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Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, The

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8.2 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 35 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 7 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Vivendi Games / Sierra Entertainment

Developer: Etranges Libellules

Genre(s): Platform

Players: 2

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: October 21, 2008

Summary

In the final chapter of the Legend of Spyro trilogy, players find Sypro teaming up with an unlikely ally - Cynder, his former enemy, to face his most challenging mission to date. As the Dark Master's (voiced by Mark Hamill) evil envelopes the world like a plague, Spyro must fulfill his destiny and unlock the true power of the purple dragon within him to stop the Dark Master in his tracks. The game introduces two never before seen elements into the Spyro universe: Spyro can now fly at any time and players can drop-in/drop-out with the new cooperative feature. The co-op feature allows players to have the option of completing the game as either Spyro or Cynder, giving them more freedom to explore Spyro's world in completely new ways. [Sierra Entertainment]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GamingTrend

While the game is frustrating in a number of parts, it's still rather fun to play, if perhaps a bit too much for the young audience it's aimed at.

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GameZone

It rarely feels repetitive, is often inspiring and immersive, and takes the Spyro franchise along an interesing path. I'm somewhat biased because of the nostalgic feelings I get from the Spyro franchise, but I will say I only stopped playing this game a few times from start to finish. I simply didn't want to stop playing. That should tell you something.

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PGNx Media

Ultimately, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is a well put-together platformer, especially for younger gamers.

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Thunderbolt

It’s a supernova of colour, particularly on a HD setup.

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Game Chronicles

Spyro fans and gamers in the target age group are going to love Dawn of the Dragon and don’t be surprised if the older siblings in the house and even the parents get caught up in the magic that is Spyro. It really is fun from start to finish.

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Gamers' Temple

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is an overall fun single or multiplayer experience for anyone that wants to rejoin the adventures of the legendary purple dragon.

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Games Master UK

A big, enjoyable adventure, marred only by some technical issues. [Christmas 2008, p.64]

Impulsegamer

In conclusion, this game is on the mark for the fans and will take the average gamer around 10 - 15 hours to successfully complete.

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GamingXP

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon offers fast jump ’n’ run-adventure-action, which especially kids will enjoy. Compared to the latest Crash Bandicoot the game seems to be more grown-up and exciting.

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IGN

Cooperative multiplayer mode aside, there's no "new generation" style hook and the resulting play mechanics therefore don't feel fresh (especially after two prequels), but the fundamentals are sound and the presentation better than you expect.

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Planet Xbox 360

Ambitious as it is, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon does its job well with an admirable storyline and incredible audio department.

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Armchair Empire

Taking flight for the seemingly last time, Spyro gets regrettably grounded by some debilitating gameplay features, most notably the camera that will have gamers madly spewing fire and brimstone.

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Boomtown

It isn’t perfect, and the repetitive nature of the combat really can grind at times, but if you liked Rare’s Kameo but thought it was let down for being too shallow and not enough platforming then you really shouldn’t be looking any further.

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MS Xbox World

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is a solid game weighed down by dents and dings that could have been hammered out had it been given either more time on the anvil, or a more scrutinizing once-over.

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GameDaily

The combat grows repetitive, but the various power-ups, including fire and electricity, are awesome.

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ZTGameDomain

The visuals and characters scream casual kid's game that parents tag along to, while some of the complicated mechanics and platforming elements will frustrate even veteran gamers.

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Cheat Code Central

The graphics are there, the story is there, and the mechanics are just a few tweaks shy of perfect. Yet when it comes to gameplay, that final and most important 10 percent, most folks will find themselves getting bored, lost, annoyed, or all three.

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Xbox360Achievements

This game could have fared far worse, but it keeps itself sitting right on the mediocre line. Long-time Spyro fans should pick it up and enjoy it for what it is. The rest of us will find our platforming fun elsewhere.

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Worth Playing

A very average title. Good-looking graphics are plagued with frame rate problems and questionable camera angles.

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Extreme Gamer

There isn't much to say about Spyro, it’s not a game with a lot of depth, nonetheless it is still mildly entertaining.

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3DJuegos

Spyro grows up, flies in company, goes farther, glides over wider scenarios, but he doesn't better himself. The trilogy ends in a videogame which keeps alive the prestige of the franchise, although the power of the dragon should be improved in the future.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

Child friendly but not alienating to adults - this is an enjoyable adventure for one or two.

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WonderwallWeb

Dawn of the Dragon is a fun and large platformer with a great story plus the additional co-op, however the slowdown, cute graphics and terrible camera completely spoil it.

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Game Informer

Long story short, this is a flawed game through and through. Even the most devout Spyro fans should avoid it. [Jan 2009, p.69]

Da Gameboyz

For fans of the Spyro franchise, and Xbox 360 owners alike, I recommend that you pick this one up at your local rental store before you decided to drop 50 bucks on it.

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Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

By yanking the dragon's latest into adolescence, both kids and adults will be disappointed. [Jan 2009, p.75]

Team Xbox

Unfortunately, a video game’s success primarily comes down to the quality of the gameplay, and Dawn of the Dragon felt clunky and unpolished through the majority of my time playing it.

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GameShark

The good news is that the developers of the respective franchises are trying to regain the glory they once held. The bad news is there’s still a long way to go, especially for our purple dragon friend.

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X360 Magazine UK

As kids’ games go this is a step in the right direction but too many of the old problems raise their ugly head, not that the kids will notice mind you.

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GameSpot

Lackluster gameplay makes this a disappointing conclusion to the Legend of Spyro series.

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Eurogamer

If you're the lucky parent of patient children or you're happy enough to relive faded old glories, then you might just find enough here to justify the price. Everyone else should probably steer clear of what could have been a solid platformer, but quickly becomes an all-too-familiar grind.

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AceGamez

With all the power and advancements in consoles since the original game debuted nearly a decade ago, this game and indeed this whole trilogy has failed to recapture that magic. Maybe it's time for the series to change hands yet again.

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Official Xbox Magazine

Perhaps the developers should have put a bit less effort into securing voice actors(Mark Hamill, Wayne Brady, and Elijah Wood have roles)and a bit more into fine-tuning the mechanics. [Holiday 2008, p.67]

1UP

The game's buggy as hell, with severe slowdown, characters getting hung up in the level geometry, and stuttering audio.

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Gaming Nexus

A lumpy ending to an uneven series, it’s unclear what conclusion Dawn of the Dragon is attempting to draw. If it’s overused set pieces, repeating gameplay, and obfuscated puzzle solving -- then Spyro succeeds.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Daniel M. gave it a6:
By far, this game had a better adventure than the other to LoS games. And the graphics were beautiful in some places,as well as the music being wonderful. But it must come to this, ELB mad some good messups in parts of the game. Here is where the pro's and con's are. out of 5 Graphics=3.4 There were places where I liked the scenes and wonders of the levels. Also this game had a couple amazing parts, though they should have kepd this game amazing. Some of the places of the game were terrible and boxy, while other parts were bugged. Yet it doesn't give that the whole game had bad graphics, it was that the graphics varied, and was okay. Sound=3.8 Not much to say,about the music, other than that it was beautiful. The sound effecs were not half bad either, including the made up ones. The only problems though were the voice overs and the minerly bad pitch for the acting. Controls=2.3 May I say that the flying stunk, fighting enemies in air while fighting reaked with odor. Also the ground fighting wasn't great either. Yet some of the controlling sequences wern't all that bad, like how they placed the controls. So the controls still work, but they are rather wonky. performance=3.3 The plot was much better than every other spyro game I knew. Unfortunately most of this game was copied from previous game from the past, and this doesn't include the other spyro games. Plus this game is bugged. Fun Factor=3.5 Yeah I'd say that this game is fun, challenging and adventurous. But this fun fell short due to bugs and hiccups. Bug Factor=1.7 May I say that this game had too many hicups and bugs to be acceptable for the PS3. Seriously, would you want a monster going through a wall without any damage to anything. Well this game still works, but still, It's too bugged. Lasting Appeal=3.1 This game was still fun and all that. And there was a little replay value, when you miss something. But if you didn't like the game It's not worth playing again. Worth buying=3.3 If you are a fan of this game, or you like adventure, or you like having a challenging game. Great, but if you don't fall into that category, then this game is not worth getting right now. Yet I must say, this game was kinda fun to play. So I ended up liking the game, but it was still having some problems that could go in you're way.

Christian C. gave it a9:
Gorgeous graphics, excellent sound and score, multilanguage, great levels... Definitely a new fresh air of quality to a series who desperately need it. Although, some minor glitches in cutscenes animation and problems with the camera get this game a little away from perfection, but just a little.

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Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, The

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases