Graphics

Much has been reported about the graphics in Haze over the last few days, and it's to my great regret that I have to say that it's true.

The graphics are, at best, mediocre and certainly not representative of what should be possible on such a powerful console as the PlayStation 3. As well as running at standard definition resolutions, the graphics themselves are lacklustre and dull. Textures are low-res and repetitive and the detail levels are very low for something that should be a next-gen showcase. Graphics in the jungle areas lean more towards the original Far Cry than Crysis.

All is not lost though, and there are areas which do excel. One example is at the beginning of the rebel storyline where you follow a swarm of fireflies through a murky, misty swamp. The fireflies glow and light trees and other plants as they move through the jungle and is a little glimpse of the game that Haze should be.

Still, the weird thing is that you're following a swarm of fireflies in the first place – and so one of the best looking sections of the game doesn't really have any place in what is essentially a science-fiction story.


One of the real let downs in the graphics arena is the flamethrower. Rather than using realistic looking flames as every game for the last couple of years has managed, Haze eschews technology for a very poor looking sprite-based flame. Seriously, I could have done better with my eyes closed using a bunch of crayons. What's even worse is that the effects of the flamethrower extend far beyond the end of the flames, so even if it looks like you're nowhere near, you will catch on fire.

Another letdown is the animation sequence when the Nectar dispenser reboots. Text scrolls up the bottom of the screen, but this text is blocky and poorly aliased and only serves to show up the limitations of the graphics in the game. I’ll say it again; for a machine that is clearly the most beefy of all the consoles, Haze is a real disappointment.

Conclusion

For a game that's had so much hype surrounding it, Haze should have been the perfect game. The problem is that few games rarely live up to the hype, and Haze falls firmly into that category.

Nectar should have been an important part of the game, but instead it comes across as just another gimmicky power-up. It makes the opening sections of the game far too easy and appears to disappear in the rebel sections of the game, only to be used as an artefact to drive the plotline forward.


The storyline itself is hackneyed and feels lazy in its execution. The tale of the corporate stooge who joins the rebels to bring down the corporation has been done before and, more importantly, it's been done far better. There are a few clever twists and turns to the tale later in the game, but not enough to drag the story out of mediocrity.

Taken as a run-of-the-mill FPS, Haze certainly isn't dire, but on the other hand it never really reaches the heights to which it aspires. At around six or seven hours to complete, there's not really enough in the single player game to keep you coming back after the first play through. You might play it again in co-op mode, but even the multiplayer games aren't enough to get you hooked.

Haze could have been so much more, but it falls short on so many levels. The game feels unfinished, as though it has been pushed out of the door six months early. Depressingly, it might be that another few months of spit and polish could have produced the game that the hype promised.

Then again, perhaps not. Maybe every game studio is destined to produce a game that they're embarrassed about. If that's true, then Haze will be hiding at the back of Free Radical's closet for a long time to come.