The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (Windows, Nintendo GameCube, Mac)
common sense media says
A feisty, fiery dragon adventure that's magical.
parents & educators say
- 50% say there are positive messages
- 50% say it's educational
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that while this is a delightful game that's a cinematic experience, it can be frightening to younger kids or more sensitive kids who are 10 and under. Although good triumphs over evil, the monsters may even scare some adults. This is a review of the Xbox 360 version.
Educational value:
You'll use logic and your wits as you solve puzzles and defeat monsters.
Violence:
Weapons include fire, water, and lightning. Angry bosses are downright scary.
Sex:
Not applicable.
Language:
Not applicable.
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Not applicable.
More on The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Review It
Based on 4 parent & educator reviews:
- 50% say there are positive messages
- 50% say it's educational
Most useful reviews by all members
oilerfan
adult
adult
Amazing game!
First and foremost, the whole point of this game is for the excellent story. It's like an interactive movie. Although much has been said about the poor camera angles, I didn't find them much of a hindrance. This is a hard game though, as it's very vague about what to do or where to go. Any gamer under the age of 12 may have some trouble completing this game though because some of the fighting is incredibly difficult. However the story is completely worth it. I would strongly recommend players to play the first two Legend of Spyro games in order to get to know the story.
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Lauren67
parent
parent
Great for tweens
only my 8 and 9 year old play this game my 5 year old is scared of dragons but the good stuff is that some people might learn a little about dragons in one scene a blue dragon appears from a crystal and talks about dragon elements he also tells that too young dragons that only dragons can have one element he also says that the purple dragon is a greatest dragon of all dragons spyro gets his elements from his family if you have played the last one look at his family. dont they have the same element as spyro? each dragon from spyros family has its own color you can tell by there color what element they have everyone play this game i watch my kids play it and im sure your kids will have fun oh and the only thing scary if you have the volume on on level 2 the big monster bangs his had on the wall and it makes a loud noise
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Iceara
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
ASWOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i love it i play it all the time its an awsome game my 8 year old sister started playing it when she was 6 years old
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zappyo29
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
I do not have this game, but i have sooooo many other spyro games. the original spyro was my first step into video games, and i can still remember getting spyro 2 and 3 for my birthday. i have the game that came before this one and the violnce is not graphic at all! i am suprised ths was rated E+10, i think its really more like a E.
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shanno15
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
Spoilers Spyro
Good graphics but the story can be confusing if you dont play the first 2 games. Spyro the dragon, I thought was better though because of the less complicated gameplay, a super long story. Though the ending is unique because Cinder falls in love with Spyro, but it leaves you hanging, did Spyro and Cinder die or not? I dont think they did but you dont know for sure, I like how Ignitus turnes into the chronocaler though
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Christian_girl
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
WATCH AFTER THE CREDITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't miss it! Nothing is as it seems. After every Legend of Spyro game, there's something after the credits. This time, it's the ending. Yes, you heard that right. Once you get to the credits, you can hit the start button and skip the cutscene if you want to hurry up and get to the ending clip. I've tested it, it works. You'll see the clip if you don't do that, this is just for impatient people, like me.
***END SPOILER*** At the end of the game, it's implied that Spyro died very heart-wrenchingly. But don't sell the game just yet! After the credits, it's shown that Spyro is alive, uninjured, flying happily in Avalar, in the world he has brought back to peace. There's other stuff after the credits but I won't spoil everything. I fell over onto the couch when I found out he was alive. I didn't faint, I just thought it would be funny. I got up and started crying tears of joy, which wasn't a joke. I cried at a video game. I've been a Spyro fan since the first game and I couldn't stand to see the little guy go. But he didn't! *sob, sob, cry* Please make another Spyro game. They're so stinking cool! Especially compared to the old games. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please!***SPOILER OVER***
This game is completely devoid of bad language. The same goes for the rest of the trilogy. Well, actually, in this game, Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx go to a dam and... well, they had to make a pun. There is no dirty stuff whatsoever and I like that about this game. The closest this game gets to anything mushy is one use of the phrase "I love you" which is the most romantical thing in the whole trilogy. No kisses or anything else gross. There's no blood but this game still scrapes by with its E10+ rating. The story alone can get so intense, I almost want to say it should have been rated T. The actual beating up of things is okay for an E10+ game but a few of the creatures you fight may look too scary for sensitive 10-year-olds. Of course, me being a teenager, my jaw dropped from how awesome the monsters looked. The gameplay is brilliant compared to the last two games. Are you kidding, EVERYTHING'S brilliant compared to the last two games! It's also much longer compared to the first two games. I like long games. There's a level select with about sixty-seven levels. It takes the average person sixty-seven days to beat one of them. But you can get help from a friend with the new co-op feature. I mean, if Cynder's going to follow Spyro for the whole trip, she should be a playable character, right?
Why can't they make more games with a plot as great as this? Why can't they make more games with a plot? I like games with stories, as long as there aren't too many cutscenes but there's plenty of fighting. Anyway, this is one of the best games you'll ever play in your life, or at least it will be if you play it. I'm kinda glad they cancelled the movie, though. If they're going to base it off the exact plot of the game like they said they would, it's going to be... unimaginitive. Maybe they can make one with a different plot in a few years but I'm glad they didn't do what sounded like re-animating all the game's cutscenes and putting them on the bigscreen. It just wouldn't make the game seem as cool. But the game was AMAZING!!! The controls are simple, but the game's a little hard. It's funny, exciting and real cool-looking. It's my dream game.
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serno17
kid, 9 years old
kid, 9 years old
Dont Be So Sad People
IM A BIG SPYRO FAN i knew he wasnt gonna die he just turend dark Its Very romantic at the end i love that game i have that game and i finished it!
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lily007
kid, 8 years old
kid, 8 years old
good game
good game and interasting
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Pvt. Sokolva
adult
adult
Firstly, let me just say that I grew up with the Spyro series. It was my first step into the gaming world and I still cherish the memories of beating the first Spyro game for the first time in kindergarden and first grade. That was back when Spyro was simply an open platformer in which you run around collecting things, beating enemies, and saving eggs. Now, it is something quite different; this game is a platformer, certainly, but it is not as open as it used to be. You cannot go where you want at will, but have to stick to your objectives and travel through each world one after the other, and though you still collect "gems" or crystals, these are used to upgrade and strengthen your character(s) in a RPG (role play game for those who don't know) kind of style.
I wouldn't give this give this game 4 stars in a review intended for older kids by any means; the game had its issues, was simple, the voice acting cheesy in a way that would make any older person laugh, and there were definitely issues with the game in terms of controlling the characters.
HOWEVER. This is an excellent game for a kid. I know it from experience, as my little sister got this game for Christmas when it just came out, as for old times sake, I played it with her. It was a lot of fun for me, but it was incredibly fun for her. She was always begging me to play Spyro with her, and wouldn't play it without me. We finished the whole game through by working together and had a lot of fun with it. But thats just it; this games true fun potential is ONLY when you have someone else to play with. Its a good game, but flawed in that when you play single player the computer AI character still has to follow you around....which poses problems because the computer AI is impossible to control and very very stupid.
BTW, its an interesting game in the sense that it can either be 1 player or 2 player game, as each dragon, Cynder and Spyro, can be controlled by a player. The dragons are connected by a convenient little collar that keeps them from getting to far from each other and acts as a kind of rope to allow them to work together to get places and keep the other from falling off cliffs. This works well....in the two player mode. Unfortunatly, this game is almost impossible to play solo. That is one of its greatest flaws; the AI of your partner, when not controlled by another human being, is incredibly stupid. They will pull you off cliffs, jump into walls, be completely incompetent and battle, and overall make it impossible to play and beat the fairly difficult bosses, especially with the glitchy and questionable Wii mote controller. So unless you plan to play with your kids, or if your kid has a sibling (it would be perfect for friends and family to spend time with each other) I really can't recommend this game. However, if they DO happen to have someone to play with, I recommend it heavily.
And don't listen to what the official review says. The monsters are large and intimidating in a sort of colossus mountain fire monster way, but there is NO WAY they could scare an adult. I doubt it could even scare most children over the age of 6.
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Zonoya
adult
adult
Gamers
I think it's a great game 2 play.
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JetH 7
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Good game for all ages SORRY ABOUT MY SPELLING!
This is a good famile game. If you have kids (Or if your are a kid of a teed for that madder) who like video games this is a must have. So in short this is a must have for just about any one. I do have a few complints about this game thoe, the fighting (Which is most of the game) can get rather violent, but their is no blood or gore of any kind not even in the cut seens. Also their is a little mild languege, the main charectors are blowing up a dam and of corse some one had to make a pun, but thats all for the cussing. The bad guys may scare some younger ones all thoe my three year old lil bro plays this game with out a problom. Now on to the good stuff! The game has a positive morel, the heros are fighting to stop the fighting (Yes that may sound a little wird but you have to play it to under stand). The main hero (Spyro) is selfless and is willing to put others before him self. Spyro's brother (Sparx) forgives another cheactor (Cynder) after holding a grudge for most of the game (And all of the previos game). Now to get on to the gameplay, this is an avrege action game, if you like games such as Star Wars The Foce Unleashed you'll love this game. You have two melay atacks, a grab atack and two magic atacks (Not like Harry Potter but like Last Air Bender elemental magic) and each charector (Spyro and Cynder) have 4 elements they can use. The bigest down side is some of the levels are cind of confusing, I spent nearly two hours trying to find whare the heck to go in one of the levels. If you like a good story tied in to your games you will NOT be dissapoited this game's story is beader then most movies. The cheactors are well developed and their are a few big plot twists. Just be warned this is the third game in a trilagey and will make no since what so ever if you haven't played the first two ( A new biginning and The eternail night) And sadly Eternal night isn't as famile frendly as the other two are. But if you let your kid play legend of zelda it should be fine. Any ways I'm getting off topic. This is a grate game for any one as long as you can stand some violence and one case of d--n. Oh yea one more warning if you can't stand romace there is a little at the end. (SORRY ABOUT MY SPELLING!!!!!!)
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