Arcade1up Dragon’s Lair Review - Should You Buy In 2024?

Arcade1up Dragon’s Lair unboxing and review one of the most unique cabs to date. Should You pick this up before they’re gone?
#arcade1up #retrogaming #dragonslair #unboxing #review

[@JayPase]

Such an iconic cabinet and very unique in many respects. When you beat the Dragon & Rescue the Princess you'll never forget it Phil The Daring ! I had Dragon's Lair & Space Ace for my Amiga 500 so I got pretty good over time.

[@PDX7]

I will try to improve Jay :) Seeing this in person I totally know now how cool for you walking up to it at the Brick. It’s an awesome cab! Someday I’ll hopefully beat it 👊

[@KILRtv]

Ohhhh..... The Amiga 500. Yes, I remember those painful days with both games (as well as Borf's Revenge and Escape from Singe's Castle). Those floppy disks. Too much loading & swapping, and I kept wondering if the floppies were going to go bad. I could at least play the game at home, but whew. You didn't have all the scenes either, but at least you could play some of the game. I'm not sure how many times I played.

[@theshadowmole]

Nice I need to unbox and assemble mine. May do it tonight I have ran out of room in my arcade until I do some moving around. I got mine the day after you got one. You talked me into it. Lol. Excited for the fancy unboxing.

[@PDX7]

Enjoy it :) Take your time too

[@timuhler8121]

Last Christmas I bought 10 arcade one up machines each one of them different everything from Pong, to Star Wars. It took me a long time to assemble all of them, and I never thought I would want to assemble another one until I saw your unboxing. It really is a beautiful package set up and your unboxing made me appreciate it. I may want to assemble just one more…😊

[@PDX7]

Dude that’s awesome man, you’ll appreciate the unboxing so much more with DL. It’s an experience:) I’d be sick of assembling after 10 cabs at once too lol

[@RetroDayOfficial]

Wow you got a Dragon's Lair Arcade1up congrats! Must have been a good price? I'm surprised that they haven't made a Deluxe or XL version of this yet! Also considering New Wave Toys has made three versions of Dragon's Lair already! Dragon's Lair and Space Ace were two of my favorite arcade games in the 80s!

[@PDX7]

Hey Retro, I gave it at 499 plus Kohls cash :) if you can pickup 1up or NWT they’re both wins! No online with this one :)

[@RetroDayOfficial]

@@PDX7 Nice job using Kohls cash towards it! I agree and do have Dragon's Lair and Space Ace New Wave Toys! I really want Dragon's Lair and Space Ace Arcade1up Deluxe or XL though!!

[@PDX7]

@RetroDayOfficial XL would be awesome :)

[@RichieCavsRetrocade]

​@@RetroDayOfficialUnfortunately I don't think you'll ever see an XL or Deluxe of Dragon's Lair. Would be very nice though as I'd love to buy an XL and just convert it to a Dragon's Lair 2 cabinet as I have an original Space Ace.and DL already.

[@RetroDayOfficial]

@@RichieCavsRetrocade I think it's definitely possible since they keep coming out with: Pac-Man, Marvel and Golden Tee variations. Their new selling point besides Deluxe version would be to include Cliff Hanger!

[@unicron8soundwave724]

Congratulations🕹️🎉 I couldn't believe all three are included w/riser. The mods i have seen in the groups especially recently are inspiring.

[@PDX7]

I was happy to see the other two games on here :) I wasn’t 100% sure Space Ace was on it, Thank you for watching Unicorn 8 Soundwave 👊

[@unicron8soundwave724]

@@PDX7 you are welcome. oh yeah, you about to have some seriuos fun👊🏾

[@GoldMineArcade]

Great score PD7! Your arcade is really coming together nicely. When you get Tron you’ll have all of the Infinity Stones, great video 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@PDX7]

lol I know it will complete the look :) Thank you Gold Mine Arcade 👊

[@ZodWriter]

A great looking cabinet! Awesome packaging! Perfect review! Excellent job Phil! 💥👊💥

[@PDX7]

Dude Thank you Zod 👊

[@stokjock]

You have made me so proud! Isn't the cab great looking. All those little things you bring up are true but the Pros way outweigh the Cons with this cab. I never get tired of looking at this cab. You're right, it might not get played that much but it's a work of art!

[@PDX7]

Thank you for pushing me with getting this :) It’s totally worth it!

[@spike8002]

This is a great A1U. From the packaging to the cab itself. Gameplay is great. Glad to have this as a part of my collection.

[@PDX7]

I am too Spike! Thanks for watching 👊

[@JesterTester]

Awesome, Phil. I will definitely agree. There is something different in the way the BOE monitor looks on that cabinet. Maybe it is because it is playing an animated cartoon. It just looks so vivid and clear.

[@PDX7]

It’s so much different in a good way Jesse, you’re review sold me on this 👊

[@carlo1132]

Great Review PhilO. Angels says she sent you a picture of her on my iircade on discord check it out! THis is a sexy cabinet for sure. Love the intro and music too. Glad they double box, dont throw that box away!

[@PDX7]

Hi CarlO, I saw Angels message 🐈‍⬛ She loves her iircade :) Thank you CarlO, definitely holding on to the box I even put the black sleeves over the boxes again.

[@TheBigb1973]

I'm glad you got this cab! It's definitely a staple in the arcade. They're using the HD version of the games. That's why it's looks amazing.

[@PDX7]

Thank you Big b, it looks incredible:) Thanks for letting me know 👊

[@BiggggyD]

Great review Phil!

[@PDX7]

Thank you Biggggy 👊

[@tommyv.856]

I’m on the fence on picking this up Phil. I’m rewatching your review today as well as others. I have nostalgia for DL but always sucked at playing it but man it really does look great and would look good next to Burgertime, Star Wars, and Tron in my game room. I would just have to re arrange a couple cabinets to make it fit in. I just recently bought the NWT versions of Space Ace and DL off of eBay new and loving those little arcades.

[@PDX7]

Hi Tommy, I’m bad lol but it’s the look of you want it for the arcade and there’s nothing else maybe pick it up. It would complete the look :)

[@tethanabby]

Everything about this cab is beautiful! Easily the highest quality cab I own. Love it.

[@PDX7]

Have you done anything to yours?

[@PeterSimpson666]

One of my three favorite looking cabinets, along with Tron and Star Wars.

[@PDX7]

All 3 the Big 3 are an absolute must :)

[@Setzer777]

Great review! Also, the Marquee on the original arcade was also grainy, so they did a nice job replicating it.

[@PDX7]

I agree it’s the way it should look :) Thank you 🙏

[@Setzer777]

@@PDX7 I did the light-up coin door mod on mine as well as the waterfall deck. Both worth it, imo! Enjoy!

[@PDX7]

@Setzer777 Awesome! Coin doors are next, I’ll pick up waterfall deck soon :) Thank you for the recommendation 👊

[@GenZod80]

Loved the Space Ace Segement on Saturday Supercade as a kid

[@PDX7]

Space Ace is so cool :)

[@tedadamgreen]

Thanks so much PD7!

[@PDX7]

Thank you for watching Ted Adam 👊

[@cwescrab]

I have those 3 games on my legends ultimate with awesomesauce but still debating getting this because the score screen and the cabinet artwork. Would have been really cool though if it had a few more Daphne games on it.

[@PDX7]

I know the look is just something else even if we already have the games, Thanks for watching 👊

[@dannymeilin]

looks great. I would love to get this one.

[@PDX7]

If it drops even lower it’s a sign :)

[@MrSteveonbroadway]

I do not regret getting mine, all my cabs I have raised anyway and leveled for basement so all good..

[@PDX7]

That’s awesome Mr Steve on Broadway! Definitely helps having them all raised up, Thanks for watching 👊

[@jackwickey7047]

I only own 2 Arcade1ups and this is one of them. The waterfall deck mod is a MUST.

[@PDX7]

What is your other cab? I’ll pick one up soon :) Thank you 👊

[@Rinsler123]

I recommend lighting up the coin doors in this one because it really completes the look with the red light up score board.

[@PDX7]

I agree Rinsler, it’s next on the DL project list :)

[@Rinsler123]

@@PDX7 and I think you can get a waterfall deck but it’s a little pricey

[@PDX7]

@Rinsler123 I’ll price it out, might be a little out I have a few projects coming before I get to the deck.

[@Rinsler123]

@@PDX7 cool I am looking forward for it 🙂

[@domeshtan1677]

Space Ace depending which difficulty level you pick (Cadet, Captain, Space Ace) you will get more scenes to play thru before reaching the end. (So a longer game). Also it has a number of split points where you can see different scene outcomes on how to complete a level. Usually deciding NOT to energize at some points and choosing a different direction.

[@PDX7]

Have you ever finished Space Ace?

[@domeshtan1677]

Yep. Finished Space Ace one the hardest level, Dragons Lair, Mach 3 (both missions), U.S. vs Them, Fire Fox (I don't think on the hardest mission on that one), Cliffhanger. I've played a few laser games all the way thru on 1 credit back in the day.

[@PDX7]

@domeshtan1677 wow!! I might need some advice :)

[@KatRenfigures]

This video makes me want to order this cab so bad. The Don Bluth art. ❤ 100 dollars kohls cash right now if definitely a gateway.

[@PDX7]

As long as you get the kohls cash and have something in mind to use it on it’s a great deal :)

[@domeshtan1677]

I remember getting so frustrated with Dragon's Lair back in the day. A magazine printed the solution on how to beat each level but the one for the knight with the electric checkerboard floor they printed the wrong directions. Wasted many quarters before realizing the directions were wrong. Dragons Lair II i never memorized the moves but i beat it continuing a bunch of times.

[@PDX7]

Ugh I’d be so frustrated lol That’s awesome you ended up beating both :)

[@andyauthor2007]

Luckily I had put other Arcade 1Up cabinets together before I assembled this one. I agree, the boxes inside were a very nice touch. I also had problems sandwiching the side panel on as well, that's my least favorite step in the assembly process. This is a GORGEOUS cabinet. If you want to feel nostalgia when you play these games, this will give you that feeling better than any other product out there. "Should you buy in 2024?" DEFINITELY!

[@PDX7]

Thank you Andy, I agree man it’s a definite buy! Man it was tough getting that panel on lol I never want to take that side off again :)

[@SpecialAgentEBunny]

If I had the room I’d get it. I have a ton of nostalgia for it, although I never liked the game. Many quarters were wasted because I couldn’t resist the animation.

[@PDX7]

lol I totally understand:) it’s too good to walk away from!

[@skidz436]

Looks good buddy. Get some black screw covers. Will clean up the jet black sides. Definitely a Nice addition to arcade!

[@PDX7]

Thanks Skidz! I’ll get some they really show lol Had a great time today 👊

[@skidz436]

@@PDX7 had a blast. Lauryn had a great time as well. Thanks for hanging with us.

[@PDX7]

@skidz436 can’t wait until next time :)

[@mikewarner5583]

Need an arcade1up Narc cabinet with smash t.v playable as well!

[@PDX7]

Definitely 👊

[@zackdreamcast]

Love that b roll

[@PDX7]

Thanks Zack Dreamcast 👊

[@benji6606]

This is 1 cab im none stop thinking about buying

[@thumpersquid]

Great review! Dragons Lair is beautiful, and I agree very special. MOD1UP makes a waterfall deck "only 8 left on website" I want for mine that would complete the look. I die while playing all the time but getting better lol.

[@PDX7]

Thank you Thumper Squid, I saw the waterfall deck maybe down the road. I want to light up the coin doors next, Thanks for showing me a cheap way to do it :)

[@chrisburns1973]

I have this cabinet and besides the audio sync issues on DL, it is an excellent cab. A1Up got it almost perfect except the absence of the waterfall deck. The marquee is a faithful recreation of the actual cabinet. If you were to look at the actual cab the marquee art is grainy because they put the art on a piece of fabric and then glued it to a piece of wood so the graininess is spot on...LOL. Enjoy!

[@PDX7]

They did a great job recreating this Chris :) I’ll check out the square speakers and waterfall deck. Thanks for watching 👊

[@lethalwolf7455]

My favorite A1up

[@PDX7]

Definitely in the top 5 :)

[@JeffMercedesC]

I purchased the iircade Dragon's Lair arcade machine 2 years ago. I feel it was the better choice for me.

[@PDX7]

I wanted to get more into the iircade and 1up with both able to play these just didn’t have the time space to get into it. I totally get it Jeff, it’s hard to buy when you already have the game it’s the look of having the dedicated cab what got me. Thanks for watching 👊

[@8-bit_Informer]

What size riser did you buy from Buy Stuff Arcades for Dragon’s Layer? I know you bought the black one but what size?

[@PDX7]

Hi, I bought the 4” riser. The 6” would’ve been a little too high for me, I’m 5’9

[@8-bit_Informer]

@@PDX7 thank you!

[@8-bit_Informer]

I am adding that and a second monitor right now to it.

[@PDX7]

@8-bit_Informer Thank you for watching 👊

[@stupidfathobbit4262]

Great game to have in any arcade room. The attract mode alone is worth the price however with that said it’s a very niche cab and no one at my house dares to play it, only me and I haven’t touched Space Ace or DL2 in close to a year. So if you have the space, the love for it, nostalgia go for it, if you don’t I wouldn’t bother it will end up a dust collector.

[@PDX7]

Yea it’s a very good point man, I’ll try to play a quick game when I turn on but I agree it’s a great cab to display.

[@Johnenoch226]

Awesome cabinet, though I feel that Tron is probably the ultimate. Would love a Donkey Kong if one is ever produced. Still waiting for A1UP to re-release Defender Partycade.

[@PDX7]

I think Tron is the ultimate too and DL is a strong 2nd :)

[@GrampsArcade]

Got my Tron and Star Wars on Marketplace, but may have to get this at Kohls.

[@PDX7]

Did you get 2019 or 2023 SW? Kohls is worth buying from if your getting kohls cash, helps justify it a little :)

[@GrampsArcade]

@@PDX7 2023

[@PDX7]

@darrell99 nice :)

[@GrampsArcade]

Pulled the trigger on Dragons Lair at Kohls!

[@PDX7]

@darrell99 Awesome!! Congratulations great purchase 👊

[@decadentdave]

Congrats Phil! Now go get yourself the waterfall deck from Mod1up you won’t regret it! And the square grill covers from Pinballlife!

[@PDX7]

Thank you for the recommendation Dave! I’ll check them out :)

[@dukejason]

I would like a counter cade of this game.😊

[@PDX7]

That would be cool, I hope there’s more countercades and new lineups coming. Thanks for watching!

[@Jrm0724]

NWT is the closest that you're going to get to a countercade at the moment

[@JohnD_M1]

One of the best 1ups..easily top 3 if not 1

[@PDX7]

I agree John D, Thank you for watching 👊

[@SwainyAtRetroAsylum]

The original definitely had scan-lines because it used a CRT monitor for its display.

[@PDX7]

Thank you I didn’t know for sure :)

[@Th3DarkCanuck]

Great review Phil, but I'm a hard no on this one. I have no nostalgia with this game besides playing it on SNES and had no idea how it worked lol. It's a very nice looking cabinet though.

[@PDX7]

Thank you Dark Canuck :) I agree it’s not for everyone the look of it got me. Now I just need to figure these games out lol

[@petermacnab1871]

I can trade my Outrun for dragons lair new in box . I suck at it but it looks so nice and since I just got F&F and I don’t like the sit down …….I would give up my buystuff mod but I don’t care since I want the PC mod . thoughts ?

[@PDX7]

I just saw there’s a strong possibility for an Outrun Deluxe soon..

[@petermacnab1871]

@@PDX7 now that would be cool !

[@PDX7]

@petermacnab1871 hang tight a few weeks to see if this along with others is confirmed before you trade or sell yours.

[@nickgerula]

I think this is a really cool cab and if i had a ton of room would definitely get it, but likely never play it lol..... its a HARD game!

[@PDX7]

Very hard Nick, but it looks incredible:) going to try to get better at it, Thanks for watching man 👊

[@blastu2fool]

I still feel the iircade Dragons Lair looks better, much taller, 19 inch monitor with awesome sound, the artwork on it is premium with a hi gloss finish, too bad that the cab went bankrupt, sheesh

[@PDX7]

It’s a great looking cab, I have the Space Invaders I totally agree :)

[@chrisgrossnickle1479]

Maybe they will make a deluxe or XL?

[@PDX7]

If these sell out it could happen, I was afraid to chance it :)

[@chrisgrossnickle1479]

@@PDX7 yeah, it's so tempting. What about the light up front riser plate from tulsa Arcades? Have the front light up panels for my T2 and marvel vs capcom 2 and love them. Would give it a little extra flare

[@PDX7]

@chrisgrossnickle1479 nice, I’ll look at them :)

[@maximusprime3459]

Does it have the same horrible reaction controls like the old arcade version?

[@PDX7]

I’ve never played the original arcade before, just always remember seeing it when I was a kid.

[@maximusprime3459]

@@PDX7 Yeah, the arcade cabinets of Dragon's Lair that I played back in the day were hell on the controls. They were always delayed meaning you'd have to pour more quarters to start all over again. Or at least to the part where it glitches out😂 I've seen very few people play it til the end.

[@PDX7]

I hope I can someday finish it :)

[@sls78..]

I would love to get this cab for it's uniqueness but I know I wouldn't play it much.

[@PDX7]

I thought the same thing SLS, but the fomo got the best of me :)

[@sls78..]

I completely understand. I'm fighting it myself.

[@PDX7]

@sls78.. these cabs have so much pull with us :)

[@thequarterdeckarcade]

The FOMO is real. Great review.

[@PDX7]

Thank you Quarter Deck :) Are you going today?

[@thequarterdeckarcade]

@@PDX7 Yes, forgot to let you know. Got the Jeep back Thursday. We'll be there.

[@PDX7]

@thequarterdeckarcade Awesome!!

[@petermacnab1871]

Does this cab save high scores ?

[@PDX7]

Hey Peter, it saves during gameplay but resets when we exit to main screen.

[@petermacnab1871]

@@PDX7 nooooooooooo ! Lol

[@bonesjackson81]

Great looking cab but omg those games are so boring and not fun to me. But everyone has the freedom to like and dislike whatever. I see that cab as having been a missed opportunity for an xl. But since A1UP is clearly going down the tubes that's not coming. Glad you dig it. For now.....

[@PDX7]

Thanks Bones,the uncertainty of getting DL in deluxe or XL pushed me to grab this before it was too late. It’s fun to try these out now, maybe I’ll get bored with it but the look of this really is what sold me. Thanks man 👊

[@patientmental875]

For people that dont know the audio in this game is horribly out of sync thats a serious problem with this type of game because getting the moves right depend on visual & audio cues

[@PDX7]

I didn’t even think of that, Thank you for sharing it’s no wonder I stink :)

[@patientmental875]

@@PDX7 Np honestly the best thing to do with this is hook Daphne (laserdisc emulator) up to it because this is completely unplayable! You can beat A1up's version if you are extremely familiar with the original game but anything other than easy difficulty forget it because the moves have to be precise & it once you do finish A1up's version theres no need to torture yourself playing it again. Its a cool looking cabinet & if you really dont care about playability then id just leave it

[@PDX7]

@patientmental875 Thank you :) I might just enjoy it for what it is. How about iircade version? Any better?

[@patientmental875]

@@PDX7 Idk I never played the iircade version

[@PDX7]

@patientmental875 heard it’s a little easier, but wasn’t sure.

[@sony4k270]

Congrats, I added an extra led light strip inside the marquee because it's not bright enough. I also added a waterfall overlay control deck and a scoreboard overlay with square speaker covers just like the original arcade version. I did raise Dragon's Lair 3 inches.👍 Beware, Dragon's Lair has a huge heat sink. I opened up my cremation box because my last PCB burnt up. I now have fans blowing on the PCB.

[@PDX7]

Thank you very much for the heads up :)

[@Jrm0724]

Its packed like an Apple product

[@PDX7]

Yes exactly:) I didn’t think of that, did you pass on Tron?

[@Jrm0724]

@@PDX7 not yet 😅 But leaning towards DL

[@PDX7]

@Jrm0724 :)

[@arcadetalk]

You should not buy since the audio and video sync has never been fixed. I never unboxed the riser on this machine since it was too small. I hate how small the marquee is compared to the original.

[@PDX7]

What did you use instead of the riser?

[@arcadetalk]

@@PDX7 Buy Stuff Arcade riser.

[@PDX7]

@arcadetalk did you sell your stock riser?

[@arcadetalk]

@@PDX7 Its still in the box in my closet. The other thing I did not like about the riser that came with it was the art. There should not have had art on it. The all black matches the real cabinet better.

[@PDX7]

@arcadetalk yea I agree with you Tim, I do like the art but black would’ve looked like 1 piece.

[@BurrBones]

Y'all could build something better on your own. Look into it. It's not that hard

[@PDX7]

We might have to if we don’t get new releases :) Thanks for watching 👊

[@heartlesschaos8796]

The game looks boring 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@PDX7]

It’s not for everyone:) Thanks for watching 👊

[@heartlesschaos8796]

@@PDX7 😉