GOTD 6/26/2016: Dragon's Lair (NES)

[celerystalker]

Now that I'm back home from Florida, back to console gaming! There are tons of ports and versions of Dragon's Lair, most of which are on CD or DVD go for a pretty straight re-creation of the arcade classic. One of the most maligned versions of all is the NES version, which I've had since it was new. I was a fan of the arcade game, though I was utter shit at it at the time... but I sure loved watching its attract screen and skilled players playing. So, I got the NES version home, excited and ready to play. I hated it. However...

The back of the box had made it clear that this wasn't going to be the arcade game, but rather a side scrolling re-imagining of the concept. Dirk the Daring still needs to save Daphne from Singe the dragon, but it looked like the game would use direct character control instead of what is now termed quick time events. That is true, but when approached as an action/platformer, it plays simply terribly. Dirk's animations are detailed and lengthly, and a single input takes quite awhile to come to fruition on screen. No, this is not an action game. It is an intriguing attempt at translating the stimulus/resonse gameplay of the arcade game in a form the NES could handle, and played as such, it works.

The most common complaint about the NES game is that it requires a good amount of memorization to complete... where are all these people who were beating the arcade game without memorization? Due to the lengthly animation for each action, you must become familiar with what each input does, and then respond accordingly to what appears infront of you. Enemies and hazards are also slow, so you generally have time to react. The odd quick surprises that occur do require a bit of trial and error to have an idsa of what to look for, but it's hardly insurmountable. With this approach, each screen or stage becomes a mini puzzle to solve and react with appropriate timing, and completing them can be rather rewarding.

Probably the worst part of the game is the elevator, where you have to memorize which scaffold leads to which stage. It is obnoxious to beat a tough level just to accidentally step back into an earlier part of the game. Given how the game accepts its hardware limitations in the other aspects of the game, it would have been wise to realize that while their approach does a reasonable job at replicating the arcade game's concept, it is also very slow, and replaying stages is not just frustrating, it's tedious, which is a damning thing to be as a game. Peeking at an FAQ for the elevator map should be done, save if you remember it from when you were a kid.

The graphics and animation in Dragon's Lair are very good, and the music is atmospheric if repetitive. Depending on your point of view, it's either a flawed but intriguing re-imagining of the FMV concept in 8 bits or just the biggest piece of shit, and either way, you're right. I personally find it fascinating as an attempt, and have played through it and enjoyed it... but not without a lot of frustration to go with the fun.

Played this one? Anybody else not loathe its very existence?

[bb_hood]

Now that I'm back home from Florida, back to console gaming! There are tons of ports and versions of Dragon's Lair, most of which are on CD or DVD go for a pretty straight re-creation of the arcade classic. One of the most maligned versions of all is the NES version, which I've had since it was new. I was a fan of the arcade game, though I was utter shit at it at the time... but I sure loved watching its attract screen and skilled players playing. So, I got the NES version home, excited and ready to play. I hated it. However...

The back of the box had made it clear that this wasn't going to be the arcade game, but rather a side scrolling re-imagining of the concept. Dirk the Daring still needs to save Daphne from Singe the dragon, but it looked like the game would use direct character control instead of what is now termed quick time events. That is true, but when approached as an action/platformer, it plays simply terribly. Dirk's animations are detailed and lengthly, and a single input takes quite awhile to come to fruition on screen. No, this is not an action game. It is an intriguing attempt at translating the stimulus/resonse gameplay of the arcade game in a form the NES could handle, and played as such, it works.

The most common complaint about the NES game is that it requires a good amount of memorization to complete... where are all these people who were beating the arcade game without memorization? Due to the lengthly animation for each action, you must become familiar with what each input does, and then respond accordingly to what appears infront of you. Enemies and hazards are also slow, so you generally have time to react. The odd quick surprises that occur do require a bit of trial and error to have an idsa of what to look for, but it's hardly insurmountable. With this approach, each screen or stage becomes a mini puzzle to solve and react with appropriate timing, and completing them can be rather rewarding.

Probably the worst part of the game is the elevator, where you have to memorize which scaffold leads to which stage. It is obnoxious to beat a tough level just to accidentally step back into an earlier part of the game. Given how the game accepts its hardware limitations in the other aspects of the game, it would have been wise to realize that while their approach does a reasonable job at replicating the arcade game's concept, it is also very slow, and replaying stages is not just frustrating, it's tedious, which is a damning thing to be as a game. Peeking at an FAQ for the elevator map should be done, save if you remember it from when you were a kid.

The graphics and animation in Dragon's Lair are very good, and the music is atmospheric if repetitive. Depending on your point of view, it's either a flawed but intriguing re-imagining of the FMV concept in 8 bits or just the biggest piece of shit, and either way, you're right. I personally find it fascinating as an attempt, and have played through it and enjoyed it... but not without a lot of frustration to go with the fun.

Played this one? Anybody else not loathe its very existence?

The real mystery about this game is why the NES version was released as it is.. the NES version is a slow sloppy mess. The pal version runs faster and seems alot more playable. Like, whats the deal?
Yeah the NES version is not a game you want to play.

[goldenband]

The real mystery about this game is why the NES version was released as it is.. the NES version is a slow sloppy mess. The pal version runs faster and seems alot more playable. Like, whats the deal?

The Japanese version is faster too. Are there any differences in the gameplay besides the overall speed? Maybe they slowed the US version down in hopes of making it easier or more palatable.

[shadowman]

My first memories of this game were struggling to actually make it into the castle (the creature guarding the castle put up a good fight back in the day). I never did get very far into the game, I remember getting to a lift section (I assume its the same one you mentioned above?) and I think that's where the game ended for me. That said, I should probably try it again sometime to see if I can do any better at the game. I do love the graphics used for the game, but that's pretty much the only thing I remember liking about it. I like hard games, but I just can't into this game...

[Gameguy]

I personally find it fascinating as an attempt, and have played through it and enjoyed it... but not without a lot of frustration to go with the fun.

You still enjoyed it and still had fun? Now I know you're tolling us with these game recommendations.