosphere and characters that Free Radical was going for. The game definitely has its moments. I loved the last few missions and the way it ended especially, although the last boss fight wasn't challenging and long enough. I don't understand why it would be deserving a 5/10. Some missions, like the one where you pursue the rebel leader in an old abandoned factory, when you try to escape through an empty hotel, and the one where you must save the bombarbed village, are truly great. It deserves a good 7.5/10 or even 8. It's definitely a lot more entertaining than Blacksite or Turok. There's nothing broken about it, there's not a single bad level either. It's exciting from beginning to end, even if it only lasts for 7 hours or so. Why did people make a big deal about having to push switches or repetitive one-liners from NPCs?

Yes in the end it's very linear, standard shooting, and it takes too much inspiration from Halo, and the low-rez shit sucks, but it's definitely a decent offering.

[Smooth Groove]

Yet Mundane thinks Bioshock is the worst game ever.  Biased. 

[Mondain]

I would like games like Bioshock more if there weren't so many fetch quests, so much backtracking, and if there wasn't always someone telling you exactly what to do and how via an intercom at every single insignificant step

there's too much dialogue all the time and too much hand holding, leave me alone and let me appreciate the creepy atmosphere and levels on my own dammit

[MCD]

after the twist, bioshock gets unbearable.

[chronovore]

I would like games like Bioshock more if there weren't so many fetch quests, so much backtracking, and if there wasn't always someone telling you exactly what to do and how via an intercom at every single insignificant step

there's too much dialogue all the time and too much hand holding, leave me alone and let me appreciate the creepy atmosphere and levels on my own dammit

I don't mind backtracking in moderation; I like revisiting areas and encountering new things in them. But I agree that I'd like to just steep in the creepiness more than having constant interruptions from Atlas/Otakon/Fiona...

[Bildi]

I love Ubi for Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed

Plus they've got Prince of Persia and BG&E2 coming up, both of which are likely to be awesome.

Ubi

[abrader]

While I havent finished HAZE - so far I agree with Swastico's comments on the matter.

I also agree with his take on Bioshock....Bioshock is badass untill you find vending machines that dispense drugs that give you supr powers

Also the "circus of value"

It kinds pisses me off, Bioshock has a great premise and amazing art direction. They could have kept rapture, the bigbrothers/little sisters and the steampunk security systems and had an amazing game...the super hero powers and stupid vending machines ruin it for me.

Having said that I will buy it again on PS3 as its collection worthy - just not the end all of video games.

[evilromero]

Less than a month and they've already cut the price? It must have put up Beyond Good and Evil numbers.

And surely it has nothing to do with the market being flooded with brown/monochrome FPS games. Nothing.

[Smooth Groove]

Having said that I will buy it again on PS3 as its collection worthy - just not the end all of video games.

I'm sure the PS3 box will make it much better.   

[Kestastrophe]

I also agree with his take on Bioshock....Bioshock is badass untill you find vending machines that dispense drugs that give you supr powers

Also the "circus of value"

the super hero powers and stupid vending machines ruin it for me.

How is BioShock badass until you get superpowers (which is almost immediately at the start)? The entire premise of the game is that objective idealists, who think of selfishness as a virtue, chose to improve themselves, with one of those ways being plasmids that give superhuman powers. If you missed this then you clearly missed the point of the game and the entire context of the story.

Also, how do the vending machines ruin the game? The game was very well balanced in terms of providing the player with currency and ammunition and I fail to see how vending machines mere presence ruins the experience.

Don't get me wrong, I am not calling this game the best ever or any other kind of hyperbole. The points that you try to make just seem really unsubstantiated and ignorant. It almost seems like you just watched someone play through different parts and then formed an opinion based on that.

[abrader]

Having said that I will buy it again on PS3 as its collection worthy - just not the end all of video games.

I'm sure the PS3 box will make it much better.   

I have no idea - but i do not play X360 anymore so it is my only option.

I would like to finish the game - i just think it could have been 30x better without the cheese.