Jamie53824
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This review contains spoilers
For personal reference more than anything else.
Second time playing through this after the first time four years ago. Got 120%.
So to start off with, there's not much of a story and I also don't really like much of the dialogue as its either just dragons you save telling you how to play the game or Spyro being what I can only assume was considered 'cool' when the original game released. I kind of love Gnasty Gnorc as an antagonist with his only motivations for his actions being him getting insulted and told he's not really a threat, its so stupid and petty and its amazing. I also didn't hear much of the game as I was listening to music while playing it, but the little I did hear was good, the music was nice and the sound effects were really good.
The gameplay is the main attraction though and I really like it, Spyro feels great to control and being able to charge, glide and breathe fire is really fun. The game is pretty easy most of the time but it doesn't feel like its the kind of easy where its just straight up boring, instead it just feels fun. The only thing that I felt even slightly negative towards was the level Haunted Towers as the gimmick of repeatedly going back to a fairy to be able to deal with certain enemies or obstacles was kind of annoying, but even then it was trying something different and I didn't exactly dislike it (it along with Tree Tops were the only two levels I needed to consult a guide on to 100% though as I couldn't remember what to do and the actual solutions were things I'd never guess).
There are a few gimmicks throughout the game and they're nothing groundbreaking but they do offer a change of pace of sorts when it comes to thinking about a level. There's also the flying levels where Spyro has to hit all of the things within the time limit and I got really into these as they went on as it was fun to learn the best order to do everything in whilst also trying not to fly into something or end up in the the water. The boss fights were there but there weren't really any that stood out to me for any particular reason.
Some scattered thoughts:
• The game is genuinely so pretty looking, the bright cartoony look of it was really working for me and the fact that a lot of the levels look different from each other was so nice.
• Although speaking of the appearance of the game, I did run into a couple of graphical issues in that in one level, the enemies in boats were at a noticeably lower framerate than the rest of the game and in a couple of levels, I had enemies pop in quite close to me.
• I appreciated being able to use a level select and get basically anywhere from anywhere through the menu and even if I didn't use it, being able to listen to either the original soundtrack or the new one is a really good addition.
• There were some levels that felt quite good to explore as they made use of not only the ground but the rooftops of buildings and nearby floating platforms, I enjoyed having an excuse to use the glide more often and it also felt quite cool being on a higher part of a level and being able to see anything I missed or somewhere that is a bit further in the distance but I could now get to.
Either way I really like this game and it was quite fun to come back to.
Second time playing through this after the first time four years ago. Got 120%.
So to start off with, there's not much of a story and I also don't really like much of the dialogue as its either just dragons you save telling you how to play the game or Spyro being what I can only assume was considered 'cool' when the original game released. I kind of love Gnasty Gnorc as an antagonist with his only motivations for his actions being him getting insulted and told he's not really a threat, its so stupid and petty and its amazing. I also didn't hear much of the game as I was listening to music while playing it, but the little I did hear was good, the music was nice and the sound effects were really good.
The gameplay is the main attraction though and I really like it, Spyro feels great to control and being able to charge, glide and breathe fire is really fun. The game is pretty easy most of the time but it doesn't feel like its the kind of easy where its just straight up boring, instead it just feels fun. The only thing that I felt even slightly negative towards was the level Haunted Towers as the gimmick of repeatedly going back to a fairy to be able to deal with certain enemies or obstacles was kind of annoying, but even then it was trying something different and I didn't exactly dislike it (it along with Tree Tops were the only two levels I needed to consult a guide on to 100% though as I couldn't remember what to do and the actual solutions were things I'd never guess).
There are a few gimmicks throughout the game and they're nothing groundbreaking but they do offer a change of pace of sorts when it comes to thinking about a level. There's also the flying levels where Spyro has to hit all of the things within the time limit and I got really into these as they went on as it was fun to learn the best order to do everything in whilst also trying not to fly into something or end up in the the water. The boss fights were there but there weren't really any that stood out to me for any particular reason.
Some scattered thoughts:
• The game is genuinely so pretty looking, the bright cartoony look of it was really working for me and the fact that a lot of the levels look different from each other was so nice.
• Although speaking of the appearance of the game, I did run into a couple of graphical issues in that in one level, the enemies in boats were at a noticeably lower framerate than the rest of the game and in a couple of levels, I had enemies pop in quite close to me.
• I appreciated being able to use a level select and get basically anywhere from anywhere through the menu and even if I didn't use it, being able to listen to either the original soundtrack or the new one is a really good addition.
• There were some levels that felt quite good to explore as they made use of not only the ground but the rooftops of buildings and nearby floating platforms, I enjoyed having an excuse to use the glide more often and it also felt quite cool being on a higher part of a level and being able to see anything I missed or somewhere that is a bit further in the distance but I could now get to.
Either way I really like this game and it was quite fun to come back to.
This review contains spoilers
For personal reference more than anything else.
Second time playing through this after the first time four years ago. Played on Xbox One using the HD Collection version. Played on Easy Action difficulty, Normal Riddle difficulty and got the Normal ending.
There was a short while when I was playing this that I just wasn't feeling it, any issues I had, had boiled over and I just felt bored. But then I got to about the last hour and the game managed to pull me back and I was probably the most into it than I had been throughout the rest of the game.
The story here I was initially worried about as just coming off of the original where I wasn't a fan of the plot and this game being a direct sequel to it, I figured I wouldn't be able to get into it and for a while this was kind of true. The story is told quite sparsely in the first half like in the first game but once it hits the second half not only does the story come out more but it also gets quite interesting. I'm sort of interested in media surrounding cults but when the religious aspect takes over quite a lot it starts to lose me and this game is very heavy on the religious aspect, but there was something about it that just worked and I was enjoying listening to the dialogue or reading the memos in the game.
The characters also worked in a similar way, although straight from the start I found myself liking Heather as a character and she only got better as the game went on with her being one of my favourite characters of the series so far and perhaps one of my favourite protagonists in a video game. Her story is interesting and I found myself caring about her a fair bit. But the main thing for me is that I love that the game remembered at the end of the day that no matter what happens, she is still a teenage girl and she acts like one. She's a bit bratty and not afraid to say what's on her mind as she does not take shit from anyone and it made her all the more interesting. Various quotes she had or some of her thoughts when interacting with an item were either quite funny or enjoyable to read as it felt like they really put her personality in the writing which was great.
The other characters mostly needed time for me to warm up to them, Douglas was ok and he basically stayed that way the whole time though. Claudia just felt like Dahlia again for a while but once the game got to the church I found her a lot more compelling as the game was sort of going into why she was the way she was and her becoming more of a complex character who I was beginning to feel kind of bad for despite what she was doing. Vincent started off just being annoying but he also got better as well around the same time as Claudia when he had more interesting dialogue and also was being revealed to be more and more of a prick which was more engaging to see compared to how he started.
Gameplay was really not great here I think, its better than the first game as I didn't have to use tank controls but it felt kind of worse than the second because while neither game had great combat, the melee weapons at least felt somewhat good to use in the second game. The melee weapons are generally what I prefer to use in these games and none of the weapons felt like they were actually hitting anything half of the time, I thought that maybe I just needed to wait for a bit to come across something like the hammer in the first game but nothing like that ever came. I also didn't really like the enemies much in this game either, some had interesting designs but that was about it.
The areas in the game were kind of weird to me because in all honesty considering what locations were actually in the game this should probably be my favourite collection in the series so far but it just wasn't. Going to the hospital again was fine as I think they actually managed to make it feel quite different from the last two games but what is basically the same location three games in a row is a bit much I think. The final area was nothing special and I think the game had played the 'Otherworld' aesthetic a bit too much by this point. But the rest of the areas were pretty good, I liked how they reused areas or ideas in the first game that I felt didn't get used enough like the shopping centre and the amusement park (the haunted mansion was probably my favourite area in the game even if I wish it was a bit longer). I also quite liked the subway and the building with all of the different businesses as they were fun to explore and were not really places I see used in many horror games.
Just like with 2 I'd like to acknowledge how playing the game actually went with using this version. I was quite worried going in as when I last played it, it crashed on me three times (twice in the subway and once in the building with the businesses), but thankfully that didn't happen this time. Outside of what I think were two minor but noticeable visual glitches I don't think I had any problems with the game. I will say that there was a few times where the only audio coming from the game was Heather's footsteps and I didn't know if this was supposed to be like this or not as it was usually in quiet areas with no enemies around. But I actually kind of liked it and it made me feel a lot more alone which I think worked in the game's favour, so whether or not it was a glitch or not I don't really mind. One more thing concerning this version was that I had to play with the new voice acting and I quite liked it, I've not really heard the original voices all that much outside of a couple of YouTube videos and I think it helped me be able to enjoy these new voices even if they don't really fit the Silent Hill tone or whatever.
Some scattered thoughts:
• I think the game was quite creepy at times and even scary at points but for the most part I didn't really feel anything for a lot of the game. I think the game tries a bit too hard to be scary and ends up overusing some things or going a touch too out there with some things (to better explain, they looked kind of cool and interesting but far too weird and over the top to be genuinely scary).
• The puzzles weren't half bad in this game and I actually felt like I could do them without looking them up but what I ended up struggling with was some of the combine the items things as the things necessary were not things I was thinking of and another issue I had was seeing items that I needed (the chain that is the same colour as the bench its on in the dark as shit amusement park).
• While I'm more interested in the whole cult plotline than I was before, I would be perfectly ok if it wasn't the subject of another game as I already kind of felt like this was sort of unnecessary. From what I've seen though I don't think I have anything to worry about thankfully.
Overall I really liked this game, I think even when I was kind of bored during the middle I was still thinking that it was a good game and the fact that it picked up so much towards the end really helped it (that and the game being short as well). I'm happy that I still quite like this game.
Second time playing through this after the first time four years ago. Played on Xbox One using the HD Collection version. Played on Easy Action difficulty, Normal Riddle difficulty and got the Normal ending.
There was a short while when I was playing this that I just wasn't feeling it, any issues I had, had boiled over and I just felt bored. But then I got to about the last hour and the game managed to pull me back and I was probably the most into it than I had been throughout the rest of the game.
The story here I was initially worried about as just coming off of the original where I wasn't a fan of the plot and this game being a direct sequel to it, I figured I wouldn't be able to get into it and for a while this was kind of true. The story is told quite sparsely in the first half like in the first game but once it hits the second half not only does the story come out more but it also gets quite interesting. I'm sort of interested in media surrounding cults but when the religious aspect takes over quite a lot it starts to lose me and this game is very heavy on the religious aspect, but there was something about it that just worked and I was enjoying listening to the dialogue or reading the memos in the game.
The characters also worked in a similar way, although straight from the start I found myself liking Heather as a character and she only got better as the game went on with her being one of my favourite characters of the series so far and perhaps one of my favourite protagonists in a video game. Her story is interesting and I found myself caring about her a fair bit. But the main thing for me is that I love that the game remembered at the end of the day that no matter what happens, she is still a teenage girl and she acts like one. She's a bit bratty and not afraid to say what's on her mind as she does not take shit from anyone and it made her all the more interesting. Various quotes she had or some of her thoughts when interacting with an item were either quite funny or enjoyable to read as it felt like they really put her personality in the writing which was great.
The other characters mostly needed time for me to warm up to them, Douglas was ok and he basically stayed that way the whole time though. Claudia just felt like Dahlia again for a while but once the game got to the church I found her a lot more compelling as the game was sort of going into why she was the way she was and her becoming more of a complex character who I was beginning to feel kind of bad for despite what she was doing. Vincent started off just being annoying but he also got better as well around the same time as Claudia when he had more interesting dialogue and also was being revealed to be more and more of a prick which was more engaging to see compared to how he started.
Gameplay was really not great here I think, its better than the first game as I didn't have to use tank controls but it felt kind of worse than the second because while neither game had great combat, the melee weapons at least felt somewhat good to use in the second game. The melee weapons are generally what I prefer to use in these games and none of the weapons felt like they were actually hitting anything half of the time, I thought that maybe I just needed to wait for a bit to come across something like the hammer in the first game but nothing like that ever came. I also didn't really like the enemies much in this game either, some had interesting designs but that was about it.
The areas in the game were kind of weird to me because in all honesty considering what locations were actually in the game this should probably be my favourite collection in the series so far but it just wasn't. Going to the hospital again was fine as I think they actually managed to make it feel quite different from the last two games but what is basically the same location three games in a row is a bit much I think. The final area was nothing special and I think the game had played the 'Otherworld' aesthetic a bit too much by this point. But the rest of the areas were pretty good, I liked how they reused areas or ideas in the first game that I felt didn't get used enough like the shopping centre and the amusement park (the haunted mansion was probably my favourite area in the game even if I wish it was a bit longer). I also quite liked the subway and the building with all of the different businesses as they were fun to explore and were not really places I see used in many horror games.
Just like with 2 I'd like to acknowledge how playing the game actually went with using this version. I was quite worried going in as when I last played it, it crashed on me three times (twice in the subway and once in the building with the businesses), but thankfully that didn't happen this time. Outside of what I think were two minor but noticeable visual glitches I don't think I had any problems with the game. I will say that there was a few times where the only audio coming from the game was Heather's footsteps and I didn't know if this was supposed to be like this or not as it was usually in quiet areas with no enemies around. But I actually kind of liked it and it made me feel a lot more alone which I think worked in the game's favour, so whether or not it was a glitch or not I don't really mind. One more thing concerning this version was that I had to play with the new voice acting and I quite liked it, I've not really heard the original voices all that much outside of a couple of YouTube videos and I think it helped me be able to enjoy these new voices even if they don't really fit the Silent Hill tone or whatever.
Some scattered thoughts:
• I think the game was quite creepy at times and even scary at points but for the most part I didn't really feel anything for a lot of the game. I think the game tries a bit too hard to be scary and ends up overusing some things or going a touch too out there with some things (to better explain, they looked kind of cool and interesting but far too weird and over the top to be genuinely scary).
• The puzzles weren't half bad in this game and I actually felt like I could do them without looking them up but what I ended up struggling with was some of the combine the items things as the things necessary were not things I was thinking of and another issue I had was seeing items that I needed (the chain that is the same colour as the bench its on in the dark as shit amusement park).
• While I'm more interested in the whole cult plotline than I was before, I would be perfectly ok if it wasn't the subject of another game as I already kind of felt like this was sort of unnecessary. From what I've seen though I don't think I have anything to worry about thankfully.
Overall I really liked this game, I think even when I was kind of bored during the middle I was still thinking that it was a good game and the fact that it picked up so much towards the end really helped it (that and the game being short as well). I'm happy that I still quite like this game.
This review contains spoilers
For personal reference more than anything else.
First time playing through this after a couple of attempts over the last couple of years with the furthest one in being about halfway through the game four years ago. Played on Easy and got the Good+ ending.
Originally I wasn't going to bother with this game as I tried it again quite recently and still wasn't really into it but changed my mind after how good Silent Hill 2 was and realising that (for me at least) its just better to play on the easier difficulties with these games as I then find my issues with them diminished. After playing I honestly can't really tell if I made the right choice by fully playing this or not.
I really couldn't get that interested in this game, the story was just told in a way where it feels like most of it happens in the later half and even then it just feels like its told kind of weirdly (as stupid as that may sound). If it wasn't for the fact that I'd seen the film based on this game not only before but recently I would've struggled even more than I already was in following it. None of the characters were particularly interesting and I felt that the voice acting in the game basically destroyed any last hope of me caring about the characters or the story. I didn't really give a shit whether Harry found Cheryl or not because it didn't even sound like he cared himself.
The locations in the game were sort of cool and I actually quite liked the hospital, sewer and Nowhere sections. I wasn't really a fan of having to do the school two times in a row though and exploring the town was a pain in the arse because of the constant roadblocks and the annoying enemies.
Speaking of which, I think that over half of the types of enemies in this game can just be described as annoying. The pterodactyls, the dogs, the mole people, the ghost children (in the final area) and even the bosses. I think most of it comes down to having to deal with them using tank controls and the fact that the majority of them have some kind of grab. But a couple of them fly and are difficult to see (even with holding down L2 (the look button or whatever its called)).
The puzzles in this game were absolutely not for me, I struggle too much when given a puzzle and being told "here, solve it," and not understanding what I'm supposed to be doing in the first place. I got to what was essentially the first puzzle of the game (the bird story and piano keys in the school) and I literally had no idea what I was even being asked of, so I ended up using a guide and I'm really glad I did. The guide was consulted a fair bit, especially towards the end of the game as I was just constantly confused. I don't consider this to be a fault of the game, just another reason why I personally couldn't quite get on with it. I did like the Alice in Wonderland tablets puzzle and the make the shapes from the pictures on the doors bit.
Some scattered thoughts:
• I really liked how the game looked and I think its so cool how the developers managed to work with the limitations at the time in such creative ways.
• Despite being a horror game I didn't really feel all that scared or anything outside of a couple of moments here and there, that's not a big problem for me but I do think that the game is kind of banking on the player feeling at least a little on edge due to its atmosphere.
• The music wasn't really for me but I think there were a couple of songs I thought were decent.
• I didn't really enjoy the combat most of the time but I loved using the hammer.
I think the game was alright and there were some interesting things in it but I don't exactly think I had a particularly good time with it and I don't think I'm going to want to come back to it.
First time playing through this after a couple of attempts over the last couple of years with the furthest one in being about halfway through the game four years ago. Played on Easy and got the Good+ ending.
Originally I wasn't going to bother with this game as I tried it again quite recently and still wasn't really into it but changed my mind after how good Silent Hill 2 was and realising that (for me at least) its just better to play on the easier difficulties with these games as I then find my issues with them diminished. After playing I honestly can't really tell if I made the right choice by fully playing this or not.
I really couldn't get that interested in this game, the story was just told in a way where it feels like most of it happens in the later half and even then it just feels like its told kind of weirdly (as stupid as that may sound). If it wasn't for the fact that I'd seen the film based on this game not only before but recently I would've struggled even more than I already was in following it. None of the characters were particularly interesting and I felt that the voice acting in the game basically destroyed any last hope of me caring about the characters or the story. I didn't really give a shit whether Harry found Cheryl or not because it didn't even sound like he cared himself.
The locations in the game were sort of cool and I actually quite liked the hospital, sewer and Nowhere sections. I wasn't really a fan of having to do the school two times in a row though and exploring the town was a pain in the arse because of the constant roadblocks and the annoying enemies.
Speaking of which, I think that over half of the types of enemies in this game can just be described as annoying. The pterodactyls, the dogs, the mole people, the ghost children (in the final area) and even the bosses. I think most of it comes down to having to deal with them using tank controls and the fact that the majority of them have some kind of grab. But a couple of them fly and are difficult to see (even with holding down L2 (the look button or whatever its called)).
The puzzles in this game were absolutely not for me, I struggle too much when given a puzzle and being told "here, solve it," and not understanding what I'm supposed to be doing in the first place. I got to what was essentially the first puzzle of the game (the bird story and piano keys in the school) and I literally had no idea what I was even being asked of, so I ended up using a guide and I'm really glad I did. The guide was consulted a fair bit, especially towards the end of the game as I was just constantly confused. I don't consider this to be a fault of the game, just another reason why I personally couldn't quite get on with it. I did like the Alice in Wonderland tablets puzzle and the make the shapes from the pictures on the doors bit.
Some scattered thoughts:
• I really liked how the game looked and I think its so cool how the developers managed to work with the limitations at the time in such creative ways.
• Despite being a horror game I didn't really feel all that scared or anything outside of a couple of moments here and there, that's not a big problem for me but I do think that the game is kind of banking on the player feeling at least a little on edge due to its atmosphere.
• The music wasn't really for me but I think there were a couple of songs I thought were decent.
• I didn't really enjoy the combat most of the time but I loved using the hammer.
I think the game was alright and there were some interesting things in it but I don't exactly think I had a particularly good time with it and I don't think I'm going to want to come back to it.