I think I didn't play this until after Spyro 2, and so it felt a bit like a step back, but I've still grown to love it almost as much as the rest of the trilogy. A lot of the bones of what Spyro would become are already present here, and the level variety and structure makes collecting everything super fun. The humor's silly and charming, and the Stewart Copeland music rocks. I also think these chunky polygon models have aged some of the best from this era because of how stylized they feel. Always a delight to revisit

Didn't get around to properly playing this game until I deep dove into the series when the Legacy collection came out leading up to MGSV. I was amazed at how well it holds up, and how incredibly modern (or postmodern) it feels despite being from the early days of 3D Games. The camera angles in particular feel so much more cinematic than most all games at the time. The voice acting is still quite good too, and it's incredibly emotional despite the character models being blocky polygons who just bobble their heads when they talk. Gameplay is solid, I love stealthing around, and the boss fights each feel novel (especially Sniper Wolf's and Vulcan Raven's). A bit too much backtracking near the end, but it doesn't take too long. It is funny how many setpieces this game borrows from its immediate predecessor Metal Gear 2, but they certainly feel fresh in 3D. Great game