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Rating: Average Spyro the Dragon respresents all that is wrong with 3D action/platform games. The control is good and the graphics are fantastic, but the game just isn't that fun to play. And if it's not fun, what's the point of playing it? First of all, what's with the game's title? Spyro the Dragon? Do I go around calling myself Ivan the Human? And what's with the demo of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped supposedly being "top-secret" when it tells you how to access it right in the manual? Is the control set-up a secret, too? Also, the main character Spyro is annoying from the moment you first hear his voice. The story line is just as absurd as most platform games. As you might have already guessed, it's up to Spyro to save the world from destruction at the hands of a bad guy. As in most 3D platform games, the camera in Spyro is screwy to put it nicely. The camera is controlled automatically, but neither of the two automatic settings suit the gameplay well. One of the settings always stays behind Spyro no matter how fast you're turning, to the point that it tracks Spyro too closely and it disorients the player. On the other camera setting, the camera still ends up behind Spyro eventually, but it takes it so long to get there that you can't see what's in front of you for a period of several seconds, which can be crucial. Also like in most 3D platform games, the gameplay consists of running around collecting items or saving your friends. The freedom to move anywhere in a completely 3D environment has great possibilities if utilized correctly, but two years after the release of Super Mario 64, 3D platform games have still yet to deliver the same tight, focused, and intense action found in such 2D platform series as Donkey Kong Country and to a lesser extent, Crash Bandicoot. This is a problem of 3D platform games in general, a problem which also plagues Spyro the Dragon. Personally, I think it is a lot more entertaining to complete levels with my own skill and timing than it is to collect a bunch of goofy items while struggling to see where I am going.
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com