Haze will also support up to four players in its co-op version of the campaign mode. Four player co-op in shooters is a rarity in itself and almost unheard of on the PS3. So we were really excited to see how it played. From what we’ve seen so far, it plays well enough but doesn’t seem to add a whole lot to the experience you’d get from just playing through the campaign on your own.

Sure, you and three other friends can all jump in a vehicle and revive each other if someone dies. There are also secrets that can only be unlocked when playing through the campaign with friends, but we were too busy trying not to die to find any. And yes, there are a few areas where you can split up in pairs and take alternate routes to clear an area. But in the end, protecting your friends and watching their backs will never be as fun as killing them.

For now, it looks like Haze’s biggest strengths will still be its intriguing story and the eerie side effects of Nectar. But while four-player co-op might give you a good excuse to join a few games on PSN and make some new friends, we don’t see it breaking any new grounds in the shooter genre. Since it’s a PS3 exclusive, it’ll be interesting to see how Haze is received when it releases this May. In the meantime, scroll down and click away for to see this shooter in motion.

Below: You’ll be able to craft Nectar grenades to use the Mantel soldier’s addiction against them. Notice how they turn red when they overdose and start firing randomly

Apr 3, 2008