[PC] - Dragon's Lair HD [Archive]

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bapenguin

07-12-2006, 08:52 AM

<table width="600" align="center" class="reviewTable" padding="3"><tr><td valign="top"> Title: Dragon’s Lair HD (http://www.digitalleisure.com/contents/DVDRom_games.htm#dlHD) Platform: PC MSRP: $49.99 Editor: Nicholas ‘bapenguin’ Puleo <div valign="bottom"> Dragon's Lair HD</div><td><td colspan="2"><img src=http://www.evilavatar.com/staff/bapenguin_f.jpg></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">23 years ago Dirk the Daring’s adventure to rescue Princess Daphne from the clutches of a nasty dragon Singe began. Today the adventure lives, and it lives on in today’s most popular buzz word: High-definition. 
Dragon’s Lair HD is the PC DVD Rom version of the classic arcade game. There have been numerous versions of this game from every console to a standard DVD player. The latest edition is the same game, except now we have a brand new hi-definition transfer as well as 5.1 surround sound audio!! (insert trumpet fanfare).</td></tr><tr><td>With the game sporting HD video you actually need a pretty decent system to run it. Amongst the requirements is a DVD-ROM drive. The developers included numerous options within the game to get it to run on your system. Much like a standard 3d PC Game there are different resolutions and quality levels. </td><td colspan="2"> http://www.evilavatar.com/images/reviews/dragonlairHD/thumb.DLHD2.jpg (http://www.evilavatar.com/images/reviews/image.php?image=www.evilavatar.com/images/reviews/dragonlairHD/DLHD2.jpg)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">Just about every TV aspect ratio is supported: Anamorphic (4:3 aspect ratio, with 1,440 x 1,080 lines of resolution); Full Screen (5:4 aspect ratio, with 1,280 x 1,024 lines of resolution); or wide-screen (16:9 aspect ratio, with 1,920 x 1,080 lines of resolution). There are also 3 quality settings for each of these of normal, high and extreme.The game streams directly from the DVD but if there are still performance issues you are able to copy the contents and play from your hard-drive. This can take up to 1.6 gigabytes.</td></tr>
<tr><td>For all the hoopla about the HD transfer the quality of the video still isn’t top notch. While you do get a nice hi-resolution version of the game, a lot of the small little glitches become more apparent. Everything from slight color variations to the overall graininess of an early 1980’s animation get extra emphasis. </td><td colspan="2"> http://www.evilavatar.com/images/reviews/dragonlairHD/thumb.DLHD4.jpg (http://www.evilavatar.com/images/reviews/image.php?image=www.evilavatar.com/images/reviews/dragonlairHD/DLHD4.jpg)</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3">Controls are simple, the keyboard arrow keys are used for movement and the space bar is used for sword swinging.The 5.1 surround sound is a nice touch, and they did a great job of using the rear channels from the original stereo mix. The game sports a few options including the home version which includes some cut scenes as well as the original arcade version. There is also an option to simply watch the game from start to finish (with or without deaths). Overall though there’s simply not enough meat here to justify a $49.99 price tag. With so many other versions out there available for less than $20 I simply can’t see too many people other than the extreme diehards and HD buffs picking this up.
</td></tr><tr><td> The Good - Classic Gameplay - Tons of options for performance The Bad - HD makes the game show its age The Ugly - $50!! Value Ranking: Purchase only for diehards. </td><td>Score: http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e3.jpg 3 out of 5 Evil Eyes</td><td> </td></tr></table>

Heretic Machine

07-12-2006, 11:05 AM

Definetly in agreement with your comment about the price. I would see this as a good candidate for a $30 purchase, but not a penny more. It is unfortunate that the animation can't be cleaned up any better, but it'd likely upset the purists if they did anymore than they have.

Soap

07-12-2006, 11:05 AM

Nice review Bap. Although for Dragon's Lair, I think for the Nostalgia effect it would be better to find the game in one of those old school mini-golfing places and play it for a couple of tokens.

Soap

07-12-2006, 11:06 AM

bapenguin

07-12-2006, 11:07 AM

GRRR. I really like this layout but I can not for the life of me figure out how to get the table to align to the top of the post!

Triprotic

07-12-2006, 11:14 AM

bap, I do like the layout on the review, just don't overboard with adding too many images :) (althought the caricature is cool :)

I was never a big Dragon's Lair fan, thought the contol scheme was a bit wacky, and the game was built on luck and memory skills (remembering which direction to push at which moment).

Doctor Setebos

07-12-2006, 11:16 AM

GRRR. I really like this layout but I can not for the life of me figure out how to get the table to align to the top of the post!It requires magic! The magic of knowing how to properly manage CSS. :D

Rook34

07-12-2006, 11:17 AM

It;d be worth 50 if it included DL2 and Space Ace.

Why, oh why won't they make a -GOOD- game based off the older ones. Hell, with the level of animation it still holds up to today's stuff, they could make a t.v. show.
*sigh*...wishful thinking I guess.

bapenguin

07-12-2006, 11:31 AM

It requires magic! The magic of knowing how to properly manage CSS. :D

I know how to do that...the problem is it has to be CSS under VBulletin. I suspect its something in VBulletin that's causing the issue.

SuperMonkeyFighter2

07-12-2006, 11:54 AM

Very nice review ... 3/5 on a non-recommendation though (albeit for price)? Either way, very cool.

Heretic Machine

07-12-2006, 11:55 AM

One thing about the review bap: The watermark on the screenshots needs to be about half the size that it currently is. It's obscuring almost an eigth of the picture on those shots.

bapenguin

07-12-2006, 11:56 AM

One thing about the review bap: The watermark on the screenshots needs to be about half the size that it currently is. It's obscuring almost an eigth of the picture on those shots.

Yeah I'll look into making the watermark a percentage instead of an absolute.

dotbomb

07-12-2006, 12:16 PM

Nice review. Like the format a lot. You'll solve that top align issue I'm sure.

Looks like a great game to pick up in the bargain bin. I have fond memories of spending way too many quarters on this game and never getting very far at all. It'd be nice to beat it one day (for cheap).

Com_Gaunt

07-12-2006, 12:18 PM

I like the Bapenguin mascotte thingie, looks very Penny Arcade-ish. How long do I have to be Gabe's sex slave to get one of my own?

bapenguin

07-12-2006, 12:37 PM

I like the Bapenguin mascotte thingie, looks very Penny Arcade-ish. How long do I have to be Gabe's sex slave to get one of my own?

It's actually CTRL+ALT+DEL (http://www.cad-comic.com).

You can see all 6 of them here (http://flickr.com/photos/36274847@N00/186346684).

And I figured the top thing out...turns out VBulletin doesn't like CR/LF with HTML. Have to be total 100% HTML formatted.

cppcrusader

07-12-2006, 12:46 PM

Stupid internet ate my comment.

I dig this layout, especially the inclusion of a couple screenshots within the review itself. The only change I can think of to it is perhaps adding the boxshot to review, but if the boxshot will always be on the front page then that won't matter much.

I agree on the price issue, maybe I'll pick this one up in the bargain bins or I'll just pick up the anniversary set.

Com_Gaunt

07-12-2006, 12:49 PM

It's actually CTRL+ALT+DEL (http://www.cad-comic.com).

You can see all 6 of them here (http://flickr.com/photos/36274847@N00/186346684).

And I figured the top thing out...turns out VBulletin doesn't like CR/LF with HTML. Have to be total 100% HTML formatted.

Man, those are very cool :)

thecrazyd

07-12-2006, 12:56 PM

I bet if this was on the 360 bap would be all "OMG 5 EYEZ!!!"

You make me sick.

Sazime

07-12-2006, 01:05 PM

Of course, they sign his checks. :rolleyes:

51|RandoM

07-12-2006, 01:09 PM

51|RandoM

07-12-2006, 01:11 PM

I bet if this was on the 360 bap would be all "OMG 5 EYEZ!!!"

It looks like an easy target for porting. Odds are it will be on 360 if the publisher in question does anything on that platform.

thecrazyd

07-12-2006, 01:20 PM

Of course, they sign his checks. :rolleyes:
Really?! That confirms my claims! IT IS ON NOW MR. PENGUIN.

Verocity

07-12-2006, 02:23 PM

This is one of those games that I liked watching other people play, but never had any interest in playing myself. Rote memorization and a very mild test of hand-eye coordination, no thanks.

Need a video on the 'net showing the entire sequence of rooms, gotta be one here somewhere?

Bah! Were you even around when this game came out? By today's standards yes, "rote memorization and a mild test of hand-eye". Back then, the competition for this game were things like pac-man, galaga, SMB, and pinball machines. It was definitely par for the course on gameplay but was ultra cool because it ran off the old, mega size laser disks. You know, the kind that were the size of a bicycle tire? It made this game look unlike anything else hence it's popularity back in the day.

I loved this game myself but I agree with everyone else - $50 is a bit harsh for a redo on DVD.

Zurik

07-12-2006, 03:26 PM

So if a guy wanted All the Dragon's Lairs and Space Ace on his computer, where would he have to look? Do they really sell all three somewhere?

Soap

07-12-2006, 03:34 PM

Bah! Were you even around when this game came out? By today's standards yes, "rote memorization and a mild test of hand-eye". Back then, the competition for this game were things like pac-man, galaga, SMB, and pinball machines. It was definitely par for the course on gameplay but was ultra cool because it ran off the old, mega size laser disks. You know, the kind that were the size of a bicycle tire? It made this game look unlike anything else hence it's popularity back in the day.

/Look's at 51|RandoM profile...

/Look's at Verocity's profile...

Guess who's older?

(Hint: It's not 51|RandoM)

That being said. The only thing that really caught my eye when this game (and Space Ace) was in the arcade was the fact that it was basically an interactive cartoon. The controls were H O R R I B L E also. If an item flashed diagonally, the controller often times would not respond when you move the controller that way.

51|RandoM

07-13-2006, 05:15 AM

Bah! Were you even around when this game came out? By today's standards yes, "rote memorization and a mild test of hand-eye". Back then, the competition for this game were things like pac-man, galaga, SMB, and pinball machines. It was definitely par for the course on gameplay but was ultra cool because it ran off the old, mega size laser disks. You know, the kind that were the size of a bicycle tire? It made this game look unlike anything else hence it's popularity back in the day.

Yeah, i was around when it came out and I found putting my money into the galaga machine where i actually got to play a game to be a much better choice.

It wasn't par for the course. The fact that you even compare this to pac-man and galaga is mind-boggling.

The only laser disk game I really liked was the hybrid game where you were flying an animated bomber over real aerial footage off the laserdisk and got to bomb the crap out of everything. I can't remember its name, though.

51|RandoM

07-13-2006, 05:17 AM

(Hint: It's not 51|RandoM)

considering his profile says he was born in 74 and I was born in 68, wouldn't that make me older (Hint: Basic Math).

rubbishfoo

07-14-2006, 06:48 PM

Ok... I remember playing this a long time ago... (yes Im old enough to have played it in the arcade) but Im talking about a PC version (not the remake). I love parenthesis.

I remember certain things from the game when I was a kid... specifically when Duke was swinging out across this huge fire pit and you had to climb swing across on ropes...

Now the PC version I replayed many years later did not have many scenes that I remember inspiring me as a young lad... can anyone confirm that this is an unedited or uncropped version?

~RubbishFoo