
	Platform Blu-ray (PS3) Genre Animated Publisher Digital Leisure Developer Digital Leisure ESRB E for Everyone Released April 2007

- Dragon’s Lair in high-definition - Brand new interviews in high-definition - Seamless playback on Blu-ray

- Original film shows limitations on Blu-ray, conversion has some grain - If you don’t like the original, you probably won’t like this one - Requires (presently) at least $600 worth of hardware to play it


Newsletter
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: Subscribe \| Unsubscribe

Dragon’s Lair Blu-ray

Score: 7.5 / 10

The mere thought of Dragon’s Lair brings back positive memories to me of playing in the local sub shop. I’ve always had a good memory so once I learned a sequence in this game, I had no problems playing it back when I saw the scene again. In Dragon’s Lair it’s really all about memorization.

If you are not familiar with this game, you are probably younger than 30 years old. This game came into the arcades when Pac-Man was still king and Donkey Kong was also very popular. This game had full color cartoon graphics that rivaled a Disney movie. No doubt because its creators used to work for Walt and the influences are apparent.

This game was radical for its time. It was the first arcade game that cost two quarters and popularized (for a short time) laser disc games. It was less of a “choose your own adventure” and more of a “memorize the right sequence and you are rewarded for going further”.

Advertisement

- Classic Game Reviews

The controls are simple: move the game’s hero (Dirk the Daring) in four directions and use the sword button when necessary. This game is all about timing and either failing to move the joystick at the right time or moving it in the wrong direction will result in a context sensitive death sequence. It’s often fun to die at certain spots

Advertisement

just to see the additional animation sequences. Of course, in the arcade on your quarter you probably didn’t do this too much but it’s a nice luxury in your own home.

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably a fan and want to know what is different about this version and how good it is. This is an extremely hard game to rate because on its own merits, the gameplay is shallow and short. If you’re buying it as a fan of the original though, I think you will be quite pleased.

For the first time in an original release, Digital Leisure has brought back the original arcade sound that was played when you moved Dirk. This version is on Blu-ray, and is the first interactive game released using the BD-J platform (Blu-ray Java). You’re probably going to play it on your PS3 and that platform is certainly fast enough to access the video and make sure that there are no “jumps” between the scenes that have plagued the series – even from the original arcade version.

The video on this disc was actually created from the original film master, not the laser disc so the quality is higher. If you stand too close to your TV however you might find that the grain is a little distracting. When I sat on the couch and played like a normal person the game looked great and it’s very noticeable that the colors are vibrant.

Digital Leisure used three different techniques to restore the game (read more about this in an upcoming interview with the creators) and it’s important to note this as you play. They didn’t just capture the film they worked on each and every frame to improve it. To show off their work, the game includes some side-by-side comparison shots showing the untouched conversion as well as comparing the resolution to the old Amiga version just so you can see the difference.

Purists will probably be a little disappointed that the game is available only in a widescreen format and since the original is in the standard definition 4:3 format there are parts that are cut off to fit the format. Once the game starts however, you’ll probably forget all that and enjoy the view.

The biggest addition to this release is a brand new ‘video commentary’ that plays over the approximately 20 minutes of animation and new interviews that will fill your entire high definition television. You’ll forget that it’s basically one camera angle the whole way through as you listen to these guys talk about how they made it happen so long ago.

The final positive about this is the sound. It’s been remastered in Dolby 5.1. It’s a definite immersive experience and you won’t be disappointed in the results.

Dragon’s Lair Blu-ray is about as good as it gets for this one. I don’t think there is going to be a version possible to better this one so it’s probably the end of the line. The good news is that Dragon’s Lair II and Space Ace on Blu-ray have already been announced. Lead on adventurer, your quest awaits!

Syd Bolton

May 2, 2007

Syd Bolton has been collecting game consoles for over 20 years and has dozens of systems and over 5,000 games. Do you agree or disagree with this review? Make sure you share with us here.