Chart Toppers: Hazy Returns (PS3)

Members of the Free Radical Design team have had almost as much effect on FPS titles on consoles as anyone. After all, many FRD members worked on Goldeneye 007, which introduced the genre to an entire generation of console players. The developer is also responsible for the acclaimed TimeSplitters series, which incorporated much of the creativity and variety that made Goldeneye a hit.

It was with no small amount of anticipation, then, that Haze released this past May. The game is the first for Free Radical Design this generation and has seen its release date pushed back multiple times, ostensibly to improve the quality of Haze. We take a closer look at the game’s results, looking at Haze’s pros and cons.

Juice up on Nectar and it gives everything a golden glow

According to the NPD, Haze was the nineteenth best selling title for the May period. This made the game a distant second behind Grand Theft Auto IV on the PS3 charts. Overall, the game sold 67,000 copies during the month of May.

The results for Haze can be taken either optimistically or pessimistically, depending on how you look at it. On the upside, the game managed to make it in the NPD top 20, even though the critical response to the game was not kind (more on that below). It also achieved these sales despite high competition in the shooter field from military shooters like Activision’s Call of Duty 4, Ubisoft’s own Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and EA’s Army of Two.

This is what happens when you try to take my Nectar!

Of course, Haze can easily be looked at in a negative light as well. Firstly, it’s easy to see these results as disappointing, given the pedigree of Free Radical Design and the extended development time on the game. Secondly, the sales do not seem proportional to the amount of hype the game received (again, more on that below). Finally, Haze may have ultimately been hurt by its PS3 exclusivity; the Xbox 360 has proven to have a large fanbase for shooters, and not releasing Haze on that system potentially crippled sales.