Haze

Free Radical's Karl Hilton has acknowledged that the PS3 gave the developer a number of 'stumbling blocks' when creating Haze. Speaking to Develop, Crytek UK managing director Karl Hilton admitted that Haze had a lot of development issues which meant it wasn't the game it should have been. A lot of them were technical issues, he said. The PS3 is a powerful machine but a difficult one to get the best out of.

Spending a large portion on 2008 sitting in the gutter after its inital release, maybe Rockstar where right in saying they're confident GTA IV can reach 10 million units. Play.com is the Uks biggest online retailer for consumer electronics...

Arstechnica: There were many problems with Haze: even after numerous delays, there were still issues with low-end resolution, gameplay was painfully generic at best, vehicles controlled like bricks, and the storytelling elements were laughably bad. Honestly, it seems like the biggest mistake Free Radical made was actually putting this game into production, as it's been theorized that its critical lambasting and lack of sales played some role in the developer's demise. It turns out that nobody really wants anything to do with the game, including retailers. While meandering through the aisles at my local Target today, I stopped by the video game section to see if there were any post-Holiday sale prices to capitalize on. I was a little surprised to see the above clearance tag sitting in front of Haze, which has now been reduced to $20.98. When I asked one of the store's salespeople about it, he shrugged and informed me that the game sold well since its launch, so he suspected the store was trying to simply get rid of the remaining copies they'd had on hand for the past few months.

Home refuses to come out of its beta shell and Free Radical goes up for sale as we mull over our New Year's resolutions.

Haze… didn't sell so well, but who would imagine Ubisoft would try to push it by giving away a free copy of Horsez: Secrets of the Ranch? In Hong Kong they are.

From the Haze Offical Forum, Posted by: Ubi_Wuzzi Community Developer Hi everyone, An update is now available on the PSN to correct the difficulties encountered when inviting people into the Co-op campaign. All you have to do is turn on your PS3, launch the game, and accept the update. After the auto-install, please go into Select chapters to continue your campaign. You will then start from the beginning of the last level you reached in the game. Thank you for your patience

Despite the unenthusiastic and often mediocre reviews and scores given to Haze, according to Develop, the game developers news site, Haze has come in as a new entry at number 12,just under Rock Band, the highest climber. It even beat the mighty Age of Conan which has come in as a new entry at number 13. Now that's not bad for a game with overall below average mixed reviews. Perhaps this is another indicator of reviewers being out of touch with what gamers in the real world get their kicks from.

PS3 Fanboy: Well, that didn't take too long, did it? Just a few weeks after the critics tore Haze apart, it's getting a discount at GameStop retailers. Originally $60, the Free Radical FPS is dropping down to $40, with the guide dropping down to just $10. Sale prices don't go into effect until next week, so we're certain you can restrain yourselves just a few days before rushing to GameStop in total excitement.

From PS3 Attitude: Ubisoft have released the best viral video tool we have seen in many a year... It starts with the spoof video you've sent, but then the 'transmission' is interrupted and you're treated to a highly personalised rebel recruitment feed, where they even hold up your picture. What's more, if you add in your friend's mobile number, they'll get a text message that is referenced in the video! Smart.

Haze and GTA IV battled it out last week for domination of the PS3 chart, but which game reigns supreme this week?