MAMEWorld Forums - News - Re: Dragon's Lair:The Movie

> > Every time I try to replay it, I learn pretty quickly how to get to the room with the
> > dragon and daphne. I have NEVER gone past that point. In any version of the game. If
> > it had an autoplay mode that actually went through the entire game, it'd be worth it
> > to watch. Once.
> >
> > Edit: and of course it's on youtube. Figures... I always could get within 2 or 3
> > moves from finishing the game. Never was able to pull the sword out. After watching
> > this (much longer than I remember...), there's no need to play it.
> >
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-dg4J9_nes
>
> I've finished this game before, but it's the *only* laser disc game I have finished.
> I was never able to finish DL2, Space Ace, or Cliff Hanger (different company I know,
> but same concept).

Watching Dragon's Lair like that it doesn't even look that impressive. They've clearly recycled animation all over the place. There are duplicate sequences, sequences that are just mirrored versions of earlier sequences and rooms that use the same backgrounds with different enemies drawn over the top. The halfpipe with the balls and the colour-changing floors look totally out-of-place with the game's aesthetic. The Playboy bunny princess really clashes with the rest of her scene that looks lifted straight from a Don Bluth film like All Dogs Go to Heaven.

I was never interested in playing Dragon's Lair, but I managed to finish Taito Time Gal and Sega Time Traveler.

Time Gal at least isn't blatantly recycling assets the whole way through and has a consistent aesthetic. The time stop mechanic where video paused and it gave you three choices for what to do was a nice touch. It also ensured that every death scene was entertaining enough to make it feel like you hadn't completely wasted your money.

Time Traveler's "holographic" effect where the characters appeared to stand up in the air on top of the glass was a cool novelty. It's pretty forgiving as far as FMV Laserdisc games go. The acting and special effects are half-decent, too. It also has lots of death scenes to keep you entertained.

Dragon's Lair was the first in that genre of FMV game, and it really shows. They hadn't worked out how to make an FMV game playable yet. Later games could learn from its mistakes.