Dragon's Lair bound for Blu-ray
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Mar 26th 2007 at 6:50PM }
The postcard we received (depicted above) prompted this warning of sorts, but perhaps we're being too harsh. The April 9th Blu-ray version does come equipped with 5.1 surround sound, remastered 1080p video, creator commentary and several new interviews. The official website also points to upcoming Blu-ray versions of Dragon's Lair II and Space Ace, two of the most revered entries in the die-over-and-over-again genre established by Dirk's original dragon-slaying adventure. If you're going to be skewered repeatedly in a joyless animation showcase, it may as well be in true HD.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AoE @ Mar 26th 2007 7:04PM
Wow Ludwig, did Dragon's Lair poop in your coco puffs when you were kid or what? Granted It's pretty simple gameplay... but then again it comes from 1983, and it was pretty mind-blowing back in the day, and still fun today for short bouts, though that may be the nostalgia talking. Regardless, don't forget it introduced us to a style of gameplay that Shenmue, Resident Evil 4, Indigo Prophecy, God of War, and many others all aped. If you don't want to play it, fine, whatever. But respect your roots.
Thrawn @ Apr 17th 2007 12:06PM
It's very disappointing to find out that I won't be able to have the same experience at home with my PS3 of coughing up $1 and pushing a large button every time the screen flashes.
mushiking @ Mar 26th 2007 7:25PM
anyone who bashes this news instantly sucks. freaking Dragon's Lair and Space Ace people! old-school QTE in glorious HD.
if you don't think this is good news, then you are not a gamer.
Jon @ Mar 26th 2007 7:30PM
I am sure there would be people who would attempt to deride this title because of its association with the PS3. Typical fanboys.
OrganicShadow @ Mar 26th 2007 7:36PM
It should also be noted that it isn't a PS3 game. It's a BD-ROM that is interactive via the Blu-Ray's java capabilities or something along those lines. This has already been covered on PS3fanboy, so im surprised you left that detail out.
It will play in a PS3 as well as any other java enabled BD player. It's not a PS3 game at all, more of an interactive point and click disc.....game....thingy.
PS3 NOT REQUIRED.
Goldspire @ Mar 26th 2007 7:37PM
Take a pill, AoE. He means Dragon's Lair is actually one big movie. When you make a mistake the movie goes to a cutscene of you dying, that's all. I found this out when I had the PC version 10 years ago and found the avi file that was the whole game uncut. It's a bummer I don't own any sort of blu-ray player(yet).. but this isn't a "PS3 game", it's a movie disc. I'm sure the fanboys will jump on it claiming another PS3 exclusive or something, lol.
Matt B @ Mar 26th 2007 7:41PM
God, I wasted months of my piddley allowance on that game back in the day. I don't know if I want to subject my PS3 controller to possible damage from being flung across the room in an outrage.
mushiking @ Mar 26th 2007 7:43PM
can you name a cheaper Blu-Ray player organic?
OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Mar 26th 2007 7:43PM
Blu-Ray's a HUGE disc.
Why not put all 3 on one disc? I'd buy that for $50, but I don't need a Blu-Ray "upgrade" of 3 games that were back on Laserdisc back in the day.
Matt B @ Mar 26th 2007 7:46PM
Damn, I wasted months of my crappy allowance on this game back in the day. I never left the arcade happy. I don't know if I want to subject my PS3 controller to the possible damage of being flung across the room in an outrage.
OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Mar 26th 2007 7:52PM
BTW, shouldn't that be "mention ON Joystiq.com"?
Yeah, I'm nitpicky, but it kind of pisses me off when people have a job that should require exquisite command of the English language wield it like an elementary schoolkid.
Phil @ Mar 26th 2007 7:56PM
You know, it kills me when people bust on Dragon's Lair. The gameplay dynamic is shallow, but I commend Bluth's attempt at making a game that looked amazing when everything else was a bunch of squares flying around on the screen. The interesting part is that this same dynamic is found in games like Shenmue, God of War, and RE4 (like AoE mentioned) and when it shows up in those games everyone commends it. God forbid there's a game that's an interactive animated short.
To call DL a joyless animation showcase is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. The animation, artwork and design is freaking top shelf stuff, and it's actually fun to just WATCH Dragon's Lair, especially Time Warp.
Geez.
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Mar 26th 2007 8:04PM
So, you're telling me one of the positive points of the game is that it's fun to "WATCH." How is that not being an animation showcase?
I understand that certain elements of DL have made it to other titles, but they hardly comprise entire games, nor are they as randomly and rabidly implemented. Doing something first and doing something well are two different things, I believe. To play Dragon's Lair today is just as painful an experience as it was all those years ago. Even then, people were so dazzled by the graphics that they failed to notice how hollow the "game" was. :)
C.P. @ Mar 26th 2007 8:06PM
The interesting thing about dragon's lair was that it was one of only three arcade games that used a revolutionary new technology of the time; laserdisks. These arcade games which allowed for the best graphics of the time, ultimately failed because of high production costs and overheating issues.
So basically a game that used a failed media format is being released on a soon to failed media format.;)
Phil @ Mar 26th 2007 8:25PM
Ludwig,
Yes, it's an "animated showcase" but the word you used to describe it was joyless. What I'm saying is that I find "joy" in watching/playing Dragon's Lair, because it's a really well done piece of animation.
I do believe that Dragon's Lair did implement what it did rather well. Yeah, some of the moves are confusing, but if you pay close enough attention to what Dirk is doing and/or what direction he's looking in, you can play the game and have a great time doing so. The dynamic was implemented to the best of their ability.
Part of the fun of Dragon's Lair is the sense of accomplishment once you learn it, and I think that it's a rewarding experience to master the game. Yeah, you don't have any room to screw up, but that's the draw. You want to see what's next, and that "one more try" element is there the first time you biteit. It's trial and error game play at it's most simple, but looking back, weren't most games trial and error in those days?
Another thing about DL, if you become good at the game, you can fly through it with no problem on the 50 cents you'd plug into the machine. Other shallow (but great) arcade games like TMNT are designed to take your money just as much as DL. The difference is that you can't get good at those games, you just get your ass beat the entire time, but I don't see people knocking those games when they're brought up or re-released.
Or you know, maybe I'm just a sucker for an old school game like DL. That could be it.
AoE @ Mar 26th 2007 8:39PM
@Ludwig, so the truth comes out eh? It's cool if you don't have twitchy enough reflexes to bust a QTE game, we'll still respect you. ;) I enjoyed the game back then, and find it just as amusing now; not all of us found it to be a painful experience... And the QTE events are hardly randomly implemented; you'll notice there's a lot of beatiful, hand-drawn animation that leads up to each event, they're hardly placed willy-nilly. And of course there aren't QTE only games today... gameplay in general has evolved, name for me one genre or gameplay style that hasn't changed one iota since 1983. Most any game from that era that is held up to today's standards won't measure up, but that doesn't make them crap. Dragon's Lair earned it's place in gaming history; you don't have to love it, we've all got our own tastes... but it's still not cool to crap all over a recognized classic like that.
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Mar 26th 2007 8:59PM
As a classic, it's unrecognizable to me. :D
Jacob @ Mar 26th 2007 9:10PM
Heh. I bet my old house is STILL getting those postcards from that company...
Jontarou @ Mar 26th 2007 9:42PM
"Another thing about DL, if you become good at the game, you can fly through it with no problem on the 50 cents you'd plug into the machine." [#14]
You can say this about any game. This comment does not counteract the argument regarding the excessive amount of money that it allegedly takes to /reach/ this point.
mushiking @ Mar 26th 2007 9:45PM
@13 which is why it's trouncing HD-DVD?
hemmy @ Mar 26th 2007 10:04PM
"Trouncing" is putting it mildly :)
Evan @ Mar 26th 2007 10:35PM
I don't think the source material is up to high-definition quality.
I once rented the interactive-DVD version of Space Ace. Even in standard-definition DVD, the animator's lines were clear, and all the little mistakes plainly visible. It was originally animated at a detail and quality level appropriate for 720x480 laser disk, there's simply no more detail to extract that would make a high-definition version worth while.
Frank @ Mar 26th 2007 11:11PM
evan, while its true the dragons lair and space ace games were eventually put on a LD, their source material is still film...which even in today's age is still superior to any digital projection in terms of image clarity. now the question is, are they willing to go back to the source material (being film) and clean it up for a high-def transfer? i'm willing to bet on the negative on this one though it would be nice if they did.
brake @ Mar 26th 2007 11:39PM
Man, I remember all the older kids giving me money to play this game while they watched. Don Bluth is still one of the most talented traditional 2D animators around. Seeing the amazing animation in Dragon's Lair pretty much put me on my career path. Jeez, I might have to break down and buy a PS3 just for that if they do end up dong a film transfer.
Jigsaw @ Mar 27th 2007 2:15AM
This is probably a better purchase than most actual PS3 games.
Rubang B @ Mar 27th 2007 2:51AM
The game is important historically for being the first LaserDisc-based arcade cabinet that anybody remembers. That's about it. Buying this on Blu-Ray is like buying an e-Book in HD. It's like um, text.
brick @ Mar 27th 2007 4:19AM
Don Bluth is a god when it comes to animation. But game design... Not so much. Then agian, people keep saying they spent a lot of money on Dragon's Lair, so maybe he wasn't all that bad in the game design department...
Rubang B @ Mar 27th 2007 4:36AM
Imagine an amazing animated film made by a very talented animator. Now imagine that every time something happens, you have to press a random button very fast or start it over. You have just imagined Dragon's Lair.
baby sea tuna @ Mar 27th 2007 8:23AM
#27
Well put.
t_m @ Mar 27th 2007 10:13AM
They gave the DVD version away freewith a PS2 game mag a few years back. Even at that price it sucked.
Imagine they took th worst, most annoying, instant-random-death elements out of other games, and then made an entire game of them.
Imagine ripping your own head off in frustration.
Dan @ Mar 28th 2007 9:02AM
Hmm Will it cost 69.99 CND or 39.99 CND???
Its a game but its a movie.
I hope it's like 20 bucks cuz I want it. My brother can play through this game as if it were a normal cartoon on tv it's pretty cool to watch.
I never played it I had DL II on my pc years ago. I still have it. I should pop it in. lol
Xian @ Mar 28th 2007 1:25PM
I don't get the hate. First off, this game was made in the early '80s. Games then were designed to be hard as hell; cabinets don't make a profit by being easy to beat. Anyone remember Altered Beast? Or how about Space Harrier? The ports are just that - ports of the original game.
Second, yeah, it's hard, and having played the PC version until I beat it, I'll concede that there are a few parts that have a bit of random logic to them. The other 95% of the game plays well and makes sense if you just pay attention. You really have to look at what's going on and use good judgment to make the right moves. The game will even give you visual cues during many spots via flashes of light. You just really have to resist gamer reflexes to mash buttons at the first sign of danger and wait for that right moment.
Finally, dying was actually part of the fun of the game. Not a deliberate goal, mind you, but enjoyable nonetheless. Virtually all video games have a standard death animation/sequence for a character that is consistent throughout the game. With DL, at least it's something that varies depending on the situation at hand.
DL has its flaws and issues, no doubt, but to give it such crap is really uncalled for. If it's not your style, that's fine, but it's a good classic, and if it's priced reasonably (as much as I enjoyed it, I can't deny that $20 should be the absolute upper limit for this game's price, and $10 would really be more appropriate), it would be worth owning.
Frank @ Mar 27th 2007 5:36PM
the biggest problem with the console versions seems to be a timing issue. the arcade versions seems to be tighter at registering a joystick move. i've found that the multiple home versions (from the PC to the consoles) the timing isn't there and causes frustration to the player.
refinedsugar @ Mar 27th 2007 9:02PM
"If you're going to be skewered repeatedly in a joyless animation showcase, it may as well be in true HD."
LOL!
warplayer @ Apr 11th 2007 6:45PM
Okay, everyone talks shit on DL, and that's okay, I'm used to it. I've lived my whole life having people talk shit on it, but I have always loved the game. Sure, point out all it's flaws, go ahead, BUT! Don't tell me you wouldn't be impressed to see me walk up to the game randomly and do it start to finish perfectly (isn't video game retention weird?).
That's the joy of the game. It is a complete mind fuck to master, and you almost commit suicide a few times during the process. But once you have mastered it, it is a VERY joyful experience.
And don't even get me started on DL2 or Space Ace...