Ripto's Rage has so much personality and top-notch features that make it a game that's just plain hard to not like.
Negative: - a couple levels really aren't too great – looking around doesn't work as well as it should -
Spyro the Dragon was a big success on Sony's PlayStation for many reasons: its excellent platforming gameplay, smooth controls, and tons of stuff to collect. Naturally, a sequel was released a year later: Ripto's Rage. This game further excelled areas that the first game already did well in and brought Spyro into a whole new world, both literally and figuratively. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage is a really great game that's fun, has a lot to collect, and is just plain hard to not like.
After saving the dragon world from certain doom in the first game, Spyro now has his mind set on taking a vacation in the sunny Dragon Shores. However, while he is in the portal on his way to his well-earned break, a professor in the world of Avalar intercepts him. He summoned a dragon to help because an evil guy named Ripto entered Avalar by chance a while back, and now he is bent on becoming the new emperor of the unfortunate realm. With the help of his big and stupid cronies, Crush and Gulp, he has been wreaking havoc in the land. It's now up to Spyro to stop him, as Ripto seemed to mention having a fear of dragons. And for good reason, because Spyro is now only more determined to get his vacation than before.
The story progresses throughout three huge worlds, each having somewhere between five and ten levels each. The levels are pretty big, and although it won't take much time or effort to simply reach the end of each one, there is a ton of stuff to do in each and every stage. Beating a level earns you the talisman of the realm, but there are also between two and four orbs and also 400 gems to collect in each level. The levels are designed in such a way that directly leads you to the talisman, but there are so many side attractions within each and every one that they're hard to ignore.
Gems are found everywhere: on the ground, on a ledge, inside stuff, you name it. Orbs, however, require accomplishing various tasks to obtain. You may be flying around a cave lighting lamps in one level or saving a prehistoric village from dinosaur hatchlings, but all these side quests earn you orbs.
Since there is so much to do in each level, the game can last you quite a while if you go for completion, although if you put in the effort it won't be incredibly difficult to do. It strikes a perfect balance in this area, making for a game that you actually WANT to complete at some point and is not extremely irritating along the way. The grand total for the game is 14 talismans, about 65 orbs, and 10,000 gems.
Visually, Spyro 2 isn't bad. The graphics are just a tad on the polygonal side, but they really look good for a game on the PlayStation. The sound is great too, the effects are quite nice and the music is pretty fitting. There is also, surprisingly, full voice acting for every piece of dialogue in the game, which is pretty cool but you'll probably end up skipping it to get on with the gameplay.
Spyro 2's controls are very smooth and work almost perfectly. Moving Spyro around feels almost flawless and incredibly smooth, and the button layout is very nice. The only issue here is using the triangle button to look around, it doesn't really work exactly as well as it should but it's not hard to figure out.
The game's three boss battles are surprisingly memorable. Hurling explosives at the massive Gulp and outsmarting the idiot Crush is always fun, but the best boss battle of the game is the epic, three-part brawl with Ripto at the end. The last part is especially fun, flying around with the super flame power up, blasting the crud out of Ripto's robot bird… good times, good times.
Overall, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage is one of the most worthwhile games of its generation. It has so much to it with great graphics and sound, loads of stuff to collect and tasks to accomplish, and it's just a game that's extremely hard to not like. If you want a game with lots to do and a great touch of personality, look no further than Spyro 2; even today it's a blast to play.
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Value: 9
FINAL SCORE: 8.8/10