Yesterday, Ubisoft revealed the name of Free Radical Design's next-gen FPS project. Haze is set 25 years in the future where anti-terrorist operations have been privatised (that'll give Labour a few ideas) and a corporation named Mantel has pretty much cornered the market in blasting terror chiefs, dictators and other foreign trouble-makers. You play Jake Carpenter, a newly enlisted soldier in the Mantel army, who must travel the world doing the dirty work.
Of course, Free Radical has excellent credentials in this area with its TimeSplitters titles - although going by the rich organic settings, Haze looks much more like Far Cry. There will be vehicles to drive, hi-tech weapons to handle, co-op and versus multiplayer options... All the usual stuff. The press release has the cut-and-paste next-gen bumph we're all becoming accustomed to:
"Designed from the ground up to take advantage of next generation hardware. Prepare to be blown away by stunning visuals, hyper-intelligent AI, and realistic physics for a varied and immersive gameplay experience...Experience the devastating firepower of deadly weapons through dazzlingly rendered outdoor and indoor environments. Drive vehicles through a dense and humid jungle ravine, or breathtaking mountains, as you strive to defeat the merciless guerillas.."
Well, there's not enough here to get really excited about. TimeSplitters had lots of nice little ideas, and the unusual premise of the game allowed FRD to really play about with the FPS formula. This seems like more of a traditional set-up...
