Spyro: Shadow Legacy
Posted November 22, 2005
Spyro the Dragon. That crazy purple dragon is back in action. You probably remember having some fun with him on the Playstation? Yeah collecting jewels and whatnot, starting stuff on fire... Good times.
Apparently the original developers of the Spyro game were abducted and replaced with 1,000 chimpanzees at keyboards. Then they created Spyro: Shadow Legacy... Or at least I hope that was the case.
Straying from Spyro's roots, this game takes the shape of an isometric RPG with some platforming elements. Unfortunately they should have stuck to what made Spyro famous, as this game doesn't come close to living up to the fun level of the original.
Gameplay:
"Terrible" is a great word to describe the gameplay. "Blech" works too.
There's an isometric angle to the game and jump on various platforms, and breath fire. You go from place to place talking to various people.
The downfall in all of this is the sloppy programming resulting in choppy scrolling. Trying to get through the game is like getting a root canal while you are waiting to have your kidney stones removed.
Trying to attack enemies is an exercise in futility. You'll never know if your hits on enemies will register or miss completely. This sloppy gameplay sums up the entire game. Attacking through walls, getting hit through walls, you name it, it's here.
Graphics:
The graphics of Spyro aren't that bad. They are decently animated, and the background are nicely rendered. If the above problems didn't exist, this game might have been somewhat enjoyable. It's not a true 3D game that takes advantage of the power of the DS, which is strange because the original Spyro is a 3D platformer.
Why not just create a new version of that?
Audio:
The audio is another positive part of this game. There are some wonderfully catchy tunes to be heard during this boring adventure. You might just want to close your eyes and listen to the music instead of playing the game, I believe that would be much more enjoyable.
Conclusion:
Why this game had to get made is beyond me. It would have made much more sense to create a new version of Spyro's original Playstation which was actually FUN. Instead we get this half-assed Spyro that nobody will like. Not adults, not kids.
Avoid this game like the Bird Flu.
Apparently the original developers of the Spyro game were abducted and replaced with 1,000 chimpanzees at keyboards. Then they created Spyro: Shadow Legacy... Or at least I hope that was the case.
Straying from Spyro's roots, this game takes the shape of an isometric RPG with some platforming elements. Unfortunately they should have stuck to what made Spyro famous, as this game doesn't come close to living up to the fun level of the original.
Gameplay:
"Terrible" is a great word to describe the gameplay. "Blech" works too.
There's an isometric angle to the game and jump on various platforms, and breath fire. You go from place to place talking to various people.
The downfall in all of this is the sloppy programming resulting in choppy scrolling. Trying to get through the game is like getting a root canal while you are waiting to have your kidney stones removed.
Trying to attack enemies is an exercise in futility. You'll never know if your hits on enemies will register or miss completely. This sloppy gameplay sums up the entire game. Attacking through walls, getting hit through walls, you name it, it's here.
Graphics:
The graphics of Spyro aren't that bad. They are decently animated, and the background are nicely rendered. If the above problems didn't exist, this game might have been somewhat enjoyable. It's not a true 3D game that takes advantage of the power of the DS, which is strange because the original Spyro is a 3D platformer.
Why not just create a new version of that?
Audio:
The audio is another positive part of this game. There are some wonderfully catchy tunes to be heard during this boring adventure. You might just want to close your eyes and listen to the music instead of playing the game, I believe that would be much more enjoyable.
Conclusion:
Why this game had to get made is beyond me. It would have made much more sense to create a new version of Spyro's original Playstation which was actually FUN. Instead we get this half-assed Spyro that nobody will like. Not adults, not kids.
Avoid this game like the Bird Flu.