Lair on G string

This relates to my "why does everyone hate the PS3" post...

Today's discussion focuses on the PS3 game, "Lair," which is at its core a very simple action title in which the player controls giant, flying, fire-breathing dragons in several combat scenarios. Lair was released last October, but it gets the blog treatment because its developer (Factor 5) is about to release a patch which adds analogue stick control support to the title. For anyone who isn't a videogame-fiend and is unaware of such trivialities as opinions published in the videogame press, Lair has been almost universally lambasted for its implementation of Sony's motion-sensitive sixaxis controls*. It was also considered to have a poor targeting system, lousy voice acting, and an unfortunate choice of color palette (that one always makes me laugh).

Now, before I go on, let me get something out of the way. Its criticisms in the press aside, "Lair" is a flawed title in several ways: it is too short, it doesn't do enough character development, and the voice acting is generally lousy. Other than these few gripes, Lair is frigging awesome. Maybe I'm weird, but I think controlling fire-breathing dragons in inherently fun.

I often wonder why seemingly no reviewer enjoyed the sixaxis control scheme of the game. After all, it is a bold, innovative step in an area that rarely sees changes. Conversely, Nintendo's Wii is universally lauded for its revolutionary motion-based controls. Yet here we have poor little Lair getting dumped on for being different. Shame on you, video game press. I suppose it is important at this stage to point out that I found the controls quite easy to use, once I had taken the time to learn how to use them. Similarly, anyone who has tried the game in my presence has had a little trouble at first, but within 5 minutes had intuited most of the games functions. Obviously one can now infer that the controls are not "broken" as they are suggested to be by most reviewers. Essentially the game is challenging insomuch as it forces the user to learn a relatively unusual control scheme, and then master it to the point that said user can complete the game. To me, this is not a reason for complaint, it is simply a game-challenge paradigm that hasn't been used much since the last major shift in console game controllers (obviously excluding the current generation of games consoles, I'll give the nod to the Nintendo 64 for making the last major controller change, being the first to implement an analogue stick). Complaining that Lair sucks because it is hard to control is kind of like complaining that the game of football sucks because it's hard to throw a football. No, football doesn't suck: you just suck at football. (disclaimer: football probably does suck for several other reasons, but not because throwing a football is hard. Also, at this point I will stop using the word "suck.")

Now, are Sony's sixaxis motion controls as easy to use as the Wii motion controls? Certainly not. They are not nearly as intuitive, and yet are clearly not meant to be. Sixaxis is a design compromise, intended to bridge a gap between a new type of intuitive, motion based control and more traditional, manipulative controls that require manual dexterity. As a design compromise, it is inherently imperfect. That said, I think developers who take risks in order to be innovative should be applauded and rewarded for their efforts--even moreso when the product is actually fun.

And now, the punchline: Lair is good. Oh, and about that patch that made me want to write this in the first place: if you still really hate the sixaxis controls, the patch allows you to play it with your ol' analogue sticks. Personally I think this would detract from one of the most entertaining and challenging aspects of the game, but to each his own. Oh, and you should really learn how to throw a football.

*sixaxis controls allow the user to use intuitive movements rather than manipulate buttons and control surfaces in order to interface with a game.