There are many "buried treasures" in the Playstation One library, which is vast beyond belief, but Spryro 2: Ripto's Rage is one of the very best.  There are few games of this calibur and playability even on the vaunted PS2.  And in many ways, this game is more than classy enough both in conception, and graphical beauty to BE a PS2 title anyway.  Hint, to PS2 owners, add this to your library because as you know, you can play older PSOne games on your system and this is downright a steal at the price compared to some very expensive PS2 games that aren't near as good.
This isn't a flight sim, a space shooter, a FPS where you look behind some gun trying to kill, it's not a strategy game (though some strategy plays a part), nor is it some Lord of The Rings type of mythical BS.  It's all about this purple flying, jumping, swimming (and more) cartoon dragon character.  Exploring and learning and collecting within a magical, dreamy, peaceloving, almost Wizard of Oz type land full of beautiful scenery and places, lots of strange characters and creature and things, and lots of pretty psychedelic colors, lights, and special effects.
This game reminds me of a 3d Super Mario game, and while easy going (trancy, space-type music plays in some parts adding to the strange otherworldly experience), and a pretty simple platform game, that's its main beauty and playability.  This is truly like playing in a cartoon and not by any means a static cartoon, as the graphics are almost studio-movie quality in animation.  This game genre has been done in countless ways, but this really does rank up there with those long hour killing days of manipulating Mario around, but in a magical, fairy tale land all presented in intense colors and shapes and forms.  While the gameplay in Spyro is so simplistic on early levels that a 6 year old would have no problem with it, in a way, this is a game for all ages, and most 60 plus year olds would probably get a kick out of it too.  I'd also highly recommend it as a game parents can play along with their kids as its so much fun for both, with enough interest and playability and eye candy for both as well.
For others between those ages, I can't recommend this game enough as just a pleasant, non-violent trip into a land over the rainbow now and then, and is even a good stress reliever in some ways.  A lot of PSOne games leave a lot to be desired, in these days of the second-generation consoles and higher end PC games, that usually means graphics.  Then again, a lot of the newer (and a lot more expensive) games of this type on those more costly systems, are great looking but lack gameplay.
This is not only on a par graphics wise with most PS2 games, but in gameplay as well.  PsOne or PS2 owners alike will not be disappointed in spending the low price of this game to add to their collection.  I had tried lots of PSOne games (still don't have a PS2 but have seen enough to know what they're capable of graphically) before buying this particular game, and it was worth every cent, because for all practical (and graphical) purposes, this looks and plays a lot more like a PS2 game than a PSOne.  My first reaction upon playing this was just, "WOW."
This is as good as anything on PS2, Xbox, or Gamecube, both graphically and in playability, period.  Easy, fun, relaxing trips with a goofy little purple dragon and tinkerbell, in a land of beauty and color and strangeness.  What more could one ask from a game?  Buy this now while you still can, whether you have a PSOne OR a PS2.  This is a real gem of a video game, for the kids, and for those so-called "adults" out here who are simply and forever will remain, kids at heart.
There are many "buried treasures" in the Playstation One library, which is vast beyond belief, but Spryro 2: Ripto's Rage is one of the very best. There are few games of this calibur and playability even on the vaunted PS2. And in many ways, this game is more than classy enough both in conception, and graphical beauty to BE a PS2 title anyway. Hint, to PS2 owners, add this to your library because as you know, you can play older PSOne games on your system and this is downright a steal at the price compared to some very expensive PS2 games that aren't near as good. This isn't a flight sim, a space shooter, a FPS where you look behind some gun trying to kill, it's not a strategy game (though some strategy plays a part), nor is it some Lord of The Rings type of mythical BS. It's all about this purple flying, jumping, swimming (and more) cartoon dragon character. Exploring and learning and collecting within a magical, dreamy, peaceloving, almost Wizard of Oz type land full of beautiful scenery and places, lots of strange characters and creature and things, and lots of pretty psychedelic colors, lights, and special effects. This game reminds me of a 3d Super Mario game, and while easy going (trancy, space-type music plays in some parts adding to the strange otherworldly experience), and a pretty simple platform game, that's its main beauty and playability. This is truly like playing in a cartoon and not by any means a static cartoon, as the graphics are almost studio-movie quality in animation. This game genre has been done in countless ways, but this really does rank up there with those long hour killing days of manipulating Mario around, but in a magical, fairy tale land all presented in intense colors and shapes and forms. While the gameplay in Spyro is so simplistic on early levels that a 6 year old would have no problem with it, in a way, this is a game for all ages, and most 60 plus year olds would probably get a kick out of it too. I'd also highly recommend it as a game parents can play along with their kids as its so much fun for both, with enough interest and playability and eye candy for both as well. For others between those ages, I can't recommend this game enough as just a pleasant, non-violent trip into a land over the rainbow now and then, and is even a good stress reliever in some ways. A lot of PSOne games leave a lot to be desired, in these days of the second-generation consoles and higher end PC games, that usually means graphics. Then again, a lot of the newer (and a lot more expensive) games of this type on those more costly systems, are great looking but lack gameplay. This is not only on a par graphics wise with most PS2 games, but in gameplay as well. PsOne or PS2 owners alike will not be disappointed in spending the low price of this game to add to their collection. I had tried lots of PSOne games (still don't have a PS2 but have seen enough to know what they're capable of graphically) before buying this particular game, and it was worth every cent, because for all practical (and graphical) purposes, this looks and plays a lot more like a PS2 game than a PSOne. My first reaction upon playing this was just, "WOW. "
This is as good as anything on PS2, Xbox, or Gamecube, both graphically and in playability, period. Easy, fun, relaxing trips with a goofy little purple dragon and tinkerbell, in a land of beauty and color and strangeness. What more could one ask from a game? Buy this now while you still can, whether you have a PSOne OR a PS2. This is a real gem of a video game, for the kids, and for those so-called "adults" out here who are simply and forever will remain, kids at heart.