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| | Title:
Lair
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System:
Playstation 3
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Genre:
Action
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Publisher:
Sony Computer Entertainment
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Developer:
Facto 5 Studios
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Release:
03/07/2007
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Rating Pending (RP)
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Factor 5 has gone out on a limb to define a serious separation between Xbox 360 games and PlayStation 3 games. While they may have been known for their Rogue Squadron games on Nintendo consoles, this new beast they’re working on is entirely different. Lair is a composite of extremely detailed dragons doing battle in the air and on the ground. As a matter of fact, “detailed” may be an understatement.
Perfect blends for the next-gen
Unlike most games that contain one really good gimmick, Lair contains several: Dragon flying with army fighting, on-foot army fighting, and some of the best visuals featured in a game. It’s like taking Panzar Dragoon, Dynasty Warriors, some really snazzy HD features, and a whole lot of Blu-Ray and tossing them into a blender. Switch it on puree, and wha-la! Lair.
The game trails a hero and his dragon and their friendly tale of love and bonding...just kidding. It’s actually a hard-nosed tale about a rough-edged soldier and a gut-busting dragon during the midst of a vicious war, and that’s no joke. This game follows through with taking mature subject matter (revolving around issues we still face today) and incorporating them into the story. Unlike some other games on the market, Factor 5 wanted their audience to think about the game they’re playing and the actions they’re taking. You’re not just raking up body counts for the fun it...well, actually you are. Still, F5 promised some actual story telling that would fuel the dramatic atmosphere of the gameplay.
Dinosaurs with wings
As for the gameplay, it consists of mid-air combat, air-to-ground combat, ground-to-ground combat, and on-foot soldier combat. A rumble feature in the controller really would have come in handy for this game. Because you can almost feel the motion shift when dismounting a dragon after some serious tail-chasing, flame battles in the air. The speed is very distinct when flying and the motion of the dragon gives the game an authentic feel when going from the air to the ground.
Most of that authenticity comes from the look and movements of the dragons. Life-like would be an odd term to use, but that’s exactly what it’s like looking at these high-def fire-breathers. The texture detail and parallax mapping gives each mythic creature the essential vehement and savage look that sets them apart from any other game on the market. But not only that, the soldiers are also extremely detailed...exhibiting the sort of visual appeal that almost make them look like they could be stars of their own medieval game. To top this off, Factor 5 is utilizing full atmospheric light simulation running on RSX. This means that there’s flexible shading with the light system, all running in real-time and all in HDR.
Recreating a dark age
Landscapes and level designs have also seen a great amount of dedication by Factor 5. Water, mountains, bridges, and structures have specific potency on the surrounding story and evolving characters. Nothing looks too out of place or lacking in fine points of visual precision. There’s even a real-time fluid dynamics simulation running on the Cell for really complex ocean waves and water dynamics. All of the environmental effects were clearly visible during the HD demonstrations. And the extra time F5 put in to manually add particular engine effects seem to have really paid off. From the volumetric clouds, real-time rain, distinct fur and advanced shaders, it looks like it’s all coming together very well.
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