Lair (Playstation 3)

Lair isn't like a lot of other games. It deviates in gameplay mostly, where it counts the most, but for me, this didn't take that much away from my enjoyment.

Sometimes, I don't feel like "playing" a game as much as I want to just be there for it, if that makes any sense at all, Yes, Lair probably should have been a movie instead of a video game. It doesn't grab me with gameplay mechanics at all. In fact, its rather easy, despite the control scheme, which takes a lot of getting used to. I agree that that the difficulty and challenge in a game should come from the situations you face trying to complete your objectives, not in doing what should be second nature and just plain simple, like controlling your avatar.

With that said, I've come to appreciate Lair for what it is, even in just the limited amount of time I've played so far. Its a fantastic gameworld, brought to life with excellent graphics and animations. In Lair's case, I didn't mind so much that I couldn't be more of a influence in the way things developed. I was just happy to be there watching them unfold and glad to have at least some involvement, even when that was frustratingly difficult to do.

Graphics are excellent as I've said. No need to elaborate here. Its as if I am watching a motion picture sometimes, there is just so much detail, crisp and life-like depictions of men and dragons, in a gameworld that has been brought to life, however, with no help from you, the player. It still makes me want to turn the game on and see what happens next. I just hope that I can manage to advance the game further sometimes, the controls are that challenging.

Sound and music are great. It's not only the next-gen in graphics. The score has been nicely put together.

What most games come down to is gameplay, however, and Lair lacks in this department. Ordinarily, I would really be upset, but I've gotten out of Lair what I wanted that most, and that is a good dose of dragons, fire, and mayhem. I would give Lair a very high score if this mayhem was a lot easier to control, but as it is, Lair is still enjoyable if you realize that you are not in control, but just a spectator with a little bit on influence in how things turn out. It could have been a gem of a game, but I'd call it more of an interactive movie.