Haze

              Let's put this out straight away: Haze is not a GREAT game. Shooter fans obviously needed to feel a little ticked and (quite frankly) disappointed that this hyped-up PS3 exclusive hosts a generic arsenal of guns, along with a bordering-to-mundane storyline, and some really outdated graphics. On the other hand, however, Haze does do a couple of things right. Not super, beyond-duty right, but right enough to avoid more unkind words from us gawking reviewers. Haze is a solid shooter through and through, with pretty slick controls and provides a steady fun factor (albeit teetering on the generic side), and while it definitely didn't fulfill the expectations that we set out, Haze manages to move itself above other mediocre first-person-shooters. It could, after all, do much worse.  
 
           The main campaign is set in the near future, and you play as Shane Carpenter, the young good guy of Mantel Corp's army. Shane and his meat-headed buddies (and yes, you will puke with the mere thought of Shane's colleagues) are sent to somewhere in South America to eliminate a rebel group known as the Promise Hand (the group being led by Skin Coat, since it's rumored that the leader wears the skin of dead people). However, midway through the campaign, you get tired of your buddies and defect to the group you originally intended to destroy. The story, while not Nobel-Prize material, certainly fills the bill. The meat-headed Mantel soldiers do their role well, as they act like buffoons and making the player disgusted. Skin Coat also is a highlight, as he seems to be a wise, angelic saint (Witness his most moving conversation with Shane, a while after Shane was rescued to the Rebels).  
  
           Soon after the few cut scenes end, it's time to bring out your guns and shoot. Haze is a first-person-shooter with all the basic commands the average gamer expects from the genre: You bunny-hop, can throw a grenade, and do a melee attack. You fire a very basic group of weapons of assault rifles, shot guns, sniper rifles, and heavy duty machine guns (and throw in a flamethrower). Thankfully, Haze has fluid controls, as you can easily switch from one weapon to the next, throw a grenade and jumping and running without any mix-ups about which button does what. You can also hop onto vehicles (if there are any) and either jump into the driver's seat or sit on the manned turret and spit some lead. However, you can't shift to different parts of the vehicle, making entering vehicles a bit of a tedious affair. 
 
           However, what makes things a bit interesting is the different sides you could choose to play. Mantel, on one hand, could inject themselves with a drug known as nectar. When going high with this drug, troopers are stronger, their enemies glow yellow (making them much more visible) and allow the player to be more durable in the line of fire. The Promise Hand, however, plays as sneaky devils, because they could play dead, dodge-roll, plant mines, and salvage weapons for bullets. These differences aren’t certainly groundbreaking but they add a bit of spice to an already good gunplay, forcing players to adjust their approach somewhat when they step into a battlefield.

           Speaking of multiplayer, Haze offers nothing but the basic: Team deathmatch, single deathmatch and assault mode. All the maps aren’t too bad (the Mantel Carrier map) is my favorite, and assault mode is the best out of the three since achieving objectives and preventing the other team from doing the same could create tense moments (but I do have to say that the deathmatche options aren’t far from bad either).

           Now that the multiplayer is described, it’s time to address the weaker points in the main campaign. One thing that you might pick up immediately is that the graphics are a bit unimpressive. The environments lack any detailed texture that could be implemented in the HD era. There are a lot of noticeable glitches when you kill soldiers, as they seem to be in awkward death positions (like legs up, hand up? That’s impossible) and the AI could be somewhat underwhelming, since they don’t fully utilize their unique Mantel/Rebel abilities (as already mentioned) although you can give them credit to their accurate trigger fingers. Finally, the checkpoints and objectives in the campaign are very wonky. The instructions are very vague and I found myself getting stuck at some spots for loooong stretches of time.

           But these issues didn’t really dampen my view on Haze too much. I still see a solid shooter that lacks creativity but slightly compensates with OK execution. If you never ever played any FPS games, then Haze is a pretty good place for an introductory course since all the prerequisites of the genre are in the game.  
Now for the breakdown:

Story (3/5): It’s just a story that could help fit the adventure. Talks about propaganda and the importance of army confidence. Skin Coat and the Mantel meatballs are the highlights.

Gameplay (3/5): It will fulfill the basic requirements for a FPS but nothing more. But some issues include the mediocre AI and the process of entering/exiting of vehicles.

Presentation (2.5/5): You see better games in a graphical standpoint. Textures are bland, music is very forgettable, glitches to character models everywhere (more so if you play multiplayer).

Bonuses, Alternatives and Replay Value (3.5/5): After the 7-8 hour campaign, you could play deathmatch (single or team) or assault mode. Each mode would satisfy you, but that’s it.

Overall: 3 Stars (about the average, actually it is the average this time)

Final Comments: For first-timers in FPS (although this is rare) and for people who want a solid shooter who doesn’t have too much expectations.