Beautiful for beginners (Spyro: The Dragon (PS))

Member Name: DJ Kay C

Product:	Spyro: The Dragon (PS)
Date:	02/01/01 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Colourful graphics, well designed levels

Disadvantages: Too easy, bit dated

Every console has its mascot. Sega has Sonic, Nintendo has Mario, and Sony? Lara Croft? Crash Bandicoot? The answer is that Sony doesn't have a mascot - even though Spyro could well be a contender.

Platformers-wise, Super Mario 64 (on the Nintendo 64) seems to be the undisputed king of the genre, and the PlayStation has tried to come up with a similar game. So far, games like Crash Bandicoot have come close, but Spyro has probably come closest. For a start, it's completely 3D - you are not stuck on a set course, but are free to go where you want (within the limits of the world, of course). This offers a much greater scope to the game than most 2D platformers.

STORY
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The story goes like this: In the Dragon World, all is well and good. Well, it is until a nasty creature called Gnasty Gnorc watches a TV interview in which he is insulted... at which point he gets angry and decides to turn all the dragons into crystal, and steal their treasure. Luckily, one small dragon, Spyro, escapes from the spell, and along with his friend dragonfly Sparx, sets out to restore peace to the Dragon world.

The story is easily forgotten, as you only ever see Gnasty at the very beginning and at the end. Therefore, unlike the other two Spyro games, the plot isn't very important.

GRAPHICS
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Let's admit it: this is a game designed with children in mind. As such, the worlds are colourful, beautiful and atmospheric. All levels have been designed very well, with realistic textures and "nice touches". I personally prefer levels based at night-time, which are full of suggestive lighting techniques (lamps on walls, light coming from huge crystals in the walls, etc.). However, being quite an old game now, the graphics are quite "blocky" and not as crisp as the other 2 Spyros. Glitches with the camera are also frequent - the camera often looks in a different direction from the one you'r
e heading in, or it starts shaking if you get stuck in a corner. Lush then, but dated.

GAMEPLAY
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For a first-time Spyro player, the game starts off well, being easy with you for the first levels, getting harder towards the end, and getting impossible in 2 levels (these notorious levels are "Tree Tops" and "Haunted Towers"). These levels require you to use certain moves extensively: gliding and supercharging. Being a dragon, you can jump from ledges and glide down to secrets. As this is a 3D game, if you find a high enough ledge, you can fly anywhere in a whole level! Supercharging is a variation of the basic charge move. Charging lets you kill certain small enemies - the others can be dealt with by flaming them with your super-hot breath!

Apart from flaming enemies, you also have to collect treasure scattered around the levels and chase theives, who have dragon eggs. It's all very fun, but for experienced gamers it's all a bit too easy. For these gamers, the later levels will be the best, along with the Speedway bonus levels. These are levels in which you can actually fly, not just glide. To complete the levels, you have to follow a set route marked out by arches, rings and various animals, ready to be flamed. You have a time limit - first time round you have to beat the course in the time limit, then you can challenge your friend to beat your best time! However, the game is still always one-player.

CONCLUSION
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Spyro the Dragon is a great game for both children and adults (who maybe don't have much luck with other games), although it will be too easy for most advanced gamers. It's certainly not the best game of the three, but if you like the other two you might as well get this too, even if only for the level designs and music (composed by Stewart Copeland, of "The Police"). It doesn't even cost much now that it's in the Platinum range of ga
mes!

Summary: