Doak: Haze will do wonders to your self-esteem

In-game FPS banter has always been tepid as of late. Sure, you have the death screams, the authoritative figure coolly reminding you of your objectives, your teammates grunting and yelling incomprehensibly when the bullets start flying thick and fast. And it’s not a bad thing. It does its job in adding to the immersion factor of the game, it makes it seem all the more real. Haze, the game touted as “Halo for adults“, promises to be more than just real, it’s going to be absolutely no-holds-barred dirty.

At least, when in-game banter is concerned.

During an open discussion in a recent Ubisoft event, co-founder of Free Radical Dave Doak revealed that in Haze, your teammates will not only be firing bullets but also verbal barbs, and you’re the hapless target in their sights. “I don’t think you will see in any other game points in the narrative, in cut-scenes or cinematic gameplay moments, where people are calling you a p***y – telling you that you’re not with the program, that you’re a liability to the team.”

Ouch, burned. But Dave reassures us that it’s not just mere shock jock tactics – he wants the player to feel as uncomfortable as possible to drive certain story elements home. “Haze puts in this warzone, where other people are perhaps doing things where a line has been crossed. You’re going to think, ‘These guys have gone too far’. And you’ll have to ask yourself, ‘Are you part of this now?'”

And the language, coarse as it is, ties in neatly with one of the game’s critical themes – that is, the performance-enhancing drug called Nectar and the abuse of it. “The soldiers are fighting with you, using Nectar and talking about it all. And they talk about it in a locker room style. But, sometimes, it gets a bit too far. It makes you uncomfortable.”

It’s certainly good news that Free Radical‘s taking Haze very seriously – to the point of daring to use such strong adult-oriented elements to give players a more intense experience. Here’s hoping someone doesn’t go on another political crusade with this news – it’s really getting old. In any case, updates about Haze as we get them!

In-game FPS banter has always been tepid as of late. Sure, you have the death screams, the authoritative figure coolly reminding you of your objectives, your teammates grunting and yelling incomprehensibly when the bullets start flying thick and fast. And it’s not a bad thing. It does its job in adding to the immersion factor of the game, it makes it seem all the more real. Haze, the game touted as “Halo for adults“, promises to be more than just real, it’s going to be absolutely no-holds-barred dirty.

At least, when in-game banter is concerned.

During an open discussion in a recent Ubisoft event, co-founder of Free Radical Dave Doak revealed that in Haze, your teammates will not only be firing bullets but also verbal barbs, and you’re the hapless target in their sights. “I don’t think you will see in any other game points in the narrative, in cut-scenes or cinematic gameplay moments, where people are calling you a p***y – telling you that you’re not with the program, that you’re a liability to the team.”

Ouch, burned. But Dave reassures us that it’s not just mere shock jock tactics – he wants the player to feel as uncomfortable as possible to drive certain story elements home. “Haze puts in this warzone, where other people are perhaps doing things where a line has been crossed. You’re going to think, ‘These guys have gone too far’. And you’ll have to ask yourself, ‘Are you part of this now?'”

And the language, coarse as it is, ties in neatly with one of the game’s critical themes – that is, the performance-enhancing drug called Nectar and the abuse of it. “The soldiers are fighting with you, using Nectar and talking about it all. And they talk about it in a locker room style. But, sometimes, it gets a bit too far. It makes you uncomfortable.”

It’s certainly good news that Free Radical‘s taking Haze very seriously – to the point of daring to use such strong adult-oriented elements to give players a more intense experience. Here’s hoping someone doesn’t go on another political crusade with this news – it’s really getting old. In any case, updates about Haze as we get them!