Platform: NGC, PS2

Developer: Dragonstone

Publisher: Encore

Genre: Action Adventure

ETA: Q3 2002

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Dragon's Lair 3D

I spent an enormous amount of time and money back in my high school days playing Dragon’s Lair.  Few games have ever had the ability to draw a crowd the way that early laserdisc masterpiece did.  The game was such a hit that many arcades were forced to mount monitors above the cabinets to accommodate onlookers.  At the height of its popularity back in 1983, many Dragon’s Lair machines were taking in close to $10,000 dollars a month.  The most common problem reported by arcade owners was that the coin slot and receptacle kept getting overstuffed with coins (not a bad problem to have).  The amazing part of Dragon’s Lair’s popularity was that it was not a very good game, not even by early 80’s standards.  Sure, the graphics were top notch.  It was hard to beat hand-drawn, Don Bluth-directed animation in the age of 8-bit processors and 4-color sprites.  But game play consisted entirely of making the correct joystick movement or key press at the correct time in coordination with the pre-recorded animation.  It was basically a large, pretty game of Simon.  Perhaps that is why laserdisc games died off so quickly after Dragon’s Lair, with only another Bluth creation, Space Ace, becoming even a moderate hit.

Still, nostalgia (combined with versions of the original game for nearly every console and computer system over the years) has kept the Dragon’s Lair name alive and kept hopes high for a truly 3D romp based in the world of the original game.  Finally, the time has come.  Dragonstone Software, working with the original team of Don Bluth, Rick Dyer, and Gary Goldman, is preparing a fully 3D update of Dragon’s Lair for the Playstation 2 and GameCube.

As you can see from the screenshots, Dragon’s Lair 3D (now there’s a clever name) takes advantage of the power of current consoles to produce real-time, cell-shaded graphics that rival the hand-drawn animation of the original game.  All of the locations made famous in the original are scheduled to make an appearance along with hundreds of new rooms and locations inspired by the original and designed specifically for the game by Bluth and company.

The real appeal of the game, of course, is the ability to finally take total control of the game’s protagonist, Dirk the Daring.  As in the original, Dirk must venture into Mordroc’s castle to rescue the danger-prone Princess Daphne.  Dirk’s movement will feature over 150 distinct animations as he battles enemies, solves puzzles and avoids traps and pitfalls.  All of the famous events from the original are represented, but it will now take more than a well-timed pressing of the action button to overcome the hazards.

I’m really looking forward to this game.  Having the original design team on board gives Dragon’s Lair 3D instant street (cobblestone lane?) cred, and recent screenshots and movies look simply gorgeous.  We will have to wait until Q3 to know for sure, but my money is on Dragon’s Lair 3D being one of the best games of the year.

- Tolen Dante