Back in the day, abundant bloom was the coolest thing in the block. Now that developers have access to more powerful hardware, some gamers will call them lazy if a next-gen title doesn't have parallax mapping, high resolution rendering, and all that. Free Radical co-founder Dave Doak, however, would rather be creative than make generic eye-candy.

"A typical next-gen look has often got all the next-gen stuff like specular highlights and normal mapping turned up to the max... But if it's not turned up to 11, people think it's not next-gen enough," he said in a recent interview with PC Gamer in its issue # 180. Yet, the TimeSplitters series took a more cartoony approach over super-realistic graphics, and Doak seems to favor that style.

Even with powerful tools around, it looks like TimeSplitters will stay true to its roots. After giving Valve's Team Fortress 2 props for standing out, noting how developers are starting to ponder if they really have to do realistic rendering or go for a distinct look, he said:

TimeSplitters has always had that [distinct look] and it's something we want to go back and look at again, specifically taking that cartoon look and doing it with the interesting rendering you can do now [with next-gen].

We haven't heard much about TimeSplitters 4, but if Doak's words hold true, then we're getting more of the quirky first-person shooter that offered hours of fun. Who cares about complex physics engines and extremely detailed character models? Give us rocket launcher-wielding monkeys and we're sold.

The hits just keep on coming with Day 2 of the legendary Mecca of videogames, E3, and this time it's Ubisoft strutting its stuff for all the videogaming world to see. We give you the facts and just the facts, directly from their exclusive E3 2007 Conference.

The little shindig of Ubisoft's started the crowd off with casual games - namely the MyCoach series, the Petz series, and the rather revolutionary guitar simulator on the DS, Jam Sessions. They then finished up with big three bombshells, all of which with the hardcore gamer demographic's name written on 'em. More about those three later, let's tackle the casuals first.

The full E3 update after the jump!

Those who were wishing to see the head boss of Free Radical might want to take a first glimpse here. As the first of a series of developer diaries, developer and director Dave Doak shares Free Radical's complete rehashing of the first-person shooting genre with HAZE (for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC).

Once again, Doak explains just what they're aiming for with the multiplatform shooter, which Free Radical has repeatedly identified as turning HAZE into a blast-fest with much deeper thought and feelings. Personal views, reservations and all of that being skewed with bittersweet Nectar is the name of the game.

But this time around, each explanation comes with some eye candy to take a gander at, and since Free Radical is releasing the highly-awaited title to the PlayStation 3 first, you can be sure these are real-time captures of the PlayStation 3's gameplay. Four-player co-op, visuals that controversially tails one other visual masterpiece title, and subtle clues of Nectar overdose and its effects are weaved into the Doak's video journal entry, so keep a keen eye out.

 

In-game FPS banter has always been tepid as of late. Sure, you have the death screams, the authoritative figure coolly reminding you of your objectives, your teammates grunting and yelling incomprehensibly when the bullets start flying thick and fast. And it's not a bad thing. It does its job in adding to the immersion factor of the game, it makes it seem all the more real. Haze, the game touted as "Halo for adults", promises to be more than just real, it's going to be absolutely no-holds-barred dirty.

At least, when in-game banter is concerned.

During an open discussion in a recent Ubisoft event, co-founder of Free Radical Dave Doak revealed that in Haze, your teammates will not only be firing bullets but also verbal barbs, and you're the hapless target in their sights. "I don't think you will see in any other game points in the narrative, in cut-scenes or cinematic gameplay moments, where people are calling you a p***y - telling you that you're not with the program, that you're a liability to the team."

Ouch, burned. But Dave reassures us that it's not just mere shock jock tactics - he wants the player to feel as uncomfortable as possible to drive certain story elements home. "Haze puts in this warzone, where other people are perhaps doing things where a line has been crossed. You're going to think, 'These guys have gone too far'. And you'll have to ask yourself, 'Are you part of this now?'"

And the language, coarse as it is, ties in neatly with one of the game's critical themes - that is, the performance-enhancing drug called Nectar and the abuse of it. "The soldiers are fighting with you, using Nectar and talking about it all. And they talk about it in a locker room style. But, sometimes, it gets a bit too far. It makes you uncomfortable."

It's certainly good news that Free Radical's taking Haze very seriously - to the point of daring to use such strong adult-oriented elements to give players a more intense experience. Here's hoping someone doesn't go on another political crusade with this news - it's really getting old. In any case, updates about Haze as we get them!