Dragon's Lair
In the very late 70s, when video game arcades were big, along came this wild thing called "Dragon's Lair." It was essentially a cartoon you played. Don Bluth studios - a group of animators who'd defected from Disney - came up with the idea and animated it. (They also did the great Secret of NIMH.)
It had a joystick and a button. You moved the joystick in the direction you were told to go, and you pulled the sword to attack via the button. It was very hard. I don't know anyone who ever got to the end. (It was 50 cents a play - very pricey for the day.) I heard rumors of rumors that someone had, but still assumed no one really had.
So, without further ado, here is the end of that famous game - the part where you enter the Dragon's Lair. I included the start, too, for continuity - and for the guys who loved this game, as it brings back the memories of all that wasted money and time.
(Apologies for the audio being so out of phase. I'll work on it and try to get a better version. There are only a few lines anyway, the rest is just sound effects. Enjoy!
Update: Apologies, can't get the sound better. As you're watching, note the little pause/jumps that occur when Our Hero is supposed to do something. Each time one of those happens, the sound drags further and further behind.)
2 comments:
In 1984 I was among a crowd in a downtown "Family Amusement Centre" (was that a Canadian thing?) watching a local legend finish the game. I've often lamented the fortune I lost in quarters, back in the day, but this guy ... I can't imagine what he spent to gain his mastery. As was the case with so many video game fiends, he was also a dealer. Easy come, easy go I suppose.
I see the game is available for PC. Did you bite?
I got the DVD version a couple years ago. It's as annoying as ever, even though you don't have to surrender half a buck for each failure.
But then, I'm not much of a fan of vid games. I kinda liked some of them back in the day, but after about $40 in loses, lost interest pretty much for good.
I did play "doom" when it first came out, and this game called "ascent" where you flew around in tunnels fighting other spaceships. But that's been the sum total of my gaming as an adult.
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