Free Radical Design's Haze was not a good game. After being delayed multiple times, the futuristic first-person shooter landed with a thud. Part of that can be attributed to the developer's struggle coming to grips with PlayStation 3 hardware.
Maybe it's because I don't really read newspapers anymore. Maybe it's that I just never noticed it. But I didn't realize that like the New York Times, Blockbuster has gotten into the bestsellers business.
Timesplitters and Haze developer Free Radical Design has found financial sanctuary in German developer Crytek, who is reported to have purchased the struggling Nottingham, UK dev for an undisclosed amount.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--RDLV1gkF--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17mxqu7pijicmjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--UfwnpI09--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17mxqu7pijicmjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--jGaVs1tW--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17mxqu7pijicmjpg.jpg, (large)])
Well, that didn't take long. 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. That could be very telling of its retail performance if GameStop is already slashing prices on…
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--LpqKP0-q--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17mx9k58kglxijpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--mUKJm2XX--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17mx9k58kglxijpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ZoH4d67P--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17mx9k58kglxijpg.jpg, (large)])
A year ago you couldn't look at a list of PlayStation 3 killer apps without seeing Free Radical and Ubisoft's Haze right up there towards the top. Promising cutting edge visuals, a deep story, and the unique power of the nectar, a drug that gives soldiers superhuman abilities, Haze seemed destined to become one of the …
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--7XIcgnsf--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17mx6rui2kye2jpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--H4ejjxJd--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17mx6rui2kye2jpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--eRN-ci0J--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17mx6rui2kye2jpg.jpg, (large)])
Ubisoft's Haze is a futuristic first person shooter from developers Free Radical Design.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--7mKdNYe9--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17mx634n8hru9jpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--df3rKBzJ--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17mx634n8hru9jpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--KeyQD_or--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17mx634n8hru9jpg.jpg, (large)])
While the PlayStation.com blog says that Haze runs at 720p, the game's creative lead Derek Littlewood begs to differ, saying the game runs at 576p, letting the PS3 upscale the game. Says Littlewood:
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--gdzdMJ56--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17mx4qucv3pdmjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--jVAkisVz--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17mx4qucv3pdmjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ApG5e1n1--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17mx4qucv3pdmjpg.jpg, (large)])
I'm about to beat feet to a Sony Computer Entertainment America related event, so who knows what I'll be playing this day. Hopefully, something exciting! For the rest of the weekend though, I'll be hunkering down with a PlayStation 3 and a copy of Haze, racing to shoot my way through Ubisoft's first person exclusive…
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--5zIEEY5---/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17mx16hejoyogjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--yHhbsxAj--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17mx16hejoyogjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Brqscrv---/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17mx16hejoyogjpg.jpg, (large)])
Europe is already knee deep in Haze demo enjoyment, but North Americans will get their fill of Ubisoft's first person shooter starting tomorrow. That is, provided that your fill of Haze is the game's first level and a sampling of drop-in, drop-out four-player co-op. It may have the most hyphens of any PS3 game to date. …
In this "mature-rated" video Jonathan Davis of Korn talks us through his decision to write a song about Ubisoft's upcoming shooter Haze. It is the first time he's ever worked on music for a game. To prep he said he watched the trailer about fifty times. What? Ubi didn't give him any gameplay love!
