This is my favorite game of all time, so I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to say about it without just writing some incessant rambling but I think I've kinda got it figured out. This game like the last one, took what was great about the Spyro series and improved upon it even further, I think for me the biggest improvement with this game was the amount of variety was added to it with the new characters you got to play as, as well as all the new tasks and mini games you get to play in order to complete the game. The story this time around is that an evil sorceress has stolen all the dragon eggs and taken them to the other side of the world which the dragons call "The forgotten worlds", it is not entirely clear what she plans to do with the eggs or the baby dragons inside but once again it's up to Spyro to save the day, only this time he's got a bunch of new friends to help him along the way. The new characters might take some getting used to when you first play as them, but eventually you'll be controlling them with no issues and debating which one you like the most. Some interesting new additions was the addition of Sparx levels, where you play as the dragonfly sparx in a top down sort of view, there's also new mini games in each of the flying levels where you play as Hunter in some sort of vehicle. The level and character designs this time around were among some of my favorites and also the boss fights this time were pretty fun, I especially liked how you got to also get help from your new friends in order to defeat each boss. I could go on all day about this game but I think I've said just about everything that needs to be said, this game meant so much to me growing up and it still means so much to me now as an adult.

The best parts of Spyro 3 are the new playable characters and said characters being charming additions to the world. It’s a shame only Hunter joins us from the Avalar trio but Bianca and the new playable characters are all endearing and quirky.

The gameplay is Spyro 2 but more varied and backtrack-y due to coming back with new characters later which is still annoying compared to Spyro 1’s simple and direct formula.

The big issue is that this is the least technically sound of the trilogy. I’m sure the PS1 original isn’t this glitchy but on the Reignited Trilogy, I found myself getting screwed by the physics in the flying and vehicle sections. My rocket board would clip the side of a slope and instantly kill all my speed, I’d touch an enemy and get shoved far, etc.

Even more so than Spyro 2 the missions would continue to irk me. Anything with a vehicle made me wanna blow my head off, escort missions are as shit as ever, and I even got softlocked on one mission with the dog and the ball that forced me to essentially do it twice.

One of the big kickers that irreversibly soured this game for me was the 100% reward. Spyro 1’s was awesome, giving you essentially a free-roam playground to collect gems in. Spyro 2’s was a lamer minigame fest but at least the super fire breath could carry to new playthroughs.

Spyro 3’s reward is another bonus level similar to Spyro 1’s, but it’s the worst of the three. The vehicle sections return, including the hardest board race yet where one screw up means the CPUs blitz your ass at the last second. You get nothing to use and it’s not even fun.
Spyro 1 was a 7, Spyro 2 was a 6, and now Spyro 3 is a 5/10.

Maybe the experience is better on the PS1 originals, but I was disappointed to find that (at least to me) there’s only one good Spyro game. That being said, between this and Crash 4, I would love to see a Spyro 4.

Strangely enough, this is the Spyro game that gives me the biggest dose of nostalgia when I boot it up, despite the fact that I played the other two games before it. Often considered the apex of the franchise, while Year of the Dragon is certainly the biggest Spyro game, it also exhibits a vague sense of desperation, as though the designers are just throwing every idea at a wall and seeing what sticks. While the core Spyro experience of charging at foes, setting asses on fire, and collecting treasure is still very much present, it's muddled by an endless buffet of increasingly-complex minigames, some of which can definitely try your patience if you're trying to 100% it, as I have several times. The four other playable characters are somewhat diverting in small doses (which is what the game gives you, really), but they're ultimately just symptoms of its lack of focus. (It's definitely not a coincidence that two of those characters use some form of gun - that's the direction that Insomniac was headed as a studio, for sure.) Despite these flaws, this is still a very fun game if you're willing to take it at face value, and it's one of my favorite games to revisit every now and then. Personally speaking, this game got me through the worst finals season back in undergrad, so it'll always have a special place in my heart.