Dragon’s Lair made its original debut shortly before my time, so this may come as a shock to some of you from the arcade generation, but I’ve never previously heard of this game. Originally released in 1983 as one of the first ever laserdisc video games Dragon’s Lair was a ground breaking release that for the first time ever actually let you control a fully functioning character rather than controlling a movable object block. So why I haven’t heard of this comes as a bit of a surprise, but then again I grew up with Nintendo which already seems like a much better alternative to Dragon’s Lair.
Sure Dragon?s Lair may have been state of the art and the entire buzz 25 years ago, but now a days this game doesn?t offer anything special other than a nostalgic feel for those of you who fed the machine endless amounts of quarters back in the day.
You take the role of the protagonist Dirk the Daring, who is trying to rescue Princess Daphne from a sinister dragon Singe. You work your way through numerous dungeons pressing either left, right, up, down, or sword (enter). You must quickly react to oncoming characters or obstacles, but really I wouldn?t bother because you can advance through the game without actually completing each scene. The game is really repetitive and well, boring so I hope you bring some wickedly sharp reflexes and a lot of patience.
Some consider this a game, others a movie, really it?s a combination of them both something called an action interactive movie. So the way I look at it is, how can I justify anyone buying this as a video game? How can I justify anyone buying this as a movie? I can?t. As a video game it?s annoying, short-lived and simply not fun, as a movie its duration rivals that of a television sitcom. So why would anyone spend his or her hard earned dollar on this title, well I can?t answer that because I surely wouldn?t, and I wouldn?t recommend you do either. You?re thrown into the game that gives no explanation of what to do, and whether you die or not you proceed through the levels as if you completed it. This is a boring and frustrating game, it looks really cool but it doesn?t offer me much entertainment value.
In summary, I didn?t enjoy this insanely frustrating and irrelevant movie game, and with the Wii, 360, and PS3 out on the streets who really could enjoy this game other than the people who enjoyed it 25 years ago? With that being said, I?m sure that if you?re a fan of this game then the Blu-ray release is a must buy for you because I?ve seen comparative shots and it looks amazing in contrast to all other versions released. So being completely unbiased I?ll put it this way, if you haven?t heard of this or played it you?re not missing much and shouldn?t even bother to try it. If you have played and do enjoy Dragon?s Lair then this Blu-ray release will be more than exceptional for you, it looks really nice and probably plays just as good or better than ever.
Video
Presented in a 1080p 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dragon?s Lair takes full advantage of its move to Blu-ray. As I said earlier in the review the animations for Dragon?s Lair remains impressive, even by today?s standard. The new high definition transfer makes Dirk and his adventure look better than ever. Within the first few minutes of popping the disc in the striking amount of color on screen, something I didn?t expect a release from 1983 to have. The animation itself is extremely sharp and fluid actually making Dirk?s many death animations comical, even after the tenth time dying.
The print isn?t in perfect shape, there is grain on print as well as some speckling in certain shots but when compared to DVD release (as seen in the special features) there is no denying this is an impressive restoration.
Audio
Dragon?s Lair?s Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track does a good job with the given material, when you consider its source. It isn?t as action packed as game nowadays, say Gears of War (Xbox 360) but it does offer a few good sounding effects. There are a few rooms in the lair that will make good use of all channels, the monsters on the draw bridge, are just a few of the things you will hear using the 5.1 track effectively. Even though the game does use the 5.1 channels, the audio track does remain a bit flat, clearly a limitation with the source. Playing through this game I died many times and with the death comes the annoying music which plays every time you die, so this makes up a good portion of the audio track. Complaints aside the track still remains good when considering the source and the given material, fans should really enjoy it.
Special Features
Dragon?s Lair is given an impressive amount of features for a video game, more than some movie releases in fact (I?m looking at you Fox). The features drag on somewhat, partly due to the fact that the same three creators talk about similar things for everyone. Still there is enough here to keep fans of game happy.
- Watch – This features plays through the entire game with every different death scene as well. I found myself watching this after the 10,000th time dying.
- Video Commentary – Plays through the above feature with PIP audio commentary from the creators of Dragon?s Lair.
- Creator Interviews – A 23 minute interview with the creators of Dragons? Lair. Topics of discussion include the creation of the story and animation process, fans looking for a in depth look at the game will find this feature worthwhile.
- High Definition Restoration -We are given 2 scenes that are dived down the center, the left consisting of raw material while the right is the cleaned transfer.
- Time Capsule- Compares various versions of the game. Now this feature does a proper job of comparing the video quality in each release, the HD is a massive upgrade even from the DVD version.
- Previews – A quick look at Dragon?s Lair, Dragon?s Lair II and Space Ace.
Final Thoughts
Dragon?s Lair doesn?t appeal to anyone outside of the core group that loved it back in the summer of ?83. So unless you already know and love Dragon?s Lair stay away from it, but for those of you who actually are considering this disc I will admit the video looks really unique and good, the audio sounds good as well. The special features can drag but still remain informative, making Dragon?s Lair a good buy for fans.
