Julian Eggebrecht Talks Motion Control, Critics

In light of all the abysmal press Lair is getting, I kinda feel bad for Factor 5′s Julian Eggebrecht. He’s always seemed like a really cool guy to me, not to mention a brilliant (technically, at least) developer, and it’s obvious that he and his team really went all out for their PS3 debut. Apparently, however, things didn’t work out so well.

In an interview with MTV’s Steven Totilo, Eggebrecht actually says he believes the game’s development may have been cursed. Woah. Beyond the supernatural, though, he had quite a few interesting things to say about the issue of motion control with regards to critics and consumers. Here’s a quote, italics mine:

“The Sixaxis motion control…does much better for casual players, as we saw in focus tests. It does seem to alienate some reviewers who are at the top of the hard-core crowd and seem to have a passionate hate for all things motion, be it ‘Wii Sports’ with sometimes absurdly low scores for what might become the defining game of this generation, or ‘Lair’ as their newest poster child of evil. It’s an unfortunate development that, if the players themselves listen too much to the motion-hatred message, will divide the gaming community. Our potential for growth as an art form for the mainstream is in the easier-to-access control schemes that might be less precise but a lot of fun.”

I totally agree on the Wii Sports end. During GOTY 2006 season, for instance, I remember Matt and Peer from IGN sensibly defending the game as a valid contender, while the rest of the ‘hardcore’ staff laughed in disbelief. By and large, the gaming press is clueless.

Now whether the same applies to Lair or not remains to be seen, at least for me. Still, while I’d lost nearly all interest in the title, I’m now once again anxious to give it a try. Any of you out there played it yet? If so, do you agree with Julian or with the press? Let us know.

Eggebrecht Talks to MTV