The haze is slowly lifting from 'Haze'
Recently EuroGamer spent some time with the "mature" shooter Haze, which will lead on the PS3 later this year and show up on Xbox 360 and PC at some point. Haze is the first-person shooter from Free Radical (Time Splitters) that'll allow for four-player co-op missions. Rob Yescombe, who wrote the script for Haze, says the game has been built around a script, rather than just throwing players into various FPS situations and figuring out the story from there. You play a soldier working for the Mantel Corporation who produce "the rubber in your shoes, the ink in that pen, the gel in your hair. They're involved in it all." Your character is sent on a mission in South America where the lines between good guys and bad guys blends. Yescombe says, "We're not doing a John Wayne war movie; we're trying to do Apocalypse Now. It's not a war-game; it's a game about war."
Some of the minor points of the game is that it's built on a completely new engine. They plan never to leave the first-person perspective, so it'll be like Half-Life. The main character is on a drug called Nectar which messes with their physiology and the suit that he wears actually filters out the horrors of war (charred bodies, screaming and general unpleasantness). Beyond the story, there will be 24-player multiplayer online matches. We'll be sure to get some hands-on time of Haze at E3 in a few weeks and get a better idea of the "mature" war subject and story.












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike @ Jun 5th 2007 6:11PM
I could imagine a pretty shocking scene where the suit malfunctions and suddenly the player is surrounded with dead and dying people screaming in pain. I'm definitely interested in where this game might be headed.
Shiro @ Jun 5th 2007 6:12PM
Huh, I thought "Apocolypse Now" was some Hawaiian band or something. Meh.
On topic: Man, I love me my Free Radical. But how will people react to the violence censor via "supersuit-horror-filtering"? Most people who play FPS's enjoy that stuff, right? I hope people won't disregard what should be an amazing game because of that.
Remember people said they wouldn't buy Red Steel because of a lack of blood? (The fact that Red Steel was rushed is beyond the point).
noid @ Jun 5th 2007 6:14PM
Im assuming Sony threw a lot of money at Free Radicle for this to be a timed exclusive. This game looks awsome unfortionatly Ill have to wait for the Computer version because there is no way im spending my hard earned money on a ps3.
Spitkicker @ Jun 5th 2007 6:14PM
Filters out the horrors of war? Damn I have got to get this game. Hurry up and release it for 360..fuck the PS3. We could use a couple more shooters that actually try and convey the horror of war instead of just trigger lust in most FPS games.
Shiro @ Jun 5th 2007 6:14PM
Oh, I see. Mike totally got what I didn't. D:
Yeah, that would actually tie in with what the PR guys have been saying about this game not being pointless.
J8675309 @ Jun 5th 2007 6:16PM
Sounds outrageously awesome, but I still see that GAMEPLAY difference between this, FarCry, and Crysis.
J8675309 @ Jun 5th 2007 6:17PM
^ *Don't see
Matt B @ Jun 5th 2007 6:19PM
By 'Horrors of War' I hope they mean flying limbs and dismemberment and gore that nauseates. Its the only thing lacking from a great FPS.
Extinction @ Jun 5th 2007 9:34PM
"Im assuming Sony threw a lot of money at Free Radicle for this to be a timed exclusive."
Nope. FRD has a long history with Sony, and decided "they were sick of all the Sony bashing and wanted to lend a hand to Sony" cause they need all the help they can get.
Geist @ Jun 5th 2007 7:40PM
Oh man this reminds me of a game from ages ago, some sort of adventure game where you and a team of men are sent to a world that you're told is filled with horrible insect creatures, and you're supposed to kill them all. Well, you arrive, start killing these things, and then your suit malfunctions, and it turns out you were killing other human-like people all along, with 'filtering' software on your suit blocking it out.
Damned if I can remember what it was called, though.
ExMcloud @ Jun 5th 2007 8:43PM
This reminds me of Crysis which I hope is awesome honestly the PS3 can have this crap they need it..Its a shame its only a timed exclusive oh well...I just hope its not another Black remember this the same stuff they said and we all know how Black turned out
TheAmazingBanana @ Jun 5th 2007 8:36PM
A suit that blocks the horrors of war from the users? Where have I heard that before? Oh right, most mobile suits in the original Gundam universe had this feature (actually filtering out unpleasantries, just like the suit in haze will do). It's a good concept, I just hope they won't ever attempt to call it a new one. Actually, if you get right down to it, filtering out unneccesary things has become a war staple nowadays in real life. Tanks and fighter jets have HUD's designed to be more arcadey than real, and to keep the end user from getting shell shocked.
Hope this game lives up to it's hype.
dustandechoes91 @ Jun 5th 2007 8:44PM
Ever since i first saw a story for this in a PSM in my doctors office(i dont know why, but my doctor gets around 10 pc/gaming mags)and i though it was awesome. Every week or two, theres some new update for it, and it makes me want it even more.
Devre @ Jun 6th 2007 12:35AM
You can see the filtering of the horrors of war here: http://www.gametrailers.com/umwatcher.php?id=70699 Also shows all the nectar abilities and 4-player co-op.
I must have this game :P