Laser Disc technology created a unique experience for gamers during the early 1980’s. Dragon’s Lair was considered a breath of fresh air in a sea of blocky graphics, buzzing sound effects, and monochrome monitor displays. As a coin-op machine, it consumed quarters as eager young gamers tried to free Princess Daphne from Singe the dragon.
With the inherent success of Dragon’s Lair, Don Bluth Studios began work on another Laser Disc game that would take the arcade industry by storm. Space Ace was built on the same basic principles of Dragon’s Lair by utilizing simple controls. It possessed something Dragon’s Lair did not – branching pathways that would extend gameplay. This gave Space Ace some replay value, while keeping gamers busy as they tried to discover alternative branches in the game.
While Space Ace has been ported to many platforms (the first being the Commodore Amiga 16-bit computer), it wasn’t until recently that it reached an entirely new generation of gamers. Digital Leisure – who was responsible for bringing Dragon’s Lair to Playstation 3 late last year – has released Space Ace with features that cannot be found in previous versions.
Aside from Watch mode (which allows you to view the game in its entirety), there is an option (in the Visual menu) to toggle between full-screen and arcade screen. The arcade screen is surrounded by an authentic-looking Space Ace cabinet with a display that resembles an RGB monitor (scan lines included). Like Dragon’s Lair, you can choose your number of lives (from three to infinite), enable or disable move beeps, turn on/off the move guide (which helps if you’re new to the game), and enable subtitles to understand Borf’s gibberish.
Returning from Dragon’s Lair is the online high score table, a tutorial that teaches beginners the basics, and the ever-popular load/save feature. Plus, trophies are present for added replay value. There is also a hidden trophy to unlock, but this much can be said – it’s not based on a high score like in Dragon’s Lair.
As a game, Space Ace is far more diverse than Dragon’s Lair. As mentioned previously, there are branching paths that can extend the game and ultimately increase your high score. In one particular scene when Dexter is fighting his dark self, he jumps into a hole filled with water. During this sequence you are told to ‘Energize’ into Ace, but if you press down on the directional pad, Dexter squeezes his way down into a cavern creating an alternative scenario. Space Ace is full of these sequences and some of them are quite long.
Like Dragon’s Lair for Playstation 3, Space Ace looks incredible in HD. The remastered Laser Disc footage comes to life in bright, vivid colors, offering plenty of eye-candy for fans to admire.
Despite releasing Space Ace on DVD and Blue-ray, Digital Leisure has included enough extras to justify a purchase. Fans of Space Ace will enjoy the online high score feature and trophies, while newcomers will appreciate the adjustable in-game difficulty and on-screen move guide. There is something for everyone.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 3 (Available on PSN)
Developer: Digital Leisure
Publisher: Digital Leisure
ESRB: E 10+
Price: $9.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| The HD graphics are beautiful. | |
| Sound | |
| The music and sound effects are just as defined as the graphics. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Despite being a collection of QTE, Space Ace is a great game based on classic merit alone. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Space Ace is a must-buy for fans of the coin-op. Even if you own the Blue-ray release, the extras alone make this a worthy purchase. | |
