For those who haven't seen Garfield minus Garfield, you've really been missing out. It's not the most brilliant Photoshop we've ever done, but the Garfield void can sometimes be easily filled with a character foil to Jon's manic depression ... enter Lair. Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic; polling after the break.
Along with a revamped PSN Store, we usher in the return of PSN Thursdays Tuesdays. Since we're already welcoming back the store and updates, we should probably say something to Lair, who just flew in under our radars with an update to make the game playable -- not only with rumble but also analog controls. He's looking kind of lonely over there in the corner.
Also this week, Super Stardust HD expands its universe with new modes: Endless, Survival, Bomber and Time Attack. Arcade Mode now features the Easy difficulty. A new Retro soundtrack has also been added
Update: SCEA has confirmed that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will headline the return on PS Store's regularly scheduled Thursday updates this week (April 17th). We'll post the full release list when it becomes available.
Check out the complete list of this week's content after the break. For a listing of Europe's goodies, head over to PS3 Fanboy.
Factor 5's Lair is getting a rather timely update. As reported by IGN in a rare moment of headline snark ("Will this push the score past 5?"), the game will finally support analog controls. The patch, coming out in Japan on April 17 (and likely everywhere else, too), also includes DualShock 3 rumble support, the appearance of a targeting icon and the ability to download the Wind Dragon and Poison Dragon for use in all stages.
As the old adage says, analog controls don't grow on trees. Well, it turns out they do, and that's why it took until Spring to see them bloom and the update to arrive. We expect a resurgence of interest in the title starting ... um ... guys? Are you still here?
Brash has anunrelentinglove for games based on movie IP, and as if patterning its business model after a remake of Freaks, the publisher has convinced yet another developer to become one of us. The latest studio to sign on the dotted line is Lairdev Factor 5, which according to Brash involves an unspecified title to be revealed "around the E3 Expo" in July.
The news follows the announcement yesterday of a deal between Brash and Folklore Dec Game Republic on another secretive movie-to-game deal. While it's true that film-games have earned their place as everyone's favorite whipping boy, Factor 5 co-founder and president Julian Eggebrecht seems pleased as punch about the whole affair, stating that "because the filmmaker is a game fan who is really excited about how we want to expand on the story of the film, we've been given a lot of latitude." Let's just hope this time they leave any motion-sensitive controls up to the professionals.
The shoddy SIXAXIS controls may not beLair's only problem, but it's certainly the one that's taken the brunt of the criticisms pointed at the game. Throughout it all developer Factor 5 has insisted that motion-controlled dragons were the only way to go, but it seems that they may finally be softening.
Recently, the company's president, Julian Eggebrecht, told IGN "If we find a chance in the future that would bring Lair to the audience which didn't get any access, that would be fantastic," he said. "I can't say anything quite yet, but there might be something in the works there. We might have a chance yet to bring those back to the table and hopefully, if that should happen, they would give the game a second chance." Now, as much as we'd like to see a patch, we get the sneaking suspicion he's hinting at a sequel. What does it sound like to you?
While Portal is being given its much deserved credit for the year, and Half-Life 2 has enjoyed years of acclaim, let's not forget about the other pillar of Valve's The Orange Box. It's been eight years since the release of Team Fortress Classic, and the game has undergone so many revisions and delays we half expected it to be released alongside Duke Nukem Forever sometime in 2012. As it turned out, the game not only saw the light of day but ended up being an addictive online experience.
As a console gamer enjoying this with a gamepad, I don't care much much for the sniper, soldier, demoman, or anything except medic and occasionally the engineer. There's something brutally satisfying about charging into battle behind a heavy weapons guy, dodging the occasional bullet (people still haven't learned) and injecting him with a team-killing jolt of invincibility. Hours of enjoyment and not a single bullet shot. Pure. Enjoyment.
The Associated Press put out a pretty good year-end list about games and named BioShock its game of the year. Sure, the AP almost invalidates the entire year-end round-up by mistakenly listing BioShock as available for PlayStation 3; however, because the wire service didn't simply phone in Halo 3 as their game of the year, we'll generously overlook their faux pas. Speaking of Halo 3, the AP actually says it was the "most overrated game" of the year ... not saying we agree, just sayin' is all.
The AP gave more accolades to the likes of The Orange Box for "best deal" and Rock Band for "best game that involves getting off the sofa" while trashing Lair as the "best idea for a game gone horribly wrong." One sentiment that we think everyone can agree with: the federal law requiring all good games to be released within weeks of each other has to be overturned.
We can't say we agree with all of the choices presented, though 1UP's criteria suggests that the games featured aren't necessarily "bad," but that all of them "fell short of expectations."
Still, given the sheer number of games out there, there are bound to be bigger, badder turkeys hiding in the bushes. Any more main-course nominees?
Factor 5's Lair, much-ballyhooed in North America and Europe for its unfavorable control scheme (and Sony's subsequent response), has debuted in Japan with enough sales to crack the top 10 for weekly sales, according to Media Create (via GamesIndustry.biz).
The game, known there as Rise from Lair, landed in the number seven spot with 22,000 in sales, likely helped by Famitsu's positive review. For comparison, Project Gotham Racing 4 received the same Famitsu score and only charted at 25, the highest rank for an Xbox 360 title and a big drop in Microsoft's presence following the console maker's triumphant one week at the top with Halo 3 (59,000 unit sales).
Nishimura Kyotarou Suspense Detective Series: Deadly Intent for Nintendo DS debuted in the top spot this week with 61,000 in sales. Dragon Ball Z: Sparkling! Meteor for PS2 and Gundam Battle Chronicle (PSP) took second and third place, respectively.
Sure, Lair the game is bantha poodoo that reviewers apparently don't know how to play, but Lair's soundtrack is full of pseudo-John Williams goodness and now it's available on iTunes. Lair's score by John Debney, which is nominated for a BAFTA award, is great if you like listening to high-energy orchestral soundtracks while banging down the highway at 90 MPH.
If you're looking for alternative songs to the Lair soundtrack, might we suggest:
Fly Like an Eagle (Steve Miller Band or Seal)
I Believe I Can Fly (R. Kelly)
Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
Can you think of any other alternative songs for the Lair soundtrack? Oh, and we're totally ahead of you if you think you're being witty by saying Crash and Burn by either The Bangles, Blues Traveler or Simple Plan. Also, don't even think My Favorite Mistake by Sheryl Crow.
There's no denying that Ken Levine, lead of 2K Boston and guru of BioShock, is a golden boy in the industry right now. So when he defends the odiousLair in the latest episode of the Gamers with Jobs podcast, we can't help but politely, yet firmly, say, "No Ken Levine, bad! Wrong! We care too much about you at this moment to see you defending that ... that thing. Now go to your office, estimate the insane amounts of money you'll make before the end of the decade, and think about what you said!"
Levine is even in his defense of Lair saying things like, "I'm sure somebody came to them at some point and said, 'We have this motion control controller, and we have to make a go of it. And we really think you should try to make your game exclusively on that.'" He also goes on to say that beyond Wii Sports, there are a lot of games where he wonders if people wouldn't just be happier with a d-pad and analog stick. There's actually a lot of good stuff with Levine in the well-produced podcast, definitely worth a listen and a mention on this week's Podcast rodeo.
Hats off* to 2P Start for finding a way to spin the spin of Lair -- the logic is so dizzying, it's like we were actually trying to pull a 180-degree turn in the game (zing!). Consequently, the comic earned top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup.
Second place to Digital Unrest, and Penny Arcade has garnered third place. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
* We took our hats off for them; "pants off" is optional but encouraged.
Dear seasoned reviewers, like Greg Miller of IGN (pictured and whose work back at the Columbia Tribune we covered), you're reviewing Lair wrong -- according to Sony. Miller, and probably many other reviewers, received their copies today of the "Lair Reviewer's Guide" so that they might go back and say, "Yes Sony, we totally don't know how to play video games, thank you! Thank you so much for showing us the light on how to play these ... things. We will now go back and redo our scores with the wealth of information we have been given."
We probably couldn't say it better than Tycho of Penny Arcade when he wrote what every video game professional with half a brain should think, "For my part, I don't give a good Goddamn if someone has trained themselves to eat shit and like it. The game is not challenging, it's difficult to play, and it's taken many years but I'm ready to begin making this distinction." Controls shouldn't need an explanation (or a video like the not-official one after the break), innovation can be intuitive if it's done right. Yeah, you can explain what the buttons should do, but when professionals can't use the controls properly, and they're trying to review the game for a general video game enthusiast -- that's a problem.
The fact that Sony and Factor 5 had to send out a packet telling reviewers how to play the game a week after the fact is so painfully tragic that it's funny. Oh, and just to be totally clear, there are typically "fact sheets" bundled with games and even follow-up info emails sometimes, but this "Lair Reviewer's Guide" goes well beyond that with "gameplay advice." Insulting with just a hint of desperation is what the "Lair Reviewer's Guide" is.
Reptile romp Lair may not be a critical darling, but Sony isn't too worried. Speaking to Next-Gen (while preparing his grand exit), SCEA PR director Dave Karraker said that it doesn't matter what the critics say: it's all about the consumer.
"At the end of the day, I'll be interested in the consumers' response, because the consumer awareness for this title was so huge," he said. "I've spoken to any number of people who really like it, and there's other people that find it a challenge."
Karraker makes a good point; who cares what a game review says if the game is well-loved by the gaming community at large (and, consequently, sells very well)? Should any consumers find fault with the game and its controls, just remember: the development was haunted. No, really.
Don't worry, it's not what you think. No dragons fornicating, or oddly polygonal women. Just a straight up, Safe-For-Work look at some hot, hot coffee.
To get in on the 'Hot Coffee' action yourself, enter the following, case-sensitive code into the cheats menu of Lair: 686F7420636F66666565. If you're lazy, or unwilling to purchase Lair after the glowingreviews, then the video is embedded above for your viewing pleasure. But be careful! It's hot!
Posts with tag lair
There's no denying that Ken Levine, lead of 2K Boston and guru of BioShock, is a golden boy in the industry right now. So when he defends the odious Lair in the latest episode of the Gamers with Jobs podcast, we can't help but politely, yet firmly, say, "No Ken Levine, bad! Wrong! We care too much about you at this moment to see you defending that ... that thing. Now go to your office, estimate the insane amounts of money you'll make before the end of the decade, and think about what you said!"
