Dragon's Lair - destroyer of coin

[DemonBrew]

I was over a friend's this weekend-  he has a restored laserdisc Dragon's Lair cab. It's been rigged with a button to register coins (free-play mode? player 1 coin?) whatever. So, no money needed.

Anyway- point is, I remember now why I never got hooked on this game. It's down right infuriating! I "spent" about $5 worth before I could even get inside the gates without getting crushed by rocks.

How much was this to play in the arcade? .50 cents a shot, right?

Second point - I forgot how funny some of the character grunts and moans were! I'm going to google "dragons lair grunts .wav .mp3" and see what I can find. Those would make some awesome Windows events sounds.

[Stingray]

Second point - I forgot how funny some of the character grunts and moans were! I'm going to google "dragons lair grunts .wav .mp3" and see what I can find. Those would make some awesome Windows events sounds.

Some of them would make for pretty hilarious ringtones on your phone too.

-S

[APFelon]

I never got hooked on it, either. It was far less interactive than most other games on the market at the time... and besides, if I wanted to watch a cartoon, I'd wait until Saturday morning.

The one thing I remember about the Dragon's Lair cabinet was the SMELL... or odor, aroma, whatever. I can't really describe it accurately... it smelled like a combination of new vinyl and newly heated electronics, but different. I haven't seen one in years, but I wonder if they still have that stink.

APf

[Bones]

I liked Dragons Lair and as a young man I could get through it.

I used to work 1/2 day Saturday at a service station and then jump on a train with a mate who also worked Saturday mornings and we would go blow our entire earnings.

I suppose between us we spent a couple of hundred dollars to master it.

[paigeoliver]

There are still a whole bunch of scenes I can't pass.

Like the spinning batons, I can make it past the batons, then the wizard thing always gets me.

I can't beat the room with the electricity either.

Mudmen always get me if I manage to get there.

I usually biff the room where the goons come out and I have to go up the staircase as well, and EVERY screen with bats kills me every time.

On the other hand I have never failed at the oft repeated breakaway stairway/falling disc scene (why is this one played like 3+ times per game?), or the river scene.

[spriggy]

My friend used to be a junior-techie and counter lad for one of the city arcades in the late late 80's early 90's...

Hence, we would all come in and used the hallowed coin door keys

[Wade]

Yeah, it's a collectible game.  But like many valuable, collectible games, it is valuable for reasons OTHER than its gameplay.  The gameplay just plain sucks.  I played it once or twice as a kid, and decided not to throw any more money away on it.

A friend has a mint DL2, and one night I played about 25 games in a matter of minutes, just trying to get past a scene or two.  I don't know what it is about that game, I'd move the joystick in the direction of the flash but I'd get killed almost every time.  If I can't manage it as an adult, no wonder I gave up on it quickly when I was a kid!

Wade

[Zook]

I remember Dragon's Lair when it first came out at the local arcade.  It was amazing to look at.  Truly the centerpiece of the arcade.  It was also a dollar to play and this was well before it was normal for  games to be 50 cents.   I only remember playing it once.   Way too hard and expensive to get addicted.

[crsdawg]

it seems dragons lair is either a game you love or hate. personally i've always been fond of it. when i was a kid the dvd graphics blew me away, i liked the theme and the few times i played it, i enjoyed the gameplay. unfortunately it was the first 50 cent game in my local arcade and i tended to be very frugal with my precious tokens, so i didn't play it all that much.

[RayB]

I think it was .75c canadian up here...

I remember it was a fascinating game to watch (and listen to--the voice-over is great!). But yeah, couldn't play it to save my life. Friend of mine though, he could get to the end. LOVED the end. Daphne and her, uhh, ample assets...

[nostrebor]

it seems dragons lair is either a game you love or hate. personally i've always been fond of it. when i was a kid the dvd graphics blew me away, i liked the theme and the few times i played it, i enjoyed the gameplay. unfortunately it was the first 50 cent game in my local arcade and i tended to be very frugal with my precious tokens, so i didn't play it all that much.

Were you in Springfield then?

The only one I know of here was at Aladdin's Castle. It drew a large crowd, and had the monitor on top. I can still conjure up the picture of the crowd around that game, right down to the location in the arcade. You couldn't get within 25 feet of it for the first two weeks.

It got a few of my tokens, then I went back to Gyruss. It was just too spendy for a 12 year old.

[crsdawg]

yep, alladins castle. if i remember right it was in the long hall of games that led to the second entrance. the one that is now a jewelry store. is that where you were thinking? ya know it makes me sad every time i walk past that store, good thing i don't go to the mall that much.

i always remember my favorite games being in that area.....i, robot, crystal castles, front line, crosbow, cheyenne(these two were nearer the main area but in the same row).......anyway...

always a big crowd of people around the dl, it was a big deal when it showed up. i played it very sparingly, probably only once a visit. when your only allowed $5.00 per trip, you got to make that money last.

[nostrebor]

At the end of the long hall before the central room... you have the same image I do. We might have been standing in that crowd together at some point. Small world.

My favorite hangout was the far back room with the Gyruss in it

[spriggy]

 
You could make a great Arcade Soapie outta this.  Let's call it 'Alladdin's Castle'
 

[nostrebor]

"Like tokens from the change machine, these are the days of our lives"

<cue music>

[spriggy]

"Like tokens from the change machine, these are the days of our lives"

<cue music>

[StephenH]

If you want the music (or video) from Dragons Lair, you might want to pick up the DVD version of it from Digital Lesiure, and then you can DVD2Daph it, which will rip it to MPEG and OGG Vorbis files. 

[Gootfu]

We had Dragon's Lair at the 7-11 store by our house.  I'm not sure, but I think it was 25 cents per credit.  I would play it whenever I got a chance or got a tip on a scene.  I played it for about a mounth and finished it (finally) on one credit.  The whole trick to the game is memorization.

[Darth Nuno]

In Begium [EUROPE], it was the first game to cost 20 bef

[StephenH]

Here is the move list for Dragons Lair to help someone new to playing it:

http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/games/related/walkthru/lair/easy.asp