Lotus666
07-08-09, 10:25 AM
Another from LD done in 2005...
This game, made by Vivendi Universal for the PS2 and the Gamecube was one I approached with considerable caution, especially since the previous Spyro game (Enter the Dragonfly) was such an abysmal mess (i.e. game freeze-ups, long load times, visual glitches up the ying-yang).
Story goes that an exiled Dragon Elder, named Red, somehow either came out of hiding or broke out of whatever was imprisoning him. He enlisted a previous Spyro nemesis, Gnasty Gnorc, and another meanie named Ineptune to help him do his dirty work. Using the Dark Gems, he sows the seeds of chaos across the Dragon Realms. Spyro's mission is to destroy the Dark Gems and defeat Red once and for all. Along the way, he also has to collect Dragon Eggs and Light Gems and destroy Dark Gems to enter new places and ultimately face the boss character in each realm. Defeating of a boss (Gnasty Gnorc being the first, Ineptune being the second, and Red being the third) gives Spyro new breath attacks (electricity, ice, and water).
Some other Spyro alumni show up here. Hunter the Cheetah, natch, shows up but does something other than the same old "I'll show you how to glide" mess. You actually play as him later on in the game - he attacks with his bow & arrow and swipes with his claws as his melee attack. Sgt. Byrd (you originally meet him in Spyro: Year of the Dragon for the PS1) comes back, but instead of using his flippers to help him fly, he has a jetpack. The Professor (whom you first met in Spyro: Ripto's Rage) makes an appearance, and Bentley the Yeti (Spyro: Year of the Dragon) makes a cameo. A new character surfaces - Blink the Mole. He does underground stuff (tunnels and what-not) in your search for Dragon Eggs and Light Gems. There are even levels for Sparx to go through just to get Dragon Eggs and Light Gems as well. Moneybags shows up again, but instead of him charging you money so he can raise a bridge or whatever, he runs a shop so you can buy items.
You don't need to worry about running out of gems when it comes to buying stuff - you can defeat the same enemies time and time again and get gems every time. Same goes with if you leave a certain locale and come back later - the gems will be back.
Visuals - 8 out of 10. It's a helluva lot better than that choppy slop that was foisted on unwary Spyro fans in Enter the Dragonfly.
Sound - 7 out of 10. Has reasonable music, and the sounds aren't half-bad.
Challenge - 8 out of 10. Admittedly, there was this one Sparx bonus area that had me yanking out large clumps of hair in frustration, but ultimately I did beat that area. By the same token, some areas just come across as way too easy.
Bosses - 7 out of 10. Gnasty Gnorc was kinda tough, Ineptune lived up to her name (inept once you know how to tackle her), and Red the first time around was tough (you face him twice) - getting out of where you did battle with him the first time was near impossible for me. Red the second time around wasn't too difficult - battle was kind of an anticlimax.
Overall - 7.75 out of 10. A helluva lot better than that buggy load of slop packaged as Enter the Dragonfly, but could have used a bit more in terms of items and other such-like.
http://www.miastogier.pl/baza/Encyklopedia/gry/SpyroAHerosTail_PS2/2_746bf5a62ca07538da7bc0b4ca90de56spyro%20A%20Hero s%20Tail.jpg
This game, made by Vivendi Universal for the PS2 and the Gamecube was one I approached with considerable caution, especially since the previous Spyro game (Enter the Dragonfly) was such an abysmal mess (i.e. game freeze-ups, long load times, visual glitches up the ying-yang).
Story goes that an exiled Dragon Elder, named Red, somehow either came out of hiding or broke out of whatever was imprisoning him. He enlisted a previous Spyro nemesis, Gnasty Gnorc, and another meanie named Ineptune to help him do his dirty work. Using the Dark Gems, he sows the seeds of chaos across the Dragon Realms. Spyro's mission is to destroy the Dark Gems and defeat Red once and for all. Along the way, he also has to collect Dragon Eggs and Light Gems and destroy Dark Gems to enter new places and ultimately face the boss character in each realm. Defeating of a boss (Gnasty Gnorc being the first, Ineptune being the second, and Red being the third) gives Spyro new breath attacks (electricity, ice, and water).
Some other Spyro alumni show up here. Hunter the Cheetah, natch, shows up but does something other than the same old "I'll show you how to glide" mess. You actually play as him later on in the game - he attacks with his bow & arrow and swipes with his claws as his melee attack. Sgt. Byrd (you originally meet him in Spyro: Year of the Dragon for the PS1) comes back, but instead of using his flippers to help him fly, he has a jetpack. The Professor (whom you first met in Spyro: Ripto's Rage) makes an appearance, and Bentley the Yeti (Spyro: Year of the Dragon) makes a cameo. A new character surfaces - Blink the Mole. He does underground stuff (tunnels and what-not) in your search for Dragon Eggs and Light Gems. There are even levels for Sparx to go through just to get Dragon Eggs and Light Gems as well. Moneybags shows up again, but instead of him charging you money so he can raise a bridge or whatever, he runs a shop so you can buy items.
You don't need to worry about running out of gems when it comes to buying stuff - you can defeat the same enemies time and time again and get gems every time. Same goes with if you leave a certain locale and come back later - the gems will be back.
Visuals - 8 out of 10. It's a helluva lot better than that choppy slop that was foisted on unwary Spyro fans in Enter the Dragonfly.
Sound - 7 out of 10. Has reasonable music, and the sounds aren't half-bad.
Challenge - 8 out of 10. Admittedly, there was this one Sparx bonus area that had me yanking out large clumps of hair in frustration, but ultimately I did beat that area. By the same token, some areas just come across as way too easy.
Bosses - 7 out of 10. Gnasty Gnorc was kinda tough, Ineptune lived up to her name (inept once you know how to tackle her), and Red the first time around was tough (you face him twice) - getting out of where you did battle with him the first time was near impossible for me. Red the second time around wasn't too difficult - battle was kind of an anticlimax.
Overall - 7.75 out of 10. A helluva lot better than that buggy load of slop packaged as Enter the Dragonfly, but could have used a bit more in terms of items and other such-like.
http://www.miastogier.pl/baza/Encyklopedia/gry/SpyroAHerosTail_PS2/2_746bf5a62ca07538da7bc0b4ca90de56spyro%20A%20Hero s%20Tail.jpg