Arcade Memories Game Of The Week - Dragon's Lair

Bods

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Definitely the first Laser disc game I saw in local arcades but can't remember which one it was in. I can almost picture being there still and first seeing it and thinking blimey the graphics are like a cartoon :ROFLMAO: obviously had no idea it was running from Laserdisc and not sure if Cinematronics or Atari version, seem to think cab was on it's own against a wall but maybe I just wasn't focused on anything else at that moment

Pretty sure mate Mark was there and he had a go on it, I just watched it in amazement and the game has stuck in my head every since, Don't think I had a go on it as I saw how long he lasted

In boots they had those tapes or laserdiscs playing on TV screens with Game Top 10, there are some WH Smiths ones about but not seen Boots ones, Showing the C64 version of the game which was nothing like the Arcade but I thought it was a good game in it's own right and one of few I completed, the last part with the Knight on the checked floor done my head in for weeks wondering what to do, can't remember now either

When I had 1st PC with DVD Drive and Creative Video Card I bought Dragon's Lair PC DVD and had the PC connected to the Sony 25" TV through S-Video so I could finally play it for the first time but it seemed to throw it up in random orders not like the arcade, still got it in the Big Box

When Back flipper pointed out a Jammarised cab on eBay was a Dragon's Lair I bid on it and won, really need to get this machine up and running, bought some mainboards, laser discs, players, converters etc, got all the artwork, new joystick, need to get that out and work on it

Was just about to post it and I got reply from mate on if he remembered where it was, he says it was Ross's Cafe at Motorway Services Leicester, back then from where we lived you could walk across the fields to the services and I'd forgot about going there, not many pictures of it and turns out it was part of Ross Foods, so probably was on it's own like I thought
 

TheDaddy

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What amazes me still to this day as this was released in 1983 , Ok I will say it again THIS GAME WAS RELEASED 1983 !!!! I mean come on it was so so advanced its scary. The sad thing is I dont remember ever seeing it or playing on it back in the day, I cant explain why.

There seems to be a lot of games like this I come across and dont remember them,

Dave.
 

Bods

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What amazes me still to this day as this was released in 1983 , Ok I will say it again THIS GAME WAS RELEASED 1983 !!!! I mean come on it was so so advanced its scary. The sad thing is I dont remember ever seeing it or playing on it back in the day, I cant explain why.

There seems to be a lot of games like this I come across and dont remember them,

Dave.
I was just reading about the Leicester Services which opened by Company called Ross, which is Ross Foods (still going) it was rebranded Motoross in 1983 and then they sold it and changed to Welcome Break in 1984, we probably still called it Ross's Cafe till 90s as names stick but no idea what it was in 1984 then and I had to double check this game was from 1983. Makes me really wonder what year we went then, could of been 1984, 85, 86, 87

just looking at the other older games that were still in local Arcades when 1987 Double Dragon was out like Popeye, Joust, Yie Ar Kung Fu were still there
 

Vorbis

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I remember first seeing it in an arcade in Looe Cornwall,it was 30p a credit,which was quite expensive back then,lots of people were watching it in attract mode,but no one was playing it
I have a Space Ace with Dexter in my office and it generally sits there running either the Space Ace or Dragons Lair attract mode. Love it
 

kingcraftwash

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First time I saw this captivating game was in Coral Island, Blackpool 1983, the Atari version. 30p a game as someone else said, I think was the first game to hit the 30p a game water margin. Lots more Atari ones popped up in Blackpool, Mr Bs, Pleasure Beach, Funland, etc and a Cinematronics one in an arcade near the Foxhall pub. That arcade burnt down soon after, but Coral Island was the first one I saw and learnt the moves on, mostly by watching others given the cost.
 
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TheDaddy

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I used to watch blue Peter back then but dont remember it. (Was only 5 though ! lol)

I made the mistake of going on Jim'll fix it instead , Always though when I sat on his knee it was his cigar sticking in me ! lol.

Dave.
 
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Giddygoon

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I was on holiday at Butlins in Minehead circa 1985 where I found a Dragons Lair machine fully working and with volume a full blast right in the middle of the arcade, i just watched the attract mode loop and loop and was I was mesmerized, I couldn't believe it was real, cartoon graphics !!! well I now know it was a movie, but it was a very special memory. I bought my own machine in the 1990's which I loved but sadly had to sell on due to a house move. still love Dragons lair
 

John Bennett

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What amazes me still to this day as this was released in 1983 , Ok I will say it again THIS GAME WAS RELEASED 1983 !!!! I mean come on it was so so advanced its scary. The sad thing is I dont remember ever seeing it or playing on it back in the day, I cant explain why.
The thing is, it wasn't - playing it and you quickly realised you were almost just playing with the skip button on a video player.

I think stuff like Cube Quest is more interesting (if less well remembered) as that overlayed a basic game onto the video.

Galaxian³ took that to the extreme, a few years later:
 
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K1ngarth3r

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I completely missed Dragon's Lair, I never saw it any arcade I went to but didn't start going until the late 80s.
I do fondly remember the sequel though, after first seeing it on an episode of GamesMaster.
I also found out about Space Ace via the Amiga, that was my first experience of it (and first time I heard of It in fact).
I do love these games, I have them all except this one. Maybe one day I'll get Dragon's Lair, I do really like the atmosphere of it.
 

Vamino

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Another game that was in Dayvilles in Bham.
When it was first released it took center stage upstairs where the new releases went.

Ultimately I was disappointed with the game. Whilst it looked beautiful I felt I had no control over the character. My mate could complete it and even watching him play I just didn't feel the urge to play it.

The first game I recall playing that made me feel like I was playing a cartoon was Pacland.
I remember when Dayvilles first got Pacland, on the weekend it was installed we all stood around the resident God gamer and watched him get mad far into the game. Not sure if he completed it on the first weekend, but he definitely did it shortly afterwards.
 

MarkGrossi

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How did you know what to do, what to press, and when to do it? I've never played it before but I can't remember there being any quicktime event style screen prompts like Road Avenger.
 

Bods

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I completely missed Dragon's Lair, I never saw it any arcade I went to but didn't start going until the late 80s.
I do fondly remember the sequel though, after first seeing it on an episode of GamesMaster.
I also found out about Space Ace via the Amiga, that was my first experience of it (and first time I heard of It in fact).
I do love these games, I have them all except this one. Maybe one day I'll get Dragon's Lair, I do really like the atmosphere of it.
I'd not seen Space Ace till I had the Amiga, lad from school used to swap discs with people and we copied them off him, was quite impressed with it, not the disc swapping though :LOL:

The Dragon's Lair PCB I got, was from guy in Chesterfield as well, he told me it's got DL and SA dual roms and you ground a wire to switch between them
 
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