Okay, played through it. I'm totally impressed. I see the "generiatrics" are back...can you explain how this game is a generic shooter at all? The nectar really, REALLY changes stuff up.
I'm very impressed with what I played. First I'll say the bad: I think the graphics are ass. Like I can't believe how ass. Very blurry, low res texturing, meh animations, only okay models, whatever. However, there are really neat special effects that are triggered by the nectar and stuff.
Controls feel really nice. Got your nice gushy analog administer button where it should be...feels good to hold it like you would be injecting a needle. Grenades are where they should be. I'd like reload and switch weapon to switch positions on the controller. Very impressive use of rumble. Teammate AI I didn't really notice, but I liked how enemies would move behind cover. The teammates say a lot of stupid shit. Oh well, four player coop so no big deal, right?
The nectar is awesome...it really makes the gunplay something different. You can see really, really far ahead of you at the expense of peripheral vision, and you can see the range of grenades. You are also stronger and you can melee like in crackdown-- send people flying.
You have to constantly watch your nectar levels while always in gun battles, and the actual adrenaline rush of combat can cause you to screw up administration at times as you try to get the best charge of Nectar you can.
The writing seems a little hokey and the voice acting is unremarkable.
Could people calling the game "generic" please stipulate what generic means to them and then how Haze falls into this categorization? Thanks.
There seems to be a lot of potential here. Like the setpieces. Like the nectar. Like how the guns feel (without rumble I could see this being a huge problem-- things feel like a pee shooter).
Totally don't get why the game looks so bad.
B+ here maybe? Maybe better with coop?
Edit: Here's something awesome: if you kill someone while on nectar, you get a nectar boost. So you are encouraged to get into a rhythm and really go on a spree. And I LOVE the sound of all the teammates around you doping up.