The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night

I found myself surprised to enjoy The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night and found it to be a fun title. It may be classified as a platformer but that is not an accurate description. This is definitely an action oriented title which also happens to feature a sizeable amount of platform hopping. If you can get past the hiccups and slight annoyances, you’ll find a game that is fun to play.

Auch wenn The Legend of Spyro - The Eternal Night das Rad nicht neu erfindet, können Fans des kleinen Drachen und Liebhaber von Action-Adventures einen Blick riskieren. Besonders die Kämpfe machen sehr viel Spaß und sind dank der besonderen Fähigkeiten von Spyro sehr spannend und fordernd – Für Einsteiger vielleicht etwas zu fordernd. Ansonsten gibt es bei Spyro - The Eternal Night nicht viel zu kritisieren. Die Mischung aus Sprungeinlagen, kleinen Rätseln und Kämpfen weiß zu überzeugen und auch die spannende Story motiviert zum Weiterspielen. Lediglich die Grafik hätte besser sein können, wohingegen der Sound, insbesondere die Sprachausgabe, einiges wieder gut macht.

Uudet, erikoiset, yllättävät ja mieltä kutkuttavat yksityiskohdat ja kohtaukset, joissa perinteikkäistä kikoista on saatu rakennetuksi jotain tuoretta ja fiksua voi laskea yhden käden sormin: taitaa niitä yksi olla, jos sitäkään. Kun b-luokan pelisarja on laskutavasta riippuen noin kymmenenteen osaansa ehtinyt, ei ihmeitä tosin tule odottaneeksikaan. The Eternal Night on varsin viihdyttävä peli viimeisiään vetelevälle konsolille. Suoranainen palvelus se on tietylle vähemmistölle: Spyron parissa lapsuutensa viettäneet, haasteita rakastavat hardcore-xXx-tasohyppelijät, joilla ei ole varaa Tools of Destructionia tai Super Mario Galaxya pyörittäviin konsoleihin, ovat varmasti aivan jouluissaan.

Overall I became quite fond of the violet dude, probably more appealing to the younger audiences but nevertheless fans of the series should not be disappointed.

In the end, I'm happy to see the Spyro games finally getting a shot in the arm. It would have been a shame to let such a whimsical license die off, and in that sense, I think Sierra and Krome (the developer) have done a good thing with The Eternal Night. In the end, it gets a thumbs-up from this reviewer, and a guarded recommendation for platform gaming fans in general.

Spyro's gameplay works just like it's suppose to - just like it has in every other game in the last decade, so it feels like the development team just phoned this one in.

very time Spyro opens his mouth I can’t help but picture Frodo. It’s not that Elijah Wood does a bad job – he’s fine – his voice is just too distinctive. If only Sierra had spent as much money on game development as they did on presentation. Spyro’s gameplay is as old as Wood’s career, so if you’ve played a platformer since Super Mario 64, then you’ll probably get tired of double jumping across empty canyons and button-mash attacking waves of enemies. Nothing in the game feels particularly broken. Spyro’s gameplay works just like it’s suppose to – just like it has in every other game in the last decade, so it feels like the development team just phoned this one in.

For all of its technical flaws and obvious oversights, The Eternal Night isn't a horrific game, it's just one that seems like it should have come out a long time ago. It's still enjoyable if patience is your particular virtue, and hearing Elijah Wood kick the bucket repeatedly fulfills our inner nerd who thought Frodo whined way too much. Dirty, filthy hobbits, er, we mean dragons.

If you liked A New Beginning, then there is little reason why you shouldn’t pick up The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. The game uses the same basic combat system and adds a few new elements to it. Just don’t go expecting too much more.

To sum it up, Spyro: The Eternal Night is a solid platformer with some nice visuals and simple but enjoyable gameplay. It doesn't have any huge, glaring deficiencies to speak of, but at the same time, it's simply not cut from the sort of stock that makes a classic. Spyro: The Eternal Night is a fun enough experience, but it's probably not anything you'll reminisce about once it's over with.

There are plenty of decent games geared towards younger gamers out there, and in the past, we were always able to say Spyro is one of them. Not this time.

The Wii version allows you to swing the Wii Remote around for attacks and has some other basic motion controls, though using the Wii Remote's control pad to control the camera is less intuitive than the more standard analog-stick controls on the PS2. Otherwise, both versions are essentially the same, but only die-hard Spyro fans are likely to elicit much enjoyment from either of them. This dragon is not a boy anymore--yet not a grown-up either. Unless the series can find an identity, it seems destined to continue its total irrelevance.

Had the game really been developed with a clear target audience in mind or perhaps spent more time getting polished up things might have panned out different. As the game stands though Spyro: The Eternal Night has massive failings for novice gamers and lacks enough substance to entertain those that have experience under their belt. The game has great strengths in its visuals and overall appeal, but the gameplay underneath is simply outright flawed and repetitive.

Having Gary Oldman and Frodo do voiceovers doesn't make up for the fact this game looks and plays like something made five years ago. Since then we've had some superb platforming action thanks to the likes of Jak and Ratchet. By comparison Spyro is a fading star, one who no amount of plastic surgery will improve. The Eternal Night is too difficult for kids and too frustrating for adults, and should be avoided by everyone.

Ultimately, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night is a complete let down, and clearly shows that no other developer can truly fill Insomniac’s shoes. Crippling camera and controls along with unfair enemy AI bog this game down, leaving us to wonder what the third instalment is going to be like (The Legend of Spyro: He’s Actually a Cat). Unless you’re an OCD Spyro fan with a shrine to the little fella, give this game a clear miss for your own sanity.

After boss fights over bottomless pits, sloppy platforming bits and a spoon-fed storyline, battling wave after wave of enemies was the breaking point. Just thinking about the part makes me want to punch babies; it's pointlessly difficult and absolutely unnecessary. Come to think of it, that describes the whole of Spyro's latest outing rather nicely.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night will get diehard fans a few steps closer to uncovering the mysterious destiny of Spyro. For everyone else, remember the purple dragon as he once was and leave it at that. In the meantime, I vote that we petition Krome Studios to either make a new character, or do the world a favor and pick up a franchise that deserves to die.

Spyro desperately wants to be a great platforming franchise, but this installment falls painfully short of the mark. Eternal Night is too dark and difficult for younger audiences and too bland for experienced gamers. Only very dedicated players will have the patience to push through the somewhat interesting storyline, but sadly, even that doesn’t have much pay off when compared to the game’s faults. There are many better offerings out there right now for the Wii.