Lair • The Official Thread

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DuckRacer

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I think it's time.

Official Website

Release date: September 4th

Videos:

Tons of trailers and demonstrations from GameTrailers

Gameplay video #1

Gameplay video #2

Gameplay video #3

The Beasts of Lair

All four videos are 1280x720p MP4s. The gameplay videos are of the later builds, with the improved fire effects and framerate.

Images:

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CVG Preview:

CVG
Up until now, Lair hasn't been sitting at the top of everyone's Most Anticipated lists beside Metal Gear Solid and Killzone 2. But that, we're willing to bet, is about to change.

Lair's graphical prowess hits you like a bus the moment you start the first level. It has that Factor 5 touch. You leap onto your dragon and launch into the air, and it stuns you with its ultra-high-detail environments that stretch far into the distance for you to gawp at as you soar through the sky on your giant dragon.

Factor 5 clearly still knows how to get a console's chips ticking, as it did when it produced the technically stunning Star Wars: Rogue Squadron games on GameCube.

The first of the six levels we played during our exclusive hands-on is particularly stunning. A town with literally hundreds of buildings is sprawled out in a sort of canyon between two huge mountains. This awesome scene overlooks the sea, with the most amazing water ripple being lit up by a gorgeous sunset. In 1080p on a on a big screen, it really is a sight to see.

Another level has you flying around at night, in which a torrential downpour splashes water off your dragon's wings as they flap, and fierce lightening strikes light up the whole screen for a split second, momentarily revealing the impressively bump-mapped textures of the towering rocky surfaces around you before the whole scene plunges back into near complete darkness. It's awesome stuff.

It's an extremely cinematic game, with its top-notch visuals paired up with an epic, loud orchestral soundtrack and a motion control system that literally has you leaning with the action (as you should already know, you control the dragons by tilting the SixAxis).

Our favourite level is set along a river down which ships full of your men and equipment are sailing. Your primary objective is to protect them until they're safely within the confines of the city walls at the far end of the river.

You start off zooming down the river to maul a group of armour-wearing thugs that have decided to mess up one of your watch towers. Spying the troublesome group in the distance, you swoop down, yanking the L2 and R2 triggers to make your dragon slam on the brakes and land, before stomping over to maul their asses.

The ground combat is simple but satisfying. Dozens (and sometimes hundreds and even more) of soldiers surround you with their puny swords. You have choices at this point. Swing the controller left and right violently (or tap X if you're fat and lazy) to make your dragon batter through them like rag dolls, hammer Square to spit fireballs and roast them all or, our favourite, slam Triangle to snare a dude in your mouth and eat him.

Again, this all looks amazing. As your dragon grips a soldier between its teeth the game occasionally switches to slow-mo and gives you a cinematic panning view of the action. The game is so huge and the soldiers are so small, yet you can still see their limbs reacting with realistic weight and momentum as the dragon thrashes around, and they drop their weapons which fall to the ground.

You wouldn't expect such fine detail in a game with such wide open scale.

Anyway, back to the mission. Once those punks are dealt with, you can take out what we can only describe as a giant cargo dragon - they're a bit like giant airborne stingrays with snouts and teeth, and carry what looks like crates of explosives in their gut. Blowing that thing up is awesome - it causes one of the most violent explosions we've ever seen in a game, whiting out the whole screen and scattering bits of bloody flesh hundreds of feet around it.

Then you're summoned to take out catapults that are battering your cargo ships. Pulling the two triggers takes off again, which the dragon does with much ferocity. The catapults are no match for your fireballs of death. You just swoop in and drop your fiery load like a pile of the world's deadliest bird ****.

Some Ice dragons turn up. They're dragons like you, but they spit ice. Pussies. Again, read our other hands-on preview for a detailed rundown of how aerial battle is controlled. Needless to say it's pretty good fun. The lock-on and charging system rids the game of the typical boring dogfight syndrome in which you and opponents fly in circles until one of you catches sight of the opponent to shoot. None of that here.

The grand finale of the level is to guard the city gates as the boats enter. This is epic.

You fly to the gates where there awaits an army of literally thousands of little men. Not hundreds, thousands - stretching into the far distance. Granted, it seems the closer ones, the first couple of hundred maybe, are the most animated, while the rest follow a slightly less detailed pattern of movement. But come on, guys - there are thousands of men on the screen. It looks amazing!

Excited, we landed to start hyper-slapping our way through them all. Unfortunately though, once you've destroyed the four catapult towers - the main threat to the city walls - and the boats enter the gates, the level ends.

Seriously though - what a rush.

We were concerned for the level of variety in missions, but Factor 5 seems to have it covered. One level has you blowing up ships at sea. Another sees you and a team of five other dragons stage an assault on a massive stone tower with a giant revolving head at the top that seeks you out with spotlights in its eyes and blasts you with lethal cluster bombs. You have to take out its eyes then fly into its mouth to mess up its insides.

We fought a boss too; an insanely huge snake thingy that arches in and out of the sea below like the Loch Ness monster, and rearing its ugly head to spit some nasty black stuff at you.

You often hear people say that graphics are far less important than a game's gameplay. That's true. But Lair is one of those games which proves that extremely high-quality visuals and sound have a massive impact on the experience. They make the difference between a fun game and a mind-blowing, cinematic ordeal.

That's what Lair is.
 
Updated the first post with a GameTrailers link and a few more photos.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we got a demo tomorrow – there's been a ton of new media today.
 
you know what, I'll get this game just to fly the dragon around, a must have. It's great to see Factor 5 really knows how to play around with the power of the PS3.
 
I've always said, when I grow up, I want to be a dragon, and hooray, now I can be!

Ever since I watched the trailer for this game and the dragon ripped the head off of the odd rhino looking thing and flung it into the crowd of marching soilders, I've wanted it badly. Even if the story line turns out to be crap, the amount of fighting and flying done with the dragon alone will be enough to buy this game for me.
 
I'm not sure I can take seeing any more screen shots... incredibly visionary as far as the enviroments! I have gone from having very little interest in this game to anxiously waiting to see what new footage they are going to reveal next!

Of all the new games for the PS3, I bet this one is the most likely to be turned into a movie... especially as it seems it has a very rich and interesting story line, which many video games lack.

If so, it would be one of the few movies based on a video game that I'd want to see.
 
Did I hear this correctly...25 gigs of information for this game?!?! Thats ******* huge!
 
OK, I have some bad news.
  • Lair has been pushed back from September 26th to October 10th for Europe. Might've happened because of Halo 3, might've happened because it's yet another typical delay. There's a chance that this will happen in NA (delayed a few weeks) if the latter is the case.
  • I found out that for flying around, you have to use the motion controls. Ground combat uses the analog sticks. This might not be news to any of you, but for me, that just dropped the game to a definite rental, may-buy-afterwards-if-controls-are-good. I absolutely hate the motion controls, couldn't stand them at all in Warhawk... so unless Factor5 absolutely nail them, I'm not too hyped about this game anymore.
    no.gif
Ah well.
 
I would be very surprised if they do not allow the user to customize the controls, such that if you didn't want to use the SIXAXIS for flight control you could set it for analog. However, if the weapon and movement controls are complex enough for both dragon and rider, then perhaps you'll have to use the SIXAXIS for some type of control simply because they may not have enough options to avoid it.

That said, as you point out, if they do a great job with the SIXAXIS control for flight that may end up being the ideal setting any way. We will have to wait and see.

Also, I find that the SIXAXIS motion control gets a lot easier to use with practice. I found it very frustrating at first with both Super Rub-A-Dub and flOw, but I have since gotten used it it and now enjoy it.


Thanks for the update though. 👍
 
http://gamers-creed.com/?p=80

Play Magazine Rates Lair 9/10.

The link has some quotes from the review, including, "So yes, if there’s any doubt left, Lair has come together beautifully"

“With its stunning visuals and incredible soundtrack, Lair may well be the single most powerful experience that a man can share with his $5,000 home theatre system.”

Sounds Good!!👍
 
Thanks Duck for that great looking 1920x1080 screenshot - I'm viewing it on the PS3 at 1920x1080 at it looks amazing! 👍



DP, thanks for the link to that review, but if Lair is being delayed until October, is this just a review of an early Beta version?
 
No, it says that its a review of the actual retail version. If you read the first sentence of the story, you'll see that it says, "Play TM magazine is the first magazine corp to get their hands on the retail copy of PS3 exclusive game.".

And in the US, Im pretty certain that it still comes out on 8/14. If Im wrong, let me know, but I just reserved my copy at Gamestop this week. And as far as they knew, it still ships on August 14th.
 
Thanks Duck for that great looking 1920x1080 screenshot - I'm viewing it on the PS3 at 1920x1080 at it looks amazing! 👍



DP, thanks for the link to that review, but if Lair is being delayed until October, is this just a review of an early Beta version?

Delayed until October for Europe. ;)
 
I was going to thank you Kenji... but you missed this gem:

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You = fail :P

Seriously, WTF is with Sony's first party. It seems like with their games (Motorstorm, Resistance, and now Lair), they always look good but then within two weeks of the final build everything skyrockets in quality. Flames look spectacular when before they were average. The vegetation on the ground has vastly improved in density and dimension. The dragons look much more detailed. And the new HDR lighting looks awesome.
 
"Press X to move forward"?!

I'm starting to question the controls of this game lately. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on it, but from what I'm hearing about the controls, it might take some getting use too.
 
"Press X to move forward"?!

I'm starting to question the controls of this game lately. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on it, but from what I'm hearing about the controls, it might take some getting use too.

Yeah, like I said before that killed the hype for me. I dunno why they can't let me use something like Rogue Leader's control scheme as an option, but Sony is probably saying "noooo, we want this to be our flagship game to demonstrate our tacked on motion controls, please make the analog sticks obsolete".

It's a bit of a shame, really, as this was one of my most hyped (if not the most hyped" game for PS3, and it sold my system to me as well. Now it's a rental to see if I even like how you play the game.
 
No more Lair's screens for you Duck!:grumpy: :sly:

The "press X to go forward" showed in the screen shot sure make you raise your eyebrow, but may be it's used during an attack?💡 Moreover, there will always be patches, so I am not too worried.:)
 
Duck... remember when you posted early bad reviews for F1:CE and not only did those highly suspicious reviews turn out to be utter rubbish, but were quickly overshadowed by far more accurate and higher rating reviews? Might I suggest you cool your heals this time around before screaming virus in a crowded forum?

Thanks! :)


BTW: Watching you react to pre-release news, and seeing you hype a game one minute and then trash it the next before it even has been released does get rather tedious, and must be rather exhausting for you. :)

This is also further evidence why game developers do not like to release early demos as some people use the demos to then write a review on the game. 👎
 
Duck... remember when you posted early bad reviews for F1:CE and not only did those highly suspicious reviews turn out to be utter rubbish, but were quickly overshadowed by far more accurate and higher rating reviews? Might I suggest you cool your heals this time around before screaming virus in a crowded forum?

Thanks! :)

I guess my "holding head in confusion" Psyduck smilie meant I was laughing at and believing the scores, not being confused by them. I suppose I need to photoshop it so it's squawking and flailing around so it makes it look confused... ;)

Seriously, I don't think EGM is the end all be all review king and because of that I have some hope they were way off target with the reviews. So please don't think I think the game sucks because of one review if you have been thinking that. "think"s galore sweet baby Jesus

BTW: Watching you react to pre-release news, and seeing you hype a game one minute and then trash it the next before it even has been released does get rather tedious, and must be rather exhausting for you. :)

Hmm... it could be the fact that they're forcing me to use motion controls which I hate with a burning passion*, or the fact that Lair was one of the biggest reasons I bought a PS3, if not the biggest reason is why I'm poo pooing it all of a sudden out of anger and disappointment... but I must've been in a love-hate relationship with it since mid-2006... without the hating until weeks ago.

*okay okay, motion controls for the entire basis of the game, I liked using it to shake off Chimera in RFOM. But I can't stand to use it for flying it around aka Warhawk.

This is also further evidence why game developers do not like to release early demos as some people use the demos to then write a review on the game. 👎

They reviewed near-final review code like any other decent gaming publication/website and not a 15 minute downloadable demo made months ago.

And I have a gut feeling we're going to go on an argument for the next 15 posts. Ugh. This place has made me really sour recently so this thread's getting locked for a day or two in hopes the embers won't start a forest fire.

EDIT: OK, here's some of Gamepro's review:

GAMEPRO - 3.75/5 (A)

Pros: Gorgeous graphics, amazing orchestral soundtrack, dragon based action is fun.

Cons: The decision to use a SixAxis only control scheme hurts more than it helps.

Some random quotes from the review...

ON THE CONTROL SCHEME ISSUES:

"To be fair, the motion sensing is pretty accurate but requiring you to constantly move your hands around while fiddling with buttons over the course of a fairly long game is asking too much. It's unfortunate that the game relies so heavily on a gimmicky feature that no one has been able to get a true grasp of (pun intended)."

ON THE GOOD QUALITIES:

"At it's best, the dragon-based combat of Lair is pretty damn awesome. Soaring around majestically in the sky; raining hot fiery dragon-breath death upon your foes' heads; grappling with other dragons and clawing their eyes out; leaping onto an enemy dragon-rider's back and hacking at him with your weapon; swooping down onto the ground and rampaging around like Godzilla--there's no shortage of thrills to be had."

SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

"I should point out that we were playing an early review build and Factor 5 will probably make tweaks up to the moment the gold master goes off to the mastering lab, but the core gameply mechanics are already in place and there's no denying that it's flawed. I expect many fans will be disappointed thanks to all of the hype that's built up around the game, but the inevitable complaints about the control scheme will no doubt be warrented. Despite all this, Lair still manages to be a decent title that all PS3 owners should look into but you may want to reserve your true excitement for the day when the other hotly anticipated PS3 titles like Heavenly Sword arrive."

ON THE GROUND CONTROLS:

"The Sixaxis-only control scheme that plagues the game is noticably absent when you land your dragon on the ground as the analog sticks take over, making it easier to wreak havoc."
 
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And I have a gut feeling we're going to go on an argument for the next 15 posts. Ugh.
I'm surprised you feel that way as I don't see much of a disagreement, even subjectively speaking.

Perhaps I should have been more direct with my point, and that early reviews many times are not terribly accurate and that it might be a good idea to withhold judgment until the final release version is made available for review, or for that matter, until the game is actually released and you try it out for your self.

When I mentioned "reviews" from a demo I was referring to individuals who play game demos and then judge the entire game based on these demos, and post these personal "reviews"/opinions on a game that the only experience they have is with the demo. Considering how most demos are poor representations of the full game, opinions based on the demos may very well mislead people into thinking a game is better or worse than it really is, and that it may not even have features that the actual game does.

Thus explaining why I suspect game developers look at demos as a double edged sword. On one hand, they might help promote the game, on the other, they can't give away too much in a demo so as to encourage someone to buy the full game, which risks some gamers who rely on a demo to base their judgment of a game to declare it insufficient and then post negative "reviews" of the game based on their experience with the demo.

I saw this a lot with comments about F1:CE based on people playing the demo, and I know this likely turned a lot of people off the game without ever giving it a second look, which I personally felt was a real shame considering how excellent and how much better the game is compared to the demo.


Any way, it will be interesting to see how the final version of Lair compares to what the early reviewers have been saying, but just to let you know, Play Magazine apparently reviewed Lair in their recently published August issue and gave it a score of 9 out of 10.

While Lair certainly sounds promising, personally though, I'll be waiting for the final release before casting any judgment about the game/gameplay... I also stand by my earlier comment about the SIXAXIS control settings:

I would be very surprised if they do not allow the user to customize the controls, such that if you didn't want to use the SIXAXIS for flight control you could set it for analog. However, if the weapon and movement controls are complex enough for both dragon and rider, then perhaps you'll have to use the SIXAXIS for some type of control simply because they may not have enough options to avoid it.

That said, as you point out, if they do a great job with the SIXAXIS control for flight that may end up being the ideal setting any way. We will have to wait and see.

Also, I find that the SIXAXIS motion control gets a lot easier to use with practice. I found it very frustrating at first with both Super Rub-A-Dub and flOw, but I have since gotten used it it and now enjoy it.
 
This is a quote from a guy who had a chance to play lair:


At first, I got a little frustrated with the new motion sensing changing of flight direction. I could have set my mind right there that this game was flawed and frustrating. But I took a deep breath and tried to not come to conclusions too fast. And I am glad I did. Within 10 minutes of practice, I was steering my dragon like a pro.. with a little room for improvement. But the important thing is that within 10 minutes, the flight sixasis motion control changed from frustrating and new to fun and comfortable. This, to me... is awesome

http://www.ps3forums.com/showthread.php?t=88823
 
http://gamers-creed.com/?p=80

Play Magazine Rates Lair 9/10.

The link has some quotes from the review, including, "So yes, if there’s any doubt left, Lair has come together beautifully"

“With its stunning visuals and incredible soundtrack, Lair may well be the single most powerful experience that a man can share with his $5,000 home theatre system.”

Sounds Good!!👍

I beat you to that news, DN. I have a feeling that Lair will get good reviews across the board, once more reviewers get a retail copy.
 
Ruh-roh! Delayed 2 weeks to September 4th.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/08/01/lair-update/

Wow, even I didn’t see this one coming! Due to an extra step in QA testing to enhance the community features in the game, the release of LAIR, originally set for August 14th, has changed to September 4, 2007. 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. We appreciate everyone’s excitement and patience for the game and look forward to its release on September 4.

I know everybody is also keen for some news on a demo for Lair, but … we don’t have anything to talk about right now. As soon as we’re ready to release more info, though, you’ll be the first to know!
 
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