There’s been quite a bit of shock emanating from the gaming community over Haze’s low review scores. After all, it’s one of those games that was just supposed to be good, as the hype machine would tell you. The announcement of its promotion to PS3 exclusive at last year’s E3 only helped to crank up the expectations another few notches, as it became the new poster child for Sony followers to prop up against their 360-loving counterparts. Looking beyond all the confusion of how the latest title from the studio responsible for Time Splitters could go so wrong, Haze itself serves as a crystal clear example of the danger of hype, and the immense disappointment that can follow.

One of the few things that always looked interesting about Haze, and still is, is the idea behind the storyline. You play as Sgt. Shane Carpenter, a member of the powerful Mantel Corporation’s private army sent to the Boa region of South America to liberate the native population from the tyranny of its cannibalistic tyrant, or so you’re told. Mantel’s contribution to battlefield technology is a drug known as Nectar, which is used to sharpen the senses its soldiers in order to make them more efficient killers, but also carries a more sinister purpose by creating a cerebral fog of war. This basically means hiding the ugly side of warfare, and the true reason why Mantel is invading the Boa region.

Now, don’t assume that I’ve just spoiled this fine tale for you, because Mantel’s sinister nature is made so obvious from the onset that there might as well be a text crawl at the bottom of the screen that reads “something’s not right here." The idea behind juicing soldiers with intentions of battlefield brainwashing is intriguing, but is so horribly told in Haze’s dialog and cut-scenes that the story somewhat loses its appeal.

Despite all that, the inclusion of Nectar is what actually sets Haze apart, allowing the player to shoot up (by pressing L2) during a firefight, causing higher resistance to damage, tighter aiming, and enemies to glow like fireflies. As you kill whilst in your Nectar high, the buzz will keep going, creating a kind of bloodlust that Mantel wants you to have. Just be careful not to fill the gauge too much, as an overdose will let the drug take control and have you firing and friends rather than foes. Your squad mates will supply you with more Nectar, giving proper, albeit selfish, motivation to keep them alive.

Ok, this is the part where I feel like I just wasted my time explaining this entire mechanic. Why? Because the game takes it away when Shane defects from Mantel, joining the rebels known as the Promise Hand at about a quarter of the way through the game, never giving any proper development to the story or gameplay, and making the shift an extremely weak one. As a rebel, you’re given alternative abilities such as stealing weapons from enemies, dodging, setting traps, and other basic gameplay functions that should be present in the first place, Mantel soldier or not. The use of a scope that came with being a Mantel trooper is also absent, making the change feel like a complete downgrade in abilities and gameplay.