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We just went down to EB and got a copy for my girlfriend. She's been wanting this game since she heard about it, and some sour reviews didn't really sway her. I still say it looks like it'll be cool, too. We'll find out soon if it is or not.
Okay, I'm having a lot of fun with this. The motion controls aren't bad, nor does it take much getting used to, but they're not great, either. I would have preferred analog control, but I'm not complaining too much. The graphics and general presentation are quite high.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
Panzer Dragoon Orta was a beter dragon riding game than this, and it was on rails.
Oh snap! I guess it just comes down to opinion. We can't all like the same game. I just finished the second mission, and I had fun rampaging on the ground and roasting enemy soldiers.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
The gameplay isnt exactly spectacular, but the cutscenes, setting and graphics are so polished it kind of elevates it up for me. Like Gears of War. I dont play that game any more cause the shooting is kinda samey every time but the environments and setting are so fuckin cool.
HS is very very short though. Like, Half Life Episode 1 short.
That's damn short.
Yeah, it is. And once I heard that it was confirmed to be six hours, I put plans in place to split the cost with a friend so we can both play through it once and then possibly resell it. I really, really loved the demo, but $60 for a 6 hr game is a bit much.
At first it was a little weird to have the tilt controls on all the time, I sort of had to rewire my brain after playing so much Rogue Squadron and Star Fox and games of that ilk.
But now I really enjoy it.
It's a total popcorn game, I imagine it being like a new arcade game if US arcades had never died. Great visuals and audio, and fun if somewhat mindless missions. Just what I expected really.
brynstar on
Xbox Live: Xander51
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
IGN gave Lair a 4.9. I thought IGN rated on a four point scale with nothing getting below a six? Did they recently change or something?
This happens every once in awhile, but usually not to something as high profile as Lair. Still, I said it in the Bioshock review thread, and I'll say it here; it's just a number representing someone's opinion. Don't get emotionally invested in it.
However, this does spawn a particularly humorous quote: Mroe liek Factor 4.9, am i rite?
It IS Rogue Squadron with dragons, as brynstar put it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It seems reviews these days attack pretty much any game that doesn't do something new or isn't original enough. Sure, some may find fault with the motion controls, but they're honestly not that difficult - you'd have to be incompetent, if you ask me, not to be able to fly around and blast things well enough.
The presentation is very high quality, however. The graphics are jaw dropping, and I find myself just wanting to fly around and admire the scenery. I beat the third mission, the one with the massive lighthouse, and it was an impressive sight.
And don't get me started on how much fun it is to attack ground troops.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
I think I'll be treating this one to a rental. Warhawk already satisfies my flying needs, but Lair definitely looks like it's worth checking out anyway.
The girlfriend's still playing it and loving it right next to me here. She thinks it was worth the purchase so far, but then again, she has an obsession with dragons. The controls don't seem to be too hard for her to get used to, though, so I doubt anyone would really have trouble with them. What little I played made sense for the controls to be the way they were.
It IS Rogue Squadron with dragons, as brynstar put it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It seems reviews these days attack pretty much any game that doesn't do something new or isn't original enough. Sure, some may find fault with the motion controls, but they're honestly not that difficult - you'd have to be incompetent, if you ask me, not to be able to fly around and blast things well enough.
The presentation is very high quality, however. The graphics are jaw dropping, and I find myself just wanting to fly around and admire the scenery. I beat the third mission, the one with the massive lighthouse, and it was an impressive sight.
And don't get me started on how much fun it is to attack ground troops.
That lighthouse mission is amazing. It does a good job of showing off the scale of the game, as do most of the missions.
And I totally agree, fighting the ground troops always puts a grin on my face. What's even funnier is how they try and mount an assault seconds before they all go flying. It's also fun to carry one and throw him hundreds of feet across the battlefield.
brynstar on
Xbox Live: Xander51
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
IGN gave Lair a 4.9. I thought IGN rated on a four point scale with nothing getting below a six? Did they recently change or something?
According to IGN, it's the eighth-worst game on the PS3, and this is one of Sony's high profiles.
4.9.
On IGN.
Insanity. I was expecting like a 6.5 or something.
This confuses me as well: if you filter out all the PSN titles the only games worse than it (at least according to IGN) are that Mobile Suit Gundam game and Sonic. It may be mediocre or whatever, but that's a seriously low score.
I just fought that huge ass sea dragon. Holy crap that was a big dragon.
I just did that myself! It was a pretty cool battle, though the game froze on me the first time I tried it. Worked fine after that though. That battle also ended with a satisfying Dragon's Lair series of button press sequences.
And yes, I'm sure that you see what I did there.
brynstar on
Xbox Live: Xander51
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
I think they should. Nearly every review of Lair cites the controls as by far the biggest issue. The content and gameplay, while perhaps a little stale, is certainly above a 5/10 kind of review. More like 7 or 8.
Yeah, I can respect them for staying true to their vision but it's really not smart to ignore the biggest criticism the game is getting. Hopefully Sony will force them to fix it, because I don't think they'll be too happy with the scores it's getting.
I might do a huge writeup on how the scores are actually pretty good.
The industry is slowly starting to properly adopt a 1-10 scoring rather than 7-9 and this is shown most evidently in people complaining 1ups 8.5 for warhawk was a bad score.
Its a really interesting discussion, i might make a thread.
if HS ends up with mid 8s in reviews, people will complain, when they shouldnt. so too with lair. lair is looking like a solid 7 game. thats fucking good guys. its not the best but i think the community is behind on catching up with the indsutry changing to 1-10 and still use a 7-9 retardo scoring system.
I think the reason why people react to a score of 7 as bad is because when I see 7 out of 10 I think "70% eh? That's a C." And C's aren't very good grades! And while a game that's rated 6/10 should be considered better than average, it's seen as a D. And a D is a shitty grade.
That's what I think anyways. I think If I were to review games on a website, or magazine I would give the game a letter grade. People can relate to that more.
No doubt, that sounds interesting and fun; however, Lair's terrible controls and god-awful lock-on system make this a mission worthy of swallowing the business end of a shotgun to avoid.
Heh, yeah, the lock-on can be a bit difficult, but I've never had too many issues with it yet. And really, the controls aren't as bad as they say. It makes it a little more challenging in some areas, but it strangely adds to the experience of the game, for me, in a positive way.
And really, anyone who can't fly the dragon around with the motion controls should just shoot themselves in the face. It really isn't hard to maneuver with them. You don't even have to make large motions with the controller. Most of the time I'm just gently moving it, unless I get really pumped and into a mission - then I'm all over the place. :P
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
Has Chris' review been posted yet? I havent been following the thread and I do not want to be labelled as some sort of fanboy hater for posting bad reviews but there is a distinct lack of substance to a lot of threads in g+t with so many reviews actually out.
That's kohlers review btw.
To put a positive spin on it however, I really really like the look of lair. it has this great almost lotr slash d+d type air about it. i do like the visuals.
anyone linked the orchestral soundtrack yet. really very good. i have it on loop mixed in with the bioshock orchestral. livens up the office (im the only one with actual speakers as opposed to headphones)
Indeed, both the music and the visuals are good. You should see it in motion and at 1080p. Christ, most of these levels are just jaw-dropping. It does have a great atmosphere to it. I can see myself replaying a lot of these missions just to oogle, plus the fact that is is fun. :P
Of course, if it weren't for people having difficulty with the controls, it seems these reviews would be a lot higher. Most of the ones I've read said it's really an impressive game, but the controls are what hinders it. If you're like me and some of the others who have played it who don't have any problems at all handling the dragon, you may enjoy it a great deal. Honestly, I can't see how anyone could have that much difficulty with it.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
yeah I mastered Motorstorm sixaxis controls too and I dunno, I simply cannot see why Lair sucks so bad. I'm getting it today despite ALL the reviews. This will be the first time where I just ignored every review I've read (which, is all of them for Lair so far) and they all say one major thing: the controls are complete ass. If I can get into the controls and play the game well, I anticipate it not sucking and actually having fun with it.
I've seen a bunch of gameplay vids and simply put it looks awesome. Everything that's been shown seems fantastic. I'm sure my tune will change, but jesus it can't be THAT BAD.
Indeed, both the music and the visuals are good. You should see it in motion and at 1080p. Christ, most of these levels are just jaw-dropping. It does have a great atmosphere to it. I can see myself replaying a lot of these missions just to oogle, plus the fact that is is fun. :P
Of course, if it weren't for people having difficulty with the controls, it seems these reviews would be a lot higher. Most of the ones I've read said it's really an impressive game, but the controls are what hinders it. If you're like me and some of the others who have played it who don't have any problems at all handling the dragon, you may enjoy it a great deal. Honestly, I can't see how anyone could have that much difficulty with it.
Well, since everyone who's played it in this thread says its pretty awesome, and the major complaint being levelled by the gaming review sites are "the controls suck", I wonder if it's something like the Wii.
How many Wii games have you played where all the reviews say the controls blew (SSX I'm looking at you) yet you had no problems in game? Is this going to become a common feature of all motion-sensitive games from now on? Or will it fade away, due to reviewers simply getting used to it, or controls genuinely improving.
I think its more a case of you really do have to take time with the game to get used to the controls. Maybe they are actually really shit, or maybe, which Im kind of hoping for, that they are just so different you have to get accustomed.
Unlike Warhawk, and Motorstorm which are like a middleground, Lair is using the motion controls completely and nothing else. Those other 2 use the motion controls as an added feature rather than the core of the control system, and both offer alternatives.
I think they should. Nearly every review of Lair cites the controls as by far the biggest issue. The content and gameplay, while perhaps a little stale, is certainly above a 5/10 kind of review. More like 7 or 8.
Yeah, I can respect them for staying true to their vision but it's really not smart to ignore the biggest criticism the game is getting. Hopefully Sony will force them to fix it, because I don't think they'll be too happy with the scores it's getting.
I might do a huge writeup on how the scores are actually pretty good.
The industry is slowly starting to properly adopt a 1-10 scoring rather than 7-9 and this is shown most evidently in people complaining 1ups 8.5 for warhawk was a bad score.
Its a really interesting discussion, i might make a thread.
if HS ends up with mid 8s in reviews, people will complain, when they shouldnt. so too with lair. lair is looking like a solid 7 game. thats fucking good guys. its not the best but i think the community is behind on catching up with the indsutry changing to 1-10 and still use a 7-9 retardo scoring system.
I think the reason why people react to a score of 7 as bad is because when I see 7 out of 10 I think "70% eh? That's a C." And C's aren't very good grades! And while a game that's rated 6/10 should be considered better than average, it's seen as a D. And a D is a shitty grade.
That's what I think anyways. I think If I were to review games on a website, or magazine I would give the game a letter grade. People can relate to that more.
But then you'd get things like A+ and A++. Personally, I just like a simple scale of 1-5 with no decimal places inbetween. You can clearly label which is a "fantastic", "good", "average", "bad" and "horrible" without all the semantic bullshit.
Actually, while I'm on the subject, jesus christ do I hate it when decimals are in review scores. Take IGN for example, who "supposedly" use a 1-10 system, except they have decimals in as well, which completely defeats the point of having a 1-10 system. They've changed it into a 1-100 system, which has always been fucking stupid ("this game is 1% better than this other game!"). It's not as bad in EGM but they still say they've got a 1-10 system when in reality they've got a 1-20 system. I know it's not major but it's irritating.
The_Scarab: You're talking about the samples? Haven't listened to them since I really don't like listening to samples (the damn things always cut off just when I'm starting to like the bloody song!).
I think in reviews, decimals are just splitting the hair way too thin. I mean really. I like the way Snackbar approaches the review on a 1-5 scale, giving a meaning to each number. When offering impressions on anothercastle.com, I've gotten away from assigning any sort of numerical value at all. If you are not going to read the text and take away my meaning from that, what's the point anyway? You can read my review of Lair, for example, and see I didn't like the game. My opinion of course, but I don't feel some overwhelming need to slap some arbitrary number, letter, or icon on the text to give it meaning.
So if I'm the only person on the planet who mastered the six-axis with motorstorm.... I'll be fine with the lair controls?
Also, in the ign review he complains a bit about not being able to turn quickly enough, but in some videos I think I saw the dragon do a 180?
Yup, you can do a 180 by pulling up on the controller quickly.
The thing that made the controls click for me was figuring out that you're not controlling the dragon directly, but rather they guy on top of the dragon. Once I discovered that it was like I was holding the reins of the dragon, it all made perfect sense. For example, when you hit the "flap" button to gain speed, it doesn't correspond to the dragon's wings flapping, rather it corresponds to the little guy using his mace to "Encourage" the dragon.
As for the regular non-180 turning, I've never had problems with it. There are brake buttons that allow you to basically stop completely anywhere you'd like, a la Rogue Squadron.
brynstar on
Xbox Live: Xander51
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
I think in reviews, decimals are just splitting the hair way too thin. I mean really. I like the way Snackbar approaches the review on a 1-5 scale, giving a meaning to each number. When offering impressions on anothercastle.com, I've gotten away from assigning any sort of numerical value at all. If you are not going to read the text and take away my meaning from that, what's the point anyway? You can read my review of Lair, for example, and see I didn't like the game. My opinion of course, but I don't feel some overwhelming need to slap some arbitrary number, letter, or icon on the text to give it meaning.
I think, and this is obviously a problem not a benefit, that you should either have no review score or a review score out of 100.
When comparing games, which people often do, how can you compare a 3/5 which is a good game, to a 60% game, which is clearly bad.
out of 5 i think is too few to allow any sort of comparisons.
I think in reviews, decimals are just splitting the hair way too thin. I mean really. I like the way Snackbar approaches the review on a 1-5 scale, giving a meaning to each number. When offering impressions on anothercastle.com, I've gotten away from assigning any sort of numerical value at all. If you are not going to read the text and take away my meaning from that, what's the point anyway? You can read my review of Lair, for example, and see I didn't like the game. My opinion of course, but I don't feel some overwhelming need to slap some arbitrary number, letter, or icon on the text to give it meaning.
I think, and this is obviously a problem not a benefit, that you should either have no review score or a review score out of 100.
When comparing games, which people often do, how can you compare a 3/5 which is a good game, to a 60% game, which is clearly bad.
out of 5 i think is too few to allow any sort of comparisons.
Well I know Snackbar justifies by saying if a game gets a 3 out of a possible 5, that means in the reviewer's eyes that the game is worth picking up in a bargain bin, while a 2 out of 5 makes it suited instead as a rental and nothing more. It's not a perfect system but I appreciate their approach more than a lot of the consumer sites like IGN. I'm content with not using a score after several years of reviewing games and using a variety of systems. The score is as much of a headache to me as a writer as it is as a reader. Writing this bulk of test and then trying boil down my feelings to a 60%..or is that 63%?
You can add me to the list of people who are not experiencing difficulty using the controls. Actually, I'm really enjoying the game so far. Usually when I go against that many negative reviews I end up bitten in the ass but this time I actually made the right choice by ignoring them, it's a great game.
I think in reviews, decimals are just splitting the hair way too thin. I mean really. I like the way Snackbar approaches the review on a 1-5 scale, giving a meaning to each number. When offering impressions on anothercastle.com, I've gotten away from assigning any sort of numerical value at all. If you are not going to read the text and take away my meaning from that, what's the point anyway? You can read my review of Lair, for example, and see I didn't like the game. My opinion of course, but I don't feel some overwhelming need to slap some arbitrary number, letter, or icon on the text to give it meaning.
I think, and this is obviously a problem not a benefit, that you should either have no review score or a review score out of 100.
When comparing games, which people often do, how can you compare a 3/5 which is a good game, to a 60% game, which is clearly bad.
out of 5 i think is too few to allow any sort of comparisons.
Well I know Snackbar justifies by saying if a game gets a 3 out of a possible 5, that means in the reviewer's eyes that the game is worth picking up in a bargain bin, while a 2 out of 5 makes it suited instead as a rental and nothing more. It's not a perfect system but I appreciate their approach more than a lot of the consumer sites like IGN. I'm content with not using a score after several years of reviewing games and using a variety of systems. The score is as much of a headache to me as a writer as it is as a reader. Writing this bulk of test and then trying boil down my feelings to a 60%..or is that 63%?
I totally understand. I think it needs a high profile magazine or site to use a no score method. EDGE tried it and reverted, and then GFW tried it then reverted.
Im so sick of this whole game rankings bullshit. I mean, anything over 80% on gamerankings is worth paying money for. Anything.
I think 1up had the best review scoring system for the Virtual Console. They had a thumbs up thumbs down kind of approach, and I think gamespot is going in the right direction by awarding specific 'medals' to games, like good animation or good sound. that kind of scoring works better than some arbitrary percentage, however in an industry where most titles coming out now are worth money and noone can afford everything comparing games to one another, even across genres is required. so some arbitrary rating system just has to be there. shame.
I think in reviews, decimals are just splitting the hair way too thin. I mean really. I like the way Snackbar approaches the review on a 1-5 scale, giving a meaning to each number. When offering impressions on anothercastle.com, I've gotten away from assigning any sort of numerical value at all. If you are not going to read the text and take away my meaning from that, what's the point anyway? You can read my review of Lair, for example, and see I didn't like the game. My opinion of course, but I don't feel some overwhelming need to slap some arbitrary number, letter, or icon on the text to give it meaning.
I think, and this is obviously a problem not a benefit, that you should either have no review score or a review score out of 100.
When comparing games, which people often do, how can you compare a 3/5 which is a good game, to a 60% game, which is clearly bad.
out of 5 i think is too few to allow any sort of comparisons.
Well I know Snackbar justifies by saying if a game gets a 3 out of a possible 5, that means in the reviewer's eyes that the game is worth picking up in a bargain bin, while a 2 out of 5 makes it suited instead as a rental and nothing more. It's not a perfect system but I appreciate their approach more than a lot of the consumer sites like IGN. I'm content with not using a score after several years of reviewing games and using a variety of systems. The score is as much of a headache to me as a writer as it is as a reader. Writing this bulk of test and then trying boil down my feelings to a 60%..or is that 63%?
I totally understand. I think it needs a high profile magazine or site to use a no score method. EDGE tried it and reverted, and then GFW tried it then reverted.
Im so sick of this whole game rankings bullshit. I mean, anything over 80% on gamerankings is worth paying money for. Anything.
I think 1up had the best review scoring system for the Virtual Console. They had a thumbs up thumbs down kind of approach, and I think gamespot is going in the right direction by awarding specific 'medals' to games, like good animation or good sound. that kind of scoring works better than some arbitrary percentage, however in an industry where most titles coming out now are worth money and noone can afford everything comparing games to one another, even across genres is required. so some arbitrary rating system just has to be there. shame.
This is sort of why, and I MAY be in the minority here, I have always liked the EGM scoring method, where multiple people chime in on a single title. I think if you follow a publication long enough, you learn which writers share your passions, and so with a scoring system like this, assuming it stays honest, you can weigh each score differently based on your own inclinations.
This is sort of why, and I MAY be in the minority here, I have always liked the EGM scoring method, where multiple people chime in on a single title. I think if you follow a publication long enough, you learn which writers share your passions, and so with a scoring system like this, assuming it stays honest, you can weigh each score differently based on your own inclinations.
This is why I like things like gamerankings.com and rottentomatoes.com. One reviewer might have an odd bias, but if you look at what a group of them are saying, you can get a better idea of the consensus.
Wordherder on
Why the crap did I ever make my original name "cloudeagle?"
ok so I bought it today. in fact I traded in like 5 games to Gamestop so I could get the extra 30% on all of them so the game didn't cost me any actual money.
first of all, to any reviewer who honestly thought the motion controls were aweful, I disagree with them 100% with the exception of 1 thing. the fucking 180 turn around. I simply cannot do it. I did it once in the tutorial, but since then? nope. I just cannot do it. Everything else though? turning is simple, stalling is simple, flying itself is simple. the only complaint I can agree with based on my personal feelings towards the game so far, is that you kinda have to tilt the controller a bit much to do what it needs to do. like turning left isn't just a simple tilt, it's a more involved motion. It works though and honestly? a 4.9 out of 10? you know what that says to me? that it's unplayable or something along the way is tremendously broken. sorry, this game is actually good. However, I'd probably give it an 8/10 being that there is *no* choice on the motion controls. I mean, the game could only have benefited from there being a choice. Even if the game was simply *worse* off with dual analog, at least you'd have the choice to do so.
so I think it's great so far and the visuals are simply outstanding. Very fun and fast pacing.
Posts
Oh snap! I guess it just comes down to opinion. We can't all like the same game. I just finished the second mission, and I had fun rampaging on the ground and roasting enemy soldiers.
Yeah, it is. And once I heard that it was confirmed to be six hours, I put plans in place to split the cost with a friend so we can both play through it once and then possibly resell it. I really, really loved the demo, but $60 for a 6 hr game is a bit much.
No argument there
But now I really enjoy it.
It's a total popcorn game, I imagine it being like a new arcade game if US arcades had never died. Great visuals and audio, and fun if somewhat mindless missions. Just what I expected really.
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
This happens every once in awhile, but usually not to something as high profile as Lair. Still, I said it in the Bioshock review thread, and I'll say it here; it's just a number representing someone's opinion. Don't get emotionally invested in it.
However, this does spawn a particularly humorous quote: Mroe liek Factor 4.9, am i rite?
The presentation is very high quality, however. The graphics are jaw dropping, and I find myself just wanting to fly around and admire the scenery. I beat the third mission, the one with the massive lighthouse, and it was an impressive sight.
And don't get me started on how much fun it is to attack ground troops.
Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
Forget it...
According to IGN, it's the eighth-worst game on the PS3, and this is one of Sony's high profiles.
4.9.
On IGN.
Insanity. I was expecting like a 6.5 or something.
That lighthouse mission is amazing. It does a good job of showing off the scale of the game, as do most of the missions.
And I totally agree, fighting the ground troops always puts a grin on my face. What's even funnier is how they try and mount an assault seconds before they all go flying. It's also fun to carry one and throw him hundreds of feet across the battlefield.
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
The controls are mostly good (although the 180 doesn't work regularly), and are making me feel a lot more immersed than I think I would be otherwise.
It's also fucking gorgeous. Amazing soundtrack, and presentation.
This confuses me as well: if you filter out all the PSN titles the only games worse than it (at least according to IGN) are that Mobile Suit Gundam game and Sonic. It may be mediocre or whatever, but that's a seriously low score.
Edit: I just got to one of the big plot moments in the game. That was an awesome [and sad] cutscene. Loving this game.
I just did that myself! It was a pretty cool battle, though the game froze on me the first time I tried it. Worked fine after that though. That battle also ended with a satisfying Dragon's Lair series of button press sequences.
And yes, I'm sure that you see what I did there.
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
I think the reason why people react to a score of 7 as bad is because when I see 7 out of 10 I think "70% eh? That's a C." And C's aren't very good grades! And while a game that's rated 6/10 should be considered better than average, it's seen as a D. And a D is a shitty grade.
That's what I think anyways. I think If I were to review games on a website, or magazine I would give the game a letter grade. People can relate to that more.
And really, anyone who can't fly the dragon around with the motion controls should just shoot themselves in the face. It really isn't hard to maneuver with them. You don't even have to make large motions with the controller. Most of the time I'm just gently moving it, unless I get really pumped and into a mission - then I'm all over the place. :P
That's kohlers review btw.
To put a positive spin on it however, I really really like the look of lair. it has this great almost lotr slash d+d type air about it. i do like the visuals.
anyone linked the orchestral soundtrack yet. really very good. i have it on loop mixed in with the bioshock orchestral. livens up the office (im the only one with actual speakers as opposed to headphones)
Of course, if it weren't for people having difficulty with the controls, it seems these reviews would be a lot higher. Most of the ones I've read said it's really an impressive game, but the controls are what hinders it. If you're like me and some of the others who have played it who don't have any problems at all handling the dragon, you may enjoy it a great deal. Honestly, I can't see how anyone could have that much difficulty with it.
Also, in the ign review he complains a bit about not being able to turn quickly enough, but in some videos I think I saw the dragon do a 180?
I've seen a bunch of gameplay vids and simply put it looks awesome. Everything that's been shown seems fantastic. I'm sure my tune will change, but jesus it can't be THAT BAD.
Well, since everyone who's played it in this thread says its pretty awesome, and the major complaint being levelled by the gaming review sites are "the controls suck", I wonder if it's something like the Wii.
How many Wii games have you played where all the reviews say the controls blew (SSX I'm looking at you) yet you had no problems in game? Is this going to become a common feature of all motion-sensitive games from now on? Or will it fade away, due to reviewers simply getting used to it, or controls genuinely improving.
Unlike Warhawk, and Motorstorm which are like a middleground, Lair is using the motion controls completely and nothing else. Those other 2 use the motion controls as an added feature rather than the core of the control system, and both offer alternatives.
Lair could be the watershed for sixaxis.
But then you'd get things like A+ and A++. Personally, I just like a simple scale of 1-5 with no decimal places inbetween. You can clearly label which is a "fantastic", "good", "average", "bad" and "horrible" without all the semantic bullshit.
Actually, while I'm on the subject, jesus christ do I hate it when decimals are in review scores. Take IGN for example, who "supposedly" use a 1-10 system, except they have decimals in as well, which completely defeats the point of having a 1-10 system. They've changed it into a 1-100 system, which has always been fucking stupid ("this game is 1% better than this other game!"). It's not as bad in EGM but they still say they've got a 1-10 system when in reality they've got a 1-20 system. I know it's not major but it's irritating.
The_Scarab: You're talking about the samples? Haven't listened to them since I really don't like listening to samples (the damn things always cut off just when I'm starting to like the bloody song!).
See this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBqB5LUKh8A
Yup, you can do a 180 by pulling up on the controller quickly.
The thing that made the controls click for me was figuring out that you're not controlling the dragon directly, but rather they guy on top of the dragon. Once I discovered that it was like I was holding the reins of the dragon, it all made perfect sense. For example, when you hit the "flap" button to gain speed, it doesn't correspond to the dragon's wings flapping, rather it corresponds to the little guy using his mace to "Encourage" the dragon.
As for the regular non-180 turning, I've never had problems with it. There are brake buttons that allow you to basically stop completely anywhere you'd like, a la Rogue Squadron.
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
I think, and this is obviously a problem not a benefit, that you should either have no review score or a review score out of 100.
When comparing games, which people often do, how can you compare a 3/5 which is a good game, to a 60% game, which is clearly bad.
out of 5 i think is too few to allow any sort of comparisons.
Well I know Snackbar justifies by saying if a game gets a 3 out of a possible 5, that means in the reviewer's eyes that the game is worth picking up in a bargain bin, while a 2 out of 5 makes it suited instead as a rental and nothing more. It's not a perfect system but I appreciate their approach more than a lot of the consumer sites like IGN. I'm content with not using a score after several years of reviewing games and using a variety of systems. The score is as much of a headache to me as a writer as it is as a reader. Writing this bulk of test and then trying boil down my feelings to a 60%..or is that 63%?
I totally understand. I think it needs a high profile magazine or site to use a no score method. EDGE tried it and reverted, and then GFW tried it then reverted.
Im so sick of this whole game rankings bullshit. I mean, anything over 80% on gamerankings is worth paying money for. Anything.
I think 1up had the best review scoring system for the Virtual Console. They had a thumbs up thumbs down kind of approach, and I think gamespot is going in the right direction by awarding specific 'medals' to games, like good animation or good sound. that kind of scoring works better than some arbitrary percentage, however in an industry where most titles coming out now are worth money and noone can afford everything comparing games to one another, even across genres is required. so some arbitrary rating system just has to be there. shame.
This is sort of why, and I MAY be in the minority here, I have always liked the EGM scoring method, where multiple people chime in on a single title. I think if you follow a publication long enough, you learn which writers share your passions, and so with a scoring system like this, assuming it stays honest, you can weigh each score differently based on your own inclinations.
This is why I like things like gamerankings.com and rottentomatoes.com. One reviewer might have an odd bias, but if you look at what a group of them are saying, you can get a better idea of the consensus.
first of all, to any reviewer who honestly thought the motion controls were aweful, I disagree with them 100% with the exception of 1 thing. the fucking 180 turn around. I simply cannot do it. I did it once in the tutorial, but since then? nope. I just cannot do it. Everything else though? turning is simple, stalling is simple, flying itself is simple. the only complaint I can agree with based on my personal feelings towards the game so far, is that you kinda have to tilt the controller a bit much to do what it needs to do. like turning left isn't just a simple tilt, it's a more involved motion. It works though and honestly? a 4.9 out of 10? you know what that says to me? that it's unplayable or something along the way is tremendously broken. sorry, this game is actually good. However, I'd probably give it an 8/10 being that there is *no* choice on the motion controls. I mean, the game could only have benefited from there being a choice. Even if the game was simply *worse* off with dual analog, at least you'd have the choice to do so.
so I think it's great so far and the visuals are simply outstanding. Very fun and fast pacing.
it always looked like a big muddy mess to my eyes