darkSpyro

*please keep in mind that this post is all just a mishmash of my personal opinions! thank you!*

Personally, I want a new Classic-style Spyro game.

Don't get me wrong, I loved two of the three TLoS games and I love Skylanders despite the fact that it's totally another cashcow for Activision to milk. But TLoS is REALLY dark, and Skylanders just....doesn't focus on Spyro anymore.

I believe that Spyro games should be light-hearted and easy to play. They're games that you can pick up and 100% (or more) in a few hours with no trouble if you know it well. And if you don't know it well, they should still be pretty easy to complete. But they're not games you rush through without caring! With Spyro games, you should also be engaged in what's going on around you.

In Spyro 2, for example, on my first playthough I found myself anticipating each cutscene (yes, each) to see how Spyro and Ripto would interact. Spyro would singe Ripto's cape or defeat one of his minions and Ripto would try to hide it, but he failed miserably. It was hilarious, and I loved how they interacted. However, in TLoS, I just couldn't find myself getting into Malefor and Spyro interacting in spite of its buildup throughout the trilogy. Then again, I didn't like DoTD as a whole. And in Skylanders, well, it should be obvious why that's not the case.

As for how lighthearted they are, take a look at Classic Spyro. In Spyro the Dragon, Spyro goes on an epic journey to beat Gnasty Gnorc. Now, you should think that his main goal would be to free all of the dragons. After all, they're pretty much all his family because thieves stole his egg and thus his biological family is unknown. But that's not the case! He makes it very clear from the start that he just wants to get rid of Gnasty Gnorc. Of course, you could interpret this as him being angry about his family being frozen and wanting revenge, but I don't think so. Just look at this interaction between him and Nestor, the first dragon he frees:

"Thank you for releasing me. Free 10 dragons in the Artisan World, then talk to the balloonist. He'll take you to the next world."
"What about Gnasty Gnorc? I'm going after him."
"Find dragons first. That's all I can tell you."

Then in Spyro 2, Spyro constantly just messes with Ripto. There's no epic, dramatic cutscene where Ripto's like, "I AM YOUR FATHER," other than the last cutscene with their interactions. And THAT was where not having epic dialogue would've been a crime! Spyro 3 doesn't really have any darkness either other than the Sorceress wanting to tear the wings off of baby dragons. That was a little dark o.o

Fast forward to TLoS because I think you get the point. Spyro lives a happy life as a "dragonfly" until he finds out he's a special purple dragon meant to save the universe. After that, he's dragged into this epic quest to save the world. Not just dragons, not just some world he wouldn't have cared about if he wasn't brought there, the WORLD. The in DoTD he.....dies????? Does he die? Do we ever find out? If he was in the Valley of Avalar, surely the Cheetah tribe would have found them?????? I don't even.....it was just really dark and seemed out of place considering how the games before it (and even after it) were.

Skylanders. Now, Skylanders did one thing right in its first game: it felt sort of like a Classic Spyro game. It was a little melodramatic and cliche, but it still wasn't really dark like TLoS. It's just...there's not much to go off of for Skylanders. There are too many characters to play as (thanks Acti) and thus, every game after the first one got more and more disconnected from this feel. Now it feels like I'm just playing some weird spinoff series rather than a Spyro game. It sort of sucks because there's so much wasted potential here! Skylanders could've been really cool! It (unintentially most likely) fixed the flaw Spyro 3 had where the characters felt WAAAAY to different from Spyro. If a different company was behind Skylanders, things might be different. But Activision has found themselves a cash cow, and I find myself starting to dislike it as it moves onto its FOURTH game.

As for easiness, well, Classic Spyro is mostly easy. There are very few challenges or bosses that I feel are unreasonably hard (*glares angrily at Spyro 3*). On the same note, I feel like there are none that are ridiculously easy (other than the challenges and bosses at the beginning of the games, but those are sorta meant to be easy). But TLoS had a lot of bosses and challenges that I felt were absolutely tedious. That pirate ship level in The Eternal Night is so ridiculous that I've never gotten past it. My brother got me past it when we first played it and I was younger and that's the only way I've beaten the game. Then in Skylanders it just feels like I'm playing with Playdough :/

tl;dr: Read bolded text above. If you want explanations, read on.

As I said in another topic, I wouldn't want more Classic games, because the first ones were made by Insomniac, who have moved on to other games and aren't even the same team anymore.

I would, however, like to see more Legend games. They could go somewhere, and maybe add a storyline from StD, GtG or YOTD.

I couldn't care less about Skylanders to be honest. I'm not a fan of it.

I don't really think it's possible to make a "better plotted TLOS" game..(In my eyes dat story is gold e_e ) I'm also not to up for another classic game, although I still wouldn't mind.
I would really like to see something new, but it doesn't look like that'll ever happen...
I dunno, I would really like to see a new Spyro game....

There was that one game, Spyro: Shadow Legacy. It was the last game classic Spyro got, but it ended on a cliffhanger. Also, Spyro: Shadow Legacy's RPG elements inspired The Legend of Spyro. What if there were a sequel that merged the two franchises? That'd bring the perfect excuse to combine the platforming of the classic series with the action and the cinematics of the TLoS series! Not only that, this can answer some of the burning questions we've been left with! ("When does the Sorcerer attack again? What will he do when he does?" OR "Did Cynder become a spirit? Is she a spiritual protector of the the world?" OR "Why did Spyro never wear his Shadowstone, and why does it only let him morph in between two dimensions? Isn't there more to the stone?")

BOOM, GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!!!!

How about instead of theories and crap, can you give out your explanation for which type of Spyro/Skylander you'd like to see and why?

If they want Spyro to be a standalone star again, they're gonna need another reboot. The overall tone of it should be something in between Classic and Legend. If I wanted something that better describes that, look at Sonic Unleashed. It was funny and light hearted, yet atmospheric and had a strong sense of world builiding and great characterisation and did sincerely tell a story without being pretentious about it. I'd love a Spyro game like that. The reason I say "reboot", is because neither Classic or LoS Spyro are fresh in a lot of people's heads anymore. It's not like they can pull a Sonic 4/Sonic Generations, Mega Man 9/10, or Rayman Origins/Legends here or anything. Of course, they could always keep the Skylanders mythos too and cast Spyro in a "spin-off" of that series, but it'd be better to start fresh, because if it's just a spin-off to Skylanders, it's going to get overshadowed by Skylanders.

In terms of how it plays/looks, take advantage of the current hardware. We still have yet to see a Spyro game do this (at least within the last decade). They completely missed capitalising on the Xbox 360/PS3 hardware. PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U have some great strengths that can be used, and I can envision a multitude of ways to utilise them for a Spyro game. At the top of my list though, would be an open world structure similar to what A Hero's Tail sort of had (maybe take some cues from Zelda too), with vast, lush worlds to explore. And free flight gameplay that controls something like, say, Starfox Assault (it's the Starfox game I have the most experience with and the flight controls are top notch).

Spyro, at this point, is something that should not be confined to being a platformer. You're a cute cartoon dragon with wings. That may not scream "badass gore-fest" or anything, but it does scream "adventure" to me. That doesn't mean it should be stripped entirely of it's platformer roots. I could envision "dungeon" areas where your free-flight doesn't work, and is replaced with the traditional glide mechanics from the Classic games.

I don't want to go into too much detail on this but that's the gist of it.

Quote: Trix Master 100

How about instead of theories and crap, can you give out your explanation for which type of Spyro/Skylander you'd like to see and why?

Honestly, I thought that I was making it clear that I wanted both the classic and the TLoS models in a new franchise. I mean, I gave an explanation, so...

If both of the Spyros are in the new franchise, we can also see much more funny moments while getting an actiony thrill.

Quote: Spyrobaro

*please keep in mind that this post is all just a mishmash of my personal opinions! thank you!*

Personally, I want a new Classic-style Spyro game.

Don't get me wrong, I loved two of the three TLoS games and I love Skylanders despite the fact that it's totally another cashcow for Activision to milk. But TLoS is REALLY dark, and Skylanders just....doesn't focus on Spyro anymore.

I believe that Spyro games should be light-hearted and easy to play. They're games that you can pick up and 100% (or more) in a few hours with no trouble if you know it well. And if you don't know it well, they should still be pretty easy to complete. But they're not games you rush through without caring! With Spyro games, you should also be engaged in what's going on around you.

In Spyro 2, for example, on my first playthough I found myself anticipating each cutscene (yes, each) to see how Spyro and Ripto would interact. Spyro would singe Ripto's cape or defeat one of his minions and Ripto would try to hide it, but he failed miserably. It was hilarious, and I loved how they interacted. However, in TLoS, I just couldn't find myself getting into Malefor and Spyro interacting in spite of its buildup throughout the trilogy. Then again, I didn't like DoTD as a whole. And in Skylanders, well, it should be obvious why that's not the case.

As for how lighthearted they are, take a look at Classic Spyro. In Spyro the Dragon, Spyro goes on an epic journey to beat Gnasty Gnorc. Now, you should think that his main goal would be to free all of the dragons. After all, they're pretty much all his family because thieves stole his egg and thus his biological family is unknown. But that's not the case! He makes it very clear from the start that he just wants to get rid of Gnasty Gnorc. Of course, you could interpret this as him being angry about his family being frozen and wanting revenge, but I don't think so. Just look at this interaction between him and Nestor, the first dragon he frees:

"Thank you for releasing me. Free 10 dragons in the Artisan World, then talk to the balloonist. He'll take you to the next world."
"What about Gnasty Gnorc? I'm going after him."
"Find dragons first. That's all I can tell you."

Then in Spyro 2, Spyro constantly just messes with Ripto. There's no epic, dramatic cutscene where Ripto's like, "I AM YOUR FATHER," other than the last cutscene with their interactions. And THAT was where not having epic dialogue would've been a crime! Spyro 3 doesn't really have any darkness either other than the Sorceress wanting to tear the wings off of baby dragons. That was a little dark o.o

Fast forward to TLoS because I think you get the point. Spyro lives a happy life as a "dragonfly" until he finds out he's a special purple dragon meant to save the universe. After that, he's dragged into this epic quest to save the world. Not just dragons, not just some world he wouldn't have cared about if he wasn't brought there, the WORLD. The in DoTD he.....dies????? Does he die? Do we ever find out? If he was in the Valley of Avalar, surely the Cheetah tribe would have found them?????? I don't even.....it was just really dark and seemed out of place considering how the games before it (and even after it) were.

Skylanders. Now, Skylanders did one thing right in its first game: it felt sort of like a Classic Spyro game. It was a little melodramatic and cliche, but it still wasn't really dark like TLoS. It's just...there's not much to go off of for Skylanders. There are too many characters to play as (thanks Acti) and thus, every game after the first one got more and more disconnected from this feel. Now it feels like I'm just playing some weird spinoff series rather than a Spyro game. It sort of sucks because there's so much wasted potential here! Skylanders could've been really cool! It (unintentially most likely) fixed the flaw Spyro 3 had where the characters felt WAAAAY to different from Spyro. If a different company was behind Skylanders, things might be different. But Activision has found themselves a cash cow, and I find myself starting to dislike it as it moves onto its FOURTH game.

As for easiness, well, Classic Spyro is mostly easy. There are very few challenges or bosses that I feel are unreasonably hard (*glares angrily at Spyro 3*). On the same note, I feel like there are none that are ridiculously easy (other than the challenges and bosses at the beginning of the games, but those are sorta meant to be easy). But TLoS had a lot of bosses and challenges that I felt were absolutely tedious. That pirate ship level in The Eternal Night is so ridiculous that I've never gotten past it. My brother got me past it when we first played it and I was younger and that's the only way I've beaten the game. Then in Skylanders it just feels like I'm playing with Playdough :/

tl;dr: Read bolded text above. If you want explanations, read on.

Quote: Jaggedstar

As I said in another topic, I wouldn't want more Classic games, because the first ones were made by Insomniac, who have moved on to other games and aren't even the same team anymore.

I would, however, like to see more Legend games. They could go somewhere, and maybe add a storyline from StD, GtG or YOTD.

I couldn't care less about Skylanders to be honest. I'm not a fan of it.

Quote: cowpowa23

I don't really think it's possible to make a "better plotted TLOS" game..(In my eyes dat story is gold e_e ) I'm also not to up for another classic game, although I still wouldn't mind.
I would really like to see something new, but it doesn't look like that'll ever happen...
I dunno, I would really like to see a new Spyro game....

There was that one game, Spyro: Shadow Legacy. It was the last game classic Spyro got, but it ended on a cliffhanger. Also, Spyro: Shadow Legacy's RPG elements inspired The Legend of Spyro. What if there were a sequel that merged the two franchises? That'd bring the perfect excuse to combine the platforming of the classic series with the action and the cinematics of the TLoS series! Not only that, this can answer some of the burning questions we've been left with! ("When does the Sorcerer attack again? What will he do when he does?" OR "Did Cynder become a spirit? Is she a spiritual protector of the the world?" OR "Why did Spyro never wear his Shadowstone, and why does it only let him morph in between two dimensions? Isn't there more to the stone?")

BOOM, GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!!!!

yeah but Shadow Legacy's ****

Skylanders: Its Ok. Sometimes I pretend its just a Spyro game, but with every character addressing you as "Skylander' its gets annoying. Overall, I just accept that its a money making machine and I don't buy many of the figures.

Maybe you have a TOO much concepts in your mind but i think it's good...dont abuse it xD Also, maybe i'm the only who think so, but i cant see a fusion beetween classic and TLoS series...they were too different, also the "new" Hunter was very different from the classic Hunter, and i think that everyone would end like him...it's not a bad thing, but i think a LOT of you would be disappointed of the result...

Quote: Evilness

Maybe you have a TOO much concepts in your mind :P but i think it's good...dont abuse it xD Also, maybe i'm the only who think so, but i cant see a fusion beetween classic and TLoS series...they were too different, also the "new" Hunter was very different from the classic Hunter, and i think that everyone would end like him...it's not a bad thing, but i think a LOT of you would be disappointed of the result...

Yeah, we're going to need to ditch MOST of the characters from TLoS. The only characters from TLoS who can make it back are Spyro, Cynder, Volteer, Cyril, Terrador, and Ignitus (as the new Chronicler, so you can expect the younger Spyro to get those dreams that the older one got). It wouldn't make sense for the TLoS Hunter or for the TLoS Sparx to be in the franchise (unless they're featured in multiplayer), because, the way I see this new franchise, the story would take place 1000 or so years after the supposed "death" of Cynder and HER Spyro.

However, this also gives a better chance to establish personalities for Ember and Flame. When they were shown in Hero's Tail, I'm sure most fans thought their appearances to be TOO DAMN RANDOM!!!!!! They don't even appear again. The new franchise can focus more on their personalities because they will be oftentimes dealing with hearing what Spyro has to say about his dreams and how he has to save the world from a tougher fight than ever before. Flame won't mind hearing this as much, but Ember will be constantly groaning. She will be more sarcastic and cocky, in a sense that makes her personality sometimes worse than that of Spyro's.

Plus, since Cynder will often pair up with the younger Spyro, and since THAT Spyro's VERY cocky, it'll call a recipe for disaster. XD

I find the comic funny, but Cynder is meant to be a strict girl dragon. Also where's the common sense in people these days of, idk of common internet sense and respecting other's opinions instead of jumping to another idea?

Quote: Trix Master 100

I find the comic funny, but Cynder is meant to be a strict girl dragon. Also where's the common sense in people these days of, idk of common internet sense and respecting other's opinions instead of jumping to another idea?

I actually didn't look through the whole comic, because I KNOW it can't be canon. For the game I'm imagining, Cynder, as a spirit, wouldn't know how to approach the younger Spyro, but when she does, she gives Spyro a jump scare. Spyro then gets pissed off and then starts taunting Cynder, just enough for her to HIT him (if you watched the movie Ghost, you'd get this reference). Cynder also then starts choking Spyro because of his cockiness, but lets him go because he asks for mercy. Spyro realizes that he really shouldn't mess with her, so when she lets him go, he wanted to know who she was and why she came up to him. She doesn't want to explain so much, because she feels it'd be dangerous for him to know, but there's a twist to this game: for the first time in years, this game will introduce a new kingdom for the Spyro universe: the Forbidden Realms, a kingdom undocumented for over 300 years because of an intense civil war. At this point, Spyro had come with a lot of is friends and allies (they needed to escape from the Dragon Realms entirely, since the Sorcerer's next attack was so dire that many of the dragons were being easily captured again, or worse, KILLED), but he's alone for this scene (Sparx isn't even with him). He's actually heard of the Forbidden Realms once or twice, so when Cynder tells him that he's actually IN the kingdom, he realizes that he should find Hunter and takes off.

Well, if I see an excuse to make a point, I just make it. I mean, I'm also aiming on a goal that involves Activision, too.

And, really, I'm only spoiling the little parts of what I want the game to be. I haven't spoiled the ending, nor have I actually advertised the actual fanfic version of the game. Yes, I know I can be a total crazy bag for spreading my ideas, but I want to go into Spyro discussions. I want to go into them because I want to get opinions.

I'll post quotes later. It's my bedtime, now (10 pm, -5 GMT)

I would go with Classic Spyro.

Quote: DragonDog

I would go with Classic Spyro.

May you explain why?

Quote: DragonDog

I would go with Classic Spyro.

May you explain why?