THE LEGEND OF SPYRO: DAWN OF THE DRAGON (2008) REVIEW

Might be the best of a pretty average trilogy.

PS2 and PS3 versions reviewed.

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is an action adventure game published by Activision and developed by Etranges Libellules for the Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS.

GAMEPLAY
Being able to fly is kind of cool, but not as cool as it sounds as most levels will restrict where and how you can fly. I'd even go as far to say that most levels could have worked without the flying, although flying certainly feels nicer than trying to move around on the ground in this game.

A lot of people like to complain about the chain keeping the two characters together, and while it can be annoying in some segments I thought they used the mechanic in a somewhat interesting way, making players have to swing around each other to complete certain objects, or even one hang in one location while the other comes in as a wrecking ball to smash a wall down, dare I say at times I actually found it quite fun.

The PS2 version had a few rare minor bugs, such as Spyro or Cynder getting stuck in something, or running along walls instead of grabbing vines.

Hit combos are a nice little addition, as well as finally being able to select levels and the addition of far more collectables including things like armour with different bonuses. Why Krome were so opposed to adding these in TEN I still don't know.

I also think it's worth mentioning how loose the combat feels, if anything it can feel a bit floaty and awkward at times. I wouldn't describe it as bad, or even unsatisfying as combos can feel good, but there's some element to it that just makes it feel a bit strange at times.

STORY
While the other two stories weren't anything spectacular they at lead managed to hold up, sadly Dawn of the Dragon's story is bit messy. There are plenty of plot holes and miss-consistencies, some of the things I can understand, changing developers meant some characters were going to look different and things like that are fine, but some things don't really makes sense (Cynder was a fire dragon in ANB yet is now instead a wind dragon, Spyro's lack of dragon time, just to name a few).

GRAPHICS

It looks fine on the PS2 but looks fantastic on the PS3, I'd go as far to say it's one of 2008's best looking games.

SOUND
It's ironic really, that so much money was probably spent on the voice actors in the game, when it's actually the music that stands out. I've said it twice already, and I'll say it yet again, Rebecca Kneubuhl and Gabriel Mann's score is fantastic. The whole trilogy sounds wonderful and if anyone can take any real positives out of this reboot then it's the fact we got to hear their brilliant efforts with the soundtrack. Guide You Home is one of my favourite pieces of music ever.

I've heard the opinion that the game could have been better if they spent more money on the actual development, and less on voice actors, and I think it's a really valid point. I mean sure, keep Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman's fine too, and it's a shame they didn't keep David Spade as Sparx, but did they really need to change Cynder's voice actor to a big name, did Hunter have to have a big one too? What's the point of getting Mark Hamill in only to distort his voice beyond recognition?(At 2:07 in this video you get to hear how amazing he sounded without distortion)

VALUE FOR MONEY

The story should take around 7 hours and probably an additional 3 to find all the collectables and things.

OVERALL
I'd say this is probably the best game in the trilogy, even if that perhaps isn't the biggest accolade. If you're up for an action or adventure game then this one might be worth a look, just don't expect anything too fantastic. If you have the option I'd definitely get the PS3 version over the PS2 as it looks better and seemingly has fewer bugs.