...don't buy this game. While many people try to accept a new entry to a game franchise with an open mind and acceptance for originality, it's necessary for a new game to follow a criteria of it's predecessors at least to some degree - otherwise, it would be a totally different game. Such is the case with Spyro: A Hero's Tail. I'll keep it simple and break up the aspects of the game into their respective components with some regard to the original games:
Plot: Cookie cutter, but not too bad; Bad guy attacks the good guys and unlikely good guy must stop him after dispatching his henchmen.
Characters: Ouch. None of the voices are the same and most sound either over-exaggerated or bored-out-of-their-minds. Spyro has become a dragon who saves the realms because he probably should, and it's practically a chore for him. Moneybags is now a jolly, middle eastern-type trader, not a snobbish, greedy aristocrat. Sparks is a whiny complainer who does his side-missions because Spyro forces him to. In the brief cameo that Bentley has, he's a clumsy, dopey wimp who has to ask Hunter to clear his house out of Gnorcs instead of going in and bashing them himself. The names of dragon elders from Spyro the Dragon have been assigned to weird hermit-like dragons (one of which is quite obviously gay) who live by themselves. The professor, when compared to his previous incarnations, is just plain stupid. The rest of the returning characters are more-or-less the same and the new ones are nothing interesting.
Setting: Where the heck are we? Not the Dragon Realms I remember. While the environments are large, unique, and original, they lack a certain fantastic element that the original worlds possessed. They also lack transportation via portals - a fun navigation that was a staple of the first three.
Graphics: I'll give 'em this one. The worlds, characters, and other visuals have pretty good scope and detail.
Gameplay: If I could sum it up in a single word it would be this: Clunky. The decision to switch the controls for charge and flame is one that I can't fathom and most of Spyro's moves tend to drag (when gliding, for example, Spyro moves vertically [down] almost faster than he does horizontally). Sgt. Byrd's new rocket wings are kind of fun to use, but when he's on land, he's slower than "a Molten Crater Fire Slug". Hunter's playability isn't that bad. And Sparks...well, I'll get to him later.
Acquiring new breath moves has fun that wears off quickly, and making your way through a single area is like making your way through one unique place five times. Also, most of the things you can acquire at Moneybag's shop (that's right, shop. He no longer sells animals, bridges, and doors)are worthless. A fire-bomb, for example, is supposed to be an upgrade to your flame-breath, but has zero-range and is less powerful against enemies and treasure chests.
Sound: I already covered voices. As far as music goes, if you were to ask me how a tune for any level in any of the first three games goes, I could probably hum or whistle it off the top of my head. In this game, the only music I can remember is the quirky, annoying, army-march-like music in Sgt. Byrd's levels. Sound effects are okay, but tend to get annoying.
Mini-Games: Some are fun. Others make you want to shoot yourself in the head. Of the fun ones are Sgt. Byrd's flying levels, Hunter's levels, and maybe a couple cannon-shooting levels. The rest? Bleh! The very worst are Sparks' minigames. A player will come across a crack in the wall (conveniently labeled with a sign that has Sparks' face on it), Sparks will complain about how he'll go into the crack to find an egg or light gem if he has to, and then you'll begin a rail shooter with swarms of enemies, ultra-touchy controls, and a way-screwed-up perspective (as in, it looks like an enemy bug is far away until Sparks flinches and starts blinking).
Miscellaneous: This game takes "Comic Mischief" and gives it a hypodermic shot to the heart with a syringe full of dumb: A penguin that shivers from the cold. A Zoe whose wand zap "fries one million brain cells". Spyro explaining to a wooly mammoth how he'll defeat it by running around it and strategically hitting it three times. Gnasty Gnorc forgeting about his first encounter with Spyro and accidentally showing his polka-dot (or red heart, I don't care enough to remember) boxer shorts.
The sheep, another staple of the original series, now look more realistic, but lose their goofy quality, and fodder in general is less creative and more sparse.
Overall: I personally don't even consider this game to be part of the original timeline, even though it's supposed to be. The characters, setting, magic and technology, enemies, and "culture norms" have all changed. The entertainment value is extremely low and the replay value is even lower. Worlds are big but monotonous. Challenges are either pathetically easy or controller-breakingly difficult and always boring. Boss battles always consist of you running in circles around an enemy while they attack with only projectile attacks. No secret world or reward at the end of the game. No sense of satisfaction after finishing the game, just relief. If you are like me, you probably view the first three Spyro games as videogame masterpieces; original, creative, fantastic, and fresh. If so I would highly recommend you not buy, rent, or even play this game. You will save yourself money, time, and a whole lot of nostalgic heartache. |
So, like most people say, this game is a bit of a departure from the first 3 games on the PS1. The biggest reason for that is that Insomniac is no longer at the helm. But regardless of it's differences, the game is still fun and certainly worthy of the Spyro name, unlike the last release Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.
Different doesn't always equal bad, and that is quite true for this game. First for the worlds: This is probably the biggest difference from the old games. The old games had overworlds with portals to different levels. How this game differs is that there is just one huge world and accomplishing certain tasks during gameplay essentially opens up the next area. So instead of roaming around and choosing which level to enter, the gameplay is very linear. Finish the task in area A, move on the area B. Finish the task in B and move on to C.
Along the way there are side missions. Play as sparks in flying first-person-shooter style. Also is the introduction of a mole critter who helps Spyro out by searching underground for crystals. For these missions you play as the mole and kill spiders while making your way along the path which involves using puzzle solving skills and using special moves.
Basic movements and the camera are still the same. The music is a little different, though still light fare. Breath abilities are actually put to use unlike in Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.
So, yes, this game is different from past Spyro games, but to me that is half the fun. To me, the game makers wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't experiment a little with the games. Just keep a bit of an open mind and have fun. I certainly did. |
Expedited Available
"A fun game"
"If you liked the first trilogy at all..."
"Perfect Spyro Experience"