Spyro the Dragon (PS) Review

Well, I thought this week I'd go for something more classic. Until I get some more emulated games and play them for a while, I'm just going through my small collection of games. And since I own the Collector's Edition of the Spyro series, I thought Spyro the Dragon for the Playstation would be fun to review.

Summary:

Alright, so, Spyro is a pretty simple game to understand. Basically Spyro is THE smallest dragon in all the damn kindgom. (Seriously, everyone else is like five times his height. What the hell?!) Anyway, Gnasty Gnorc gets pissed at the dragons because they diss him, calling him ugly, and because he hates dragons in general. So, what's a badass guy like Gnasty do to them? Turns them to crystal statues. So epic. Big baddy like Gnasty turns the big bad dragons to SPARKLY CRYSTAL STATUES.

Anyway, Spyro is the only one not frozen so naturally he has to go save everyone and prove that he's all that to all the other big dragons.

Graphics: 6/10

Even for it's day and age, Spyro was a colorful game with interesting worlds to explore. However, in comparison to other Playstation games, the blocky colors in some areas have yet to be desired. It's mostly the water and the foggy areas that get me. They are SO clunky-looking compared to the rest of the scenery. (Then again, Spyro can swim, so it's best to avoid the ugly water/acid anyway.)

Gameplay: 8/10

To be honest, despite the fact that each world is practically just a re-hash of the one before it, it's pretty fun to play. The enemies are all unique to their own world, and they're very funny. Just the noises they make when you hit them is HILARIOUS. Otherwise, it's pretty much kill homeworld enemies, pick up gems/extras, then find portals. Rinse, lather, repeat. Kind of boring but it's still fun in my opinion.

Mechanics: 7/10

Spyro's controls are pretty simple. I'm sure a kid could pick this game up and play it no problem. However, sometimes it's a little picky. Sometimes when gliding, if you don't get the perfect amount of air, you won't make it and fall to your doom. And getting higher jumping (holding down the X button) sometimes doesn't want to work the way you want it. Other than that, it's not that bad.

Characters/Plot: 9/10

Spyro and his health meter--I mean dragonfly--Sparx aren't THE most interesting characters on the earth. Spyro's your typical spunky hero and Sparx is the typical quiet sidekick. (Unlike Navi from LoZ: OoT. Damn she never shuts up!) The other dragons sometimes have fun things to say, so that's somewhat of a plus.

On the other hand, the enemies are just funny, hilarious, and sometimes just quirky. Awkward noises when hit + weird looks +atmosphere of the world they belong to = laughing hysterically. My favorites are the bulls and their awkward grunt, the jesters in the DreamWeaver world and their 'D'oh!', and Toasty the first main boss you can fight. I mean, come on, he's a sheep on stilts diguised at a pumpkin reaper. Now THAT's inventive!

Difficulty: Easy

Yeah, Spyro is a pretty easy game. Any difficulty that comes from this game is either just overlooking something simple or making a dumb mistake. (I make those A LOT.)

Replay Value: 9/10

Kind of high, right? Well, even if it's a little on the simple side, trying to find all the dragons in some levels is a little hard. And even though I beat this game 100% in one day, I still like playing it. Just seeing all the awkward enemies and their funny noises is worth it.

Overall score: 7/10

Still a good game, even if it's a bit outdated now. It's a good classic for kids and a nostalgic trip down memory lane for older players.

Okami (PS2) Review

Alright, so I'm starting out with some games I've played recently and we'll go from there! Today, I was playing Okami for the PS2. I got this game for my birthday, I do believe and I haven't regretted it.

Review Breakdown:

Summary of the Story:
Okami is a game where you play as the goddess wolf, Okami Amaterasu. 100 years ago, Shiranui (the name the villagers called Ammy) and Nagi teamed up and defeated Orochi, the 8-headed serpant demon and sealed it away. In the present, someone foolishly unleashed Orochi and cause the entire land of Nippon to be plauged by his darkness once again. Sakuya, the tree spirit, does her best to protect the village of Kamiki until she revives Amaterasu from her statue form.

Now, Amaterasu must stop Orochi with the help of Issun, the wandering artist, and the power of the Celestial Brush powers.


Graphics: 7/10

While I do admire the Japanese art style used throughout the game--it really is special--often times, it makes for some difficulty. Often times, it's either too bright or too dark to see anything. But, the sophitication of cultural art with a hint of cartoony looks makes up for it. Plus, the artwork that you can unlocked for later viewing are simply GORGEOUS.

Gameplay: 8/10

This game flows quite well. In all honesty, you could probably blow through this game in less than a day. (I've done that several times without cheating.) However, all the extras you can go for provide fun challenges to go after. It requires some backtracking and some farming for money and Demon Fangs, but its something to do when the plot gets a little dull. Going after the 100 Stray Beads is definitely fun--and rewarding when you start a new game!

Mechanics: 6/10

The only reason this is lower is because I have a lot of trouble getting the camera to help me out. For the most part, it'll stay where I want it, but sometimes it'll wig out and give me awkward angles when I zoom in.

On the other hand, using the brush powers is easy to catch on to. Hold R1 to bring up the canvas and use Square or X, along with the left analog, to draw. And being able to adjust the camera while having the canvas up is SUPER helpful.

Characters/Plot: 10/10

Yes, perfect score. Why? Because for starters, the characters and unique and have interesting personalities. Susano, for example, is just funny yet weird. He comes in at those random times, and I just go, "*sigh* SUSANO..." then laugh. And Waka is mysterious yet somehow interesting. (My only question is: if this game is based off Japanese culture, why does Waka sometimes speak French? XD)

Then comes the plot. As you progress, you have to eventually defeat Orochi and save the village from utter destruction. But afterwards, you have a whole other section of the story to complete. Not only is main story concluded, but then it moves on to bigger, badder bosses and ultimately a conclusion as to why the monsters appeared. The ending is a little cheesy, but fulfilling.

Difficulty: Medium

It might take a while to get used to the mechanics of the game, but once it is mastered, the rest gets pretty easy. Rarely did I ever have to take a hit. Usually it was only when I rushed through things did I ever take damage. There is only maybe a small handful of extra hard challenges in the game, but they're mostly later on in the plot, or for extra powers/stray beads.

Replay Value: 8/10

It took me at least 6 complete playthroughs (five of them completed with all the stray beads) to even START getting bored with this game. After that sixth time however, I began to memorize where almost all the items were.

Overall Score: 9/10

It might be my eighth time playing through this game now, and I may know how to get pratically everything in the game, but I still love it. Okami is a great mix of Japanese culture and interactive gameplay. Making trees bloom, feeding animals and helping people is actually fun!

My advice: pick up this game. NOW. Great for girls and boys, and definitely recommened for people that enjoy everything Japan.

General Guidelines of Reviews

Alright! Let's get this started up!

This her blog, obviously, is dedicated to gaming and critiquing all aspects of certain games, ultimating giving it a final review.

First, I'll give the overall summary of the game, so you have a small clue what the game is about. Then I'll grade each of these scales:
(I'm going to go on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being horrible and 10 being "Holy shit, this is perfect!")


Graphics: How good are the graphics for this game (for older games, I'll go by how good they are for that old of a system.)

Gameplay: The meat and potatoes of the game. Of course this is important. How fun is the gameplay, how well does it progress, etc.

Mechanics: Yes, I'm putting a separate category for this. It's sort of a combination of difficulty and gameplay, but sometimes, it just needs to be stated.

Characters/Plot: Were the characters inventive or cliche? Was the plot somewhat interesting?

Difficulty: This is the only one I won't follow the scale for. Instead, it'll be Super Easy, Easy, Medium, Medium-Hard, Hard, or Impossible.

How hard did I find this game to play? Were the puzzles fun and challening or frustrating? how easy it would be for someone new to pick it up and play it?

Replay Value: Simple. Could I pick this game up again and still find it fun?

Overall score: My final verdict on the game being reviewed. The higher the score, the more I recommended getting the game.


Game systems I can use:

Gamecube
Wii (Limited)
Playstation 1 & 2
DS
Gameboy/ Gameboy Color
Gameboy Advance

If you have suggestions for games I should try, leave me a message. I can't gaurentee I'll get to them (or even find them), but I'll sure try!