Fluid control system
I grabbed the SIXAXIS controller to discover that the technology has been incorporated into the dragon riding gameplay, but it doesn't dominate the gameplay or isn't as intrusive or physical as playing a Wii game. Instead I needed subtle movements to control my dragon, tilting the controller gently from left to right and teasing it forward to dive and backwards to head to the skies. I'd like to point out that I’m a lazy gamer. I have a Wii sitting in my home, but only use it to review games because waving that Wii-mote about just isn’t my bag; it's far too tiring. So, the thought of spending any long period of time waving the PS3 controller around wouldn’t normally appeal to me, but credit has to given to Factor 5 for the way they've mapped the controller to the dragon's movements. It's a smooth, intuitive, understated reaction that feels quite natural within a short space of time and didn't leave me with the armpit ache that I get after a short session with the Wii-mote.
Sweeping gracefully down towards the water's surface and scaling towards the clouds feels not only spontaneous, but strangely empowering. This is all thanks to the deliciously creamy animations of the dragon itself, the overall feeling of driving a powerful beast - which has been accurately created - and the fluid control system. If you're looking to immerse yourself in a fantasy land full of dragons, then I can't imagine what could feel and sound better than LAIR.
Click for larger imageCombat itself is where my enjoyment took a slight downturn, although not in terms of visual impact. The lock-on function works well enough as you switch your focus in turn from one dragon to the next, shooting out fireballs through the pressing of the 'X' button, but in the action that I played through the dragons tended to bolt off into the distance rather than 'hover' and take part in a fight and although this does result in an admittedly pulse-racing pursuit, whilst dodging in and out of projectiles, the AI didn't always react as intelligently as I'd expect.
