SOGamer Respects Lair
Posted by Dustin S on August 26, 2007
A surge of people have come to this site looking for our take on the upcoming release Lair for the PS3. With all of the negative media out there, even we would be concerned to buy this game without reading a reputable source.
After all of the articles that the “only buy games we like” reviewers have written, giving this game a second opinion may be too late but we here at SOGamer don’t like seeing good games struggling so read our opinion after the break..
Controls
You have 2 different types of controls in this game: aerial and ground. Both controls play differently by a great amount but only one of them has a huge learning curve.
The first control scheme we’re going to mention is the aerial combat which uses the 6 degree tilt in the SIX-AXIS controller to fly the dragon around and guide him/her through the air. The analog sticks are not used except to turn the camera angle and the angle of the dragon’s mouth to spew fire at your enemies. This isn’t going to come natural right away like bowling on Wii Sports, especially since none of us have ever considered tilting a controller to make it do stuff in the game. Although this will be difficult to do at first, we believe that innovation should take some time to get used to anyways and not happen over night, in relation, think how long it took you to get used to using your right analog stick to look around for the first time.
The second control scheme is the ground combat which is your every day average 3rd person control scheme using the analog sticks which most of us are aware of and need no more assistance on it. Although the controls are going to seem “too loose” at first, you will get used to the touchy controls and soon there after you’ll be flying like you were born to ride dragons!
Both control schemes have action indicators that may appear on the screen like pushing the square button my have your dragon pick up a ground enemy and eat him whole. Not all indicators will be available with all dragons but we’ll explain that a wee bit later.
Music
Next we’re going to jump into the Sound track. Some games, like God of War, can really grasp the moment and make you feel like something is going to happen or that sorrow fills the room while other games can sound unplanned and inappropriate. Lair isn’t quite God of War quality but the sound track was beautifully done.
During the stealth missions the music has more of a slow pace and seems to be quieter than other parts of the game like during the flight combat missions which feels exhilarating. If the Sound Track of the game helps decide if you were going to get the game or not, I’m sure you’d be happy to know that if we did rankings it would get a 9 out of 10.
It should be noted though that the guy with the audio receiver and Dolby Digital 8.1 Surround Sound speakers is going to have a better time then you will but you’ll still enjoy yourself just fine on tv speakers.
Graphics
Being one of Sony’s aces in a hole, you can be certain that they didn’t skimp in the eye candy field by any means. For you high definition gamers out there, you will be enjoy the fact that this game is in gorgeous detail using 1080 progressive scan at 30 frames per second guaranteed to not have a frame rate issue at any time. Now us 720 progressive or standard definition TV owners will enjoy this gem just fine but all the hub-bub is around the 1080p which is at a steady 30 frames per second even during the more busier scenes.
The dragons look real and the scenery is nothing to complain about, every tree, rock, bird, sword, and everything else looks very well detailed and very well rendered. This game also uses HDR (High Dynamic Lighting) for all of the lights, shadows, reflections, and highlights which will all be rendered in real-time, thus allowing the lighting scheme to completely change instantaneously.
Story
Lair isn’t as story rich as Final Fantasy XII but it definitely has a story that unfolds. The player assumes the role of a dragon-riding knight named Rohn. Rohn is given the tasks of defending a certain area, destroying certain objects, eliminating enemies or creatures, and so on. Most of the game’s battles will be air-combat, but some may be fought on the ground. While Rohn will not be able to dismount and fight on foot, he can land and fight back on the back of his dragon. In some locations, the game will feature a morale system tied to the enemy; the lower their morale, the less they fight and it is possible that they will retreat away from combat.
Dragons
As you complete missions you get gold, silver, or bronze medals. Earning medals will help to unlock combos and behind-the-scenes videos. Details haven’t been given how but you will also be able to unlock the ability to ride the tougher dragons, possibly by getting a gold medal during a mission to fight the specific dragon desired. Each dragon behaves differently and has strengths and weaknesses so getting to know your play style and your dragon is a strategy of the game.
Overall
During a time where Heavenly Sword has yet to be released for the Playstation 3 and big hits for the 360 haven’t quite released to have you go to the dark side, Lair is a game that any respectable medieval fan, even if only a small medieval fan, must play.
With the mixture of the great high definition visuals and audio, this game has great potential to be one of the best games for the Playstation 3, your largest concern is going to be based completely around your own patience in learning the SIX-AXIS flight controls and embracing them.
