Graphics do usually come later in reviews, but in terms of mockery, this is truly a case of best for last, as Haze provides possibly the worst visuals seen on the PS3. Not only are the low-resolution character models and poorly detailed environments bad, they’re practically broken. Several glitches exist ranging from constant texture pop in, and other instances where the entire level will disappear. Add relentlessly overused motion blur effects for the first few chapters and you’ll feel like you’re actually on something.

Things don’t get much better when it comes to Haze’s frequently annoying audio. The score is nothing special, but it won’t drive you to reach for the mute button the way the poorly written and repetitive dialog will. Characters give absolutely laughable lines that are probably meant to sound serious, making the protagonist, Shane, especially uninteresting. During gameplay your fellow soldiers, Mantel or Promise Hand, are only given about three lines of dialog, and keep repeating the few phrases they know to the point that they actually make the game frustrating to play (as if the gameplay hadn’t already succeeded in that department).

If Nectar had been integrated more thoroughly into the single- and multiplayer offerings, then it may have overshadowed Haze’s other errors and elevated it to the status of average. Unfortunately, the game just doesn’t take advantage of any possible edge it could have had by removing Nectar far too early, creating a weak story and sinking gameplay. Taking away a player’s abilities and replacing them with no other compelling functionality is an enormous design flaw and will have you going through with drawl symptoms for the one aspect of Haze that gave an over-coating to its various other problems. I’m not being so critical of Haze because of any expectations it may have had thrust upon it as PS3 exclusive; it’s glaring graphical and design issues fail to live up to the requirements of any FPS game in this day and age, let alone the immense hype.