darkSpyro

Oh boy, I hadn't played it for months, then decided to come back to my 78% complete save that was lying around. It's a lot less fluid than Spyro 2/most of 3 and aged much worse than I remember.

The collision detection feels really off- sometimes you cling onto a cliff, then slide off. Spyro's slipperiness is uncomfortable and makes me paranoid I'll fall off of edges I shouldn't be worried about. The lack of hover leads to some frustrating missed jumps and makes the wonky collision even more annoying. (For the best example, see the jump over the hill in Artisans, which is unnessicarily and unfittingly precise to reach ten gems in the very first part of the game.)
I know I could spend more time with these controls and get more used to them, but for standard controls in a platformer, you shouldn't have to do that. You should feel like you're controlling your character naturally, so you don't need to fight controls, but can focus on how you need to move around and jump. It feels like STD's controls are too loose and that precision platforming isn't fun with them.

I liked this game more than the others because of the speed- but coming back, the clunkiness bogged it down for me and made it feel slower than the other two, despite the level design itself being faster. I think GTG is my favourite classic game now. It's not lacking anything significant from STD, feels a lot better to control and even though it has a lot of minigames, it doesn't feel like they interrupt things too often (unlike those in YoTD). They're still all good, and I still like the original a lot, but I'm pretty disappointed after going back to it.

Play Enter the Dragonfly, and the come back to this one, you'll appreciate it a lot more. LOL

It's an old game now, so what do you expect?

Or you could play Croc 1, the controls are even worse.

Yeah, but Spyro 2 feels way better to control, and it's only a year younger. Super Mario 64 was the pioneer of 3D platformers and it's way easier to control with better collision detection. I know they had a foundation for 2 so it was much easier to polish and the 3D platformer genre was fairly new when this came out, but it still doesn't change how clunky the original feels, going back to it.
And Spyro: Enter The Garbage is a lot worse in many other aspects- even if it was made more fluid and wasn't crippled by lag, it'd still suck. But really, I don't how either of them handles, and while STD is ahead of ETG- as well other old platformers I've played, especially Bubsy 3D- in that respect, I don't suddenly like the handling in this game after playing even clunkier ones. I still think it feels bad, just not as bad as some other games. There are also a lot of 3D platformers (including old ones) which I can appreciate more because they have better handling. Going back to STD from them is difficult. It's really aged now.

I'd have to agree with you. The controls were very slippery. I've had countless deaths in the game when I was younger due to this.

But still, comparing games from then to the top-notch games that exist today is tough. And still, nothing is perfect.

I think the biggest reason it feels "clunky" is down to the lack of the hover mechanic. Other than that I didn't really notice ... But in hindsight I guess it wasn't the most fluid game of the time.

You want to try playing the old Tomb Raider games on the PS1. The way she turns around is so slow, and awkward, but nonetheless they are great games.

^ Dude, I said it before, and I'll say it again: just because there are more clunky games, I'm not going to think this game isn't clunky.
For a similar situation, Bubsy 3D is broken to the point that you can hardly control it, its large areas are horribly empty and it just lacks anything particularly clever, fun or interesting. It's way worse than Enter The Dragonfly- which has fantastical worlds and game design in comparison, despite those both being "mildly interesting lost oppurtunities" at best. Just because Bubsy 3D is worse, it doesn't mean EtD suddenly isn't a bad game. And again, there are old games that're a lot smoother, including this game's sequel and a Nintendo game that codified the 3D platforming genre. Crash 2/3 felt better to control as well.
Quote: Akame

I think the biggest reason it feels "clunky" is down to the lack of the hover mechanic. Other than that I didn't really notice ... But in hindsight I guess it wasn't the most fluid game of the time.

I agree the hover is a big part of it. I'm so glad they made it for GTG.

Quote: Arc of Archives

^ Dude, I said it before, and I'll say it again: just because there are more clunky games, I'm not going to think this game isn't clunky.
For a similar situation, Bubsy 3D is broken to the point that you can hardly control it, its large areas are horribly empty and it just lacks anything particularly clever, fun or interesting. It's way worse than Enter The Dragonfly- which has fantastical worlds and game design in comparison, despite those both being "mildly interesting lost oppurtunities" at best. Just because Bubsy 3D is worse, it doesn't mean EtD suddenly isn't a bad game. And again, there are old games that're a lot smoother, including this game's sequel and a Nintendo game that codified the 3D platforming genre. Crash 2/3 felt better to control as well.
Quote: Akame

I think the biggest reason it feels "clunky" is down to the lack of the hover mechanic. Other than that I didn't really notice ... But in hindsight I guess it wasn't the most fluid game of the time.

I agree the hover is a big part of it. I'm so glad they made it for GTG.

Do you think it's easier to play on the D-Pad, or on the Analog?
When I was a kid, I preferred the D-Pad, but nowadays, the Analog.

I haven't played it on a TV for years. I use my PSP for it now. The analogue stick on that console is awful, so purely for that, I like the D-Pad more. When I did play it on TV, I think I used the analogue.

Quote: Arc of Archives

I haven't played it on a TV for years. I use my PSP for it now. The analogue stick on that console is awful, so purely for that, I like the D-Pad more. When I did play it on TV, I think I used the analogue.

Lol, you should try playing Kinglsey's Adventure and/or Croc, they feel even more clunky to control.
The weird thing about Kinglsey is that when you go to jump and move in another direction, he won't move in mid-air and will only jump straight, and that can be annoying. It's hard to explain it.

Bubsy 3D is the clunkiest of clunky games. You wanna know how you move in that game? By pressing left or right to turn the camera, waiting for Bubsy to turn, while you have to stand in place. Then you can move backwards or forwards. There is no diagonal movement if you aren't in the air, and even then the diagonal movement keeps Bubsy facing whatever way you jumped- unless diagonal ground movement is some advanced technique I've missed, but diagonal movement in a 3D platformer shouldn't be something hidden.

I also beat Crash 1 and collected most of the Gems, and I'd argue that game is even clunkier than Spyro 1 (though maybe it just seems worse because the levels are a lot harder, so the controls are more important). I'll just agree to disagree. I really think Spyro 1 feels clunky, and it's not just because I haven't played other games with bad character movement. Anything more I have to say is just going in circles.

I honestly don't see what the OP is experiencing. I'm playing through this game and I feels like the best controls in am open world game I've played in a while. Their is a reason this game has been praised mostly for its controls, being the best in the genre. Someone on gamefaqs pointed out that their was a difference between the quality of the original version and the greatest hits version wherefore GH version had collision detection issues, control issues, etc while the original version did not. Just something the Op should consider.

Clunkyness doesn't bother me unless it's on the extreme side like Spyro Enter the Dragonfly. Ya know... I think I've even gotten to the point that most old stuff (ex. 60's Batman, 80's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) are so lame that it's just stinkin' hilarious.

Welcome to PlayStation One games.

Quote: Windbringer

Welcome to PlayStation One games.

Lol, exactly. What do you expect? I guess.

Lol, this game was made in 1998, Obviously, because you're probably used to playing newer versions of games, and going back to Spyro the Dragon, would be a huge change. Ya' know.

I never really noticed it. Perhaps compared to the latest games, but even then, Spyro outshines some of those too...

Quote: RadSpyro

I never really noticed it. Perhaps compared to the latest games, but even then, Spyro outshines some of those too...

I am definitely with this guy.

The game had wonky collision detection and Spyro was quite slippery compared to the sequels. He couldn't stop on a dime and start going in the other direction. He needed to do a small circular turn. Can't count the number of times I plummeted to my death getting a precariously perched gem. <.<;

Honestly I never noticed much of an issue. The only time there was a problem was with some collision detection (like HIR says above). Like, even one of the first glides in the game, from the top of the hill to that little ledge with the gems on it in the Artisans Homeworld, the collision detection can be REALLY irritating. Also there's no denying that the flight levels were super clunky and difficult >.>

That being said, the lack of the hover is most likely where the issue comes from. BUT I'm not entirely complaining. I've said this before too, but I really think that the lack of a hover ability makes some of the glides have to be more precise, makes the levels more carefully put together, and all together sort of enhances the "platformer" aspect of the game. You had to get good at gliding, which is a less prominent challenge in the other two original games.

Although to be fair, I've been doing a 100% play through of Enter the Dragonfly and compared to that, this game is WAY better as far as collision detection and altogether fluidity goes. And this is a much OLDER game and it still holds up, clunky or not.

I can't say as I've ever noticed it feeling clunky. But if you'd ever played Solomon's Key on the NES...well, that's as clunky as it gets. Jumping with the up arrow on the d-pad, ugh, and yet I still played ridiculously far into it (not sure if it can be beaten). So, yeah, given the games I got growing up, the first Spyro has always felt fun to play and pretty smooth to me.