Lair - updated hands-on

It was also during the river raid that we got our first glimpse of the Mantas, huge creatures used as living transports that look like a cross between a manta ray, a crocodile and a giant floating whale. They blew up with spectacular, fiery spasms as the gases that kept them airborne ignited, but later on, we actually had to protect a bunch of these giant, dumb air-cows from an even bigger monster. This style of gameplay is more commonly known as the "pain in the ass," although it's a burden we'll gladly shoulder if it means we get to make warships explode (making the water even choppier for their comrades) and wreak havoc in giant stone cities.

It's just a pity that we won't be able to share that experience with other players, as we're told there'll be no multiplayer, online or otherwise. Even with the promise of "new gameplay systems" introduced every few levels, the lack of player-vs-player dragon dogfights is a letdown. But at least by the time it's out, we should have Warhawk to satisfy any multiplayer cravings.

So far, Lair is off to an impressive - if rocky - start, and it remains one of the few exclusive bright spots for PS3 owners in the months ahead. Riding a dragon freely around the game's gigantic, ornate levels is an incredible feeling, the pace is fast and chaotic, the destruction is explosive and Rogue Squadron developer Factor 5 is at the helm. With all that in the game's favor, we're confident Lair will kick some ass for the PS3 when it arrives in July.

CATEGORIES
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.
Latest in Action
Hollow Knight
6 years and 1 prolonged delay later, Xbox is still calling "incredible" Hollow Knight: Silksong one of its "upcoming games"
Naoe hides around a corner while infiltrating a hostile area in Assassin's Creed Shadows, watching ally character Yaya pummel an enemy
The Assassin's Creed Shadows metacritic score is here, and it's level with Valhalla
A brightened screenshot from the reveal trailer for the Monolith Productions Wonder Woman game.
Even as costs spiralled to $100m, founder of shuttered Wonder Woman studio says "I don't think I ever really considered the possibility that it would shut down one day"
Space Marine 2 4K texture pack shots
Saber CEO knew Space Marine 2 would be a success after playing it for over 300 hours, but he was still surprised when it sold 6 million copies
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe and Yasuke outside Hideout
How the Assassin's Creed Shadows Hideout works and the best buildings to get first
Assassin's Creed Shadows dialogue signs
All Assassin's Creed Shadows dialogue symbols explained
Latest in Features
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
"It's OK for me to move on": Years after scoring Minecraft, composer C418's latest project is about running a cozy tea shop with a "stupidly complex music system"
Thanara's Throne room made in Dungeon Alchemist
D&D Beyond's Sigil software isn't the worst VTT around, but it has a long way to go to compete with other 3D map makers
Demona confronting Goliath, Brooklyn, Lexington, and Angela
Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman digs into why Demona is the "single most dangerous character" in the entire franchise ahead of her new solo comic
Silent Hill 2
After Silent Hill 2 helped Bloober Team redeem itself, is the once-controversial studio poised to become horror's latest darling?
Titus in Warhammer Space Marine 2
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 promises to "redefine the standards of third-person action games," but I'd rather it fix Space Marine 2's biggest problem
Best Assassin's Creed protagonists: A collection of several of the heroes in the Assassin's Creed games edited together.
Ranking the best Assassin's Creed protagonists of all time