Spyro (2): Ripto's Rage!

Review

by Cal Nguyen

That feisty, lovable purple dragon, Spyro, should be a household name by now, at least among PlayStation owners. It's going to take more than sheer fire breath to shake off the 100-plus new characters and boss rounds in more than thirty 3D worlds that Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! offers. The advent of Spyro's popularity soared when the voice of the Taco Bell Chihuahua, Carlos Alazraqui, was set to do the voice of Spyro and hundreds of other characters in the game. The game is almost exactly the same in terms of its 3D engine and premise, while introducing newer elements just as the Tomb Raider series did with its sequels. Although the game is very easy to beat (like the first one), it's still quite a fun task for anyone to experience.

The old moves in Spyro 2 are retained here, however there are new ones that Spyro has to learn in order to use, such as climbing and high-speed underwater swimming. In the original, Spyro died whenever he fell into a body of water; not this time! He can now swim with the fishes and hunt for treasures. Some of the other moves that are considered new but aren't exactly different -- they're more like new definitions for old moves: Powerflame, Supershot, Superfly, Superfreeze, Headbash, and Hover Gliding. And there are some nice additions that allow you to play hockey, ride a shark sub, and even go target shooting! Although there appears to be many of the same elements, there are differences; the story being one of them.

The worlds of Avalar have been shaken up by a dinosaur-riding troublemaker named Ripto who has been using magical spells to wreck havoc against Avalar's people. Statues come to life and turn against their makers; monsters mess up all electrical systems; Eskimos are turned into ice cubes, and fish lose their water! It's up to Spyro and Sparx the Dragonfly to defeat Ripto and his gang. With the help of the Professor's magical Orbs, Spyro and Sparx must navigate through the portal to Avalar, do their job, and get back safely to their own world at Dragon Shores. Otherwise there won't be any beach vacation for our heroes!

Strangely enough, not all of the voiceovers match the text that displays across the screen when these characters speak. For instance, one of them says the word "kill" when the text shows the word "torch" (as in the verb) -- not too family-friendly, you might say! On that note, the voice acting is superbly done, even better than before. And you'll be listening to at least three times the amount of voiceovers this time. All of the characters seem real and Spyro is voiced by comedian Tom Kenny. He sounds more like what a little purple dragon would sound like. The only problem lies in the beginning cut scene intro where there seems to be an audio glitch of some sort. Whenever the characters speak, there is a popping sound as well as low volume from some of the characters.

Other than that, the sound is about the same quality as before, which is good but not exactly improved. Effects are actually less used in this version. For example, the running stream of water does not play for some reason. The music on the other hand is more dramatic and composed very well. Being that there are more cut scenes in this game, there is more room for various music instead of the usual lighthearted theme that plays throughout gameplay.

Visually, the graphics are exactly the same as the first game except that the resolution or texture quality has been bumped down in what appears to be an effort to increase the frame rate and speed of the game. Although Spyro himself is the best-looking character in the game, everyone else looks a bit blocky for some reason. However, the animation is smooth and fluid, possibly more so this time. There are even special effects such as transparencies and more particle effects. Also, there is a new map display that tracks Spyro's position, and can help you locate Talismans (for gaining magical powers) and Orbs. An icon on the screen will flash as a reminder to pick these items up. The map is a good feature but looks horrible because you can't really tell where you are, and thus should probably be disabled!

The controls have also not changed but with the new moves, like underwater swimming, the interactive elements tie in with Spyro's goals and the entire plot of Spyro 2. It is required of him to learn these moves, which aren't hard to master, when Moneybags instructs him on how to perform them. Once again the analog controls allow the user complete freedom of movement and a softer touch for a more lasting and enjoyable experience. As well, vibration function makes it all the more realistic; however, it seems to have less feedback this time around.

The Guidebook is a new feature that allows you to keep track of your status, including how many Orbs, Talismans and Gems you've collected. It even keeps a record of all the tasks you need to perform in each realm, as well as how many lives you have remaining, enemies defeated, and the maximum number of each item in that realm. There is a neat shrinking effect that scales the entire screen down to a small window whenever you access this feature!

With plenty more of the same in addition to more tasks and features, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! appears to keep the similar interface and game engine of Spyro the Dragon but introduces more robust options, interactivity, and even more cut scenes to keep gamers happy. Fans of the original will be excited while some of the casual action-adventure players will either be semi-bored or glad to experience Spyro at his best. Whatever the case, it's still an improved game overall that maintains a working formula rather than reinventing the series like Tomb Raider did with its treading sequels.