Lair

Bill over at Aeropause recently found a copy of Lair, the critically panned PlayStation 3 exclusive from Factor 5, in a bargain bin for $15. If you read my Lair review, you’d know I liked the game a lot more than the average reviewer…and now that there’s a patch available that allows you to select analog flight controls, the main cause of those low review scores is eliminated - making this a steal for $15. Unfortunately Bill neglected to mention which store he found it in, so you’ll have to keep an eye out.

An IGN blogger by the name of DugBuzz claims to have played a new version of Lair at GDC 2008, which featured the ability to control the dragon with the analog sticks. I was willing to chalk this one up as inevitable, but the lack of an official confirmation from Factor 5 seems odd - especially given what it would do for sales.

GDC 2008 Crazy Crap Report #1 [DugBuzz via QJ]

Factor 5 might not have had the best luck when they developed Lair to be used with the PS3’s SIXAXIS controller, but they are giving motion sensing another go - this time on the Wii. At the moment all we know about the game is what it isn’t - a game that uses old Star Wars Rogue Squadron tech.

Kotaku believes that it could be the new Turrican game that Factor 5’s President Julian Eggebrecht hinted at last year.

via Kotaku

An overwhelming majority of the gaming press would have you believe that Lair is one of the worst games released for the PlayStation 3 - it achieved a Metacritic rating of just 54/100 and even spawned a number of piss-taking Penny Arcade comics. After spending a good week with the game, we’ve got a surprisingly different impression - and a bone to pick with the fickle hive mind that is the gaming media.

Read on for the full review.

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John Debney’s BAFTA-nominated musical score for Lair is possibly the only aspect of the game that wasn’t universally smashed by the gaming media. For those of you who want to experience that epic orchestral vibe outside the living room, the entire score is now available on iTunes for US $9.99.

via PlayStation.Blog

Lair was set to be a killer app for the PlayStation 3 - after all, Factor 5 have a great track record for games that involve flight. While one can typically expect to come across a couple of bad reviews for even brilliant titles, Lair has been almost universally bashed for suffering from a lousy Sixaxis implementation - with no option for using the left analog stick.

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Previously on track for a launch on August 14th, SCEA’s Ryan Hamlyn announces that Lair is being delayed until September 4 “to enhance community features of the game”. Another doozie for the much-hyped title which attracted a couple of disappointed early reviews.

Posting on the official Playstation blog, Hamlyn explained:

Natural challenges that arose while finalizing the offline game to include key online features - such as leaderboards and medal systems - have led to the difficult choice of pushing back the release date

via PS3 Fanboy

Factor 5 have competed development on their upcoming PlayStation 3 title Lair, putting them on track for a North American release on August 14th. Release dates in other regions are still yet to be announced, as localization is still in progress.

Integrating high-altitude aerial battles with ground combat, this is one game that could potentially break new ground with its unique flight mechanics. If you haven’t yet been blown away by the extremely attractive screenshots, check them out at the official Lair site.

via PlayStation.Blog