The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning - hands-on

A lengthy hands-on shows that the game has a lot of promise. The control scheme is a hair complicated, but not unnecessarily so, and since Spyro responds pretty smoothly you quickly get into the rhythm. Overall, the gameplay doesn't seem terribly groundbreaking, but it's executed well and brings the series up to date. The jumping puzzles don't quite shake the edge of frustration that's typical of jumping puzzles, for example, but many of the larger enemies and mini-bosses are fairly clever. Plus, the voices of Elijah Wood and (especially) Gary Oldman add a lot to the game’s atmosphere.

While the original Spyro the Dragon wasn't exactly a classic, it certainly had its charms and is still fondly remembered eight years later. Hopefully, A New Beginning's high production values and Hollywood talent can recapture that charm for nostalgic older players, and snare in excited new young players at the same time.