Dragon\u2019s Lair<\/em> came out the year of my birth \u2013 1983 \u2013 and was at the height of its popularity during my youth, and as such it was one of the first arcade games I fondly remember playing. Actually, to be honest, I spent more time watching others play it because it was just too damn difficult and I didn\u2019t have enough quarters to continuously pump into it.<\/p>\n

Almost immediately after Dragon\u2019s Lair<\/em> hit, Space Ace<\/em>, another Don Bluth-animated arcade game, came along, but for one reason or another it just never caught on to nearly the same extent. So much so that none of the arcades in my area ever even brought it in, and thusly I\u2019d never been able to play it. Thanks to Digital Leisure\u2019s continued efforts to keep these old classics from dying out, however, I\u2019ve finally been able to play Space Ace<\/em> after all these years — on Blu-ray sporting gloriously restored High Definition visuals at that \u2013 and it doesn\u2019t disappoint one bit.<\/p>\n

As you\u2019re reading this, Space Ace<\/em> on Blu-ray should be hitting retail shelves, or at least shipping out. I\u2019ve been enjoying an early review copy here for the past week or so and can tell you without equivocation that it\u2019s absolutely fantastic!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Space Ace<\/em>\u2019s Blu-ray debut<\/a> follows up on last year\u2019s excellent Dragon\u2019s Lair<\/em> remastering on Sony\u2019s triumphant new HD disc format (read my DL<\/em> Blu-ray review here<\/a>), and overall the material on display is very similar, from the interesting developer interviews and picture-in-picture commentary to the progression reel video that shows how the visual quality has improved over the years and numerous platforms it\u2019s appeared on. And boy have they even improved. Don Bluth\u2019s impeccable animations are truly a sight to behold in their newly HD-remastered form. The crisp video quality, the endearing art, the vibrant colors. Man, it\u2019s all so beautiful.<\/p>\n

The game itself is also in the same mold of Dragon\u2019s Lair<\/em> \u2013 it\u2019s basically an interactive movie in which you press the appropriate direction or action button on your remote with the proper timing in order to guide the protagonist past on-screen hazards and continue to the next scene — only in Space Ace<\/em> Dirk is replaced by the handsomely chiseled hero Ace (and his youthful and quite dorky alter-ego Dexter), Princess Daphne is replaced as the damsel in distress by redhead hottie Kimberly, the dragon Singe gives way to Borf as one of the best villain\u2019s in gaming history, and the fantasy setting is replaced by a lighthearted sci-fi motif.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Compared to Dragon\u2019s Lair<\/em>, though, I must say that Space Ace<\/em> does have a more pronounced game-like feel to it. The scenes flow together much smoother, the scenes are more complex and the pacing is infinitely quicker. Those elements combined with a full-length musical score give Space Ace<\/em> a far greater sense of continuity and cohesion.<\/p>\n

However, the rapid-fire pacing in particular, coupled with the typical trial-and-error style of this genre, does ratchet up the difficulty to new heights. Yep, that\u2019s right, folks. Space Ace<\/em> is MUCH harder than Dragon\u2019s Lair<\/em>. So much so that Rick Dyer even admits in the commentary that the increased difficulty and pacing is probably what led to Space Ace<\/em>\u2019s lack of comparative success when it originally came out. Fortunately, this Blu-ray version does at least offer options to ease the pain a bit. There are three difficulty settings and an option to turn on visual move indicators that help out by causing elements in a scene to blink as a hint as to what button you need to press. If all else fails and you give up on completing the story on your own abilities, you can always elect to wimp out and watch the animation like a movie.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s ultimately what makes Space Ace<\/em> so great. If you want to endure the hardships of beating the game on your own \u2013 like a true hardcore gamer — you\u2019ll come out in the end with a sense of pride and satisfaction knowing you just finished what has to be one of the hardest games ever created. But at the same time, you can skip the aggravations, relax and simply treat the disc as a movie. It works both ways. Whether you choose to interact or watch, Space Ace<\/em> is yet another spectacular Blu-ray showcase from Digital Leisure.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n+ HD-remastered animations are absolutely gorgeous
\n+ Excellent musical score
\n+ Smoother scene transitions and an overall greater sense of continuity
\n+ Loaded with fantastic bonus features, including brief playable demo scenes from Dragon’s Lair and the upcoming BD version of Dragon’s Lair II (which I wasn’t able to squeeze into the review text but deserved mention)<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n– Rapid pacing and high difficulty can be excruciatingly frustrating<\/p>\n

Game Info:<\/strong>
\nPlatform: Blu-ray\/PS3
\nPublisher: Digital Leisure
\nDeveloper: Digital Leisure
\nRelease Date: 4\/8\/08
\nGenre: Interactive Animation
\nPlayers: 1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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