cinematronics
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How modern tech saved my 'Dragon's Lair' arcade game
In the early 1980s, the arcade was still the place to play the newest and best video games. Sure, consoles existed, and were just starting to give arcades a run for their money -- and were even starting to shed their wood-grain home-furniture look for a more modern feel. But home play still lacked the arcade's mystique. As attendance began to dwindle, game makers started looking for a hook; something incredible and new that would lure people back to the arcades to spend their quarters.
Single quarter lasts record-breaking 85 hours on Armor Attack
Armor Attack, an arcade game from 1980, was part of two record-breaking achievements this week when John Salter of Oakland, Ohio shattered not only the previous high score, but also the previous record for longest time played on a single credit. As reported by Patrick Scott Patterson, Salter managed to hold out for 85 hours, 16 minutes before he finished his run with 2,211,990 points. Although the game itself ran without pause, Salter himself took power naps throughout his marathon, using extra lives he'd built up as a buffer so that he wouldn't lose. The previous record for longest gaming session on a single credit was 84 hours, 48 minutes, set by George Leutz on a game of Qbert. The previous high score on Armor Attack was 2,009,000, set by Tom Larkin in 1982. We assume that shortly after his victories, Salter removed his glasses, revealing that he was Superman all along, and flew off into the sunset. [Image: Cinematronics]
iPhone Dragon's Lair priced down, down, down to $0.99
You can be less daring with your pocketbook when it comes to snapping up Dragon's Lair for your iDevice, as EA Play has pressed the sword button and slashed a full $4 off the game's price on the App Store. Don Bluth and Rick Dyer's classic laserdisc-based arcade game can now be had for $0.99 -- one play on the coin-op at some arcades back in the day -- but be warned: there's no telling how long this price-drop will be in effect. In other words, don't drag on your decision making process. Dragon's Lair ($0.99): %Gallery-79597%
Dragon's Lair wall graphics demand to be put up, up, up
Click to save the princess see a gallery To some, their home is their castle. Now it can be a dragon's lair. LTL Prints – the Philadelphia company that introduced an eye-popping lineup of Jet Set Radio Future wall graphics back in December 2009 – is unveiling its latest cling-on art today, based on the classic 1983 arcade game Dragon's Lair by animator Don Bluth and designer Rick Dyer. The graphics have been taken straight from the legendary laserdisc-based game, cleaned up and include the bumbling-yet-heroic Dirk the Daring, the hapless Princess Daphne and her captor, Singe the dragon. LTL Prints is offering the graphics starting at $14.95 for versions sized to fit laptop lids, all the way up to more expensive, 7-foot-tall prints. The look absolutely amazing -- we're just sad we can't order a 1:1 scales version of Singe. Then again, we'd need a really tall wall ... %Gallery-91613%
