Frankie_Says_Relax
12-21-2009, 06:19 PM
Just downloaded and played a few games, here are my thoughts as a Dragon's Lair fan/aficionado.
First and foremost, considering it's a DSi Ware game, it's an impressive package.
I KNEW I had been saving those 800 points I had sitting on my DSi for SOMETHING, and I think they were absolutely worth spending.
The video quality is pretty nice, not as sharp or crisp as the recent iPhone release, but at least you don't have to cover 1/2 of the screen with your thumbs to enjoy the action. In fact, there's no touch-screen interaction of any kind and it's all the better for it.
The color palette is nice and rich and the frame rate stays pretty steady with only the occasional frame dropped from a sequence. Unfortunately they removed all the black space/laser disc loading sequences, so you positively ZIP to new areas with no time to catch your breath, and occasionally they've trimmed a few seconds off of the beginning of a room.
Some of the in-level hint flashes seem to be missing from sequences ... but for those of us who can tell you the move sequences in our sleep, it's not like they're really missed.
The levels are all there and I believe that all the reverse levels are featured as well.
The arcade hardware control "wrong bloops" and "correct dings" are in place, which is always nice in a Dragon's Lair port ... it never feels right without those.
I especially like the inclusion of a score-board on the screen alternate to where you're playing the video (you can select which screen in the options) and a high-score table.
The "sweet spot" on most of the level action timing seems to be right on, sometimes it's very particular as to when you need to cue in a direction, some levels NEED the input right on the hint flash or event ... some don't, and it seems pretty arbitrary. Different dip-switch settings on the arcade hardware would dictate that sort of thing and this doesn't have those options in place, only "easy" or "hard" and "arcade" mode and "home" mode (arcade being a more arcade-authentic presentation of levels, like the exclusion of the draw-bridge tentacles, etc.).
If I have ONE single gripe about the game it's that the timing sweet spot on the classic "falling platform" level is BRUTAL just downright BRUTAL, I lost ALL my lives on all my play throughs on the falling platforms ... which as an experienced DL player, I can't think of a lamer level to lose them (a 1 move sequence level!!).
This should be a no-brainer for fans of the series, and a totally acceptable "history lesson" for those who have never dabbled in classic 80s laser-disc arcade gaming and are curious about exactly what captured the collective imaginations of a generation of gamers who had previously only been exposed to blocks, pixels and vector lines.
At 8$ it's not quite as cheap as the iPhone version, but at least you can see what you're doing!!
LEAD ON ADVENTURER, YOUR QUEST AWAITS!
First and foremost, considering it's a DSi Ware game, it's an impressive package.
I KNEW I had been saving those 800 points I had sitting on my DSi for SOMETHING, and I think they were absolutely worth spending.
The video quality is pretty nice, not as sharp or crisp as the recent iPhone release, but at least you don't have to cover 1/2 of the screen with your thumbs to enjoy the action. In fact, there's no touch-screen interaction of any kind and it's all the better for it.
The color palette is nice and rich and the frame rate stays pretty steady with only the occasional frame dropped from a sequence. Unfortunately they removed all the black space/laser disc loading sequences, so you positively ZIP to new areas with no time to catch your breath, and occasionally they've trimmed a few seconds off of the beginning of a room.
Some of the in-level hint flashes seem to be missing from sequences ... but for those of us who can tell you the move sequences in our sleep, it's not like they're really missed.
The levels are all there and I believe that all the reverse levels are featured as well.
The arcade hardware control "wrong bloops" and "correct dings" are in place, which is always nice in a Dragon's Lair port ... it never feels right without those.
I especially like the inclusion of a score-board on the screen alternate to where you're playing the video (you can select which screen in the options) and a high-score table.
The "sweet spot" on most of the level action timing seems to be right on, sometimes it's very particular as to when you need to cue in a direction, some levels NEED the input right on the hint flash or event ... some don't, and it seems pretty arbitrary. Different dip-switch settings on the arcade hardware would dictate that sort of thing and this doesn't have those options in place, only "easy" or "hard" and "arcade" mode and "home" mode (arcade being a more arcade-authentic presentation of levels, like the exclusion of the draw-bridge tentacles, etc.).
If I have ONE single gripe about the game it's that the timing sweet spot on the classic "falling platform" level is BRUTAL just downright BRUTAL, I lost ALL my lives on all my play throughs on the falling platforms ... which as an experienced DL player, I can't think of a lamer level to lose them (a 1 move sequence level!!).
This should be a no-brainer for fans of the series, and a totally acceptable "history lesson" for those who have never dabbled in classic 80s laser-disc arcade gaming and are curious about exactly what captured the collective imaginations of a generation of gamers who had previously only been exposed to blocks, pixels and vector lines.
At 8$ it's not quite as cheap as the iPhone version, but at least you can see what you're doing!!
LEAD ON ADVENTURER, YOUR QUEST AWAITS!