PAX 2007: Hands-On with Lair
By Jonathan on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 12:43 AM PST In Features, Games, Sony, Sony
I’m sorry, PS3 owners. I know you’ve been looking forward to Lair’s awesome-looking gameplay since your console’s launch. I was also hoping that the initial reviews of the game were a just bit too harsh; but now that I’ve gotten to play it myself and see what all the fuss was about, I can safely say this: it really isn’t all that exciting of a game.
But before I go into that, let me start with a positive aspect of the game. On the plus side, the graphics are gorgeous. If you want a game that will show off what your console can do, then this is certainly the one to do it. From the way your dragon’s wings seem to catch the wind to the fire that it rains down, everything looks almost picture perfect. I just sincerely wish the rest of the game had the same level of quality.
As cool as they sound, the Sixaxis controls are what hurt the most. From the way it’s described, you’d expect to move your controller much like a toddler would a toy airplane. Instead though, imagine that toddler tilting his wrist down ever so slightly, only to have his airplane plunge into a dive bomb. You should have a pretty good idea of how the controls handle in Lair. It can get extremely frustrating when you’re trying to simply hone in on your target, but the camera keeps wiggling all over the place with every slight twitch of your fingers. You don’t feel like you’re flying a dragon so much as just trying to get the camera to face where you want it to. Strangely though, when you actually land on the ground and use the analog sticks for movement, the controls seem to work quite well. Unfortunately, even the on-ground combat can get tiresome. Yes, setting everything in your path on fire and chomping down on enemy soldiers is pretty fun, but it begins to lose its appeal once you you do it for about the tenth time.
Even the missions just don’t feel very inspired. You’re given new objectives as the missions continue, but they mostly boil down to “kill this thing” or “protect that thing.” Then all you really do is follow an on-screen arrow all over the map until you eventually lock on something to kill. Again, this can get old fast. And despite the fantasy setting, it really is hard to escape the feeling that you’re just flying an X-Wing with flapping wings. The whole experience seems like the bastard child of Rogue Squadron and Lord of the Rings. It’s not necessarily a bad experience, but it isn’t a great one either. That’s not to say Lair isn’t worth playing; it’s just one of those “rent before you buy” titles.
But don’t despair, PS3 owners. Out of all that Sony had to show for their next-gen system at PAX, Lair was most certainly just one smudge on a bright and shiny surface. Everything else offered up for the system looked impressive and played wonderfully. You’re sure to have more than your fair share of excellent titles later in the fall.
**BS**
why not give an example of said games?
you weren’t there, thats why, i’ve played lair twice, 1 hour sittings each, GI and I both agree there is a 10 minute learning curve for the controls, so idiots who expect them to be like flying a toy airplane rather than the reins of a living dragon, have ample time to adjust..
**Profanity-laden comment has been removed**
Here is the Kotaku review from someone who actually did play it (which I doubt you did given what you seem to have missed).
“Continuing my second takes from the floor of GC07 in Leipzig, I had my first hands-on with Lair (despite being within feet of a playable station on more than one occasion). After playing for about 15 minutes, here are my thoughts (I like it, btw):
When Sony announced their SIXAXIS motion controls, most of us considered it “me too” technology. When we first tried them in games like Motorstorm, we went back to analog sticks after about 30 seconds of ass-handing. But with Lair? Lair nails the motion control.
I literally picked up the controller, jumped on the dragon and flew around the rich environments with ease. And I’m not talking flight simulator, floating around without a sense of speed flying. I’m talking barreling under arch bridges, twisting around castles and skimming the water to take out boats.
In most PS3 motion-enabled games I’ve tried, there’s a noticeable delay to turning. But Lair steering is really tight. Whether Factor 5 has made some necessary breakthrough in their SIXAXIS programming or dragons just lend themselves better to the peripheral’s responsiveness, the controls work very well.
And instead of crashing into the occasional turret, your dragon will sharply cut around objects to save us from potentially tedious gameplay. The effect isn’t some cheap way of making the game easier (well, maybe to some extent), but a logical extension of flying on a living being with self-preservation.
Lair is on a scale that has few equals. The demo battle is massive, with the real feeling that you are part of a huge war. And the graphics are mature in a way that reminds me of early Sega in some completely instinctual way.
But if Lair fails in one respect (within my admittedly quick impressions), it’s the dragon to dragon battles. They take place too high in the air forcing players to lose any sense of speed and general perspective. I don’t know that there was a quick fix here, other than maybe programming the AI with a propensity to draw air battles lower to the ground for more intensity.
Even with the initial wave of really bad press and criticisms from some of my colleagues, I’d consider Lair a sure buy after playing the demo. Amidst its imperfections, the project seems every bit as ambitious as Sony likes to claim.”
http://kotaku.com/gaming/impressions/sloppy-seconds-+-lair-292997.php
Isn’t it kind of weird whenever a new PS3 game comes out, i.e. Lair, Heavenly Sword, the PS-only magazines and websites give it 10/10 and 5/5 or whatever? But with real multi-platform review sites like IGN, Gamespot, and EGM.. The games get pretty average scores of 6 and 7 out of 10.
@ Quibs,
Thats maybe because the magazine writers are:-a bit ps3 fanboys(I have one too,loving it) -they only compare the games with the other ps3 games avaible a this moment,so Heavenly Sword is great,but compare to other games(pc,xbox,360….)they don’t shine that much.
“Isn’t it kind of weird”
No, it makes perfect sense. The reason platform specific magazines give a higher rating than multiplatform mags is because they are only rating it against other games on that platform. It’s exactly the same for all platforms not just Sony.
@oi & Norbit: I can assure you that Jonathan was actually there. Why is it that when a reviewer expresses his personal feelings about a game, commenters (not just on this site, but on the internet in general) explode on him and say “You suck” or “You never actually played it!”
The simple fact is that reviewers and journalists are people too. Everyone has games, genres, publishers, etc… that they like and dislike. For example, I have always enjoyed the Battlefield games; however, I have never liked Halo. That may make me a member of the minority, but it doesn’t make that opinion wrong.
Jonathan wasn’t impressed with Lair. So what? In the grand scheme of things, does Jonathan’s opinion affect your enjoyment of the game? Not a bit. Your enjoyment of the game is dependent on you, and you alone.
My advice to you guys would be to head off the PSN when the demo comes out and try it for yourself. With the way game prices are rising in this day and age, you shouldn’t make a major investment like that without trying it out first.
I get the feeling that a lot of people are expecting Lair to be ‘Afterburner with dragons’ and are surprised when they actually have to use a bit of skill.
Since you brought it up Ron, You know when exactly when the demo will come out?
I feel the same way about the high price of games ( regret buying Virtua Fighter 5 soooo much haha, but i am also rather tired of playing through Resistance again…
It may suck. but i dont own a PS3. so i have not played it. Lair is not my kind of game. It may be just hype, and independant reviewers realize this so they are telling the truth. There is no excuse if fan boys think this game is the cats meow and have not played it. Those people are just fanboys. you can have a Atari game for the PS3 and they will say its great.
For anyone buying any game, Rent it first. or read multiple reviews. Lair probaly will be a good game for people that like it. i dont trust any game review site that owns the product or for that console. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo will always sugar coat the reviews, because they want sales.
the $10 rent could save you $60 on a crappy game, so rent lair first, thats the only way any person or fanboy can know.
@lorgar: Unfortunately, I do not know when it will come out. If I find out, you can bet you’ll see it here.
I’ve always wondered why people get bent out of shape over reviews/previews that don’t agree with them. I have LOVED many games that got as low as 5’s on sites like gamespot or IGN. I have hated games that got 9’s. Reviews are meant to give you an idea of what the reviewer thought about the game. If the review is a good one, no matter what the final score, the reader should get an good idea if THEY would like the game.
@Quibs, I hate to stir things up, but PSM (Playstation Magazine if you dont know) gave Lair a 5 out of 10, which is definitely average. But it’s nothing to have a pissing fit about. Almost every review Ive read for the first Rumble Roses was low, but I enjoyed that game a lot. Maybe Im too perverted…