Not even open-mindedness can salvage a horrendous attrocity that makes Nintendo's "gimmicks" look like solid g
Lair is, for lack of a better term, a complete and utter failure. While many are easily impressed by the well-done visuals (the only factor saving this game from a 1 in my book), I'd be hard pressed that those who feel its controls are 'intuitive' didn't mutter at least one expletive. When you're creating a flight sim, control is key. Factor 5 knows this all too well, considering one of their biggest successes was Star Wars Rogue Leader- a GameCube launch title developed in 6 months. And yet, a second-gen PS3 title developed in 2 years produces an unflattering result all because of one simple reason: the gimmick of the Sixaxis, and a sign of its ultimate usefulness to come. Which is, hopefully, to be forgotten altogether.
The intention is there. Use a full tilt design to control a flying creature. The execution, however, is botched beyond repair. And while the tutorials make nice use of simplifying things to make you feel like a better player, the actual game itself will quickly rob that feeling away and leave you crying in a fetal position. Not that the game is difficult. Just accomplishing basic tasks like, I dunno, playing can be quite taxing. Trying to bank right leaves your dragon sitting in dead space, while using the targetting system (and I use that term very loosely) in its conflict with unnecessary cinematic camera cutaways turns everything in a jumbled mess. The end result is the feeling that Sony invested millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of man hours into making a motion picture with some video game elements tacked on. For the gamer looking for all flash and no substance, it's genius. But for the real gamer and PS3 owner looking for some sense of salvation, it's a massive kick to the junk.
The holiday season wont be a total lock for us. Ignoring what the 360 (Halo 3, Mass Effect) and Wii (Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros) will offer me, my PS3 still has Ratchet and Clank to look forward to. But if Lair is a sign of things to come, then may God have mercy on us all.