Deemed “child’s play” by the developers of Haze back in May of ’07, another contender had risen from the ashes to become the next…well…first, Halo Killer.
Some thought this immature of Free Radical, as developers ripping into games that are not their own can definitely be perceived as child’s play.
The following set of quotes are from Haze Scriptwriter Rob Yescombe:
"While Halo is brilliant, you’re a teenager - the next-gen is about becoming more mature, in Haze you become an adult."
But that’s not to say Haze certainly had some potential to it. Free Radical had previously worked on the highly successful series TimeSplitters, and also had ties to the legendary Goldeneye 007. Haze brought the idea of Nectar, a type of drug used to enhance ones abilities with focus on combat. The game also followed the critically acclaimed Halo 3 with the addition of 4 player online co-operative play, a shot in the arm to the long repetitive first-person shooter genre. A wide variety of weapons and vehicles was also proudly shown by Free Radical along with other features which quickly produced glazed eyes over shooter-hungry Playstation 3 owners.
Back in 2004 Killzone from Guerilla Games was one of the first to be named a ‘Halo Killer’. This game never made it to killer status; it never really made it to any status as Killzone was absolutely crushed by Halo. Next up on Sony’s laundry list of average shooters was Resistance: Fall of Man, released in 2006 to coincide with the launch of the PS3. Again, commercially and critically this game could not surpass that of the 2 year old Halo 2. After the most successful release in video game history, Halo 3 opened to raved reviews and again, clearly raised the first-person shooter bar.
"It’s about what’s happening in the world today - it’s ludicrous, and how can you make something that doesn’t reflect that? Well, you could bury your head in the sand and make Halo 3, but the fact of the matter is there are more important things at stake."
8 months after the fact, Haze came out flying with failing grades from select major gaming sites.
This may be a tad hilarious to some, but because an average game becomes a poor game when compared to one of the greatest games; publishers, developers, the game itself, and gamers all suffer. This begs the question…why must games be compared to other games that sometimes have zero similarities to the first? By their selves, Killzone is a decent game, Resistance: Fall of Man is an awesome launch game, and Haze is a true innovator. But when put up against one of the best, nothing good can come. It is inevitable that one day there will be an actual Halo Killer, a game that will top this great shooter, and up the standards for the entire genre. Will Halo 4 be hyped to be X game’s killer? Does anyone else see how silly all this game hyping is?
Let’s look at immediate games that may or may not overcome the mighty Halo:
Killzone 2, releasing in early 2009, may not be 100% in the gameplay department, but its visuals are some of the best to date, across all games and platforms. Killzone 2 will most likely be a terrific game in its own right. But it’s the same story every time, when compared to one of the best of all time; it sets itself up for failure. Resistance: Fall of Man was a great launch title for the Playstation 3, when you consider this and add Insomniacs awesome track record, we can expect an even better sequel. And now we come full circle and are back at Haze. Cool innovative features and 4 player co-op, Haze is a great rental for any PS3 owner, but when it competes with giants…
In conclusion, Free Radical killed Haze, but Master Chief had a big part in its demise. Whether it’s the fanboys, the fans, developers, the publishers, or the media in general; giving games undeserved hype will almost always lead to failure. Let’s stay away from direct comparisons in the future and let games be their own games and not force them to measure up supermassive, god-like virtual worlds.
…You’re the queen of the superficial
And how long before you tell the truth…
[URL="http://www.slicegaming.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=404"]Here [/URL]
