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Haze dating game video makes us uncomfortable
With Free Radical's Haze set to finally step out of the fog this week, we figured there was nothing that could come along and make us feel uneasy about the oft-delayed FPS again. And then this video showed up to remind us all that the universe is not without an unique sense of humor. The video, a mock dating game between UK Fragdoll Kitt and a pair of devs fresh off Ubisoft's nectar-filled shooter, is a stern reminder that just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should.
Haze PSN demo hits in Europe, coming to US tomorrow
It's been a long time coming, but Ubisoft's Free Radical-developed shooter, Haze, has finally been given the demo treatment, with the publisher sending word that a single and multiplayer-flavored demo is now available over PSN in Europe and that the same hors d'oeuvre will make the rounds in the U.S. starting May 8. As if offering apology for Haze's numerous delays, the demo will include both a sampling of the game's single player campaign called "Salva Region," as well as "drop-in drop-out" co-op multiplayer for up to four players online or over a LAN, or with two players via split-screen. We're sure that there is some "coming out of the haze" joke to be made here, but honestly, after months of waiting we're simply all joked out.
Ubisoft reneges on Haze release date
Forget what Ubisoft announced yesterday about Haze clearing for a May 22 release; now the game's release is back to the full month of May. It's become so convoluted that we can't keep Haze's release date saga straight anymore, but at least there are firm answers about the game's PS3 exclusivity ... oh, wait.We're starting to wonder if the marketing department at Ubisoft isn't on its own form of Nectar (the psychotropic drug in Haze). It really shouldn't be this hard to craft a message on one game's release date and exclusivity.
Haze PS3 exclusivity clouds over ... again
And the dance goes on. The ongoing question of is it or isn't it regarding the PS3 exclusivity of developer Free Radical's upcoming FPS Haze continued this morning with reps from publisher Ubisoft back peddling on an earlier report that the game would never show its face on the Xbox 360. In a new report by CVG, Ubi has 'clarified' things, stating that the game will simply remain an exclusive to Sony's platform "for now." Well now, we're glad that's clear as mud.While the game was originally announced for both consoles as well as the PC, reports have gone back and forth for some time now as to whether or not the game would be released for multiple platforms, with this latest development seeming to lend weight to the game being a timed exclusive. Even so, with Haze's PS3 release fast approaching and the game still failing to impress when shown during this month's Play.com in London, the big question should not be whether or not the game makes it other platforms, but rather if anyone will care.
Haze delayed again, to clear in next fiscal year
The name chosen for developer Free Radical's oft-delayed FPS Haze has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. While we were almost ready to get excited for the game to make its retail debut sometime before April, publisher Ubisoft broke news (and gamers' hearts) today by once more pushing the game out until an unspecified time during the coming 2008-09 fiscal year (read: after April).The game's release date has become something of a running gag in certain circles, with Haze originally expected for the holidays before being brushed aside for what we were told was a final bit of spit polish. It would seem, however, from this latest news that Haze was in fact more sullied than previously believed. If there is one ray of sunshine to cast on this gloom it's that the delay has caused Ubisoft to raise its guidance for coming fiscal year to €1 billion (or nearly $1.5 billion in Earth currency) up from the €975 million previously forecast – though we're doubtful that Ubi's financial wherewithal will comfort those of you who have been told once again to wait your turn.
Haze release still hazy, but Ubisoft says before April
An actual release date for Haze is slowly becoming clear, in so much as we've now got a three month window to focus on. Ars Technica spoke with Ubisoft who confirmed that the game is expected between now and the end of March (for you fiscal calendar trackers that's Ubisoft's Q4).The release date of Haze has certainly kept up with the game's name. Originally expected for the holidays, the title was mercifully delayed for what Ubisoft says was to "put the final touches to the game." More recently there were rumors of a possible January release, which finally lead to Ubisoft giving this Q4 window -- but we've had a confirmed release date before, so hopefully by the time the Nectar causing this ridiculous release experience wears off the game will be out.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Haze on track for December release
Free Radical's first-person romp through cutting-edge war, crippling drug addiction and nebulous PlayStation 3 exclusivity agreements is on track for a December arrival, reports Gamasutra. Publisher Ubisoft has confirmed a European release for December 14th, noting that America can expect to receive Haze within the same merry month (online retailers currently list it for December 4th). Haze looks to be the last major FPS of the year, and had best hope its vaunted script and gameplay guarantees a spot at the illustrious table already seating BioShock, Call of Duty 4, Metroid Prime 3, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Halo 3 and TimeShift Crysis. %Gallery-6686%
TimeSplitters 4 in the works, hopefully coming to Wii
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo_wii/TimeSplitters_4_Coming_to_Wii'; Free Radical Design has confirmed that TimeSplitters 4 is under development as we speak. And, before you ask, yes we were in the middle of consuming a tasty beverage before reading the news, only to spit it out in a moment of sheer surprise/ecstasy all over our laptop. Good chances are it could very well make its way onto the Wii, as both the folks at Free Radical and us want it to grace the system. If you've got fingers, we suggest you cross them for the next indeterminate amount of time.[Via Cubed3]
Who could make Halo 4? MTV's Stephen Totilo speculates
There's a bit of bubbling on the internets that post-Halo 3, Bungie and Microsoft might split ways. This is seeming more and more unlikely, but if it were to ever happen, Microsoft would most likely retain rights to their FPS cash cow, and the milking would begin. The question is, who would be signed to develop the next true Halo sequel?Over at MTV's Multiplayer blog, Stephen Totilo does the dirty work and compiles a list of likely suspects to continue the franchise. Notable on the radar are developers like Rare, Free Radical, and id, with each possibility being given "wholly speculative" odds on the likelihood of such a thing ever happening.Of course, it's all just speculation at this point, but it never hurts to wonder. Who could work best with Bungie's golden franchise? For that matter, who could do the most damage to its hallowed reputation?
Free Radical implementing overtime pay ... seriously
The notion of paying overtime is absurd for many employees and observers in the gaming industry, but Free Radical (Haze) tells Develop magazine that they're looking to change perceptions of working in the industry by offering overtime pay to employees. Steve Ellis of Free Radical says the days of "bonuses that pay off your mortgage are long gone" and that they've "decided to start paying people for the work that they do -- even when that work is outside their normal hours."Ellis says that the industry as a whole will eventually go this way, but they prefer to do it sooner rather than later. Although there are so many companies who are guilty of not paying their employees for working extra hours, EA gets picked on more often than not because of the infamous EA Spouse saga. Of course EA's image has changed recently to become a great place to work according to Fortune Magazine. Now please pardon us while we check with our local priest to make sure there wasn't an update on Hell freezing over we missed.
Free Radical reads our diary
Aside from the pages of hearts and unicorns we have drawn in it, our diary talks about TimeSplitters mostly. Seriously, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect was an amazing game that came so close to perfection it was like kissing an angel. When the only issue a game has is its omission of a jump button, well that's a damn good game.And a damn good franchise. One that Free Radical's David Doak thinks is well-suited for the Wii, as he stated during an interview with Game Informer. Doak explained "I think it's a good thing to do, and I think we want to put it on the Wii. And I'm sure it's possible to do a control scheme that works. Also, if you want to start a petition for remaking Second Sight on the Wii, I'd like to see that as well, because I think that game worked really well, [laughs] because of the manipulation stuff."So, it isn't a definite "yes, the game is coming," but the possibility is good enough for us.
PS3 version of Haze is 'currently' the only one in development
There's been some confusion surrounding the exclusivity status of Free Radical's upcoming shooter, Haze. First, the publisher announced it would be leading on PS3, though the developer confirmed that the game was being built with all platforms in mind. The following month, an Ubisoft release list showed the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Haze following the PS3 version by just one week ... but they later pulled both of those versions from the list entirely stating that the PlayStation 3 was "the only confirmed platform."Of course, this all sounds a little too much like the mess surrounding Assassin's Creed's exclusivity (also courtesy of Ubisoft). Adding to the mystery today, GameSpot UK writes, "Ubisoft said that currently no other versions [are] in development, and although it was still leaving the door open in the future for 'new partnerships,' currently the game is indeed only planned for the PS3." So, what about the previously planned for Xbox 360 and PC versions? Ubisoft says, "The official statement on PC and Xbox 360 is that these platforms are not confirmed." If they're not confirmed, and not being "currently" developed for (despite what Free Radical may have been doing previously) then it sounds like Haze may be skipping Microsoft's one-two punch for now. How about a straight answer, Ubi?%Gallery-6686%
Rumor: New Timesplitters is in development as a PlayStation 3 exclusive
According to OPM UK, a new Timesplitters game is already under development by the guys over at Free Radical. Though the team is currently wrapping up the timed PS3 exclusive Haze, supposedly work has already started on a next-gen version of Timesplitters's unique brand of monkey and fire fueled mayhem. The best part is that the game is suppose to be a PS3 exclusive, and a real PS3 exclusive unlike Haze.While this is fantastic news, it was reported by a user on the EU PlayStation forum who said he had read it in the most recent copy of OPM UK, so this is still firmly planted in Rumorville. There is some circumstantial evidence that lends credence to the theory though. Free Radical has expressed an affinity for Sony hardware in the past and even recently in interviews with their top developers. Also Ubisoft hinted that they were working on a PS3 exclusive a couple months ago, and even though a lot of people thought that Haze was that title there have been a lot of rumblings that it was something we hadn't heard about yet.So who knows, this might be one of those fun rumors that actually turns out to be true! It would make a lot of people happy and would be a nice exclusive feather in the cap of the PS3. There's something that's just so magical about setting a screaming Gingerbread man on fire while running from a pack of rabid Snowmen with machine guns ... [Thanks Joe!]
Haze box art steps out of the ... haze
The final box art for the European release of Haze has just been revealed by Free Radical. Sporting the now iconic image of Shane Carpenter with a smashed helmet, it's nothing overly special but still manages to pull off a certain amount of cool creepiness. Something about the guy's insane stare from behind the shattered front of his helmet is a little unsettling.Interestingly, it appears that the main character getting his face smashed in is a key part of the storyline in Haze. If you download the European PSN Haze video that was released last week, you'll see how it actually happens and the importance of the event in the storyline. This combined with hints dropped in various interviews by Free Radical suggests that the beatdown delivered to your character will massively change his view on the world and the direction of the game.It's great to see the developers putting a lot of attention and care into the storyline, their previous efforts, the Timesplitters series, were fantastic games but had just the lightest fluffiest storylines ever. Meanwhile Haze looks like it's going to rival the Metal Gear Solid series in political and moral complexity. Bring on the Machiavellian plot twists!
Haze 360 removed from Ubisoft release list
Hey, remember back when Haze was a timed exclusive for the Playstation 3? Remember that other time when Ubisoft revealed its release schedule for Holiday 07 and Haze 360 was dated only a week after the PS3 version? We hope you do remember, because it looks like Ubisoft is trying to rewrite history. The release list, revealed only yesterday, has since been revised, removing the 360 and PC versions of Haze altogether. Joystiq points out, and so must we, that this series of events has an eerie symmetry to the initial mystery surrounding the 360 version of Assassin's Creed. Again, Ubisoft refuses to directly answer questions regarding PS3 exclusivity, saying only that the PS3 is "the only confirmed platform."Will history repeat itself? Is Haze destined to appear as though it were a PS3 exclusive title? Perhaps more interesting, assuming that the game is coming to 360, is maintaining the illusion of exclusivity really important?
Ubisoft yanks Haze 360, PC from release list
Didn't we play this game already? After unleashing yesterday's avalanche of release dates and promptly crushing the month of November in the process, Ubisoft has removed any date and mention of the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Haze from the list. Speaking to an Ubisoft UK representative, Joystiq was told that the mysterious disappearance could be attributed to the PlayStation 3 being "the only confirmed platform for Haze." Oh dear, it's Assassin's Creed all over again.Just last month, Ubisoft described the politically charged shooter as "leading on PS3," noting that "no exclusivity for any platform has been officially announced." Despite Free Radical's director, Steve Ellis, stating that the developer's chief challenge was "designing a solution that will work well across the platforms," Haze was theorized to be at the very least, a timed PS3 exclusive. The week-long release gap between the PS3's Haze and other versions shown on Ubisoft's initial schedule rendered such a conclusion comical, but not untruthful. What of the vanishing Xbox 360 and PC versions then?When we asked directly whether Haze was a PS3 exclusive or not, Ubisoft simply reiterated that the system was "the only confirmed platform." It's the same line we kept hearing when Ubisoft was dodging questions about the exclusivity haze surrounding Assassin's Creed -- a game which started out on "PlayStation 3 and at this time, no other platform has been confirmed." Ubisoft later admitted a PC version would "indeed see the light some day" (the same day, actually) and then finally confirmed an Xbox 360 version to an unsurprised audience. Can we expect the same sequence of events for Haze, or are negotiations between suits still active? We expect to get some answers (simple "yes" or "no" ones, preferably) at next month's Min-E3.
Haze Developer Diary episode one shows us some new footage
We love Haze. The look, the style, the potential, the jump-in-anywhere co-op. Yes, even the bright yellow uniforms. Haze is our upcoming First Person Shooter of choice for 2007. With this in mind, it's wonderful for us to be able to keep an eye on the development of the game through Free Radical's new developer diary.You can see the first episode above, or download the HD version from the official Haze website. In the video co-founder of Free Radical, David Doak, gives us some insight into the game. If you've been following the various interviews and bites of info that have been flowing out of Free Radical over the last couple of months, then you'll know most of it already. What makes it interesting, this time, is that as Doak discusses each aspect of the game in turn, it is accompanied by some in-game footage as an example. Some of which hasn't been released before.There's no word on how frequent these diaries are going to be, but the assumption is that there will be at least another couple before the game releases. Speaking of the release, Doak reconfirms the game will be on shelves this year, just in case you harbour worries that Free Radical had caught the highly contagious delay-lurgy.
PS3 nabs Haze, likely a timed exclusive
It looks like the Playstation 3 will be getting some exclusive love from the upcoming shooter from Free Radical, Haze. The game will debut this fall on the Playstation 3, while it seems that mention of the Xbox 360 and PC versions has dropped from the game's official fact sheet. When probed about exclusivity by GameSpot, a representative from Ubisoft said, "Haze is leading on PS3, but no exclusivity for any platform has been officially announced." In all likelihood, this pegs Haze as a timed exclusive, which means PC and 360 players may be waiting until 2008 to experience the mature shooter.Sorry fanboys, if you were looking forward to playing as a genetically enhanced super soldier in 2007, you'll have to look elsewhere.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Hazed and confused: Haze writer disses Halo
If you want to grab some attention for your game (or just in general) one of the easiest things to do is publicly mock something that's successful. In the case of videogames, a sure way to get your game noticed is to mock Halo. Speaking to Edge, Rob Yescombe, scriptwriter for Free Radical's upcoming shooter Haze, has some choice words about the king of console shooters. According to Yescombe, new-gen games are about more mature, compelling content: "Halo is brilliant, you're a teenager - the next-gen is about becoming more mature ... in Haze you become an adult." Yescombe adds that games should take a page from world events as inspiration, saying, "It's about what's happening in the world today - it's ludicrous, and how can you make something that doesn't reflect that? Well, you could bury your head in the sand and make Halo 3, but the fact of the matter is there are more important things at stake." Haze, it seems, is a satirical work aimed at modern warfare, though Yescombe admits that some may not see the satire.Naturally, we here at X3F are card-carrying Halo 3 fanboys, so Yescombe's comments sting a little. However, regardless of Haze's merits, for Yescombe to imply that Bungie is socially irresponsible for creating Halo is asinine. Escapist fiction has always been a part of human culture and is just as important as any piece of satire or non-fiction. We need our action movies just as much as we need our documentaries. We need Stephen King just as much as we need Johnathan Swift. Without some escape from the world's problems, we'd all be nothing but bubbling piles of depression. To quote Sergeant Johnson, "People need heroes, Chief. To give 'em hope."[Via Joystiq]
Welcome back Haze, it's time to go viral
The last time we heard any information about Free Radical's shooter Haze we were a year younger and E3 was in full swing. But now it looks like the Haze team has finally made some progress, because a new Haze inspired viral website has emerged. The Mantel corporation's (the company the main character works for) corporate website launched the other day with virally fake company policies, financial details, and mission statement. All of course set in the not to distant future which is when Haze takes place. The website also has restricted access to a few sections, which will probably be unlocked nearer to a Haze release, but doesn't showcase any new Haze media or information yet. And since the viral marketing has begun, when do you think Haze will hit the streets? This Summer, this Fall, or next year sometime? Heck, all we know is that "Mantel is there, making a difference".[Via IGN]
