The first thing I noticed was the graphical upgrade. For a cartoony style game, the backgrounds and character models looked really nice. The water rushing by in a nearby river was particularly well done. Once I stopped gazing a the backgrounds, it was time to take a look at Spyro himself. His character model has matured with the franchise and he looks a bit more like a teenager than a baby dragon. This game also marks a new power for Spyro: flight. In previous games, Spyro could only sort of hover and glide a short distance, but now he has the full power of flying at his fingertips. Joining Spyro in his adventures is Cynder, a rather goth like female dragon who was formerly an enemy in the last game. You can play as both characters by switching back and forth with a button press or bring a friend along to play in co-op mode.

Spyro isn't the only thing that has grown up in this game however. The battle system has matured greatly as well, adding in God of War and Devil May Cry type fighting elements. Despite the violence of these two games particular style, Spyro manages to pull the best elements while still remaining kid friendly. For instance, Spyro's ability to harness the elements features a Kratos-like electrical area attack that will take out multiple ememies at the same time. The spouting fountains of blood and severed limbs however, are absent. Cynder has her own set of abilities as well that make use of her darker shadow powers, using things like poison and fear. Gems can be collected throughout the levels to help power up Spyro and Cynder's various powers. Sets of armor can be found throughout the game that can be mixed and matched or use one whole set to gain bonus abilities.

Spyro also boasts a pretty hefty voice acting cast with Elijah Wood returning as the voice of Spyro, goth girl supreme Christina Ricci as Cynder, Gary Oldman as Ignitus, Wayne Brady as Sparx, Mark Hamill as the evil Dark Master and Blair Underwood as Hunter. It is expected to hit in early October on the Wii, DS, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 with the PSP oddly absent from the lineup. The gameplay on the various systems will vary slightly as they always do, but the storyline will remain the same. The PS3 version will even take advantage of the Sixxaxis controls although this control scheme will be optional. Apparently they have learned a lesson that the creator of a certain other dragon flying game didn't.

All in all I really enjoyed what I saw of this latest Spyro title and the new battle system seems like it might cross that line from pure kids game into attracting some more open minded adult gamers who enjoy a cartoony romp. As a fan of the first Spyro game, I will certainly be interested in checking it out once it is released to see more of how the the little purple dragon has come into his own.

"You will be aware from the description of the product on PlayStation Store that some variation in functionality from the original PSone version is to be anticipated," the publisher wrote.

"However there appear to be more significant technical issues."

...couldn't think of anything. Sorry.

MediEvil and Spyro PSN bugs [eurogamer]

Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman will be returning to reprise the roles of the titular dragon and his mentor Ignitus, a move which I am sure ate half of the game development budget right there.

My last E3 before next week's event was way back when Spyro the Dragon was first launched. I still remember the giant purple construct hovering above the Sony booth, adorably majestic, heralding what would be one of my favorite platform games of all time. Over the years the magic has faded considerably, yet I keep hoping that one day I'll recapture it in the for of a new Spyro title that knocks me off my feet. This probably isn't it. *sniffles

SPYRO THE DRAGON® TO CONTINUE HIS EPIC NEW TRILOGY THIS FALL IN THE LEGEND OF SPYRO: THE ETERNAL NIGHT

Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman Return to Provide Voice-Over Performances

READING (6th July, 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night, the latest installment in the 17 million-unit-selling Spyro™ franchise and a continuation of the new The Legend of Spyro trilogy of games. The game is expected to release this autumn for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Wii™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo DS™ and mobile phones.

The legend continues in the second installment of The Legend of Spyro trilogy with the Ape King arriving at the Temple of Souls in an effort to usher in a new age of darkness. As Spyro, players must unlock the secrets behind a series of strange visions that he is having and find the power to defeat this terrifying new force.

"We're really excited to continue the re-emergence of one of video gaming's most popular characters through this ongoing trilogy," said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing for Sierra Entertainment . "The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night takes the action and excitement of The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning to the next level with new breath attacks, fury modes, and the introduction of the new 'Dragon Time' ability to deliver an exciting experience that Spyro fans and gamers of all ages will love."

Returning to provide voices for The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night are leading Hollywood actors Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) as Spyro and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black from the Harry Potter films) as Ignitus, the Fire Dragon Elder and Spyro's mentor.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night continues the strong action-infused gameplay focus established in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning and takes it even further with exciting new powers, including:

• Four new, upgradeable Breath Attacks (one for each element type), such as Ice Bomb, Electric Orb, Earth Vine, Enhanced Fire
• Four new elemental melee moves, including Comet Dash, Artic Blast, Earth Pound, Electric Spin
• Four new Fury attacks - Earth, Electricity, Ice, Fire
• Monstrous new and explosive boss battles against the likes of Skabb the Pirate, Gaul the Ape King and more

Introducing "Dragon Time"
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night will also expand Spyro's combat arsenal by adding "Dragon Time," a new advanced move that allows Spyro to bend time to his will. Players will be able to engage Dragon Time to dodge attacks, out-maneuver enemies or solve tricky time-based environmental puzzles.

Developed by critically-acclaimed developers Krome Studios (PlayStation 2 and Wii) and Amaze Entertainment (Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance), The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night is scheduled to be released in autumn 2007. Vivendi Games Mobile is also making The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night available for mobile phones throughout Europe and North America. For more information, please visit the game's official website at www.spyrothedragon.com.

As Gamespot points out, the PlayStation 2 game comes with an included epilepsy warning, a common practice on videogame software.

We'll update when we get more details. Michael McWhertor

Vivendi, Sony sued over epileptic seizure [Gamespot]