Planet Bob

As a classic gamer, I of course appreciate the C64 version of Dragon's Lair. But, I have to disagree with this statement:

 

this version is widely known as the only playable game at all from the Dragon's Lair / Space Ace series of games

The best game in the series, and the most playable, is Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair. If you follow that link, you'll find lots of screen shots and videos.

 

 

Dragon's Lair 3D is an entirely new, built-from-the-ground-up, three-dimensional version of the 1980s coin-op phenomenon. While it stays true to the design and storyline of the arcade game, it offers a massive 3D experience unlike anything else Dragon's Lair fans have played before along with unexpected twists for a whole new adventure.

 

Game features include full control over Dirk the Daring for the first time - make him jump, run, roll, climb, swing, and somersault; 43 huge areas and over 250 rooms; over 30 kinds of enemies, including over a dozen new creatures designed by Don Bluth; new items, weapons, and potions along the way to choose and collect.

If you've never played it, I highly recommend it. It came out in 2002 for PC and several consoles. You can find it on Ebay for 5 bucks.

Hi TROGDOR, thanks for the heads up!

 

I just looked it up in gamerankings, but unfortunately the Cube version (which I'd prefer) is rated the worst:

 

GameCube:   61.4%   
PC:		 65.3%   
Xbox:	   67.4%

 

Uihjah! The Cube ratings in German magazines were even worse, GamePro gave it 30%, Maniac 51%... hm... at least NGames rated it 70%!

 

Maybe I could get this one... You're sure it's worth a try?

Check out this review from IGN. It covers most of the strengths and weaknesses of the game.

 

I played the game myself a few years ago. The only problem I had with it was the boss fights. You will die hundreds of times on some of the boss scenes, and get very frustrated. However, I was able to get through the entire game. The frustration must have been worth it, because I still have fond memories of the game.

 

As mentioned in the review, the PC version is the best, because it uses the mouse. I've never played the game on a console system, but for 3D games I've always considered a mouse essential to get a truly immersive feel. Also, I think there is a patch out there somewhere for the PC version which fixes most of the bugs mentioned in the review.

 

This game is about nostalgia. They did a great job capturing the look and feel of the original game, and that alone makes it worth the purchase. The game is arguably not worth $40 US, but at only $5, it's a no brainer. I think I paid $20 for it back in 2003 or 2004.

I have to apologize for the delay here, but I caught a cold and was too groggy to play games for the last two days

 

Regaining powers, I managed to beat it today:

 

On this last scene, you just had to pick up a sword and jump over the chasm.

 

The scene before it was the hardest one. You had to jump around a checkerboard grid, with almost randomly appearing and disappearing tiles, which took many a try to figure the correct path.

 

An oddity: Experts of the game will realize that a complete scene is missing in my descriptions. I've no idea why, but it just didn't happen when I was playing. Some weird bug made the game skip a whole level...

 

Some future day the "Playing..." series may see another multi-scene game in the form of "Batman", but first it will continue with something else.

That static image makes it look like Dirk the Daring could use some deodorant

Well, he's sure excused to sweat some, after all the hard work

I have to apologize for the delay here, but I caught a cold and was too groggy to play games for the last two days

 

Well, I'm still down with influenza, so that means I'm done "Playing..." for this month. Once I've fully recovered, I'll rather work some on Jumpman for the rest of february.

Hopefully - my brain is still on standby...