♪ Spyro 3: Seashell Shore [captioner comments in brackets]
♪ Spyro 3: Seashell Shore Spyro the Dragon was the first video game character that ever had any real impact on me.
I had a PS1 as a very young child,
and the original PS1 Spyro trilogy were the first games that I could really say that I loved.
I put hundreds and hundreds of hours into these games,
and I still go back to play all three of them at least once a year.
Needless to say, the announcement of a remaster has me overjoyed [that's an understatement],
but being the cautiously optimistic person I am, I'm not without my concerns.
This video is certainly different from my usual fare [duh],
but I feel like this video essay format is a perfect way for me to get my thoughts out in a manner that maybe,
just MAYBE,
people will actually pay attention to,
instead of brushing it off like a wall of unwanted nuisance that clogs up the Discord servers. [i'll say]
♪ Spyro 2: Sunny Beach
The Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy released not long ago.
It sold amazingly well, and is now getting ported to other platforms. [thank god for timed exclusives]
This is probably at least partially responsible for the Spyro trilogy being made as well,
or at least it shows that Activision sees it as a successful business venture. [probably this one]
What I find hilarious about Crash's reception, however,
is that the critics were having a field day bashing the small changes to the controls. [whining imo]
To put it bluntly, those changes do not matter.
You can still beat the game just fine.
For every last thing that the original game ~supposedly did better~,
there's three other problems that the remaster fixed.
My own gripes with the N-Sane Trilogy are actually mostly graphical, [you kids and your darn 4KHD skin-cell graphics]
because the gameplay is -almost- spot-on.
Almost. [but no cigar]
The N-Sane Trilogy's issues can be separated into two categories:
aesthetic problems and execution problems.
The execution problems are more concrete and easier to explain,
so I will start with this.
This room has no lighting.
There are many spots in the game where there's no lighting applied at all,
and this doesn't seem to be a bug or error,
because it happens 100% of the time. [it works, every time]
[sudden ASMR]
There are other times, uh, primarily in the game over screens,
where the lighting will randomly FAIL to render,
which IS an error, [or is it]
and... alongside that, the depth perception is still honestly a valid complaint as well,
albeit a little bit exaggerated.
Furthermore, I find the 30FPS lock simultaneously harmless, but also unnecessary,
especially if you're playing on a PS4 Pro,
which has no real graphical upgrade with this game compared to the original PS4, as far as I can tell.
The original games were 30FPS on the PS1,
and obviously you can beat it just fine like this,
[**I move away from the mic to breathe in]
but when the computing power is available to render at 60FPS,
there's zero downsides to doing so,
and I feel like I'm being cheated out of something that I should be entitled to,
if I have the hardware to do it.
[**I move away from the mic to breathe in]
If you can't tell, I'm a PC gamer as my platform of choice. [that explains it]
Don't @me. [how do you do fellow kids]
Other problem is more of a subjective concern, [sic]
but it's still something that I think should be addressed.
Let me compare a couple quick shots for you.
(Original VS Remaster: Crash 1 Intro and Crash 2 First Meeting)
[here comes the roast]
If you honestly think that this boring-ass, default pose, piece of shit head with the game engine's built-in opacity setting set to 70%,
and -every other object property- left at default,
somehow,
looks better,
than these BEAUTIFULLY stylized and signature Naughty Dog works of art,
unsubscribe right now. ["also block me on twitter"]
I promise you, this would have looked absolutely BADASS if they actually took the effort to code in all those extra lighting and scanline effects,
the slight distortion of the polygons,
and so on,
[**I move away from the mic to breathe in]
but they just
didn't,
and it looks
boring.
This extends to the animations as well.
Many of them in the remaster are made to be overly smooth and realistic?
Which kind of goes against the aesthetic and design that made the original so unique and identifiable.
It generally makes the game feel kinda floaty and buttery??
kinda muted??? i guess????
When the originals were poppy and exciting.
[**I move away from the mic to breathe in]
Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the remasters
and they're arguably still the definitive way to play these games,
but there is a boatload of missed potential here.
So, with that...
I can seque into the actual topic I'm trying to cash in on while it's still relevant on social media:
Spyro the Dragon.
♪ Spyro 3: Midday Gardens
In the case of Spyro, I don't think the animation makes quite as much of a difference here as it did for Crash.
[**I move away from the mi- okay i'll stop)
The original Spyro games already had quite smooth animation,
and most of its visual appeal comes from the art direction.
As we can see from the screenshots we already have,
it seems to be mostly preserved, albeit with a lot of embellishing?
But that's fine. [*house burning down*]
I'm not sure how I feel about the design of this one baddie from the first hub world,
I can't help but feel like he belongs in a mobile game for some reason???
[gushing alert]
But Spyro himself is an adorable precious good boy and I wanna hug him.
And that's GOOD. [and that's terrible.]
Unlike a certain ~other~ character who honestly..... kinda should be a bit more edgy..........
The worlds themselves change a lot of colors, and mess with the terrain geometry a little,
or at least I think they do, based on this video right here...
But most of this is rather superfluous, and as such is completely harmless.
This is a 100% subjective and ultimately meaningless opinion,
but I honestly wish they kept the first hub world with the bright midday greens and blues...?
rather than giving it that orangey evening look?
My personal favorite Spyro levels are mostly the bright and poppy ones,
'cause they feel kinda, comfortable? homey?
Anyway, I'm not particularly worried about the graphics, based on what we see thus far,
as long as they don't continue with this trend of robbing me of my precious, bright and happy daytime...
[you stole my joke]
Everything seems fine in terms of graphics.
As for the controls, there's always the importance of depth perception in a platformer,
-especially- one with this much
G L I D I N G
Movement of Spyro himself should also be snappy,
and if I'd change anything from the originals,
I'd make it his turn speed.
As much as I like watching him actually ~turn around~,
it has caused me to fuck up several landings due to jumping from a different point than I intended to. [git gud]
Otherwise, there's things like acceleration time, stopping speed, general movement, friction speeds... [A-presses... wait]
All of which could definitely be obnoxious if they do it poorly?
But I still don't think it would be completely game-breaking,
as long as it's not, like, horrific.
Ultimately, this really should be left how it was,
since the level design is largely based around Spyro's movement, because, of course it is?
But knowing how remasters tend to go, I'm gonna have to expect them to do -some- changes.
My biggest concern by far is-
*obnoxiously long and increasingly loud drumroll*
*the harbinger of death fades into view*
*the city population goes under mass hysteria*
*the entire city is burning down by the minute*
*also a baby is crying for some reason*
*the entire country is ablaze*
*You Can (Not) Undo The Calamity*
*humanity is coming to an end*
*and it's all your fault, Shinji*
*all because you couldn't get in the fucking robot*
the soundtrack.
[that entire segment left me with GENUINE DISCOMFORT and it won't me alone]
[i regret captioning this]
To illustrate my point more clearly,
let me give some examples from two other remastered games. [oh here we go again]
To start...
♪ Pokemon G/S/C: New Bark Town
♪ Pokemon HG/SS: New Bark Town
This is a good change.
They slowed down the song and added some instruments to really embody the atmosphere and the mood of the environment,
but they still maintained the original creative integrity present in the original track. [original.]
I may sound like I'm pulling shit out of my ass,
and taking bleep-bloop noises way too seriously,
but I promise you, the original is...
was...
...will be...
a masterpiece,
and the remake only improves it.
This is an absolutely A-OK way to revitalize an old song.
Plenty of other tracks in these remasters are actually -way- more faithful to the originals,
♪ Pokemon G/S/C: Bicycle Theme Plenty of other tracks in these remasters are actually -way- more faithful to the originals,
♪ Pokemon G/S/C: Bicycle Theme opting to simply update the instruments to take advantage of the better sounds,
but otherwise, they leave it mostly untouched.
♪ Pokemon HG/SS: Bicycle Theme I'm absolutely fine with that, too.
Both of these options are perfectly acceptable.
Now here is how you -don't- remaster music. [DSP war flashbacks]
♪ Pokemon R/S/E: Route 119
♪ Pokemon OR/AS: Route 119
[me tbh]
♪ Pokemon OR/AS: Route 119
[this one's a doozy, get ready]
You went from an amazingly dynamic song, with tons of different instruments, all working together to create this amazing, W I D E sound stage of immersive and beautiful musical GENIUS, that perfectly complements the sense of adventure and discovery permeating this part of the game's overall progression,
then you went to just... flat and boring orchestral mediocrity.
*things get worse* then you went to just... flat and boring orchestral mediocrity.
Somehow they used a Game Boy Advance soundchip - it's tinny, it's limited, it's not that great?? - and they composed an absolute masterpiece that fully utilizes stereo sound channels, it embodies the adventure and wonder from that part of the game,
*things get better* Somehow they used a Game Boy Advance soundchip - it's tinny, it's limited, it's not that great?? - and they composed an absolute masterpiece that fully utilizes stereo sound channels, it embodies the adventure and wonder from that part in the game,
Somehow they used a Game Boy Advance soundchip - it's tinny, it's limited, it's not that great?? - and they composed an absolute masterpiece that fully utilizes stereo sound channels, it embodies the adventure and wonder from that part of the game,
And then...
THEN...
When given access to an -entire actual orchestra-, and whatever other instruments they could -possibly- want to include... With a system that could accurately reproduce ANY sound they wanted...
They decide to absolutely neuter the composition, remove most of those instruments and embellishments,
*THINGS GET WORSE* They decide to absolutely neuter the composition, remove most of those instruments and embellishments,
they even compressed the sound stage into this limp, mono-ish, weirdness?? that kinda sounds like it's coming through a wall????
I'm not the only one who hears that, right?
...right??
...ʳᶦᵍʰᵗ?
But hey, at the melody's still good, so it's still better than X/Y.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Spyro's soundtrack is one of the most memorable parts of the entire series.
Stewart Copeland, have my babies. [gross]
Your work in all three of these games is beautifully unique, and complements the game perfectly.
It stays in my head way longer than it should, seriously, -curse- the damn Spyro 1 credits theme.
Just-
♪ Spyro PS1 Trilogy: End Credits
Seriously, you deserve -so- many awards. ❤️
Obviously, they aren't gonna reuse the same old audio tracks, or at least, I hope they wouldn't...
So I can't help but wonder exactly how they're gonna change the songs,
I'm absolutely okay with atmosphere changes, key changes, instrument changes, added melodies, -any of that-...
So long as it still works to the benefit of the atmosphere it represents,
and is on the same level of quality or greater than the original.
If the song is bright and adventurous, NONE OF THIS SHIT.
♪ Pokemon OR/AS: Route 119
Let the synths play loud and proud.
Let the drums slam. [LET THE BASS KICK]
Don't shy away from harder noises.
If the song is melancholy and atmospheric,
𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 me with it, 𝒾𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒 me.
You can even switch songs to different moods entirely, so long as you execute it well.
The original songs are all executed damn near perfectly, so at this point...
...just, we have to wait and see if they fuck it up. [hopefully not]
A little extra idea would be the option to -enable- the original soundtrack,
which Pokemon HG/SS actually did as well,
although in their case, it's a late-game unlockable?
Personally, I'd rather make it a menu option from the start,
but doing this would prevent anyone from bitching about the new soundtrack, since the old one's always available,
and it means if the new soundtrack -does- suck, we don't have to deal with it. :^)
Anyway...
Pretty much 2/3 of this video was about the music, so I should move on to the next thing. [yeah, you should.]
♪ Spyro 3: Sunny Villa
As with any remaster, the optimal final product should essentially be...
Improving a masterpiece to best utilize the new technology, and the resources that are now available, to exist in the best possible form that it can.
Changes should only be made where necessary?
Or where it entails nothing but improvements,
and otherwise, it should preserve the creative integrity and design of the product upon which it is based. [my, how verbose.]
In the grander scheme, however, if Spyro is as successful or more successful than Crash has been in this past year...
It could possibly mean two things.
Either Activision could revitalize Spyro into an active property once more, and continue making more games, [just no filler please]
Or...
This could prod the industry as a whole to consider making more 3D platformers.
Games like Yooka-Laylee and A Hat In Time were the forerunners of this modern revival of 3D platformers that's already happening,
but I think it's big companies like Activision who have the power to really solidify it as a mainstream genre once again.
Since this genre of games were the single biggest aspect of my entire life, during my most formative childhood years,
I can't help but hope that the genre makes a return.
Though at the same time, I don't want Moneybags on their board of directors, if you know what I mean.
I'm absolutely okay with remasters and even re𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 when they're done well.
A masterpiece will always remain a masterpiece, so long as they maintain the ingredients that made it good.
Even if they are somewhat of a cash-grab, because remasters are comparatively cheaper to produce than a proper new game,
I'm still not opposed to getting the opportunity to make a great game even better, and to experience it in its ideal form.
I mean, shit, would you rather pay $60 to play a package of several, 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭, excellent games that you've already played before, but refreshed and revitalized with all sorts of cool new stuff to make them fresh and new again,
or...
...would you rather pay $60 for a disappointing chunk of one game, that cost upwards of $200 to get the full package?
Between the two AAA trends right now, I greatly prefer this one.
♪ Spyro 3: Charmed Ridge
Thanks for watching, everyone, and I hope this video format proves fruitful. [or gemful :^)]
Like I said, I'm an incredibly verbose person, [𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺?]
and I love to share my opinions and analyses,
although it's hard to find people who will listen sometimes.
After seeing many other YouTuber's success with this video essay format,
I figured it seemed like the obvious answer to my problem.
Plus, I love editing videos, and the process of creating them in general, SO, who knows?
Let me know in the comments if there's any additional points that I missed, or you want to elaborate on,
and if you disagree with me for any reason, please feel free to start a discussion about it.
That goes for the video format itself as well.
Please let me know if there's anything I can change or improve on.
Thanks for watching, my name is DELTARYZ, and my boyfriend Nazo is adorable. [EJLRFHGJLWERHG ❤️❤️❤️]
See you next time.