Showing posts with label spyro the dragon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spyro the dragon. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2019
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Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Spyro the Dragon (PS1) Review
With the remastered trilogy coming out in a few months, I went through the original Spyro the Dragon. This was a game that was an alternative to Crash Bandicoot. It has held up well for the most part and plays smoothly for being about 20 years old.
For the core gameplay, you collect treasure, save dragons, and find eggs through over 30 levels in six different worlds. In one of the most razor thin plots, Gnasty Gnorc has turned dragons into crystal after an insult. As Spyro, you can charge, use dragon flame, roll, and glide. It's a game that you can pick up and play and instantly get the hang of it.
Graphically, it's a beautiful looking one. There's nice backgrounds and areas. The dragons and enemies are unique in their worlds. Animations are fluid for the time. It's music is phenomenal. Led by Stewart Copeland, he creates a fantasy world while incorporating a bit of rock from his days with The Police and making movie soundtracks. Sound effects are like watching a cartoon. Voice acting can be a little cheesy, but it holds up a lot better than most other games of the 32/64-bit era.
Spyro's level design is built around his attacks and flying. They make it enough of a challenge that you can figure it out on your first or second try and then you can fly by the level in a matter of minutes. It is a little bit linear, but you have a lot of freedom in movement in the space of the level. You will adapt very quickly to how each level plays.
This is a little difficult, but not on that level of the original Crash Bandicoot. You have a dragonfly that serves as your health and getting hit without him loses you a life. Hazards include water and lava. My only complaints are some of the later levels being a bit too difficult and the flying not being as smooth in those later ones leading to a few lost lives. But if you're looking for something on the PlayStation, Spyro the Dragon is a must for anyone looking 3D platformers from the late 90s.
Score: 8 out of 10
For the core gameplay, you collect treasure, save dragons, and find eggs through over 30 levels in six different worlds. In one of the most razor thin plots, Gnasty Gnorc has turned dragons into crystal after an insult. As Spyro, you can charge, use dragon flame, roll, and glide. It's a game that you can pick up and play and instantly get the hang of it.
Graphically, it's a beautiful looking one. There's nice backgrounds and areas. The dragons and enemies are unique in their worlds. Animations are fluid for the time. It's music is phenomenal. Led by Stewart Copeland, he creates a fantasy world while incorporating a bit of rock from his days with The Police and making movie soundtracks. Sound effects are like watching a cartoon. Voice acting can be a little cheesy, but it holds up a lot better than most other games of the 32/64-bit era.
Spyro's level design is built around his attacks and flying. They make it enough of a challenge that you can figure it out on your first or second try and then you can fly by the level in a matter of minutes. It is a little bit linear, but you have a lot of freedom in movement in the space of the level. You will adapt very quickly to how each level plays.
This is a little difficult, but not on that level of the original Crash Bandicoot. You have a dragonfly that serves as your health and getting hit without him loses you a life. Hazards include water and lava. My only complaints are some of the later levels being a bit too difficult and the flying not being as smooth in those later ones leading to a few lost lives. But if you're looking for something on the PlayStation, Spyro the Dragon is a must for anyone looking 3D platformers from the late 90s.
Score: 8 out of 10
Friday, June 15, 2018
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Spyro Reignited: More 32-bit Interest?
The last 24 to 48 hours has been an interesting one if you are into gaming. If you grew up in the 90s, odds are you are familiar with Spyro the Dragon. It was one of the reasons to get an original PlayStation back in late 1998. Much like Crash Bandicoot, the original trilogy is about as beloved as most other games from that era. Some have wondered if it seemed inevitable that there would be a remastered set following N. Sane Trilogy last year. That's put to rest with Reignited coming out in September for PS4 and Xbox One.
Whether you want to call it a leak or not, this will excite a lot of people. Judging by the trailer for this, Spyro is getting the same kind of makeover like Crash. I'd like to say it looks a lot better, but it's a matter of what will be seen when it comes out. Activision is at the helm of this with development by Toys for Bob, who have made Skylanders. If it's anything like N. Sane Trilogy, that will mean a few things. One is that it will be the same games you remembered playing in the late 90s and early 2000s. Two might be additional content, meaning some cut levels that never made it into the game if there is any. Three could the possibility of seeing if new interest in the franchise will spark a demand for new games.
At the moment, there is no plan for a Switch or PC release. N. Sane Trilogy is set for Nintendo's hybrid in July along with the PC and Xbox One, with Toys for Bob developing the former. It would be nice to see beyond Mario and Sonic other platformers onto the system, but depends on what the sales expectations Activision wants from Crash. This should be a no brainer to bring it over, but the stigma associated with Nintendo home systems since 1996 will leave companies with a bit of concern.
Could this make companies really interested in the 32/64-bit era? Maybe. There is a bit of games that will make you want a remaster or remake of. It could bring back certain franchises, but that's just an idea that seems more of a fantasy. Either way, Spyro should be another huge hit for this generation. If it's anywhere like N. Sane Trilogy, it will score well critically and commercially.
Whether you want to call it a leak or not, this will excite a lot of people. Judging by the trailer for this, Spyro is getting the same kind of makeover like Crash. I'd like to say it looks a lot better, but it's a matter of what will be seen when it comes out. Activision is at the helm of this with development by Toys for Bob, who have made Skylanders. If it's anything like N. Sane Trilogy, that will mean a few things. One is that it will be the same games you remembered playing in the late 90s and early 2000s. Two might be additional content, meaning some cut levels that never made it into the game if there is any. Three could the possibility of seeing if new interest in the franchise will spark a demand for new games.
At the moment, there is no plan for a Switch or PC release. N. Sane Trilogy is set for Nintendo's hybrid in July along with the PC and Xbox One, with Toys for Bob developing the former. It would be nice to see beyond Mario and Sonic other platformers onto the system, but depends on what the sales expectations Activision wants from Crash. This should be a no brainer to bring it over, but the stigma associated with Nintendo home systems since 1996 will leave companies with a bit of concern.
Could this make companies really interested in the 32/64-bit era? Maybe. There is a bit of games that will make you want a remaster or remake of. It could bring back certain franchises, but that's just an idea that seems more of a fantasy. Either way, Spyro should be another huge hit for this generation. If it's anywhere like N. Sane Trilogy, it will score well critically and commercially.
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