Two new fantasy titles blow in reality

'Lair' crashes and burns
Given the opportunity, who wouldn't want to ride a dragon as it soared mightily through the air, breathing fire upon enemies and generally inspiring awe and fear in the flightless masses gathered below? Personally, I was looking forward to living out this little daydream thanks to Sony's much-anticipated PS3 title "Lair."

Sadly, who knew flying a dragon could be so tedious? Who knew it could be so aggravating?

In this aerial combat game you are the warrior Rohn and your sweet ride just happens to be a giant winged lizard with some really sharp claws and a serious case of bad(ass) breath.  Your job: Save your people — the Asylians — from the not-so-nice Mokai.

The good news: This is a real pretty game. The world is beee-utiful and beautifully delivered via high def graphics. Playing from the third-person perspective, you get a spectacularly detailed view of your winged beast as it soars over lush landscapes and fantastical cityscapes. And the cinematics are, well, downright cinematic. As you play through this epic tale of war and intrigue you really do feel like you're playing your part in a movie.

As far as actually playing the game goes, there's certainly no shortage of ways to do battle with your dragon. You can scorch your enemies with fireballs, you can engage them in mid-air dragon-on-dragon fisticuffs, you can snatch troops from the ground and toss them to their deaths, you can even land your dragon on the ground and have it singe, slash and thrash the bad guys to pieces.

Despite all this, "Lair" really does hit the ground with a pronounced thud.

The problem is, convincing the PS3's motion-sensitive SIXAXIS controller to accurately carry out your aerial maneuvers is so difficult and frustrating that it robs you of the joy of flight. Here, you tilt the controller in the direction you want your dragon to go – up, down, left, right. And executing the basics is easy enough to do. But try to do any of the more complex moves and you'll quickly find yourself cursing the dragon you rode in on.

Sony Convincing the PS3's motion-sensitive SIXAXIS controller to accurately carry out your aerial maneuvers in "Lair" is so difficult and frustrating that it robs you of the joy of flight.

For instance, try snapping the controller upward to perform a 180 (a maneuver you really do need since tight turns are otherwise impossible) and you'll be lucky if you're able to make this move happen on the fifth try. Likewise, you'll be called upon to yank the controller sideways to ram your dragon into nearby enemy dragons. But this sideswiping action rarely seems to work as it should. Ultimately, the whole thing feels loose and inaccurate and totally unsatisfying.

Meanwhile, while it's nice that the game offers up a movie-like experience, there are times when it feels like the developers at Factor 5 forgot that this isn't a movie – it's a game. Short cut-scenes constantly interrupt the flow of the action and end up becoming a nuisance that must be endured rather than a pleasure to watch.

All in all, taking flight should be a dream come true. But when it comes to "Lair," it's best to keep your feet on the ground.

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