Haze

May 4 2008 by Darren Kelso, Sunday Sun

From: Ubisoft/Free Radical
For: PS3
RRP: £49.99
Rating: 18+
Out: May 23

WHEN it comes to games, what’s in a name? Well quite a lot. Grand Theft Auto is the perfect title for a game where stealing cars is par for the course.

Command and Conquer instantly sums up the seminal real-time strategy series, and could Need for Speed be anything other than a racing game?

Some names, however, are at first puzzling. Leisure Suit Larry, what’s that about? Gears of War, huh? And who knew what Halo referred to before playing the game?

Speaking of Halo, there are many similarities with the legendary Xbox title and soon-to-be-released PS3 first person shooter title Haze, the least of which is the puzzling name.

But Haze features elite Mantel Troopers equipped with deadly weapons, hi-tech vehicles . . . and the performance-enhancing drug Nectar. You can see now where the name came from.

In fact, the game centres on Nectar, which delivers significant battlefield bonuses to help Troopers spot and kill enemies much quicker, plus avoid danger to themselves. So you’ll need to shoot up before the shoot out.

The storyline revolves around the Troopers, the private army of Mantel Global Industries and producers of Nectar, and their efforts to remove some South American rebels from land that’s ripe for Nectar production.

There follows some spectacular action between the Troopers and the rebels — as you’d expect from the publishers of Far Cry and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter — with players getting the chance to experience gameplay both with and without Nectar.

As well as a mature and engrossing storyline — featuring a great taboo subject, drugs — there are the obligatory online multiplayer modes along, by now, familiar lines, plus four-player co-op action.