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Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon features surprising graphics, voice talent
Click for high-resolution image. Gamers of the PS1 era might remember Spyro rather fondly in their hearts. The original titles were developed by Insomniac (Ratchet & Clank series, Insomniac) and they featured some impressive visuals, animation and voice acting for its time. Since then, Spyro was picked up by a few other developers and faded into obscurity.Well, could the fire-breathing dragon be making a comeback? We were surprised (we still are) by the startling transformation the series is experiencing with its upcoming PS3/360 game. Like many, we didn't know that Dawn of the Dragon is the end of a trilogy. Who knew that this supposed children's series could look so inspired?The production values extend to far beyond the visuals. Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman, Cristina Ricci, Blair Underwood, Mark Hamill, and Wayne Brady all have voice roles in the upcoming game. With such star power, and incredible visuals, it seems like Spyro is ready to return to its PS1-era glory. Let's hope Dawn of the Dragon can make Insomniac Games proud when it releases later this year.%Gallery-21781%
No GBA version planned for Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Despite its fanboy following and favorable reviews from critics, the GBA adaptation for The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night will not see a follow-up on single-screen portable, according to Sierra's 2008 Spring Event held over the weekend.Interestingly, of all the platforms The Eternal Night released on (PS2/Wii/DS/GBA), the GBA version, a 2D platformer/brawler some described as Devil May Cry meets Astro Boy: Omega Factor, has the highest average review score by a large margin. Quality doesn't equal quantity sold, however, especially on a dying console, and we're not surprised that Sierra opted to not complete its The Legend of Spyro trilogy on the GBA.Dawn of the Dragon for the DS is scheduled to ship in fall 2008. Based on the screenshots released so far, it looks to be another 3D action platformer with occasional sidescrolling stages. Mark Hamill will reportedly lend his voice to one of the game's characters, and Elijah Wood will return to voice Spyro. Christina Ricci will take over Mae Whitman's role as Cynder. We can imagine her disbelief over the replacement : "Her?"For reference, we gave the DS version of The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night a 5.0/10 in our review (GBA version: 9.5).
Joystiq impressions: The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (360/PS3/PS2/Wii/DS)
Few games appeal to adults and kids, but The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon could please both audiences. The younger group gets its beloved purple dragon and familiar platforming. The older crowd will like the depth in gameplay; among other changes, Spyro can now fly at any time.After recently seeing a demo of the game, I was most impressed by its style and art; adults will find a lot of nuance here, too. Spyro mixes a lot of brightness and darkness in its style, reminding me of Fantasia or other old-guard Disney animations. Grasses leaned back as the wind raked over them, in a saccharine outdoor scene. But in another moment, sharp, muted stones matched the danger from an attacking monster.Due in Fall, 2008 for 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, and DS, Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon could even interest players who know nothing of the character.%Gallery-21639%
The best and worst (that we've reviewed)
2007 is almost over, and the end of the year brings joyous tidings of List Season. It's the time for taking stock of the last 12 months of gaming, and trying to make sense of it by putting things in numerical order. Join DS Fanboy for our best-ofs, worst-ofs, and other categories-ofs.We cranked up our review quotient in 2007 (and hope to do even more in 2008!), but we still can't review everything that comes out, to our chagrin. We wouldn't have time for anything else! However, we did try to hit a wide variety of titles this year, from the biggies like Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and Phantom Hourglass, to some smaller titles, like WordJong and Duck Amuck. We even worked to review some more off-the-wall things, like the Nintendo Fan Network at Safeco Field -- you know, in case you happened to find yourself in the Northwest with a hankering for a day of DS and baseball.
DS Fanswag: End of the Year Blowout!
It's been a good year, but sadly, like all those other years, it must come to an end. Before we roll out the red carpet for 2008, however, we wanted to give 2007 the send-off it deserves -- and what better way to do that than by offering up huge prize packs for our loyal readers? All you have to do is leave a comment on this very post telling us which DS model(s) you own, between now and December 26. The giveaway closes that night at 11:59 p.m. EST, and we'll announce the winners, chosen in a random drawing, on December 27. You may only enter once per day, and as usual, entries are limited to legal U.S. residents age 18 and older. Please check the official rules for any other questions.But enough of the details -- let's get to the prize packages!DS Fanboy's End of Year Fanswag BlowoutGrand Prize Limited Edition Gold DS Lite + The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (bundle) ($149.99) Nintendo DS headset ($9.99) Custom Robo ($29.99) Dementium ($29.99) Drawn to Life ($29.99) Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game ($19.99) John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland ($29.99) Mega Man ZX ($29.99) Pokémon Diamond ($34.99) The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA) ($19.99) Geometry Wars: Galaxies swag Dementium skin Pokémon Diamond stylus Cruise on past the break to see the rest of the prizes!
Gifts for us (or people like us)
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. Of course we recommend buying DS games and accessories for everyone on your shopping list -- whether they want them or not. But, ironically, the hardest people to give the gift of DS are the people who love the DS the most -- people who live the DS. In a word, us. Game bloggers. Well, not us specifically, but people like us who are far too enthusiastic about the Nintendo DS. We're so nuts about the DS that we devote most of our lives to talking about it. We know pretty much everything out there, and we spend entirely too much time building our collections. We're emblematic of exactly the kind of brutally insane people for whom it's nearly impossible to shop. That's why we've put together this handy guide to the kind of stuff we would love, but wouldn't necessarily think to buy ourselves. Not because we want you to buy gifts for us, although we certainly won't stop you if you think we deserve a little token of appreciation. See what we did there? We've given you the gift of an obvious opening through which to insult us! 'Tis the season!
DS Fanswag: Give thanks with this three-pack!
What with the holiday this week, it seemed fitting to show a little gratitude to you -- yes, you, over there, in the back -- by offering up a pack of games for the grabbing. One lucky DS Fanboy reader can take home Crash of the Titans ($29.99) and The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night ($29.99) for the DS, as well as our beloved GBA version of The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night ($19.99), for you to cherish (and compare to the DS title). In order to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post about giving thanks between now and next Monday, the 26th of November. The contest will end that day at 11:59 PM EST, so get cracking! You can only enter once per day, and as usual, the contest is limited to U.S. citizens over the age of 18. We'll announce the winner on Tuesday, November 27 -- and it could be you!Don't forget to check out the official rules if you have questions.
DS Fanboy Review: The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA)
Considering that the game has been on shelves for a bit now, you'll have to excuse us how long it took to find time to get our hands on what could very well be the last great GBA game. And, you know what? Based on our findings, this is the last great GBA game. Well, probably the last great GBA game we'll ever get to play.
Fanswag: And the Eternal Night winner is ...
Well, another week has come to a close and so has another giveaway. The winner of this will, as you already know, receive our review copy of The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night and some goodies from the fine folks over at RedBeard. It's a fairly sweet prize pack that will bring happiness to the winner, we hope. And, let' get to choosing one!Our winner, chosen at random, is: Diana Lindeman, who said she wanted to win because "A new game means new ideas and fun." Well, we couldn't agree more, Diana! Congratulations on your win and thanks to the rest of you for entering! Better luck next time!
Wii Fanswag: Eternal Night and more RedBeard goodies
Following our review of The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, we must do what any responsible blogging outfit should do: give it away. We may not have given it the best review score imaginable, but we know that there are Spyro junkies out there who would love to give the game a try. If you don't like it, sell it or trade it for something else. To sweeten the deal, the fine folks at RedBeard have provided us with the Wiimote and nunchuk skin, along with the classic controller skin, you see above.So, what must you do before you can get your hands on all of this? Well, first off you need to be 18 years of age and a legal resident of the United States. Second, you need to leave a comment before 11:59PM EST on Thursday, November 8th, telling us why you think you deserve this prize pack. And third, you need to sit back and wait to see if you won. We'll select a winner (by random, of course) come Friday, November 9th. Before entering, you'll have to be sure to read the rules, however.Just to make things clear: One grand prize winner will receive The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night ($50), one RedBeard Wiimote and nunchuk skin ($10) and one classic controller skin ($10). Best of luck to all of you and thanks for reading Wii Fanboy!
Retro Reviews round-up: Spyro & Twisted Metal
PSP Fanboy has been reviewing all of the PS1 re-releases from the PS Store. They recently added three more games, all of which are playable (upscaled!) on the PS3. Here are a few excerpts, but to check them all out, visit PSP Fanboy.Wipeout - Ultimately, the game's true shortcoming is well ... how short it is. With so few tracks and ships to choose from, one can't help but think that $6 is the absolute most you should pay for this trip down memory lane. A solid game -- but there's far better options. 6.5Spyro the Dragon - With frequent save points, fast load times, and generally solid gameplay, Insomniac's early platformer still manages to impress. The gameplay is admittedly on the simplistic side, but there is no doubt that nearly a decade ago, Insomniac was pushing some truly impressive tech. The graphics are silky smooth, and the Sypro character lives with animation akin to that of the Ratchet series. The game looks as good as an average PSP game (albeit running in 4:3). 7.5Twisted Metal 2 - There's a reason why Twisted Metal was so beloved: it had a lot of personality, with its apocalyptic levels and crazed vehicle designs. The relentless difficulty of the game and simplistic presentation take a lot away from this re-release, but at $6, it's still a fairly solid retread to invest in, especially for portable gamers. 6.0
Retro Review: Spyro the Dragon
Spyro the DragonPrice: $5.99Original Release Date: September 10, 1998Recommended. Of all the retro re-releases on the PS Store so far, this is the most ideally suited for the PSP. With frequent save points, fast load times, and generally solid gameplay, Insomniac's early platformer still manages to impress. The gameplay is admittedly on the simplistic side, but there is no doubt that nearly a decade ago, Insomniac was pushing some truly impressive tech. The graphics are silky smooth, and the Sypro character lives with animation akin to that of the Ratchet series. The game looks as good as an average PSP game (albeit running in 4:3).Make sure you switch to control type 4 on the PSP. You'll be surprised at how well Spyro can be controlled. Platforming is a breeze, and the camera (controlled by the D-Pad) works surprisingly well (provided you switch to the Active camera system). Gliding and shooting flames comes with such ease that navigating the expansive colorful worlds is quite charming. Don't expect the game to get difficult, though. This is clearly a children's game, and the platforming (and especially combat) rarely test the player's mettle.Save points do come every five minutes making it the ideal PSP game to download. At $6, this is a fantastic value for a classic. Fans of Insomniac's other games will do well in picking up this piece of PlayStation history.Retro Review: 7.5
DS Fanboy Review: The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Earlier this month, we took a look at Amaze Entertainment's take on Crash of the Titans, and were pleasantly surprised to find an excellent, old-school style entry into the series. So now, with Spyro the Dragon, it seemed reasonable to expect something truly special, particularly considering the wondrous job they've done with the GBA title.Unfortunately, what should be just ain't. Not this time. While Spyro: The Eternal Night for the DS has its moments, overall, the game is blandly disappointing and has some real problems that prevent it from feeling nearly as polished as the studio's other recent developmental efforts.
Wii Fanboy Review: The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
I'm going to be honest with you: this is the first Spyro game I've actually completed. I remember playing a friend's copy of the original Spyro back on the original Playstation in bits and pieces, here and there, but never sitting down to actually play through the entire title. Platformers were never my favorite genre, so at a time where my age limited my game selection (developers didn't want to send me copies for review when I was a teenager, sadly), I often overlooked titles that were considered good or great by the mainstream.And, based on what I've read and heard of past Spyro games, I can confidently say that The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night fails to fill the shoes left by its predecessors.
Purple dragon meets silver screen for Spyro movie
While playing The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, all we could think was, "What would Spyro look like if he was 100,000 times bigger?" Okay, so the thought never actually crossed our minds. We only wish we could say the same for everyone else.The Animation Picture Company apparently decided to option the rights to the Spyro franchise, allowing them to bring the purple guy to the big screen. The company plans to make a 3-D computer animation feature of the game, written by the guys who scripted Dr. Dolittle 4: First Dog. To that, we say ... there was a Dr. Dolittle 4?!? Adding further credit to the "stay the hell away from this movie" argument, APC is also responsible for subjecting us to bringing us Garfield Get's Real and Garfield's Fun Fest.Movies and video games generally don't mix well. Unfortunately, we don't see Spyro's foray into Hollywood ending up differently.
DS Fanboy interviews The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night's Sean Epperson
With the holiday season and its big-ticket games approaching like a bullet train, threatening to deafen all with its passing roar, we're not surprised that most people haven't thought to pick up The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. The GBA version of the multiplatform release, in particular, received very little promotion or attention when it hit stores two weeks ago.It really is a shame, as, barring any surprise localizations for Rhythm Tengoku or Mother 3, The Eternal Night could be the last great GBA game. Available at GameStop for only $15 (with Wendy's $5-off coupon), there's no excuse for any fan of polished action platformers to pass on this title. Some are calling its combat system a 2D interpretation of Devil May Cry; as you'll see in the trailer past the break, that comparison hasn't been made in jest.We sat down with Amaze Entertainment's Sean Epperson, The Eternal Night's producer, to talk about why the game shouldn't be left ignored. Read on to learn more about this GBA gem and its features.
Spyro heats up Wendy's Kids' Meals
Get it? He breathes fire-- and fire makes things hot! Now that Spyro: The Eternal Night on the Game Boy Advance (and on DS too) has us caring about the little purple dragon for the first time since ... ever, we find ourselves vaguely interested in these Wendy's Kids' Meal toys. Plus if we went looking for them, we could go eat deliciously unhealthy fast food and pretend it was Important Work. And we'd get a $5 coupon good for any version of the new Spyro game! This isn't the first excuse we've had to go to Wendy's in the name of Nintendology, either.You have your choice of a maze game, a spinning Sparx copter, a flapping Spyro, a checkers game, and ... a keychain. Nothing's more fun for kids than organizing keys! [Via Joystiq]
WRUP: Gee, we wonder what you're playing edition
Let's think of a release that most of you are probably knee-deep in? Tough one, right? Well, we're fairly confident that it's none other than ... The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. Yup, out of the long list of games that released, we're absolutely certain that's the game you're playing. If we had to bet body parts on it, we would be rich in organs.So, tell us of your adventures with Spyro and how much fun you're having with it. Because, you are. That's what you're playing. We know it is.
DS releases for the week of October 1st
Hmm ... isn't there something spectacular hitting this week? Maybe we're thinking of another week ... no, it must be Holly Hobbie & Friends, right? You know you want it!Seriously, folks, DS fans have loads to be pleased about this week. Not only are we getting what may end up being our game of the year, but there are tons of other options if you happen to not be a Zelda fan (gasp!) or if you want to pick up a second or third title. What's on your shopping list? Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol Crash of the Titans Holly Hobbie & Friends Kurupoto Cool Cool Stars The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Master Jin Jin's IQ Challenge Spider-Man: Friend or Foe For the releases in other major markets, sail past the break. Importers especially take note: Mistwalker's Archaic Sealed Heat debuts this week in Japan.
Preorder Spyro for the GBA or we'll make fun of your mom
You already know from our video spotlight last month that Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night for the GBA is the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas, and the dog's bollocks, all wrapped into one game -- making it some sort of strange hybrid of insect joints, sleepwear, and gonads. Wow, that's really grotesque when you think about it.Never mind all that. In fact, erase every one of those images from your memory. The only thoughts you need to have in your head right now are that the upcoming Spyro 2D platformer/beat-em-up looks fantastic and that Amazon has listed preorders for it at $19.99, likely reflecting a budget price that other retailers will soon recognize as well. Don't even bother showing your face around here after October 2nd, the GBA title's release date, if you don't have a copy of the game in hand. That is, unless you want your mother's private matters brought to public light.
