Enjoyable melee mode
Nevertheless, if you manage to get close enough to another dragon you get the chance to enter an enjoyable melee mode, which throws you right into the action and really does make you feel as though you're taking part in a meaningful battle. The bad news for all you lazy gamers is that you'll have to be a bit more physical with the controller, pushing and pulling it in order to knock and cause damage to your opponent. Then I delivered a few nasty bites to the enemy through the pressing of buttons on the control pad and finally, once I'd delivered enough damage, I was treated to an animated sequence (finishing move) that killed off the opponent. I don't know how many finishing animations LAIR will boast, so I'm not going to ruin the surprise by telling you what happened, but suffice to say that the animation added something worthwhile to the combat sequence.
Just how far combat can go in LAIR without becoming repetitive we'll have to wait and see, but there's a carnage metre that you can fill allowing you to dish out more powerful damage and unlockable combos that can be earned through the completion of missions.
Click for larger imageNow, I don't know if this is a rumour (take this with a pinch of salt), but I heard that LAIR can be completed within around 8-9 hours. Okay, so there's unlockable stuff that may add some replay value, but disappointingly there's no multiplayer mode. Considering LAIR is focused heavily on combat, which would have translated really well to an online mode, it seems a huge shame that this hasn't been incorporated. Nevertheless, LAIR is an impressive showcase of the power of the PS3 and the dynamics of commanding a dragon, which undoubtedly is the main draw of this action title, is as close to perfection as you could possibly imagine.
NOTE: We saw no sign of the terrible framerates that have been reported on some sites.
