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LAIR, SET TO be released within the next few days to PS3, has come our way, the demo that is, so we thought we would give you a quick preview of a game that takes the battle back into the dark-ages.

LAIR is the story of a warrior who sets out with his trusted dragon to save a world entrenched in a war that could see the end of all mankind. However the battle for peace leads to betrayal, and now the world he seeks to save, is slipping into the brink of extinction.

With the story line out of the way we look at what this game really holds. As mentioned earlier LAIR sees a warrior go into battle with his trusted dragon. The dragon plays a big part and is very versatile in battle. Breath fire on unsuspecting enemies (ground and air) and charge at those within range. Even better, you can swoop in on enemy armies, by grabbing them and sending them to their impending doom.

The dragon however is controlled using the SIXAXIS control. SIXAXIS has a cool factor about it in some games, and probably when you first start playing LAIR, but then as you progress we found it difficult to complete tasks quicker than what we normally would have. A few times we would overshoot a target or find ourselves in a constant, and never ending "Cat and Mouse Chase". The idea was their with SIXAXIS, but we can't help but feel that its been put in for more of a "check this out" factor, rather than making proper use of its capabilities.

Its not all bad though, the battle takes place across the land, sea and air. In some mission you may cover all three as enemies try to find a way to break the battle lines and destroy all those that stand in its way. You will also be tasked with supplying defence to your ground troops allowing them to take control of key points which may assist in the quest to bring peace to its people.

The variety on hand is great, but again let down by the inconsistent behaviour of the SIXAXIS control. Yeah the dragon has an array of attacking styles, but its let down by the fact that you may have to fly by a few times before you actually hit the target. The idea was great and we found ourselves determined to attack everything we could see, but that wares off quickly and turns into frustration.

Taking the battle across various platform though, works well for LAIR as it shows it versatility and shows off some impressive graphics this game has on offer. The detail gone into LAIR is great, from the battle fields to the characters themselves, all crafted perfectly to fit into the medieval look of the game. Even the movie like cut-scenes in-between look great and combines well with some near perfect voice-overs.

As great as this game looks, and the concept feels, sadly the gloss is taken off by the use of, you guessed it, SIXAXIS control. SIXAXIS is great in some games but its not great for LAIR where the battle requires some accuracy, something difficult to achieve when you have to yank yourself left to right finding the right balance.

This was only a demo and possibly the makers of LAIR may have improved its SIXAXIS control, which if they have, would make LIAR a great game to play. The release date is set for later this week, so check out some of the latest screens and features we have on hand as the release date nears.

Key Features:

• Epic Storyline: With over 60 minutes of beautifully rendered cinematics and professional voice-overs, Lair weaves the tale of a heroic struggle in a world of savage beasts as civilization repels the onslaught of an unrelenting army.

• Incredible 1080p Graphics: With amazing 30-frames-per-second high-definition visuals, Lair is one of the first 1080p native resolution games, offering jaw-dropping, lifelike graphics.

• Intense Aerial and Ground Combat: Fierce ground and air warfare catapults players into epic fights against other dragons, beasts, warships and armies comprised of thousands of armored soldiers.
• Gigantic Creature Battles: Face off against enormous beasts of massive scale, including a huge sea serpent that measures over a mile long!

• Full SIXAXIS™ Control: Supporting full tilt control and gesture recognition, the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller allows for 180-degree turns, dives and attacks all through intuitive motion-based controls.

• Mission-based Gameplay: Smooth, seamless gameplay weaves missions and story tightly together and allows influence over the battles as a whole through destroying legions of soldiers, engaging ferocious 40-ton dragons, escorting supplies and demolishing armaments to save civilization.

• Upgrades, Medals, and Leaderboards: Gain abilities and upgrades rewarded for completing missions and for achieving medals based on performance. Then compare your statistics against other gamers via the online leaderboards and chat about how to get better scores on the online forums.

• True 7.1 Surround Sound: Uncompressed 7.1 surround sound immerses users into the game as they experience the cries of battle, the roar of dragons, the crackle of fire and flame, and the intensity of all-out war.

• Immersive Orchestral Score: Acclaimed feature-film composer John Debney (Sin City, The Passion of the Christ) drives the storyline and gameplay with a sweeping, emotive score.

Show me the screenshots!