Haze Hype - Day 1: Halo 3's Competitor Is Not Unproven

Okay, as I read through the Haze Hype here I notice first the responses tend to be leaning more towards Haze and less towards Halo (in relative terms to the article that spawned all this). Which is good, because Haze does deserve some support. I cannot say anything bad about it because I have no played it, so I won't pull a fanboy on you. What I will say though is that the author, William Usher, misinterpreted the message in the multitudes of comments regarding the proven IP, or he misinterpreted the meaning of IP. IP is 'Intellectual Property', and the commentors in the previous article were referring to the IP as being unproven, as in the franchise of Haze. This is true! This article misconstrues the message and goes on to defend the Developers, the Engine, and many other things that were not even questioned as being 'proven' or not. The question of 'what if Bungie made a new game?', well then that IP (if it is original and not a sequel) would be unproven. Yes, many people would tend to think that it would be extremely successful because Bungie made it, but it would still be an unproven IP. The success of Halo is not only in the gameplay, nor is it in the graphics or innovations. The success comes from the compelling storyline and expansive Halo Universe...coupled with the gameplay, and graphics, and other in-game goodies. Until I read more on Haze I will limit my response to this:

I have only seen the pictures posted in this article, they are graphically very pleasing, but lack color and tend to emulate basic design elements used in Halo. This does not turn me off... on the contrary, it even intrigues me, but until I see gameplay and have played a little myself, I reserve my opinions. Please, continue to Hype the game. But do so with a grain of salt, and without being condesending to current IP's. Sony's only mistake in the launch of the PS3 was focusing on their competitions low points, instead of bolstering their own high points. Had Sony promoted the console instead of demoting the 360, their sales would be much higher. Bad Business decision, it is in the past, they are recovering... please don't help them make the same mistake with a [potentially] great IP for their system.

Well, I have friends who are serious Halo fanboys, and their reports on Halo 3, aren't that spectacular (they're part of testing). I just showed one of them the developer diary 3, this morning and he said the graphics are hands down better than Halo 3, let alone the unique ideas that Free Radical has put to good use in this game (Playing dead, weapon taking, exploiting the AI etc..). Every new article I read on Haze's website, and every new video trailer I see for this game makes me want it more and more. Glad I pre-ordered it in June, no way i'm waiting for it when it launches!

Great article. Thanks for putting things in perspective. I'm totally looking forward to reading more about HAZE!

I dont get the big deal with Halo. I mean it's a good FPS but, it looks like a f***ing rip-off of the original UNREAL!! And whats the deal with ever yone saying the graphics are the best THEY ARE NOT!! Their lighting is not rendered by the 3shitty processor its f***ing drawn (which is pathetic!!). The game looks like a bloody cartoon. But I guess that's why all the 10-12 yr olds love it so much. (yes 3shitty older boys I know u love it too but, only for a different reason, it's the only game u can talk about.) So enjoy going to yr f***ing 7/11 to buy a stupid sprite with a halo logo on it. SHAME u guys are being taken for a ride and being herded like sheep!

"Haze sucks" ;-)

I appreciate your enthusiasm William. Just wanted to drop by and say that your Haze Hype Trail has been spotted and we're looking forward to seeing the result! ;-) Good luck and thank you for your support!

Dude, that was the best logical comment I have read on this site, ever.

I wish we had more readers who intelligently expressed their opinions without reverting to bashing either of the topics in discussion.

With that said, hopefully no one will come in and say "Haze sucks" just because Halo 3 is in the headline. <_<

If you were responding to allegations that Haze's developer was unproven, you'd be perfectly right to point to Free Radical's pedigree in order to refute that false claim.

The claim that Haze, as an intellectual property, is unproven, is true. It has not yet been released. It is not a portion of a pre-existing franchise.

To say that Haze as an intellectual property is proven because its developer has proven its ability to develop other properties is to respond to an imagined criticism. Saying Haze is unproven is not a slight or criticism of Free Radical. It is merely a fact.

If one implies that Haze is less deserving of hype than Halo 3 because the former is an unproven property and the latter is not, this is merely invoking common sense-- unless you mean to imply that despite Halo being a proven franchise, Bungie is an "unproven" developer?

If not, then one can validly state that an existing and established property (Halo) backed by a proven developer (Bungie) naturally warrants slightly higher expectations than a brand-new property (Haze) by a proven developer (Free Radical).

I'm sure that when Bungie finally hands off the Halo franchise to others and develops something new, there will be a torrent of articles wondering aloud if Bungie can do anything besides Halo and expressing doubts about their new "unproven" intellectual property. That's only natural and to be expected. Many, like myself, would expect them to do no less well with a new property than they have with Halo, but that belief, in and of itself, would not make that unknown quantity a "proven" property.

Its true that haze "could be" as good if not better than halo 3... to a certain audience. The fact of the matter is that the market is already saturated with halo fans, millions of people are devoted falloweres of the series and will undoubtedly love halo 3. People who up until now havent been halo fans wont jump on the bandwagon in the future. In terms of comparing haze to halo on a "bulletpoint" basis, i think this is unfair. What it all comes down to the final feel of the game, an indescribeable crispness that cant be put to paper. For millions of people halo has captured this feeling... until people have a chance to play haze is just another game