Great Game for Those Looking for a Family Friendly Multiplayer
In our world full of games that have 90 different button combinations for one move, it was nice to sit back and play a simple game that didn't require too much of my brain power.
The difficulty of the game was nothing for anyone to fear. There were a few parts here and there where you may die and need to start back at a checkpoint, but overall you can watch the game unfold at a good pace.
There are two main game modes to Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon. The first is the main storyline. You will have to follow this method of play until you complete a level, at which time you can go back and play specific levels in order to gain treasures and defeat demi-bosses.
Now allow me to veer for a second and talk about the aforementioned demi-bosses. These suckers are hard! My wife and I were playing this game on multiplayer co-op and we could not defeat these masters of mayhem for anything! It seemed as though when you managed to land a few hits and take their life down a minuscule amount, they would come back at you with 1000X the force! A single hit from you and their life bar barely winces, but a hit from them and you're looking at 50% health if you're lucky! We finally managed to come back and take them down with some of the special powers we had received throughout the game. This makes for a good reason to replay levels at a later time, but it does little good to take them on as you go.
Now that I've digressed, allow me to return to the review and move on to the fun factor of the game. As I stated, I've only played this in co-op mode so I can't speak to the intelligence of the AI in one player. As a co-op game I think it was great fun. Especially if you have someone else who enjoys games such as this and is not short-tempered when working with others. I say this because throughout the game you are literally tethered to the other player by means explained in the game, so moving too far away from them is not an option. Find the right people and this game can make for a good time.
I would say that the replayability of this game is low. Once finished, there seems little reason to want to go back and do it all over again to simply find a small treasure or crystal that you had missed. I would definitely call this a one time through experience.
The depth of the world in this game seems infinite, but once you've been around the block a few times you realize how limited it truly is. The infinite feeling is achieved by vast landscapes and scenery that plays tricks on the mind to make the unsuspecting gamer think they can fly on forever.
The scenery and landscape of the game truly is magnificent and the graphics, although cartoony, is mesmerizing. There are beautiful scenes of forests and cities that seem to flow seamlessly into gameplay and are a treat for the eye.
The music was brilliant and seemed to fit the game well. For every scene and mood of the game there was a musical score to add to the feeling of the moment. At times you wouldn't notice the music in the background. Not because it was too quiet or uninteresting, but because it flowed so well with the scene and actions at hand.
The movie sequences in the game were well done and didn't interrupt gameplay or seem to drag on. A few well-placed videos here and there carried the storyline along and kept the show going.
This is a tough game to place on my personal rating system of "Buy, Rent, or Run" because I definitely can't call it a "Run", but deciding between the other two is a daunting task. If you want to take your time with someone for the multiplayer I would have to say "Buy". But if you have someone who has the dedication to sit down and get through this game in a timely manner then I would have to say, "Rent". Either way, this is a game I would recommend to those gamers out there wanting to take a step back from the complexity of many games and just enjoy some good ol' fashioned fun.