David Doak talks Haze Comments by Eurogamer staff

Hope it goes well for them.

Always good to give the Brit developers a bit of TLC - it is multi-format so hardly a Sony love-in.

I'm much more excited about this than I am Halo 3, shame by the sounds of it I'm gonna have to wait a bit longer though for it to arrive on 360.

nice read, thanks EG

Sounds like they're scared to go against Halo 3 this year.

Besides the "story" this looks like a soulless identikit shooter. A pity since I liked their previous work.

Ah c'mon Dizzy, give them a chance. Game's not even out yet.

Have Free Radical bought EG or something?

Dr. Doak was a real bitch when you were trying to do a speed run on Facility.

/obscure? On EG, hopefully not.

OH MY GAWD ANOTJHER HAZE STORIE GOZM GOZM OMG OMG STOP IT WHOT HE FUCK IS PAYING YUO EURIGAYMRERS!"??

http://www.eurogamer.net/article_discuss...


:( so much hate

Meh... If its anything like Farcry I'll pass...

http://www.eurogamer.net/game.php?game_i...

Not really that many features...

makes sense to lead with the PS3. No use trying to launch a new FPS brand on the 360 when "the new Halo" is just around the corner.

In fact, two features.

*swims in bath of Free Radical gold*

It looks very nice graphically, but because of the Jungle setting and what not it all still reminds of Farcry.
And I'm sure there's more to the PS3 thing than meets the eye. Why would they choose to lead on the PS3 when it's installed base is soooo much smaller than the 360's, and if rumours are to be believed it's sooo much more difficult to program for too.
Is it just that they think there'd be no point releasing it on the 360 within a couple of months of Halo 3's release as that game will inevitably steal a lot of its thunder.

"Someone said to me earlier, 'where do you think first-person shooters will go in the future?' And I think not having a gun or not using a gun is a very interesting place to be."

Hmm. Definitely powerful possibilities for changing up, along those lines. Anyone thinking that means filling the "space" with force powers of any designation, though, can slip down the nearest snake right back to 2002. >:(

I'd join in the ranting about Haze directly, probably in the defense of the fledgling, except I don't know enough about it to know too well what it'll play like, still. I still feel that we only really know a concept. Not the game around it. So, GO THE DARKNESS!!! :D

The only thing I'm concerned about is Free Radical making a cohesive Storyline in the SP campaign, TS:FP shown that, in that area is where they're weak in a FPS at least.

[Smiling] I am very happy to go up against Halo 3.

O'RLLY?! ;p

"Someone said to me earlier, 'where do you think first-person shooters will go in the future?' And I think not having a gun or not using a gun is a very interesting place to be."

Surely an FPS without shooting is just an FP?

I mainly don't like David Doak because of FR's horrible recruitment ads.

Dr. Doak was a real bitch when you were trying to do a speed run on Facility.

/obscure? On EG, hopefully not.

Time to leave, Dr. Doak!

Time to leave, Dr. Doak!

Heh, thanks man, I was getting disheartened :)

Yeah, never did manage to get the cheat on the facility level.

K

Wasn't this article published before? Or did I read the exact same thing on a different site? Had a major deja vu.

Changing tack, is your obsession with shooter games because you're based in Nottingham? I mean, er...

LOL

I like Free Radical design. I hope Haze works out well.

"Besides the "story" this looks like a soulless identikit shooter. A pity since I liked their previous work."

See, I don't get that. I kept hearing that same comment about Resistance (remove the word 'story' insert 'setting') and guess what? That turned out to be heaps of fun and had great atmosphere.

Even if it is an 'identikit' shooter with a good story and atmosphere, which I doubt very much it is, surely that story and atmosphere shouldn't be dismissed as if it isn't a big factor.

Each to their own, I suppose.

As to all the Haze features...

I always made the facility run hoping Doak would be near the very end...I wouldn't even check the other rooms...
2 minutes 5 seconds...wasn't it?
Invincibility...

Thing was, as soon as he gave you your door decoder you could leg it...He'd continue to talk to air...

I'm curious about the story, specially the "drug wears off" part.

Hoping it's not the generic "oh no I've been brainwashed all this time, I'm now going to fight against the system".

As it's an FPS I'll wait for the pc version.

"Surely an FPS without shooting is just an FP?"

I guess it depends what you replace the gun with.

Personally I'd love a First Person Tickler. You could call it Dodd of War. Actually the more I think about this, the more I genuinely start to love the idea..

I like Free Radical, but I'm yet to hear anything about this game to make it stand above the FPS crowd.

I'm not going to buy this just because it spouts the message "War is bad, m'kay".

@captainrentboy
"Why would they choose to lead on the PS3 when it's installed base is soooo much smaller than the 360's..."
I don't understand your point. The game is multiformat, it will come out on XBox360 too, just with a touch delay.

"..and if rumours are to be believed it's sooo much more difficult to program for too."
That ain't a rumour, but from article: "and I think we're in terms of development pretty well placed to take advantage of it, because we've got the history on PlayStation 2, so we're not frightened by the things causing people a bit of alarm."

"I mean, their edge is they have a juggernaut driving them along and they have an almost fanatical following. On the flipside of that, they have too change it, and they've got all the people who liked 1 and all the people who liked 2, and both those sets of people expect different things from the one that they liked. So there's an inevitable compromise there."

He's right.

I think Bungie have made a great game with Halo. Halo 2 as a whole (Story too) was hyped, and it ended up sucking heaps, yet it's multi-player was at least better (Meaning, they accomplished one view) ...

Now I feel Bungie are going to have so much expectations from fans from the Halo story, and fans from the Halo 2 multiplayer... they'll crash on both this time.

Haze on the other hand, can do whatever they want, and create something new, there isn't any expectation unless they make them themselves. Which is why I feel Haze is going to be a way LESS of a dissapointment than what Halo 3 is going to deliver later this year.

>"[Smiling] I am very happy to go up against Halo 3."

Other developers are usually humble, and just try to differentiate themselves and claim there is no competition.

Not Free Radical though. They must have weekly "halo-bashing roundtable" sessions.

Is it just that they think there'd be no point releasing it on the 360 within a couple of months of Halo 3's release as that game will inevitably steal a lot of its thunder.

That's part of it. There's more possibility of producing a game that's seen as a hardware-defining FPS on the PS3 (which will lead to a big reputation and future stellar sales) than there is on a platform that has Halo 3 coming out in September.

So it's a smart move.

And who knows, maybe it'll look better on the PS3

"Eurogamer: Well, would you almost say that while that's an American kind of war, this is almost a more cynical, British kind of approach?"

"Eurogamer: Do you think there's a concern that the way you've presented Haze might not appeal to American gamers because it's not the flag-waving, heroic sort of indulgence they enjoy?"

I don't think you should tie this game's emotional approach to FPS with pompous, over-generalized national identity insinuations. That's insulting to your audience and dev teams.

I think it is a wise business decision for PS3 to be the lead platform, X360 have a lot of FPS and there is a gap of exclusivity for FPS that will only appear on PS3 (timed though) and also as others have said not worth competing head on with Halo 3 if also available on X360 at the time.

But interested in how Haze will be perceived post release on PS3 itself, if it get to be seen as AAA and inevitablity there will be comparsion between this and other H on X360, just as there was for Resistance and Gears up to last Christmas. Gears won that one easily, so round two and see who will come out on top!
'Course Haze will be on other platforms as well later on but I believed they would have made it exclusive to PS3 if there were much larger install base.

EDIT: My only trouble with this is... will damn Sony release rumble compatible controller and that this will be supported by the game? Otherwise i may just wait for X360 version.

Am I the only person who actually thinks this game has a lot of promise? I love shooters that are a bit more deep and after playing CoD3 (which I found almost embarressing and a little disturbing to play tbh) I'm looking forward it.

I don't understand why people here are so cynical about new games!

I can totally see the logic of having a delayed launch on the 360 so as not to go up against Halo 3 thus losing sales.

However, if sales of the PS3 dont pick up by November where will the market be for Haze? As good as it may or may not be, it isn't a mainstream system seller.

It will also be competing indirecttly against halo 3 as the big GTA4/Halo 3 combo on the 360 may make undecided next gen adopters plump for the microsoft machine.

All good though, everyone will be able to play it soon enough and FPS wise this Winter also has Quake Wars and Half Life 2 Episode 2/TF2 coming to both consoles.

Yeah, dr. Doak has given me nightmares as well.

In the end, that was one of the only two cheats I obtained using the button combinations instead of doing in the "legitimate" way. I feel dirty. :(

Hey, EG! You stole my idea!! :(

It's logical that the 360 gets a delay. Just take a look at the amount of AAA fps games lined up from august onward. A Januari launch would be much more sensible. Do a Lost planet or so.

Of course they are now forced to include those FRD action figures in the pc and 360 version.

/stares @ nekotcha

Quote = Jas315

"I think Bungie have made a great game with Halo. Halo 2 as a whole (Story too) was hyped, and it ended up sucking heaps, yet it's multi-player was at least better (Meaning, they accomplished one view) ...

Now I feel Bungie are going to have so much expectations from fans from the Halo story, and fans from the Halo 2 multiplayer... they'll crash on both this time.

Haze on the other hand, can do whatever they want, and create something new, there isn't any expectation unless they make them themselves. Which is why I feel Haze is going to be a way LESS of a dissapointment than what Halo 3 is going to deliver later this year.
"

Did you play the Halo 3 beta? I ask becasue I don't think they could have got it any more right, they managed to capture the best parts of the mutliplayer of both games, drop all the not so good stuff, and then top it up with new features.

Peronally I don't see the need to take sides, I want to play both Haze and Halo 3, but I find all the Halo bating that seems to come out from Free Radical a little strange and not very professional. Eurogamer are going to give them both a 9 anyway....

I'm hoping this will be as good as Far Cry was, since it obviously reminds everyone of that judging from the pictures. Far Cry is still one of the best FPS single player experiences I've had.

For the record, I count Deus Ex a RPG..

Farting would be original. :D

I prefered Dr. Doak to be at the labs, as long as he didn't stand in your way. But goddamn why did he have to be in different places!!?! Mining the first switch room perfectly only to find he's gone awol.. grr.

Was the sweetest one to get though.

Uh Haze... yeh.

@ nekotcha

Don't get me wrong.
I either prefer devs to be humble and avoid comparison, or say huddle together to make some sort of spartan battlecry, as in how they are determined to beat Halo.

But "smiling" making sly digs is not cool. I come here to read about Haze, not to hear some sly halo bashing for the nth time.

It's got nothing to do with halo, I just hate it when devs feel the need to say a popular game is so and so, but they are gonna be far better.
I said the same thing in the Two Worlds thread, where they claim they are gonna be better than Oblivion. Focus on your strengths, not on your competitions weakness is the way I PERSONALLY see things.

I want Haze to stand as it's own game. Constantly commenting on Halo in interviews (or in the EG forums) is just gonna lead to more fanboy battles similar to that seen during the Halo vs Killzone saga.

Here's a question. Why does it only have X360 and PC icon on the front page, when the main development platform is the PS3?

Is this simply bad journalism or do you get paid by Microsoft?

Maybe so nekotcha.
But this constant comparison of H3 to Haze is not good for this site especially. I've lost how many times H3 has come from the lips of a FR developer.

That kind of crap only leads to a more fanboyish mentality in this place. It's bad enough that the word "halo" leads any thread to derailment, but if this continues, that means so too will the word "haze".

I just want to know about of these seperately. I don't see why developers have to down-talk a game from another dev, in public too boot.
Sure you can talk about "crushing" halo in the office to incite group competition and battlecry, but keep it within the confines of the office, please.