Lair (PS3)

A great-looking but difficult-to-control game you should avoid at all costs.
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

Now imagine doing all that with a camera that doesn't cooperate -- at times blocking your view of the action altogether. Next thing you know, you're dead.

Hey, it pains me to come down hard on the same savvy developer who created the super cool Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader for the Nintendo GameCube, but perhaps Factor 5 was rushed to release the game (which in turn meant not allotting enough time for testers or for processing their feedback) or maybe Sony pushed the developer to utilize the Sixaxis feature to prove the PS3 could also play at Nintendo's motion-sensing game. Whatever the reason, Lair is a blemish on Factor 5's good name.

Now, players will get a moment of reprieve when they land their dragon on the ground and continue the fight. Here you simply use the analog sticks to move around, breathing fire on enemies and whipping your tail around. This works well, but the welcome relief doesn't last long enough, however, as you'll soon be expected to soar through the unfriendly skies to start the mess all over again. It would be remiss not to mention that some of the melee combat scenes in the air against other dragons can be fun, as the camera slows down and zooms in for dramatic effect, and is complimented with some great music.

Visually speakaing, the game is, in a word, spectacular. If the movies 'Eragon' and 'Braveheart' had a baby (or, er, a threesome with 'Lord of the Rings?'), it might look something like Lair. In fact, this single-player adventure is one of the first 1080p-supported games, therefore not only are the graphics shown in high-definition on a compatible HDTV, but the game can display all 1,080 lines of resolution simultaneously, or progressively, resulting in a vibrant and colorful picture. The cut scene sequences, where you'll learn more about these warring cultures and Rohn's character, also look gorgeous -- but there are far too many of them (I'd be likely to forgive this shortcoming if the actual gameplay was worth the wait, as it is in the Final Fantasy games).

Available in up to 7.1 surround sound, the music soundtrack rivals that of a Hollywood blockbuster; in fact, this epic score was composed by Academy Award-nominated composer John Debney of 'Sin City' and 'The Passion of the Christ' fame.

The bottom line is this: Lair isn't worth your time, money or effort. Its counterintuitive control scheme makes the game very hard to play -- to the point that you'll want to eject the disc, open your window, and flick it like a Frisbee as far as you can. If Sony is banking on games like Lair to help the PS3 compete with the likes of the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the company is in some serious, serious trouble.

This review is based on a retail copy provided by the publisher.