I would like to touch on a topic that seems to be popping up constantly. I’m talking about game developers patching up games like there’s no tomorrow. Most recently, games such as LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM Confrontation, Fable 2, and Castle Crashers have been victims of a crucial gameplay element being either broken or excluded from launch. The good thing about technology and consoles in this generation is the ability of adding or fixing content through the use of a simple patch. However, just because developers have this ability doesn’t mean they should abuse it.

When Lair was originally released on the Playstation 3 last August 2007, hopes were high that it would be the first major hit to be released on the then struggling system. There were good reasons for expectations to be set so high as Factor 5, the same company that worked on the highly acclaimed Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series, seemed to be the perfect candidates for the medieval dragon soaring shooter for the PS3. However, with some of the worst controls seen in the past five years, Lair failed to take flight in the eyes of most gamers.

Six months after Lair’s North American release, a newer version of the game might be on the horizon as a re-release on the PS3…

SCEA associate producer Ryan Hamlyn announced on the on Playstation.blog that PS3 action/flight title Lair will be delayed until September 4, 2007. The original release date was set for August 14, 2007, but has been pushed back due to “an extra step in QA testing to enhance community features in the game”.

Apparently, some issues that arose around the online game also factored into the decision, as the blog states…