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Haze video warns us not to eat too much nectar
We're all excited about Haze, probably more so than other FPS titles to be announced lately. That means something, because there are a ton of those being announced or released, previewed, reviewed, or introduced. This new video of Haze is awfully long -- clocking in nearly 13 minutes of your weekend time, but the footage shown a few minutes in is something impressive, for sure. We won't ruin the surprise for you, but if you've seen the film Jacob's Ladder, you might giggle at the parallel between it and overdosing on Nectar. Enjoy![via PS3Attitude][Thanks, DolphGB!]
Sony's Jack Tretton: 'We don't buy exclusivity'
Perhaps now would be a good time to start? In an interview published within the latest issue of PSM, Sony Computer Entertainment America president, Jack Tretton, responds to the magazine's observation that there are fewer exclusive titles bound for (and to) the PlayStation 3 than there possibly could be. Mr. Tretton explains that Sony's approach to the acquisition of exclusives is different than those of competitors, perhaps in the sense that it's far more noble and devoid of unspeakable acts of bribery. Or perhaps in the sense that there isn't much of an approach at all."Yeah, 'fewer exclusives' is a term, and I don't know what makes an exclusive," says Tretton. "We have a very different approach to exclusives than some of our competitors. We don't buy exclusivity. We don't fund development. We don't, for the lack of a better term, bribe somebody to only do a game on our platform." That's correct, generating reasons for consumers to purchase and enjoy your console over others became a dubious, underhanded maneuver when you weren't looking. Since the publisher (of third-party titles such as Heavenly Sword and Lair) isn't willing to stoop that low, it would much rather "earn" exclusives. "We earn it by saying 'you can build a better game on our platform. If you focus your development on our platform, you will ultimately be more successful. We can try to partner up with you from a technological standpoint. We can try to partner up with you from a marketing standpoint. But just economically and technologically, this is the system that makes the most sense for you.'"With money apparently not changing hands for that exclusive status, how do you suppose the system's comparatively small install base makes "the most sense" economically? No answer is obtained from Tretton, who then rightly notes that as a first-party, Sony has a very strong ability to provide plenty of exclusive titles. However, he warns that relying too much on first-party endeavors as Nintendo does might not make for a "healthy environment" and that conversely, Microsoft is "too dependent on the third-party community."Grab a copy of this month's PSM to read the full interview.[Via GamesRadar Forums]
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 confirmed as a timed exclusive for the PS3 - a one week exclusive [UPDATE]
Ubisoft has just dated their major fall-winter releases and by doing so confirmed that Haze is indeed a timed exclusive on Sony's sexy black console. Lucky PlayStation 3 owners will be able to play Haze a full week before PC and 360 owners. We're getting it on November 23rd while everybody else has to wait until November 30th (suckers). Ubisoft also dated the Assassin's Creed, which comes out a couple weeks before Haze on November 9th. Looks like a good month for PlayStation 3 owners, and I'm sure the timed-exclusive aspect of Haze will drive a ton of sales towards the PS3. The game looks amazing and who really wants to wait a whole week?[UPDATE] Ubisoft has clarified with Eurogamer that the Haze release date was listed wrongly. The game is still yet to be confirmed for Xbox 360 and PC. The PS3 release date, however, is not wrong. Haze will be with us on the 23rd of November.
Ubisoft dates Haze, Splinter Cell, Raving Rabbids 2, more [update]
Ubisoft has revealed the release dates for all of its major 2007 titles, asking the majority of them to form a neat line in November and proceed to remove the contents of your wallet one by one. You're more than welcome to make a fuss about it, but having the sneaky men of Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell: Conviction within grasp of your neck renders such action unwise. A more notable entry in the release schedule (as posted by Eurogamer) is Free Radical's sci-political first-person shooter, Haze, previously described as "leading on PS3" in a display of timed exclusivity: Haze (PS3) -- 23 November Oh, you'll be wanting the release date for the other platforms as well: Haze (Xbox 360, PC) -- 30 November [Update: Oh dear, Ubisoft has removed the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Haze from the current release list. We're waiting to hear back from Ubisoft on the matter.] Other key titles dated after the break include Assassin's Creed, Dark Messiah: Elements, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, and Splinter Cell: Conviction.
Ubisoft dates its winter titles
It's been said by many people for months now: 2007 looks to be a big year for gamers. It seems like every company is pulling out all the stops and quality games are getting ready to rain from the heavens. Some say that 2007 may be the best year EVAR. True or not, Ubisoft is playing a large role in the 360's holiday season. As proof of that, Eurogamer has unveiled Ubisoft's official release list for this holiday season, including planned release dates for major titles like Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell Conviction. Check out the list after the break.
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 24
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. (Note: OE custom firmware will also play these videos.)New for PSP: Get selected videos delivered automatically to your PSP via our new RSS feed. Haze [PS3]Download MP4 (21.5MB) | Download JPG The following videos are featured after the break: The Agency (PS3), Soul Calibur IV (PS3, 360), Stranglehold (PS3, 360), Time Crisis 4 (PS3), The Darkness (PS3, 360), Mr. Bean's Holiday
European PSN releases for June 15th
Are you ready for this? We feel like, for the first time, we are relaying some good news to all the Europeans out there. Read on to see what your PSN Store now contains. Rampart game (£1.99) Joust game (£1.99) Motorstorm Time Attack Mode (free) Lair trailer (free) Haze trailer (free) Super Stardust HD trailer (free) The Darkness story trailer (free) An interview with Paul Hollywood video (free) Where to start! Yes, the games are Midway rehashes (and you know how we feel about those) but, really, it's the thought that counts. Sony are finally pulling their collective finger out and releasing some decent content to the European market. As a quick aside, we can't stop watching that Haze trailer. Honestly. It's on repeat in the background at this very moment.But what of the Motorstorm Time Attack Mode? We only just got done telling you that it has been delayed, which it has. In America, at least. For those of you about to download it, take heed. There are reports of problems occuring unless you do things in the proper order. Load Motorstorm and update to version 1.2 in the online menu, then download the Time Attack Mode and install.
What makes Haze so different from other shooters?
As a sort of partner to the earlier post of Haze with a video interview with David Doak and some new gameplay footage, Eurogamer recently released part two of their interview with the very same David Doak. Their interview details completely different information, more on the developer's side of things rather than what the game is about. We'll summarize it to keep you from reading one topic for too long. Check it out after the jump!
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.
OPM details some features found in Haze
How can one not be excited about Haze, what with all the information slowly leaking out about it, the almost-unnecessary-but-welcome comparisons to self-proclaimed "most gorgeous shooter in the universe" Crysis, and other such hubbub? It's tough, and the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM for the curious) sheds some light on even more subtle details you may have missed in any gameplay footage you may have stumbled across. We'll, erm, detail them below. Just as a neat effect, flames will apparently tear through the grass around you as well as burn out buildings. Not necessary for gameplay, but a rather fun effect nonetheless. A remote-controlled grenade will be available. Lob it wherever, then tap a trigger button to blow it up. Reminds us of those remote explosives found in GoldenEye for the N64. The only time a watch was a viable weapon ... There are a lot of unannounced vehicles to ride around in. Your guess is as good as ours. "Overdosed" teammates may start to go a little crazy. They might shoot rockets in the wrong direction, or pull a pin from a grenade and stand there laughing maniacally until ... ka-boom! A dozen vastly different environments will make their way to the final build. Everything from free-roaming jungles to claustrophobic hallways will make an appearance. What's interesting to note is that the developers of Haze have a respect for Hideo Kojima's method of storytelling. They said "politics should never interfere with gameplay, but having a theme worth thinking about gives the experience real substance." We agree. So what can we expect with this game? Fast-paced action with a story that makes you think, but won't confuse or irritate you with political jargon and country-specific sentiment? That'd be cool.
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.
Crysis vs. Haze -- unnecessary comparison, or closer than you think?
The folks over at Crytek have time and again claimed their upcoming PC title Crysis is the most graphically advanced game ever. Is it? Over at PSU, the writers took the liberty to make some comparison screenshots between Crysis and the upcoming PS3 title Haze. Some would think it folly to compare any game with one touted as the most graphically advanced.We disagree. The comparison shots show that, in some situations, Haze looks identical if not slightly better than Crysis. Other screenshots lean heavily toward Crysis as being the graphical victor. Especially when it comes to forest foliage. The point is this: the two games aren't that far apart in beauty. This is surprising. We'll leave the ultimate decision up to you, so check out the shots and let us know what you think.[Thanks, Justin!]
The fog is lifted from Haze in a new interview
"And on those days when there be no news, let there instead be a full bounty of interviews", so spoke the god of Games Journalism (who sounds suspiciously like a pirate ... ). This Haze interview makes the third one so far today. It differs from the others, however, insofar as Game Informer have laid the piece out as a summary of the new information they've gleaned from Creative Director David Doak, rather than the normal question-and-answer format. To be honest, this makes for a more interesting read for us. The summary includes information on the story and philosophy behind the game. It appears that Free Radical will be making both an anti-war and an anti-drug statement with Haze, as you fight in a corporate military team which relies on a drug called Nectar to provide enhanced abilities to its troops. Nectar will feature heavily within the game, reducing combat damage and improving aim while obscuring your vision (hence the title, 'Haze', we suppose) and causing you to attack your allies if you happen to overdose. Sounds really interesting, if only because it's so different from Free Radical's most famous series, Timesplitters. Stylistically it's completely different but we're hoping its storyline is just as entertaining. Other details harvested from the interview include information on multiplayer gameplay. Haze will have four player co-operative play online and, presumably, offline too. There will also be 24 person online deathmatch and assault modes. Though levels for these will be limited at first, due to Free Radical's belief in the cliche 'quality over quantity', there is every chance that there will be downloadable map packs available after the game's release. Read the full article for more information and check out the screenshots. Haze is going to be a big seller when it comes out this christmas and we can't wait to get our hands on it.[Via PS3Forums]
Free Radical says PS3's power locked away, demands key
Dave Doak of Free Radical Design recently was quoted talking about the trials and difficulties of a new console, specifically the PS3. You may know Free Radical Design from their latest work on the impressive-looking FPS title Haze. Doak said the experience with programming for the PS3 is the same as with any new console. It's challenging, sure, but it fades over time.He said about the PS3: "Its strengths are obviously that is has a lot of processing power. Its weaknesses are that its processing power is locked away at the moment. But everyone's going to hit that wall across all platforms at first." As technology grows more complex, he sees the process of developing growing right along with it in complexity. With the onset of multiple cores, which will no doubt grow in number, it's harder to learn how to tap into the power of the system. This, he's implying, is the problem many devs are running into with the PS3. Instead of pushing through the wall, they're giving up, saying it's too difficult. We say to them: don't give up! Keep trying and soon you'll learn the PS3 inside and out. Then we'll see some very impressive titles. Like White Knight Story. Whatever happened to that one?
Here's a Haze gameplay video for your consumption
While the video isn't of the highest quality and some guy's hand keeps waving in front of the screen, this is the first time we've seen the upcoming Haze in action. While confirmed for PS3, 360, and PC, there's still a little rumor floating about that the game will be timed on the PS3 for a few months of exclusivity. As with all rumors, there are also reports debunking that. We like to remain optimistic, but the way the game looks, we'd be greedy to disallow other gamers to enjoy this game. It looks pretty great!
Uber Ubisoft Ubidays video roundup
Ubisoft's Ubidays event in Paris spawned almost as many video trailers as it did announcements. Thanks to the wonders of embeddable streaming video, we're able to put them all in a single post for your viewing pleasure and/or displeasure, depending on the game. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Xbox 360) Loosely based on the 837,212 episodes of popular anime, Naruto, this cel-shaded action game seems to strongly encourage you to leap through trees, punch older men and generally behave like a ninja who's under the constant scrutiny of kids. No sudden decapitations like that other guy.
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]
