HAZE

23.05.08

Playing cool is one thing. Looking incredibly ridiculous at the same time is another. The characters in "Haze" are true masters of that, let's put it this way, questionable art. They toss around comments, which can only imply excessive cocaine consumption. "The bad MC is everywhere; I am just shooting around, 1, 2, 3". No wonder the guy ended up at the Mantel Corporation and not on stage. The Mantel Corporation is initially your employer and drug supplier. The miracle drug is called "Nectar", which on one hand makes you faster, meaner and harder and turns your initial enemies into shining orange targets.

A single push of a button shoots a dose into your bloodstream. A whistling hiss, shortly discoloured and blurred vision and then shoot 'em up like there is no tomorrow. Your suit and the system responsible for the "nectar supply", has as many errors as Windows ME. During a breakdown the system restarts and gives orders with a monotonous computer voice if the drug supply fails again, or beeps like crazy if you are close to death. Here the sound effects and the visual realization of the current failure are correct. This caters for the atmospheric moments which are otherwise missing.

At the start you fight against the "Promise Hand". This is a group of rebels whose blood the Mantel Corporation would love to use as fertilizer for their "nectar" plants. The rebels are an alert little group and also have a few tricks in store. They can disarm opponents, make "nectar" grenades out of the injectors ("nectar supply") of fallen Mantel soldiers, loot ammunition from finished off enemies or throw around knives. It gets really funny when the injector of a soldier is hit or he gets into the cloud of a "nectar" grenade. The yellow parts of the equipment change to red and the afflicted soldier suffers from an overdose. The result is completely aimless shooting around, friendly fire and manic screeching and screaming. Not infrequently does this "final shot" lead to suicide with a grenade. So much said in advance that at some point you are going to switch sides and utilize all these tricks. It would be great if at least that was fun.

Sure, the idea of this "nectar" is neat. To play dead in dicey situations, at least in the campaign, also makes sense. Apart from that "Haze" offers very little "new stuff". Now and then there are great fights, but normally one wants to get it over with quickly. Not exactly a good sign for a game. Drab levels in factory buildings, woods or a containership dim the picture so badly that a few gripping sections, such as the fight on a wide and open beach, in a hotel compound or the storming of a few stairs, are soon forgotten. The enemies, no matter on which side, are not particularly a challenge. Their intelligence only goes as far as saving themselves with a jump from a grenade explosion. In all other situations they are just cannon fodder running around. Not even the different types of opponents show big differences in the behaviour. The only difference is in the armament. Some go "boom-boom", others "bang-bang" and the excitement stays limited.

“We simply have the best looking game there is at the moment announced” a certain gentleman from “Free Radical” in an interview before the release. He closed his speech with “Amen”. That is not only a daring statement, but also a comment that is as close to reality as to say for instance that Gears of War is suitable for children. “Haze” looks ok in most cases, sometimes barely passable and sometimes really lousy. Textures from up close have the structure of charred wood and apart from the smoke the visual effects all seem pretty sparse. At least leaves, valleys and other environments are nicely lit. The sound is not top notch either. Sound of weapons is good, certain sound effects, such as during a collision with the Quad, are totally unsuitable. However, not quite as unsuitable as the controls of the four-wheeled vehicle...