Dragon's Lair Uncut
September 22, 2008 12:18 PM Subscribe
Uncut footage from Dragon's Lair (1983) [recently on MetaFilter], one of the first full-animation laser-disc arcade videogames [and animated by Don Bluth]... if you didn't have an endless supply of quarters, see what would have happened had you directed Dirk the Daring left instead of up in these scenarios: (QT .mpeg files) Three Caverns | Green Thumb | Crumbling Roof | Bats! | Giddy Goons | Bottles and Pot. [via classicsreunited]
My parents used to drop my sister and I off at the roller rink every Friday night, so she could hang with her friends and I could make some. I can't even stand on a skateboard without it flying out from under me, so I was pretty hopeless at skates. There was, however, a little arcade area that had Dragon's Lair, and that gave me hours of entertainment as I fed the machine my pizza money. Thanks.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:25 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:25 PM on September 22, 2008
I recall getting through the first door.
Cost me 35 bucks.
posted by RavinDave at 12:25 PM on September 22, 2008 [5 favorites]
Cost me 35 bucks.
posted by RavinDave at 12:25 PM on September 22, 2008 [5 favorites]
Yes! When I saw this game in the arcade back in the day, I thought to myself "Sure, I could spend a full dollar to play what looks like a gimmick....OR I could wait 25 years and I'll see it on the Internet, once they invent that."
Finally, my choice has paid off.
posted by DU at 12:26 PM on September 22, 2008 [19 favorites]
Finally, my choice has paid off.
posted by DU at 12:26 PM on September 22, 2008 [19 favorites]
The only thing more difficult than playing Dragons Lair is finding a rip of the laser disk, downloading it from the one seeder who has it, and configuring the DAPHNE emulator to play it. By the time I actually got it working I wasn’t in the mood to play it. Perhaps I should revisit it.
I remember seeing the Dragon’s Lair hype on the news for weeks before my local arcade (Fun & Games in Framingham, MA) actually got it. It took me a few bucks before I discovered that you didn’t have total freedom to move about (we didn’t quite understand laser disks back then) but simply had to know the correct directions for each level. What a total let down that was. I was perfectly content from then on watching others play it.
posted by bondcliff at 12:37 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
I remember seeing the Dragon’s Lair hype on the news for weeks before my local arcade (Fun & Games in Framingham, MA) actually got it. It took me a few bucks before I discovered that you didn’t have total freedom to move about (we didn’t quite understand laser disks back then) but simply had to know the correct directions for each level. What a total let down that was. I was perfectly content from then on watching others play it.
posted by bondcliff at 12:37 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
How I longed to play this game as a kid. I saw on it on the news, and I thought this is was kewlest thing in the world. The first time I saw it in the arcade...it was out of order, and I thought that was just the worst thing in the world.
Thinking back, this game was so overhyped in terms of gameplay but the animations are dreamy and are still classic. It was nice to see a convergence of different media that included the element of interactivity back them; so you won't find me knocking it. :)
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 12:51 PM on September 22, 2008
Thinking back, this game was so overhyped in terms of gameplay but the animations are dreamy and are still classic. It was nice to see a convergence of different media that included the element of interactivity back them; so you won't find me knocking it. :)
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 12:51 PM on September 22, 2008
Thing I remember most about that allowance-swallowing game after putting $2 worth of quarters in it: Seriously, the fucking WAVE was flashing!!?!?!?!?
posted by lattiboy at 1:11 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by lattiboy at 1:11 PM on September 22, 2008
I remember playing it once. I lost a dollar. I completely failed to figure out how to make the knight do anything.
posted by oddman at 1:19 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by oddman at 1:19 PM on September 22, 2008
Yeah, I remember seeing Dragon's Lair when I was, what, ten years old, and even then going "Dude, you can't move the way you want to move? Screw that." and going over to the Star Wars vector graphics sit-down cabinet. Aw man, there was a game.
Seriously, even the Journey video game appealed more to me than Dragon's Lair.
posted by the dief at 1:20 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
Seriously, even the Journey video game appealed more to me than Dragon's Lair.
posted by the dief at 1:20 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
The people I used to hang out with called him "Dirk the Dork". Which didn't prevent them from feeding coin after coin into the machine.
posted by Class Goat at 1:28 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Class Goat at 1:28 PM on September 22, 2008
The spirit of Dragon's Lair is alive and well in The Act. They had The Act at California Extreme this year, and I've never seen an arcade game draw such a huge crowd.
posted by roll truck roll at 1:28 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by roll truck roll at 1:28 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Another entry in the "FMV as gameplay replacement" category is the ill-fated NEMO system. Back when the NES was the dominant console, Hasbro had the brilliant idea of a game system based on VHS tape media. The project was scrapped after they dumped tens of millions of dollars into it, and the two games that were produced for the system ended up being ported to the also ill-fated Sega CD console years later.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:41 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by burnmp3s at 1:41 PM on September 22, 2008
At least Night Trap managed to trigger a moral panic.
posted by Artw at 1:43 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Artw at 1:43 PM on September 22, 2008
Dragon's Lair looks freakin' cool, but it sure as hell isn't a game. It's an interactive cartoon.
Still looks cool, though. Goes to show that cartoon graphics done well NEVER age.
posted by graventy at 1:44 PM on September 22, 2008
Still looks cool, though. Goes to show that cartoon graphics done well NEVER age.
posted by graventy at 1:44 PM on September 22, 2008
The knight scene... the battle.. like up right right up down down up... more nerve wracking than any other game, in part because of the high cost and having to repeat all the lead up to it.
But man.. when you died.. those death animations... hoo! A treat.
posted by cavalier at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
But man.. when you died.. those death animations... hoo! A treat.
posted by cavalier at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
Yeah, I remember seeing that on the TV and thinking 'Wow, the future really has arrived!'. Of course living in the UK I never actually saw one in the flesh, as it were...
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
YOW! FFS how did I miss that last FPP? omg, plz kill me ty.
posted by cavalier at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by cavalier at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
Previously
I've been meaning to pick this up on Bluray...
posted by jozxyqk at 1:52 PM on September 22, 2008
I've been meaning to pick this up on Bluray...
posted by jozxyqk at 1:52 PM on September 22, 2008
(oops, never mind.. I didnt notice the reference to my "previously" in the fpp itself)
posted by jozxyqk at 1:53 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by jozxyqk at 1:53 PM on September 22, 2008
OH MY GOD
I thought I'd imagined this game! My brothers and I had a copy for the 3DO. It remained mostly unplayed because it was so goddamned hard. I hated it because the over-exaggerated way the characters moved creeped me out.
posted by Anonymous at 2:01 PM on September 22, 2008
I thought I'd imagined this game! My brothers and I had a copy for the 3DO. It remained mostly unplayed because it was so goddamned hard. I hated it because the over-exaggerated way the characters moved creeped me out.
posted by Anonymous at 2:01 PM on September 22, 2008
What about Dragon's Lair 2- with the Alice in Wonderland thing goin on? And Space Ace?
posted by Liquidwolf at 2:18 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Liquidwolf at 2:18 PM on September 22, 2008
I loved this game. Which is to say, I loved watching my rich friend play this game.
posted by brain_drain at 2:45 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by brain_drain at 2:45 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Here's a full playthrough of Dragon's Lair 2. It's an incredible piece of animation. So madcap. It's a shame they had to hide it in such a terribly-controlled game.
posted by painquale at 3:01 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by painquale at 3:01 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
I remember this too and pretty much what everyone else said - too hard, too costly and too much hype for to little fun. There was one kid in the arcade who knew how to play it and it was cool to watch.
I swear I remember from around the same time a game in the arcade that was just like the holographic chess set from star wars. I think it had cowboys or something? Maybe cowboys and dragons? From what I remember it was impossible to play too, but amazing to look at. (I swear I didn't dream this)
I spent a fortune one summer on Wizard of Wor. The sounds in this clip just took me back :)
posted by vronsky at 3:21 PM on September 22, 2008
I swear I remember from around the same time a game in the arcade that was just like the holographic chess set from star wars. I think it had cowboys or something? Maybe cowboys and dragons? From what I remember it was impossible to play too, but amazing to look at. (I swear I didn't dream this)
I spent a fortune one summer on Wizard of Wor. The sounds in this clip just took me back :)
posted by vronsky at 3:21 PM on September 22, 2008
Dragon's lair is basically the same game as DDR but the arrows are harder to read.
posted by aubilenon at 3:43 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 3:43 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
You didn't dream it, Vronsky. Unfortunately.
posted by roll truck roll at 3:44 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by roll truck roll at 3:44 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Oh wow that was it roll truck roll! Thanks. I knew I remembered a cowboy.
posted by vronsky at 4:27 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by vronsky at 4:27 PM on September 22, 2008
Later in that same thread I link to a video of Holosseum, the even dumber spinoff.
posted by roll truck roll at 4:32 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by roll truck roll at 4:32 PM on September 22, 2008
I was the second person at my local mall arcade to get through the whole game. It was a big deal since the game was right at the entrance of the arcade with an extra monitor stacked on top of the cabinet, so it would draw a lot of spectators. Good thing I had a paper route to fund my efforts.
The guy that was first to finish that game was a guy I beat for the 1st place trophy in the 'Track and Field' tournament, after my heroic performance in the high jump.
posted by glycolized at 4:37 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
The guy that was first to finish that game was a guy I beat for the 1st place trophy in the 'Track and Field' tournament, after my heroic performance in the high jump.
posted by glycolized at 4:37 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
It took me a few bucks before I discovered that you didn’t have total freedom to move about ... What a total let down that was. I was perfectly content from then on watching others play it.
That's what turned it into such a spectator sport from the second week on, in our arcade/roller rink.
That damn cowboy game, otoh, still gives me the willies. Wizard of Wor, on the other hand, still fascinates me. I'm not sure why.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 4:44 PM on September 22, 2008
That's what turned it into such a spectator sport from the second week on, in our arcade/roller rink.
That damn cowboy game, otoh, still gives me the willies. Wizard of Wor, on the other hand, still fascinates me. I'm not sure why.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 4:44 PM on September 22, 2008
I was the town champ of Wizard of Wor, I wouldn't play anything else. I refused to try the failed "back to back" team move where the other D-bag would let someone through and one creature would get you both. Great memories. The one thing that made me as happy as football as a kid.
posted by Senator at 5:08 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Senator at 5:08 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Me too Durn. I had a summer job at a laundrymat when I was 16, saturdays from noon to midnight, basically with nothing to do but keep an eye on the place, and it was one of two games there (I think the other was Ms. Pac Man). I pretty much spent all of my wages trying to beat the thing. I remember getting to one of the final stages after a few weeks -- the maze disappeared and you had to face the wizard one on one (or was it two wizards?). The only other games I remember being obsessed with and trying to beat were Xevious and Joust. I got to the mother ship on Xevious, but Joust just got ridiculously hard on the upper levels.
posted by vronsky at 5:13 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by vronsky at 5:13 PM on September 22, 2008
Ah, the memories. I liked Dragon's Lair and wasted plenty of money on it. Then I discovered this Anime game in the same style that blew it away. Can't remember the name of it, though. I spent weeks getting as far as I could on that game and never made it past fighting those twenty ninjas on motorcycles. I hated and loved that game, then I hated it some more.
posted by effwerd at 5:40 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by effwerd at 5:40 PM on September 22, 2008
I totally studied up and p0wned the Lair and the Ace ... then I retired to a more pastoral existence where my days were filled with Pango and Mappy.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:45 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:45 PM on September 22, 2008
vronsky: I saw that! One of the local players was good enough to get to the invisible maze. Didn't think it was the end of the game, but I do remember 2 wizards.
Something about those glowing graphics did it for me. Wizard of Wor, Qix, Tempest. That or I just loved the games I especially sucked at. Oh, Joust, too, absolutely, though no glowy bits there. Those are all of a certain time and feel for me. And Pinbot, for pinball.
Actually, I've had the weirdest craving for Pengo, so maybe it is the glowy bits. Cause there's no other way I can explain that.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:48 PM on September 22, 2008
Something about those glowing graphics did it for me. Wizard of Wor, Qix, Tempest. That or I just loved the games I especially sucked at. Oh, Joust, too, absolutely, though no glowy bits there. Those are all of a certain time and feel for me. And Pinbot, for pinball.
Actually, I've had the weirdest craving for Pengo, so maybe it is the glowy bits. Cause there's no other way I can explain that.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:48 PM on September 22, 2008
thank you for this.
posted by Hands of Manos at 6:33 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Hands of Manos at 6:33 PM on September 22, 2008
Just bought a copy of this at half price books for $7. It's the "exact copy version" and includes some background video as well. Plays great on Vista even, in a nice little window. I've been practicing for the past week. With unlimited replays, it was a heckuva deal.
posted by wah at 6:43 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by wah at 6:43 PM on September 22, 2008
oh, the black balls...so ominous...the horror, the horror...
thinking of weird format games...has anyone seen a projection holography game? i saw one about 15-20 yrs ago in the new orleans airport. srsly, it was just like the one from star wars in appearance, glowy figures fully realized in space, only instead of stop-motion monsters it was actors in crappy costumes...something about time travel...cowboys and cleopatra. anyone? bueller?
posted by sexyrobot at 7:21 PM on September 22, 2008
thinking of weird format games...has anyone seen a projection holography game? i saw one about 15-20 yrs ago in the new orleans airport. srsly, it was just like the one from star wars in appearance, glowy figures fully realized in space, only instead of stop-motion monsters it was actors in crappy costumes...something about time travel...cowboys and cleopatra. anyone? bueller?
posted by sexyrobot at 7:21 PM on September 22, 2008
sexyrobot: roll truck roll links to the last Dragon's Lair thread and a direct link to Time Traveler, the game you're talking about. It's been referenced in several places in this thread.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 7:32 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 7:32 PM on September 22, 2008
effwerd: That game was the the utterly awesome Cliff Hanger (visual reference - wikipedia. It reused scenes from the animated movie, Castle of Cagliostro... which, if you haven't seen, you need to go and rent (or obtain in the questionable manner of your choosing).
The first time I ever played it was on a trip to Reno or Tahoe (can't remember which one) with my parents. The casino they were playing at had this *massive* arcade where parents could dump their kids while they went and blew your college money. I played it for *hours*. My parents had to drag me away by the end of the night.
posted by vertigo25 at 9:02 PM on September 22, 2008
The first time I ever played it was on a trip to Reno or Tahoe (can't remember which one) with my parents. The casino they were playing at had this *massive* arcade where parents could dump their kids while they went and blew your college money. I played it for *hours*. My parents had to drag me away by the end of the night.
posted by vertigo25 at 9:02 PM on September 22, 2008
The casino they were playing at had this *massive* arcade where parents could dump their kids while they went and blew your college money
the 'rents did the same to me ca. 1975. Mostly mechanical back then, but fun fun fun nonetheless.
posted by troy at 10:14 PM on September 22, 2008
the 'rents did the same to me ca. 1975. Mostly mechanical back then, but fun fun fun nonetheless.
posted by troy at 10:14 PM on September 22, 2008
Time Traveler, the game you're talking about. It's been referenced in several places in this thread.
dur. apparently those scary black balls are the only things rolling around inside my head. anyway, what i remember most about it (time traveler) was how it managed to look both so incredibly advanced and so amazingly crappy at the same time. there's gotta be a name for that effect...the jarjar binks effect? the atari jaguar effect? i dunno, something...
/derail
also, looking back, dragon's lair was possibly one of the most interactive games at the arcade, since it was so expensive to play ($1) and oh so easy to die, i remember a lot of taking turns during the same game...'wait, i know how to beat this part' "quick, get in there!" 'OMG i'm gonna die' "i saw someone beat this part once...go left, go left...NOW!" and etc... kinda more fun than the game itself, now that i think about it...
posted by sexyrobot at 10:41 PM on September 22, 2008
dur. apparently those scary black balls are the only things rolling around inside my head. anyway, what i remember most about it (time traveler) was how it managed to look both so incredibly advanced and so amazingly crappy at the same time. there's gotta be a name for that effect...the jarjar binks effect? the atari jaguar effect? i dunno, something...
/derail
also, looking back, dragon's lair was possibly one of the most interactive games at the arcade, since it was so expensive to play ($1) and oh so easy to die, i remember a lot of taking turns during the same game...'wait, i know how to beat this part' "quick, get in there!" 'OMG i'm gonna die' "i saw someone beat this part once...go left, go left...NOW!" and etc... kinda more fun than the game itself, now that i think about it...
posted by sexyrobot at 10:41 PM on September 22, 2008
of course, looking at the yt videos, i realize that only one of the ominous balls was black. the rest were ominously candy-colored.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:00 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by sexyrobot at 11:00 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Well, hell's bells, this post made me go and buy the Dragon's Lair "20th Anniversary" which purportedly features Dragon's Lairs I and II, and Space Ace. Even if it runs kind of meh, it will be a total blast to attempt to play that animation again..
posted by cavalier at 5:46 AM on September 23, 2008
posted by cavalier at 5:46 AM on September 23, 2008
You know, at the time I was playing a lot of video games and I never really got interested in Dragon's Lair. It always seemed like I was going to end up paying a lot of money to have an input once every few seconds. Whereas with Robotron I could pay one quarter, get two joysticks and have to make roughly twenty decisions a second.
In retrospect my parents were probably criminally negligent for not having me on ritalin.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:26 PM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
In retrospect my parents were probably criminally negligent for not having me on ritalin.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:26 PM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
ROBOTRON!!!! best game EVAR!!!
(excepting of course the part where all the robots get blowed up)
posted by sexyrobot at 9:34 PM on September 23, 2008
(excepting of course the part where all the robots get blowed up)
posted by sexyrobot at 9:34 PM on September 23, 2008
Robotron is too fucking hard. That's not my opinion, it's a completely objective statement.
posted by roll truck roll at 12:15 AM on September 24, 2008
posted by roll truck roll at 12:15 AM on September 24, 2008
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posted by Artw at 12:23 PM on September 22, 2008 [22 favorites]