Software:Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly

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Short description: 2002 video game

"Check Six" redirects here. For the expression "check your six", see Clock position § In media and culture.
Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly
North American cover art
Developer(s)Equinoxe Digital Entertainment
Check Six Studios
Publisher(s)Universal Interactive
Director(s)Aryeh Richmond
Producer(s)Ricci Rukavina
Designer(s)Saji A. Johnson
Joel Goodsell[1]
Programmer(s)John Bojorquez
Artist(s)Sean Ro
Composer(s)Stewart Copeland
SeriesSpyro
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • NA: November 5, 2002
  • EU: November 29, 2002
GameCube
  • NA: November 19, 2002
  • EU: November 29, 2002
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly is a 2002 platform game developed by Equinoxe Digital Entertainment and Check Six Studios and published by Universal Interactive for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The first mainline installment in the Spyro series not to be developed by original developer Insomniac Games, it follows the titular purple dragon as he attempts to rescue magical dragonflies from the clutches of Ripto. Similarly to its predecessors, the gameplay is based around exploring large open-ended 3D environments in order to find collectibles, which can also be obtained through minigames. Xbox and PC versions were planned but cancelled.[2][3][4]

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly received mixed reviews due to its short length, lack of originality, stiff controls and numerous technical issues due to creative disagreements with the publisher and the game being rushed to meet the holiday 2002 deadline, though its soundtrack was praised.[5] It was followed by the release of Software:Spyro: A Hero's Tail by Eurocom in 2004.

Gameplay

Spyro is able to use his bubble breath to capture dragonflies.

The player controls Spyro the dragon, who is accompanied by his dragonfly partner Sparx. Spyro is able to breathe fire, charge, glide, hover, and swim. New to the series is the introduction of multiple breath attacks, such as bubble breath, ice breath, and electric breath. Spyro is also able to learn a block technique which can be used to deflect ranged attacks back at enemies.[6] These abilities are attained from the ancient dragon statue in the home world by collecting magical runes.[7] Additionally, some levels involve the operation of aircraft or other vehicles.[6]

Plot

The story begins during a rite of passage for a group of dragon hatchlings, which were the dragon eggs in Year of the Dragon.

Each hatchling is meant to receive a dragonfly partner of their own, but Ripto, who was the antagonist of Ripto's Rage, disrupts the event. He makes his unexpected appearance through a magical portal, along with his henchmen in an attempt to capture all of the dragonflies, thus weakening the power of every dragon and thereby get his revenge upon Spyro. His spell misfires, however, and the dragonflies become scattered throughout the Dragon Realms.

Spyro must then recover the dragonflies by capturing them using his bubble breath ability and by completing tasks for NPCs. After collecting all of the lost dragonflies, Spyro fights and defeats Ripto, who retreats to his homeland.[7]

Development

Upon completion of the original Spyro trilogy for the Sony PlayStation, the original developer Insomniac Games ceased production on the franchise and moved onto developing the Ratchet & Clank games. After the publishing agreement between Sony Computer Entertainment and Universal Interactive Studios ended in April 2000, Universal Interactive, who owned the Spyro intellectual property, was consolidated into Havas Interactive the following year, becoming a publishing label within the company and announced plans to bring an original Spyro game to the Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC, and Game Boy Advance.[8] Universal contracted two California-based studios to develop the game: Equinoxe Digital Entertainment, responsible for the game's art, and Check Six Studios, who handled its design and programming.[9][1]

Joel Goodsell, a game designer who had previously worked on the Disney Interactive Studios titles Gargoyles and Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, joined the project after seeing a Spyro-themed demo they developed. Goodsell served as the original project lead and felt that Spyro needed a "tone update" going from PS1 to PS2. The developers initially created a darker, more adult take on Spyro, integrating steampunk visuals into the design and art. Based on Universal's feedback, the game was rewritten to be more traditional, with a plot involving Gnasty Gnorc and Ripto, antagonists from the previous games, teaming up and demanding revenge on Spyro. Universal replied that the game was "just a standard Spyro game design", asking what was special about it.[9] Goodsell then wrote "an epic Zelda-esque RPG-lite Spyro design" including a hub-town and surrounding open world field with changing seasons. Universal signed off on this design in January 2002, leaving no feedback.[9] Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly for the PS2 was unveiled on February 19, 2002, at Vivendi Universal Games' First Annual Games Fair in France;[10] a GameCube version was confirmed in July.[11]

The game was originally going to have 25 levels. Although this is fewer than the amount of levels in the previous Spyro games, the levels were going to be noticeably larger than the levels in previous Spyro games.[12] In addition, it was planned to have around 120 dragonflies that players had to collect.[13]

Several months into the game's development, Check Six and Equinoxe moved into a single office space in Venice, California.[9][1] The game struggled with low frame rates, even as the visuals were simplified.[9][14] Check Six had difficulty paying their developers, missing paychecks, and the team was also pressured to release the game in time for the Christmas season.[14] Goodsell felt that having two directors on the team, including Ricci Rukavina of Universal Interactive, hurt the team's morale and was a drain on Check Six's limited financial resources; he subsequently left the studio.[9]

Stewart Copeland, composer of the previous three Spyro games as well as Enter the Dragonfly, stated he started to feel a "divergence" with Universal Interactive, stating "I remember the team came in to create the promotional materials for Enter the Dragonfly. They showed me an ad they had, which I didn't even recognize as Spyro. It was country and western-themed, and I think that's where the divergence happened for me. We were not on the same page any more."[15]

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly was the only game developed by Check Six and Equinoxe before they closed down. Check Six was working on Aliens: Colonial Marines concurrently with Spyro, which was cancelled due to performance and production issues.[9][16] Equinoxe developed a prototype for a Nintendo game "that had a lot of promise, but Nintendo elected to not continue funding it after one particular milestone."[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GCPS2
Game Informer4.75/10[19]N/A
GameProStarStarHalf star[20]StarStarStarStarHalf star[21]
GameSpot3.2/10[22]2.8/10[23]
GameSpyN/AStarStar[24]
GameZone7.5/10[25]7/10[26]
IGN6/10[27]6/10[28]
Nintendo Power3.3/5[29]N/A
Nintendo World Report4/10[30]N/A
OPM (US)N/AStarStarStar[31]
X-PlayN/AStarStar[32]
Aggregate score
Metacritic48/100[17]56/100[18]

The PlayStation 2 version of the game received "mixed or average" reviews and the GameCube version received "generally unfavorable" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[17][18]

IGN said of the PS2 version, "Enter the Dragonfly is essentially a replica game, a side step or a lateral move rather than a step forward. So, what it comes down to is this: Are you up for more of the exact same Spyro game?" Ted Price, the President of Insomniac Games, even spoke out about how bad he found the game. In an interview, he stated, "Spyro has become an abused stepchild... Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly on PS2 and GameCube was an absolute travesty."[28]

A large body of criticism for the game was caused by its numerous bugs and glitches. Some reviewers speculated that this was caused by a rushed development cycle to reach a scheduled release date.[30] Matthew Gallant, writing for GameSpot, said, "Even the biggest fans of Spyro are going to have a hard time enjoying this game. The leap to the latest generation of consoles leaves them with a slower game, a shorter game (10 hours), and an all-around less enjoyable game, not to mention a buggy one."[22][23]

Another criticism of the game was the frame rate. Ben Kosmina of Nintendo World Report said, "While running around the Dragon Realms (the overworld of the game) if there's too many sheep or moving characters on screen, the game will skip frames excessively. It also happens while running or flying through levels where there are a lot of characters, and even sometimes when there aren't any characters in the area! This is just unacceptable."[30] IGN shared this complaint, adding "The framerate suffers often, chugging from around a maximum of 30 fps downward, depending on the area. Which is kind of strange, because these worlds aren't much bigger than those on the PlayStation versions of Spyro. There aren't many more enemies on screen, and the textures are still the same, simple flat shaded swaths of primary colours, just like the others. Oftentimes, entire areas pop in because of weird problems with load issues."[28] According to an IGN article from March 2002, the game was originally going to have a frame rate of 60 fps despite it having more animation, more interactive architecture bits, and a noticeably greater draw distance than the previous Spyro games.[33]

Critics also had issues with control and collision detection. Kosmina mentioned, "Due to the awful control you have over Spyro when he's flying, you'll be plummeting off cliffs, missing switches you're trying to ground pound, swerving all over the place while trying to land properly and falling off small platforms for no reason at all."[30]

The GameCube version was a runner-up for the "Worst Game on GameCube" award at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002 Awards, which went to Jeremy McGrath Supercross World.[34]

The PlayStation 2 version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[35] indicating sales of at least 300,000 units in the UK.[36]

On March 28, 2007, a lawsuit was filed against Universal, Check Six, Equinoxe and Sony by the parents of a child who suffered epileptic seizures after playing Enter the Dragonfly.[37]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "The Enter the Dragonfly Investigation – Part I: Interview with Warren Davis". May 4, 2018. https://thewumpagem.wordpress.com/2018/05/04/the-enter-the-dragonfly-investigation-part-i-interview-with-warren-davis/. 
  2. ↑ "Spyro Spreads his Wings - IGN". https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/30/spyro-spreads-his-wings. 
  3. ↑ "Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly - Xbox - GameSpy". https://web.archive.org/web/20070609191710/http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/spyro/. 
  4. ↑ "Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly - PC - GameSpy". http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/spyro/. 
  5. ↑ (in en) Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly Documentary (REMASTERED), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHLZEuyXFKE, retrieved 2022-12-11 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Spyro Enter the Dragonfly (USA). http://archive.org/details/ps2_Spyro-_Enter_the_Dragonfly_USA. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 (in en) Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (Full Game 100%), January 23, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdJWeTqsolw, retrieved 2023-07-26 
  8. ↑ IGN staff (August 29, 2000). "Spyro Spreads his Wings". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/30/spyro-spreads-his-wings. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 "The Enter the Dragonfly Investigation – Part II: Interview with Joel Goodsell". October 1, 2018. https://thewumpagem.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/the-enter-the-dragonfly-investigation-part-ii-interview-with-joel-goodsell/. 
  10. ↑ IGN staff (February 19, 2002). "Universal Announces Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/02/19/universal-announces-spyro-enter-the-dragonfly. 
  11. ↑ IGN staff (July 9, 2002). "Spyro: Enter the GameCube". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/07/09/spyro-enter-the-gamecube. 
  12. ↑ Perry, Douglass (2016-06-28). "E3 2002: Spyro Impressions". https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/24/e3-2002-spyro-impressions. 
  13. ↑ "SPYRO ENTER THE DRAGONFLY PS2". https://www.arkad.nu/p/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly-ps2. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Mr. FO1 (August 29, 2018). Jason Fourier (Check Six Programmer) - Full Audio Interview. YouTube. Google. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "Talking Spyro with The Police's Stewart Copeland". Imagine Publishing. 2016. https://www.gamestm.co.uk/interviews/talking-spyro-with-the-polices-stewart-copeland/. 
  16. ↑ "Aliens: Colonial Marine [PS2 – Cancelled"]. April 15, 2008. https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/aliens-colonial-marine-cancelled/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly for GameCube Reviews". Red Ventures. https://www.metacritic.com/game/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Red Ventures. https://www.metacritic.com/game/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  19. ↑ "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (GC)". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (117): 101. January 2003. 
  20. ↑ Four-Eyed Dragon (January 7, 2003). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly Review for GameCube on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gamecube/games/reviews/27645.shtml. Retrieved October 13, 2021. 
  21. ↑ "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/27740.shtml. Retrieved October 13, 2021. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Gallant, Matthew (November 15, 2002). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly Review (GC) [date mislabeled as "November 18, 2002""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly-review/1900-2897771/. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Gallant, Matthew (November 15, 2002). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly Review (PS2) [date mislabeled as "November 18, 2002""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly-review/1900-2897770/. 
  24. ↑ Williams, Bryn (November 28, 2002). "GameSpy: Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (PS2)". IGN Entertainment. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly/568510p1.html. 
  25. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (December 8, 2002). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly - GC - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/spyro_enter_the_dragonfly_gc_review/. 
  26. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (November 20, 2002). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly - PS2 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/spyro_enter_the_dragonfly_ps2_review/. 
  27. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (November 18, 2002). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (NGC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/18/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Perry, Douglass C. (November 8, 2002). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (PS2)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/08/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly-2. 
  29. ↑ "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 163: 218. December 2002. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Kosmina, Ben (February 1, 2003). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly". NINWR, LLC. https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4042/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly-gamecube. 
  31. ↑ Steinman, Gary (January 2003). "Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) (64): 132. http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0%2C2053%2C1495334%2C00.asp. Retrieved June 17, 2022. 
  32. ↑ Urbanek, A.M. (November 20, 2002). "'Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly' (PS2) Review". TechTV. http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0%2C24330%2C3407148%2C00.html. 
  33. ↑ "Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly". 2012-05-20. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/25/spyro-enter-the-dragonfly-4. 
  34. ↑ GameSpot staff (December 20, 2002). "Best and Worst of 2002 (Worst Game on GameCube)". CNET. http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2002/gc26.html. 
  35. ↑ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". http://www.elspa.com/?i=3944. 
  36. ↑ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Informa. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/elspa-i-wii-fit-mario-kart-i-reach-diamond-status-in-uk. 
  37. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (March 28, 2007). "Vivendi, Sony sued over epileptic seizure". Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/vivendi-sony-sued-over-epileptic-seizure/1100-6168230/. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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