'Lair' is ambitious, beautiful... and fun
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"Lair" isn't perfect: there are bugs, and once you get into the smooth rhythm of flight and combat, they'll stand out like sore thumbs. (Speaking of thumbs, mine are still sore from the time I started one battle trapped inside a wall, unable to get out. Ouch.)
But in general, the use of the Sixaxis controller is smooth and fluid, and while some maneuvers are not as sensitive as you'd like them to be - in particular, I found the 180-turn, which requires a flip of the controller, to be somewhat iffy - you'll use every last ounce of the motion sensors as part of a typical heated battle.
The storyline is fun - the land is torn by volcanoes, religious differences split the culture and one of the two cities left mysteriously attacks the other - and the creatures and structures that make up the cities are strange and beautiful.
You'll fight both in the air and on the ground. Air combat is a hoot, but the ground combat is a pitch-perfect representation of what it would be like if a gigantic dragon descended on mere mortals in plate armor, rampaging through dozens of extraordinarily detailed and lifelike soldiers at a time and tossing them in the air.
The scenes between action are beautifully animated and reasonably well written, and the musical score provides a suitably epic feel to the title.
I hate to see a gorgeous title like this marred by bugs and the occasional rough patch, but I expect that, like me, you'll be pleased to overlook them. "Lair" is a unique game, a true test of the PS3's next-generation power, and a successful experiment in motion control - all while being an entertaining game and a seductive story.
Give it a try when it debuts on Tuesday and let me know what you think; I bet you'll be glad you did.