Spyro the Dragon

This game is already a classic to me. The graphics may not be as impressive as the PS3 or Xbox 360, but this old school game will never be passed up by another. The bright environments are intriguing, and the whole game is fun! I was very much impressed by the storyline in this one, the worlds, colors, characters, and bosses. The sequels have not matched up to the original yet.

Awww, good times! I first bought this game when it first came out, when I was around eight-years-old. I played it non-stop, battleing against the Gnorcs, aquiring treaure, ramming through thouse nasty blue thieves for the pink-spotted eggs, getting more life for poor Spyro, and resqueing the dragons locked in stone, of course.
Now, I'm playing more mature games. Resident Evil 4 is one of my favorite games for the Gamecube counsel. Along with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarine of Time/Twilight Princess, and Hitman 2. But after playing thouse games on the sparkling Gamecube counsel, I turned my gaze to the dusty, gray Playstation, and out popped Spyro again!
I'm actually replaying the game, I already beaten both of the two first worlds in under an hour. But it is a really good experience to play this old jewel again! I also own four other Spyro games: Spyro: Ripto's Rage, The Year of the Dragon (Both of thouse for my old Playstation and are VERY fun!) along with the alright, but not the same: Hero's Tale, and the crappy game some idiot thought up: The Legend of Spyro: A New Beggining. I despised thouse two games for what they had done to that cool, little dragon we use to know.
But, alas! At least I saved my original game for times like these! Please, if you still have your old gray Playstation, (or a Playstation 2) than fish out Spyro from the attic or the closet and replay it! Or, if you are new to the first original Spyro games, go out and buy them! (that is, if you don't mind an extreamly easy game) The game is fun, nevetheless it being easy, it holds that sparkling air that Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 holds!
[Sparks, The Dragonfly]
Gold = Full Health
Blue = Medium Health
Green = Low Health
No Sparks = One More Hit Left
-To correct anyone that got Sparks color coded health wrong. ^-^
[Spyro, The Dragon]
Able to glide short-distances
Can run/ram with his horns
Can jump
Can buck
And can do the roll to avoid enemy attack (Why didn't they remake that move for all the other games, I ask?)
And of course, flame enemies!

I played this game years ago and somehow lost it somewhere while moving. I have looked for a while to tryand replace it. It is a great game to just relax and enjoy with a lot of difficult moves required. Although it will test our memory skills.

I think this was a great game. One of the best I've played actually. It's good for any gender, any age. I'm not a big gamer myself and I'm still attatched to it. The graphics aren't the greatest because it is for PS1, but that doesn't matter once you start playing. Spyro is an awsome game and you should really try it!

Spyro the Dragon: the game that SHOULD have been Sony's mascot instead of Crash Bandicoot.

The original Spyro the Dragon is probably the best platform/adventure game you can find for the Playstation. I can't give Spyro's first adventure a 5-star rating, though. Let's get the problems out of the way before moving on to the positive things about Spyro (and believe me, there's a LOT of good things about this game).

People have compared Spyro the Dragon to everything from Crash Bandicoot to Banjo-Kazooie to Nights, and... who knows what else. Well, I think the first Spyro game is JUST as good as all those games. In fact, Spyro the Dragon is better than the first Crash Bandicoot game. Now THERE'S a game that disappointed me. Spyro came out of nowhere and RULED right from the beginning. I never would have guessed back in 1998 that Spyro would have went on to become a classic.

Spyro's debut does have a few problems, though. Seeing as how this is Spyro's very first adventure I won't be TOO harsh. Am I the only one who thinks the play control could have been better? It's not that I have a tough time controlling Spyro. Well, to be honest, I DID have trouble controlling him at first. Spyro doesn't QUITE take off when you hit up, down, left or right on the directional pad. There's a split second delay before moving forward. Maybe the creators of the game thought this was part of the realism since, after all, you're moving a DRAGON. A BIG creature like a dragon won't move forward right away. Then again, Spyro is small compared to the dragons you have to rescue.

Controlling Spyro was definitely a problem for me at first. For example, attempting to properly jump on top of the three round platforms you encounter at the very beginning of the first world was NOT an easy task. I kept sliding off. By the way, I recommend you take advantage of these round platforms to get to know the controller. Master the controller before exploring the world. This will cut down on any possible frustration you may encounter in the future.

I have to consider that my inability to control Spyro may have been due to the camera angles. Even though the camera in this game is *drastically* better than many other games, you have to admit it isn't flawless either. If you hit Pause and go to the options, you will see an option for a second camera view called "active". This view is better because the camera immediately follows behind Spyro at ALL times. The other (default) camera view is more of a hassle trying to figure out where you're moving, and you can't get a good view of what lies ahead. You may want to change it to "active" if the other camera view is difficult for you. Thank goodness for this option!

Some people have a problem with the lack of challenge. While it's completely true you won't have much trouble making it to the end of any stage in the game, prepare to die 4 or 5 times in each stage before you understand exactly what you have to do, and where you have to jump. I think the most challenging thing about Spyro the Dragon are the times you have to jump onto a far-away platform, and many times you just BARELY make it. Many times you will fall to your death. Be patient, though. The game NEVER messes with you by throwing in any impossible jumps. Sometimes it's about finding *just* the right spot to jump and glide, and if you're off just a *little bit* you won't make it. The creators of Spyro are smart not to make the game frustrating, seeing as how it's supposed to be a game for the entire family. Good work.

The biggest challenge comes at the very end of the game when you face the main boss. He's really easy to beat, however, GETTING to him is a whole other story. You see, right at the very end before you face him, you have to jump over a series of disappearing platforms and if you fall (and you WILL fall the first few times because it's hard) you will land in burning lava and have to do the whole stage over again. Not that the stage is really that long anyway, but this is by FAR the hardest part of the game. The other 99% of the game only offers a slight challenge here and there.

With that said, don't be fooled into thinking the game will be a cakewalk because of all the easy obstacles found throughout World One. It DOES get harder. You see, many of the enemies you face in the later levels can only be defeated by either smacking them with your head, or shooting fire at them. You won't know which of these tricks will be most effective on them until you face the enemy and experiment. You also have to dodge fireballs, sword-swipes, dogs jumping at you, and tons of other enemy attacks WHILE you try to find the best way to defeat them. So it's not pathetically easy after all.

A minor complaint is that sometimes while you're walking or running, the path will suddenly end, and you'll fall to your death. Doesn't happen often, but I thought it would be worth mentioning.

I hate the way Spyro talks. He sounds like a bratty teenage rebel with a nasally voice. Not exactly what a dragons voice should sound like. Also, when you rescue the dragons, sometimes they say important things you might want to pay attention to. The problem here is that many times the important tips they say aren't really helpful because they say them right AFTER you've already had to do them! For instance, in one case after you glide to a far-away platform and rescue a dragon, the dragon will tell you how to glide. Obviously, since I needed to glide in order to rescue him, I already KNOW how to glide! So I didn't NEED his help! This happens a few times during the game. You just want to scream "Thanks for nothing, bonehead!"

The music was done by a member of the rock band the Police, Stewart Copeland. People may not realize it, but certain themes in Spyro the Dragon are *very* close to some of the songs that made the Police such a legendary rock band. Stewart Copeland may have intentionally created the music in this game to match that of the Police, specifically the songs "walking on the moon" and "message in a bottle". You'll soon realize that the same guy who created the music in this game also played a big part in creating those Police songs. The music in Spyro the Dragon is also very catchy and appropriate for the level you're in. No complaints. The music is fantastic.

I think the creators made a mistake. When you hit L2 the camera rotates clockwise, and R2 makes the camera rotate counter-clockwise. It should be the other way around. Another thing that needs reversed: the way Spyro flies in the bonus stages. When you press up, you fly down. When you press down, you fly up! Strange mistake. This makes it harder to complete the flying stages, however, you don't have to finish them.

In fact, despite what people may tell you, you do *not* have to collect ALL the gems and ALL the dragons. Finding and collecting all the gems and dragons will only give you a better percentage and open up a bonus stage at the end of the game. The gameplay in Spyro the Dragon can actually be compared to Yoshi's Island- you don't have to find everything, but doing so will open up rewards and give you an overall better score. The creators did a fantastic job hiding gems and dragons, increasing the challenge. More often than not you will see a treasure chest or a dragon statue up high on a platform and not have a single clue how to reach it. It's fun to run around and think about how to reach it. Some of them are cleverly located. One word to describe it- *awesome*

Anyway, Spyro the Dragon is tons of fun and may possibly remind you of a 3D Donkey Kong Country, what with TNT barrels and the jungle levels you encounter later on. Spyro is much better than that overrated Crash Bandicoot game, and you should pick up Spyro the Dragon today.