Is Spyro the Dragon on PS1 Worth it?

LytaneVS · Feb 16, 2017 4:42 PM

Hey Guys!

When I was growing up I played a lot of Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, Oddworld and Spyro that they have become nostalgic gems in my mind. Recently however I played through the original Spyro game, the one that started them all, and had to take my Nostalgia goggles off. This game wasn't as good as I remembered it. I think that is in part because I was thinking about the sequels but I remember this game being more challenging and cryptic but going back this is not the case.

I still think this is a cool game but is it worth going back to play it? I did a full review of the game here if you want to check it out:

I think what really gets me the most are the boss fights and how bad they are, all of them uninventive, easy and not memorable. Hell even the last boss of the game Gnasty Gnorc only takes 2 hits when everyone else took 3!!!

Tell me what you thought about the first game, I'm curious to know.

Nobololol · Feb 16, 2017 5:06 PM

Well the first game is the weakest of the trilogy in my opinion. The controls weren't as good as in Spyro 2 and 3 (for example charging and turning at the same time felt sloppy idk how to explain). Also the boss fights were quite boring in Spyro 1. But I still like the level designs and how the game looks.

Would I play this game nowadays? I actually did play it but didn't go past Peace Keepers world though. But I'd say it's still worth it for the nostalgia and if you're a fan of Spyro and haven't played it.

supercoupe91 · Feb 16, 2017 6:30 PM

Well this is my favorite game of all time so I'm going to be biased lol. I personally think the game holds up quite well for being 19 years old. The gameplay is quite simple and straightforward which I like. I don't mind the lack of special missions since the level design is good enough to keep me interested alone. The controls aren't quite as tight as the sequels but are still very good. The game just has a certain charm to it that the sequels don't match. Maybe its due to it taking place in the dragon worlds and its medieval theme. I also think the soundtrack is excellent and easily trumps the sequels. I agree the bosses are very weak but I like the fact that they each get their own level to play through. I will admit that Spyro 2 is a better game though but this one is still my favorite and equally as good as Spyro 3.

Attackfrog277 · Feb 16, 2017 10:10 PM

Good review. I of course would be inclined to disagree as I found Spyro 3 to be the weakest of the trilogy. I've encountered worse cameras from newer 3rd person games, and boss battles have never really been remarkable in 3D collectathon platformers, though Metalhead was actually fairly difficult even on repeated playthroughs. Spyro the Dragon, I feel perfected alot of what other 3D platformers of the time didn't. The controls were tight (you can hit the square button at the end of a glide to get extra boost almost like the flutter ability in the sequels), levels were inventative and well designed, music was memorable, catchy and most importantly atmospheric, characters and story were entertaining if merely serving as a framing device and the sense of accomplishment when you beat a world or a level is unmatched, especially when gems are difficult to find (mainly on first playthrough). I personally never grew up with this game only first playing it a couple years back but I really have to hand it to Insomniac. They were ahead of their time and made of the best aged platformers of the 5th gen.

Last edited by Attackfrog277 (Feb 16, 2017 10:14 PM)

EricChristianOlsenFanatic · Feb 17, 2017 2:31 AM

I love Spyro 1 and I'm very glad I own it.

LytaneVS · Feb 18, 2017 12:18 PM

Nobololol wrote:

Well the first game is the weakest of the trilogy in my opinion. The controls weren't as good as in Spyro 2 and 3 (for example charging and turning at the same time felt sloppy idk how to explain). Also the boss fights were quite boring in Spyro 1. But I still like the level designs and how the game looks.
Would I play this game nowadays? I actually did play it but didn't go past Peace Keepers world though. But I'd say it's still worth it for the nostalgia and if you're a fan of Spyro and haven't played it.

I know what you mean. Playing through the game again and fighting with the camera to run really quickly is pretty annoying. The bosses are just forgetable but you are right, the level designs are all unique and pretty memorable.

supercoupe91 wrote:

Well this is my favorite game of all time so I'm going to be biased lol. I personally think the game holds up quite well for being 19 years old. The gameplay is quite simple and straightforward which I like. I don't mind the lack of special missions since the level design is good enough to keep me interested alone. The controls aren't quite as tight as the sequels but are still very good. The game just has a certain charm to it that the sequels don't match. Maybe its due to it taking place in the dragon worlds and its medieval theme. I also think the soundtrack is excellent and easily trumps the sequels. I agree the bosses are very weak but I like the fact that they each get their own level to play through. I will admit that Spyro 2 is a better game though but this one is still my favorite and equally as good as Spyro 3.

Really Spyro 1 is your favourite? Usually, like me, people say 2 or 3 is the best. The level design is good but after you 100% a level there is never a reason to go back which is a shame. You might be right about the music. I can't remember a single track from 2 or 3 besides 2's theme song. I think the range of characters in the sequels are the reason why I like them more.

Attackfrog277 wrote:

Good review. I of course would be inclined to disagree as I found Spyro 3 to be the weakest of the trilogy. I've encountered worse cameras from newer 3rd person games, and boss battles have never really been remarkable in 3D collectathon platformers, though Metalhead was actually fairly difficult even on repeated playthroughs. Spyro the Dragon, I feel perfected alot of what other 3D platformers of the time didn't. The controls were tight (you can hit the square button at the end of a glide to get extra boost almost like the flutter ability in the sequels), levels were inventative and well designed, music was memorable, catchy and most importantly atmospheric, characters and story were entertaining if merely serving as a framing device and the sense of accomplishment when you beat a world or a level is unmatched, especially when gems are difficult to find (mainly on first playthrough). I personally never grew up with this game only first playing it a couple years back but I really have to hand it to Insomniac. They were ahead of their time and made of the best aged platformers of the 5th gen.

I replied more in depth on the YouTube comment you made but as a quick reply it does hold it's own against other games of this type and the only reason why I wouldn't really recommend it is because I enjoy the two sequels more. The game does have a bad camera, bad bosses and little replayability. It does have good level design, characters and story but as do the sequels.

Paranoia · Feb 18, 2017 3:34 PM

Pretty much agree with everything supercoupe91 said. It's still one of my favorite games of all time and my favorite of the series. I just enjoy the music and atmosphere of Spyro 1 the best, despite it probably being technically the weakest.

Bosses were never the focus of the game, it was just about well-designed and inventive levels, which this game had in spades. I pretty much play it at least once a year and still enjoy it every time.

Welcome to the forum, btw smile

Flapjacks · Feb 18, 2017 7:41 PM

Spyro 1 seems like a direct downgrade from the other two, but I would describe it as just being more focused. Spyro 1, you can tell they put a lot of thought into the levels, and wanted each one to be unique. Spyro 2 and 3 had great levels, too, but I feel like none of them are quite as iconic as the ones from Spyro 1. Spyro 1 had a lot of nice gameplay setpieces for you to mess with, and it was interesting to find all of the stuff in each level (except haunted towers i hate haunted towers)

supercoupe91 · Feb 19, 2017 9:13 AM

Paranoia wrote:

Pretty much agree with everything supercoupe91 said. It's still one of my favorite games of all time and my favorite of the series. I just enjoy the music and atmosphere of Spyro 1 the best, despite it probably being technically the weakest.
Bosses were never the focus of the game, it was just about well-designed and inventive levels, which this game had in spades. I pretty much play it at least once a year and still enjoy it every time.
Welcome to the forum, btw

Thank you. I think it also helps that I don't have a lot of the issues that others do with this game. I've never encountered any problems with the camera and actually wish other cameras in 3D platformers controlled as well. I have been playing Banjo Kazooie and Super Mario 64 again and good lord those cameras are a pain! I also don't understand the issues with Spyro's gliding ability and how the hover mechanic was supposedly added to fix it. The glides in Spyro 1 are designed with his gliding ability in mind and the sequels are designed with the hover in mind. You can 100% Spyro 1 without the hover, you can't in 2 and 3.

Last edited by supercoupe91 (Feb 22, 2017 8:45 AM)

Paranoia · Feb 21, 2017 3:46 AM

Lol you seem to echo all of my thoughts on this topic. I never had camera issues either, especially compared to the other N64 platformers of the era like you said. Mario 64 was horrendous for me because I was so used to the camera from Spyro. I really do like when the songs in a game iterate off of a main theme like Spyro 1 does too (though I forget the word for this). Super Mario Sunshine did this as well with the tropical Delfino Plaza tune across different levels, which I thought was great.

I can definitely appreciate the updates the later games made in character development and movement though. I liked the jumpcharge in the later games in particular since it let you keep your charge momentum before gliding. And hovering led to some more interesting versatility.

Despite that, when I go and play the games again, I enjoy the first game the most for its originality, design, and music. Like Flapjacks said, every level felt very iconic. All 3 games are great of course, I just appreciate 1 the most

Last edited by Paranoia (Feb 21, 2017 4:06 AM)

LytaneVS · Mar 03, 2017 12:04 AM

I am really surprised that you Supercoupe91 and you Paranoia never had any issues with the camera. Haunted Towers is a great example of fighting the camera when you are trying to do the charge run to get to the secret island or Dark Passage with it's many enemies that are off screen but still manage to get in and hit you with either their projectile or when they rush at you. I agree though that the camera in Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie is a little hard to control and you have to fight with it as well and they haven't aged as well as they should. But in those games you do have more control over the camera which is good, being able to turn it and to zoom in and out.

Also Supercoupe91 I know that all of the intended glides in Spyro 1 can be made without the flutter because they are designed that way but there is little room for error in a lot of those jumps. If you don't get the right height or the right speed you will miss that platform by a few pixels and thus will fall to most likely your death. In Jaques level there is a small platform that you have to glide to over the lava that is so hard to hit. Having that flutter is a saving grace so if you didn't take the glide 100% perfect you can save yourself from death. It is something I really wish was in Spyro 1.

And I mostly agree that Spyro 1 had more memorable levels, Spyro 2 had more memorable characters.

EricChristianOlsenFanatic · Mar 03, 2017 2:54 AM

Spyro 1 and 2 are both fantastic games.

Attackfrog277 · Mar 25, 2017 7:27 PM

LytaneVS wrote:

Also Supercoupe91 I know that all of the intended glides in Spyro 1 can be made without the flutter because they are designed that way but there is little room for error in a lot of those jumps. If you don't get the right height or the right speed you will miss that platform by a few pixels and thus will fall to most likely your death. In Jaques level there is a small platform that you have to glide to over the lava that is so hard to hit. Having that flutter is a saving grace so if you didn't take the glide 100% perfect you can save yourself from death. It is something I really wish was in Spyro 1.

I can see how the flutter option in the sequels is more intuitive, but I've never missed a jump in Spyro 1. Even playing on a phone with touch screen controls, I can usually land on platforms no problem thanks to the charge attack at the end of the glide.

I also never really had issues with the camera either. Other when when I make a glide and the camera stays pointing in the wrong direction, the camera does what I want 80% of the time. I dunno, that's just my experience.

Last edited by Attackfrog277 (Mar 25, 2017 7:30 PM)

PossessedStatue · Apr 03, 2017 11:21 AM

Always worth it. Modern games don't hold a candle to these... or anything else for that matter.

#1 Feb 16, 2017 4:42 PM

Is Spyro the Dragon on PS1 Worth it?

#2 Feb 16, 2017 5:06 PM

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