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The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon First Look

By Shaun McInnis, GameSpotPosted Apr 28, 2008 5:08 pm PT

Spyro has a new look to go alongside his arrival on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Sierra is now two-thirds of the way through its Legend of Spyro trilogy, but neither 2006's A New Beginning nor last year's The Eternal Night has done much to make this a saga worth remembering. Sierra will be aiming to end on a high note with Dawn of the Dragon, a game that we got to see in action on the Xbox 360 earlier this month.

Perhaps because we weren't able to grab a controller, our attention immediately fell on the impressive visual upgrade. Dawn of the Dragon marks Spyro's first appearance on the latest generation of consoles (the Wii notwithstanding). Visually, it looks as if new developer Etranges Libellules--a French studio whose name translates to "Strange Dragonfly"--is taking full advantage of the new hardware. The first level that we saw looked great; it's set in a fantasy landscape with vibrant pastels used to color the overlooking mountains and sunset. Another level depicted an underground catacomb with Spyro fighting a massive golem among pits of lava. The colors and effects here looked equally impressive, despite the disparity in settings. One more important visual detail is Spyro's slight transformation. He has grown up a bit and has left behind his familiar baby-dragon image.

One thing's for sure--Spryo Sure does look pretty on current-gen consoles.

The biggest addition to the gameplay is Cynder, a female dragon who trails you at all times. Cynder can be controlled by a second player in co-op mode on the fly, without the need to start a new file. We're told that she controls quite differently from Spyro, including different attacks and animations. Some of the ways Cynder is used include necessary teamwork in platforming segments, such as those times when Spyro can't make it across a gap on his own, or in a puzzle that requires two simultaneous inputs. Another new addition is grappling, as well as a combo system heavily inspired by the God of War series. You'll also notice a heavier emphasis on flying; Spyro can go a full 10 meters in the sky whenever he likes.

You'll be able to customize Spyro in a handful of ways. One is by directly upgrading his combat and platforming techniques. Another is through the armor system. You can unlock new bits of armor that not only change the look of the character, but also his attributes. When you're decked out in a complete suit of matching dragon armor, you'll earn an extra bonus.

Just like in previous games, Sierra has inked a number of celebrities to provide voice work for the game's characters. Cynder will be played by Christina Ricci, and other well-known voices on the roster include Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman, Wayne Brady, and Mark Hamill.

As we mentioned, the version that we saw running was for the Xbox 360, but Dawn of the Dragon will also be coming out on several other systems. Those include the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and DS. The release of The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is scheduled for later this year.

42 Comments

  • Gamezster

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 11:13 pm PT

    Spyro: Year of the Dragon was my favorite game as a kid... Used to play that with my sister all the time. Sadly she doesn't play games anymore.

    But if I get this, maybe she'll play with me.

    By the way, that picture is just gorgeous.

  • Vasot

    Posted Aug 7, 2008 3:47 am PT

    Looks cute
    Especially for the kids

  • mastertimx

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 1:06 am PT

    i wish insomniac still had the rights.... o well maybe one day they will go back to the tons of different worlds, and collecting gems ( and not just randomly like a hero's tail, but a specific amount per level like insomniac did with the first 3.) please o please make spyro the way he use to be. awesome! at least i have ratchet and clank. those haven't been screwed up.

  • Reincarnation91

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 9:50 pm PT

    Should be great fun, and with the improved graphics of the next gen console, it should be mind blowing!

  • lostboy85

    Posted Jul 27, 2008 1:36 pm PT

    The game looks beautiful, and seems to take a lot of influences from the PSone entries, which is great because Spyro is a platformer not an action game. Unfortunately the latest Spryro tittles has been a broken experience, so i'll have to wait and see how this one turns out. BTW Sierra... why does Spyro look like he has acne?

  • Jecko750

    Posted Jul 26, 2008 2:41 pm PT

    I had played most of the games in the series but I still feel...uneasy to where it might be headed. The gameplay was somewhat raw in the last two games but this seemed to be tweaked slightly. I don't think beating up things endlessly will be a good idea. Players could just use the same combo over and over again until it drops dead...and head over to beat another. I looking for how much interactivity and replay value this game will have so this better be good. Grappling? I would like to see a preview of that.

  • ThumbTwitcher

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 8:01 am PT

    I only played the first 2 for the original playstation and I beat part one a hand full of times and This new game looks like its going back to its platforming roots. I would like to see how this game turns out.

  • Evanrocknuma

    Posted Jun 26, 2008 3:11 pm PT

    AWESOME! I was just saying how I have been dying for them to come out with a new Spyro and here it is! I hope it doesn't stray too far from the whole formula of the Playstation originals but either way i'll definately be keeping my eye on this.

  • Dakuu

    Posted May 26, 2008 1:29 pm PT

    In all honesty the last 2 of the trilogy had there issues, but were still worth playing, if anything, to get a grasp on the story. With Dawn of the Dragon Spyro is stepping into the next gen, busting out some new tricks, and looken cooler than ever, I'm marking of the days on the calander until this masterpiece comes out. As for all the fans of the old school Spyro, i'm sure you'll either love it, or hate it, even if you haven't play'd the last 2 of the trilogy, you'll at the very least be in a star stuck daze of awe and wonder at how awesome Spyro and his friends will look.

  • uber1337ness

    Posted May 20, 2008 10:12 pm PT

    it looks amazing but I loved spyro when he looked all cartoony and fun, this game looks kinda dark for a spyro game he looks far too serious now. I'll pick it up most likely because i haven't played spyro in years. I did the same thing with crash when it came out like last year its good but it doesn't have that familiar feel to it and that spark the ps1 installments had

  • red-orc

    Posted May 20, 2008 1:01 am PT

    pretty pretty

  • plasmaeagle14

    Posted May 13, 2008 10:56 am PT

    Cool game,look forward to buying it!

  • otanikun

    Posted May 12, 2008 7:33 am PT

    He's not dead yet? After the myriad of bad Spyro games in recent memory, I'm a little hesitant to pick this one up when it's released.
    I used to be a fan of the original games for the PS One, but then PS2 came and changed publishers and developers and it fell into hell after that.

    Prove me wrong this time around Spyro!

  • kaizerkakai

    Posted May 7, 2008 9:03 am PT

    i hope this game breathe some life back into the series.

  • Lucario-kid

    Posted May 6, 2008 12:28 pm PT

    It looks fantastic!!!

  • gamersSvR08

    Posted May 6, 2008 3:25 am PT

    awesome i love spyro

  • woofie13

    Posted May 5, 2008 8:27 pm PT

    looks good visuals, I hope it plays like the old ones.

  • Vicky-dragon

    Posted May 5, 2008 3:24 pm PT

    i really love the graphics and the idea that spyro will become even more stronger troughout the game. id say ill get this on the ps3, my brother might play 2 player, but i dunno

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