It’s not an unfamiliar story, but one that may explain why the former TimeSplitters devs faltered with Haze. Free Radical co-founder Karl Hilton, now at new home Crytek UK, explains to Develop how “technical issues” affected the final product.

“We hit a few stumbling blocks on it that meant we spent more time trying get the game running properly and less time to design the game properly,” Hilton says, lamenting that Haze “wasn’t the game it should have been.”

Hilton’s still up on the PS3, though, despite Haze’s critical and commercial performance. He calls Sony’s platform a “powerful machine but a difficult one to get the best out of.”

And believe it or not, his new employers will get the best out of it, Hilton says.

“We know the PS3 can do amazing things, and no one has pushed it as far as it can go, but I think the CryEngine gives us a great head start on it,” he says.

I think the lesson we’ve all learned from this is that whatever Korn touches turns to shit.

PS3 ‘technical issues’ hampered Haze development [Develop via Joystiq]

Leafing through the (New Orleans) Times-Picayune this morning I stumbled across a page dedicated to video games. The Game Dork page included a review of Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘10, a used game of the week, a new and coming soon section and a list of the Top 10 best-selling new games, as tracked by Blockbuster.

I’m a bit surprised that Blockbuster and not Gamestop is providing the list for new game sales, but here goes:

1. Ghostbusters: The Video Game for Xbox 360
2. Ghostbusters: The Video Game for PS3
3. Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360
4. Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for Xbox 360
5. Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for Wii
6. Mario Super Sluggers for Wii
7. EA Sports Active for Wii
8. Wii Play for Wii
9. Haze for PS3
10. Ghostbusters: The Video Game for Wii.

I leave you with this thought: Haze? Are you freakin’ kidding me???

Timesplitters and Haze developer Free Radical Design has found financial sanctuary in German developer Crytek, who is reported to have purchased the struggling Nottingham, UK dev for an undisclosed amount.

According to 1UP, Free Radical scriptwriter Rob Yescombe confirmed the purchase of Free Radical by the developers of Far Cry and Crysis, saying that the decade-old company “is now out of the woods.”

Free Radical closed its doors in December, rather surprisingly to some, as employees showed up to locked doors and subsequent mass “redundancies.”

The studio’s closure led to details on two of its projects, Star Wars Battlefront III and TimeSplitters 4, being leaked far and wide.

We just hope that the company is truly out of the woods. And by that, we mean having foregone any delusions of a Haze sequel.

Crytek Purchases Free Radical, Says Haze Scriptwriter [1UP]

Timesplitters and Haze developer Free Radical Design is not quite done for. After hearing word that the Nottingham based developer with a penchant or shooters had shut its doors (literally), comes confirmation of its troubles.

1UP reports that Free Radical has shed 140 staffers, limping along with a skeleton crew of 40 remaining employees while it looks for a buyer.

The independent developer could still be swallowed up by another company. Reps said that the developer has “received some strong interest” in being acquired. No confirmation on whether all that Timesplitters 4 artwork will go to waster, nor if Star Wars Battlefront III has indeed been lost to another developer.

Free Radical Slashes 140 From Work Force [1UP]

Why didn’t you enjoy Haze? If you’ve actually played it, and aren’t just accepting that the game’s a load of crap because the internet told you so, feel free to watch this week’s episode of Zero Punctuation and choose from one of dozens of reasons Yahtzee catalogues to agree with. Oh, and if you’re wondering why the video progress bar is only 2/3 of the way through when ZP finishes, don’t. Just…press stop right away.

Zero Punctuation: Haze [The Escapist]

After all, Import Tuner Magazine loved it!

So how did destiny fare? The game is out, the scores are out, and the word is out on the ambitious first-person shooter. Does Haze deliver a nice, warm buzz, or does it leave you shaking and sweating in the corner, craving your next fix? Here’s several small doses of Haze, now in convenient capsule form.

G4 X-Play
Here’s the problem — despite all of the creativity used to build the two sides in this game, Haze still plays like an incredibly average first-person shooter with some very sloppy design issues. Play as a member of the Hand and you feel incredibly naked, not to mention having to deal with very confusing level design that leaves you wandering around lost more than driving any sort of action. Play as a member of Mantel and, unless you’re juiced up, you’re pretty much just as useless.

GameTap
Sure, it has a consistent framerate and no loadtimes (thanks to its four gigabyte install), but its looks vary from “pretty good for an HD-gen shooter” to “wow, look at those textures change from low- to high-res back to low-, and check out those cracks!” The weapon pool is really scant, with just a pistol, assault rifle, sniper rifle, flamethrower, and rocket launcher. Sure, there are Mantel and Promise Hand versions of each weapon, but it realistically translates into the Mantel type looking futuristic while the Promise Hand version looks budget and uses a Spanish name.

CNET
A seven-hour campaign and uneventful multiplayer modes just don’t cut it in light of the far better modern shooters available on the market. The patchy quality of the entire package is surprising, considering the developer’s fine pedigree. Yet Haze is a roller-coaster ride made up of tall peaks and unfathomable valleys, and it won’t leave you so much breathless as disappointed with its squandered potential.

IGN
There is a litany of problems with the game, from the odd warping of allied soldiers that blink into view suddenly at arbitrary checkpoints to poor texture work. Many of the environmental textures are generic and weak, and you’ll frequently see seams or tearing constantly pop up within the game, which distracts from the action onscreen. The worst example of this has to be the visuals for the flamethrower, the Dragon de la Gente, which vomits a horrid cone of supposed flame that looks visually on par with what you’d find from the 386 PC days 15 years ago.

Kotaku
There’s really no reason to recommend Haze over similar titles in the PS3 library. The game feels less polished than it should, seemingly “good enough” for release after suffering multiple delays. The story is forgettable, the weapons nearly indistinguishable and the seemingly strong concepts so poorly implemented that you’ll have a hard time convincing three of your friends to drop whatever else they’re playing for a co-op slog through the thing.

I thought I was going crazy over the past year concerning Haze, not seeing what the big deal was all about. I’m still a bit crazy, just not regarding this particular title.

For those determined to pick it up, you might as well save a few bucks. To this end, Anthony from Economical Gamer has kindly compiled a list of retailers selling the PS3 shooter for below its RRP. K-mart and JB Hi-Fi are clear winners, with prices of $87 and $89 respectively.

You can find the full list after the jump.

The best two places to get Haze on PS3 are Kmart for $87 or JB Hi-Fi for $89. Everywhere else seems to be pretty average:

- Kmart: $87
- JB Hi-Fi: $89
- Target: $99.95
- EB Games: $99.95 ($20 off $109.95 if preordered)
- JB Hi-Fi: $119
- Big W: $107.36
- Myer: $109
- GAME: $109.95
- Dick Smith: $112.67

For better or worse, Haze carries the distinction of being a PlayStation 3 exclusive and has the development pedigree of being created by the team responsible for seminal console shooters like GoldenEye 007 and the Timesplitters series. Unfortunately for Free Radical—and gamers—Haze won’t be as fondly remembered as those two first person classics.

Loved
Mechanically Sound: Haze is a competent shooter, with somewhat interesting gameplay mechanics and tight—not to mention fully customisable—controls. It’s meat and potatoes stuff, but the gunplay works rather well. Multiplayer is similarly competent but dry, with a serviceable, but run of the mill weapons selection.
Four Player Co-op: The pop-in, pop-out co-op campaign mode worked like a charm, turning the single player mode into a full sprint. You’ll fly through the campaign mode if you’re with a moderately skilled crew. Sadly, cut scenes cannot be skipped and at least one runs a good ten to fifteen minutes.

Hated
Idiot AI: Even on harder difficulties, computer controlled opponents don’t put up much of a fight. AI enemies will abandon cover in lieu of running straight at you, guns blazing. Your teammates are useless for anything but drawing an auto turret’s attention, as they’ll routinely walk into your line of fire, then turn on you when you accidentally shoot them. Only then do they have any accuracy, resulting in frustrating deaths.
Great Concepts Are Squandered: Haze has some interesting gameplay twists, many that you’ll like never use outside of the tutorials. As a Mantel trooper, you’re in no danger of running low on Nectar, nor is there a threat of overdosing, outside of one obligatory over-Nectaring that seems to come out of nowhere. As the Promise Hand, burying grenades underground—you have the superhuman ability to dig through metal and concrete with your bare hands!—is largely pointless, as you’ll be better served sticking to your rifle or super powerful pistol. In fact, you’ll probably be doing yourself a disservice, likely dying in the process, trying to take advantage of some of Haze’s marketed features.
Bland Overload: You’ll be doing plenty of giant lever pulling in Haze while traversing its dull, often ugly environments. There’s noticeable texture tearing and you’ll see low quality textures and models popping in and out, even in cut scenes and with a mandatory 4 GB install. There’s not much variety in the guns, as each side has its own semi-automatic rifle and shotgun, with a boring rocket launcher and flamethrower that spews hideous fire effects rounding out the more interesting weapon diversions. Virtually every aspect of the visuals is underwhelming.
Grating Dialogue: After you hear one of your Mantel buddies spout out a brain-dead line like “This is the most fun I’ve ever had with my pants on!” or “This sure beats pumpin’ gas!” again and again or Promise Hand rebels repeating “Remember your promise to Merino!” for the hundredth time, you’ll wish they were all dead. There’s an an odd mix of mangled rap lyrics, heavy handed philosophy and dramatic cut scenes that come off as unintentionally comedic. “Yeah, boyeeee!”? Really?
Dull Main Character: As Shane Carpenter, you’re an easily manipulated rube, a clueless sergeant with a wimpy voiceover who is unconvincing in his convictions. It’s difficult to emotionally invest in him as your vessel, because he’s not entirely empty, just saying enough to give him a shred of unlikable personality.

Free Radical has an interesting game buried deep within Haze, it’s just layered in so much archaic gameplay and so many half-executed concepts that it’s hard to get excited about any of the eight hours spent in the single-player campaign. Those eight or so hours feel unnecessarily padded, as you’ll spend a painfully long time watching unskippable cut scenes and, later, escorting a slow missile deployment system and clearing a mine field that feels like busywork. Players may find more value in Haze’s multiplayer modes, if they’ve got a thirst for generic Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch after running through the five Team Assault levels.

There’s really no reason to recommend Haze over similar titles in the PS3 library. The game feels less polished than it should, seemingly good enough for release after suffering multiple delays. The story is forgettable, the weapons nearly indistinguishable and the seemingly strong concepts so poorly implemented that you’ll have a hard time convincing three of your friends to drop whatever else they’re playing for a co-op slog through the thing.

Haze was developed by Free Radical, published by Ubisoft. Retails for $US 59.99. Available on PlayStation 3. Played single player campaign to completion on normal difficulty, played campaign co-op mode for five chapters. Tested all multiplayer modes and harder difficulties.