From OPS2:
Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly will become the fourth title for PlayStation and the first appearance for the winged purple dragon on PS2
(I don't know if they mean they're releasing it on both PSX and PS2, or whether by 'fourth title for PlayStation' they meant fourth title on a Sony console - Anna). The game centres around the platform-styled exploits of Spyro and his dragonfly friend Sparx. The story goes that after the Year Of The Dragon festival, all of the dragonflies in Spyro's world have been mysteriously stolen
(how can you steal a dragonfly? It doesn't belong to anyone! - Anna) and it's up to Spyro and Sparx to find and release them all
(Why? Who cares? - Anna).
OPS2 has played an early version of the title and can confirm it has lost nothing from the last highly received PSOne game released in November 2000. Ricci Rukavina
(cool name! - Anna), Creative Director for the title, explains her team's ambition for the game. 'Our major focus for Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly is to make a very smooth transition from the older PSOne platform to a more advanced one and deliver a traditional Spyro experience while adding more advanced features, which the PS2 enables us to do.' Equally important for Equinoxe/Check 6, the developer that has taken over from Insomniac Games to develop Spyro for PS2, has been retaining that essential humour and feel that has already attracted such a devoted following. 'What is a Spyro game without Space Cows!?' laughs Rukavina, 'Spyro has always had its own "special" brand of humour, from mooning Gnorcs to bad haiku, and will continue to do so.' One bizzare level we played showed Spyro flying a UFO around a field, picking up unsuspecting cows with a tractor beam.
Other levels will include a flying Tiger plane, a tank and a magical cattle prod. 'My favourite level at the moment is called Dragonfly Dojo,' enthuses Rukavina. 'It's essentially a training centre for dragonflies. Spyro gets to meet up with some characters from the previous games and we're having a lot of fun with that.'
(The return of Gnasty Gnorc and Ripto? Fantast! - Anna)
Hands-on experience proved that the title had smooth, well-animated characters and exotic locations strangely reminiscent of Jak & Daxter's world, but with more of a candy-coloured sheen. The finished game will have over 25 different areas to explore with Spyro flying, swimming and using vehicles like a Spitfire or a flying carpet. As well as breathing fire, Spyro has a number of new attacks including ice, electricity and bubble breath
(uh oh, bordering on Pokemon there - Anna). The developer has also promised an element of puzzle solving to keep older gamers interested.
Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly is clearly in very caring and capable hands with its new developer. 'I love making Spyro games,' says Rukavina. 'I think what excites me most at the moment is how truly animated Spyro and his world seems to be.'
(But that could mean anything - Anna) Spyro fans need not worry then - this new game promises to be everything that it was on PSOne, but with a lot more PS2 'newness' besides.
Release date: Autumn 2003
From PS2 and XBox Hardcore:
There's a job opening at SCEE for an artist to "help bolster our racing and WipEout brands"...
Another Wipeout game on the cards, then.
Spyro for PS2 and WipEout 5 confirmed!
