Haze Runs at 576p; Early Reviews Not Looking Good
Posted by Chris on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 5:31 pm under Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Gamer Life, Games, Sony, Ubisoft
The issue of resolution has seemingly become this generation’s equivalent of the old 32 bit vs. 64 bit arguments that gamers used to engage in. First there was Halo 3, then Call of Duty 4 and more recently, GTA IV on PS3. Haze is the latest game to come under fire for not truly running in 720p, as the game’s creative lead, Derek Littlewood, has confirmed that a claim made on PlayStation.Blog is incorrect, and that the game natively runs at 576p.
As we learned with the other games I mentioned, the resolution really shouldn’t matter to gamers. As Littlewood said, “We prioritize a nice smooth framerate over a different res. Personally, I don’t really buy the whole thing. People did the same with Call of Duty, they did the same with Halo, and they say with those games ‘It’s not running at true HD!’ And it’s like, I don’t care. If the game looks good and it runs smoothly, those are the important things to me.”
But the game’s visuals might be the least of Littlewood’s worries, as early reviews have not been positive. Tom Chick at Quarter to Three explained that, even as a fan of Free Radical’s work and games like TimeSplitters, “Haze is utter and complete tripe. If I can prevent just one of you from throwing away money on this underdone turd of a shooter, I will be happy.”
Ouch. I’m certainly glad I didn’t run out to buy the game, but the lack of early reviews should have been a sign that this was the case.
If you found this story interesting, why not subscribe to our RSS feed to get your daily fix of gaming news?
May 20th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Isn't the whole point of having a high def console about playing games in higher resolutions, with these console blockbusters lacking in that crucial area it doesn't seem that these consoles can handle it, players might as well switch to the pc to get the best graphics and resolution.
May 20th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
But is the lack of 144 pixels really that much of a detriment on your gaming experience? In the case of CoD4, Halo 3 and GTA IV, I think the answer is a resounding "no."
May 20th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
That's why I'll stick to my 1280×1024. PC Gaming forever!
May 20th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I knew Haze wasn't going to be a good game. I saw a video of the gameplay, and you can tell by the shooting mechanics and structure that it wasn't going to be any fun… The video reminded me of Turning Point. Awesome idea, but it just isn't fun when it plays as bad as it does.
May 20th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I played the demo for Haze (and Turning Point). I have to say, I actually preferred Turning Point over Haze. Although it was fun to go online with Haze and then shoot people in the canister on their back so that they overdose.
May 20th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Why make a nex-gen console if non of its games are ever gonna be nex-gen quality. And I'm talking about both the PS3 and Xbox
May 20th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I cant say my hopes for this were very high because I dont like FPS's on consoles but I'm definitely not getting it now.
lightace said: "Why make a nex-gen console if non of its games are ever gonna be nex-gen quality. And I'm talking about both the PS3 and Xbox"
I would respond to that but I dont really have a clue what you are talking about
May 20th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Resolution doesn't matter if it still looks good. If it doesn't look good…. then something is wrong…
May 20th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Uhh… horrible reviews. Does it really suck that much? I always thought that it was going to be like 70 or something but…
May 20th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Guess the powerful Cell isn't as powerful as you thought.
Consoles will always suck.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
obviously most of you children haven't played an Atari. after that, playing super mario brothers was the best thing ever. be thankful for what you have instead of whining about the tiniest things, dammit. what a generation of wusses
May 20th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Not to be classified under whining, but chiming in on this as a PC gamer…Resolution is everything. If you can't run at a higher resolution you need more GPU intensive things like Anti-Aliasing or outright trickery like burn out your retinas Bloom to hide the fact it's lo-res and covered in jagged lines by making everything a blurry mess. If they can't get it running at 720p on a controlled platform AND run smoothly, then they are trying to do too much with it…or the hardware just sucks. PC for life BTW.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
"Not to be classified under whining, but chiming in on this as a PC gamer…Resolution is everything"
Thats just about the dumbest thing I have read on here
GAMEPLAY is everything.
May 21st, 2008 at 4:50 am
[...] there was Halo 3, then Call of Duty 4 and more recently, gta IV on PS3. Haze is the latest game to chttp://news.filefront.com/haze-runs-at-576p-early-reviews-not-looking-good/GTA IV, Wii Fit Remain Atop Weekly UK Charts Gamasutra The top three titles in the UK individual [...]
May 21st, 2008 at 7:10 am
Way to completely ignore the fact that while some scored it low an equal number have scored it high.
May 21st, 2008 at 7:20 am
They gave Haze a 2 out of 5 on XPlay last night….this game looks horrible and they said the gameplay was equally as horrible…..they showed you shooting someone point blank and them not responding to you until you pass some sort of invisible line…..WTF???? I was actually kinda looking forward to it….not anymore….BOOO on Haze.
Go Marlins!!!!
May 25th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
[...] [...]
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Has any one on here actually played the retail version of Haze, I only ask because i don't know about you guys but everything they reviewers have said, i have not seen in the game. They say the graphics are glichy….when….I have played through the entire game and at no time was this the case. They say the AI is horrible….ya ok maybe on easy mode. Play the game on the hardest difficulty and see the difference, the enemy attacks in groups, retreats hides and rushes, it's always different. You can die 4 times and go through the same part of the game 4 times, and have 4 different scenarios. I am not the only one that has come to the same conclusion, everyone i personally know aggress that the reviews for this game are understated. And like they mentioned above, yes it got several bad reviews, but it also got several great reviews, this is the type of game that you need to try for yourself and make your own decision. YES it is no system seller and was overhyped, but it is by no means a bad game. It's sad the reviewers urge people to no buy this game because it so horrible, when it's all a matter of opinion. This is why i don' t pay attention to them .