History YMMV / SpyroYearOfTheDragon

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The skateboarding minigame owes a lot to ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' craze that was at its peak around the time of this game's release. Without knowing this background, its inclusion will seem random and baffling.

** Speaking of the playable characters, with the exception of the first boss, Buzz, the major boss fights all utterly waste the respective allies' unique skills and mechanics. In Buzz's case, Sheila's the one dealing damage to him, not you, and she uses her stomp to do so. Against Spike, the tactical Sgt. Byrd gives you weapons in the form of lava rocks and crystals ([[FridgeLogic why didn't he just drop the lava rocks on Spike himself?]]). Against Scorch, the mighty club-wielding Bentley throws you weapons in the form of red and green rockets. Against the Sorceress, the trigger-happy Agent 9 shoots down turrets, tanks, and flying saucers to shoot the Sorceress with. The latter three boss fights feel so lazy compared to the simple yet brilliant fight against Buzz. It would have been awesome if the other three partners all got to make use of their unique skills in a more direct fashion the way Sheila did, like by having you open up the boss for an attack from your partner (like knocking down and stunning Scorch so Bentley can smash him with his club). Or shoot, they could have switched Scorch and Spike around so Byrd helps shoot down Scorch using his flight and rockets while Bentley reflects Spike's shots back at him using his club.

* The ''fucking'' whack-a-mole minigame in Crystal Islands. Playing as Bentley, you have to find 20 moles as they surface from their burrows and hit them with your club before they can burrow away. OK, but there's also gnomes burrowing around, and if you hit one, you have to start again... and you only have a minute to do it... and Bentley is very slow and both the gnomes and moles are very quick.

* HilariousInHindsight:
** If you turn down freeing Agent 9, Moneybags asks if Spyro is jealous that [[VideoGame/{{Skylanders}} no one has made an action figure of him.]]
** The third entry for a mascot platformer on the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PS1]] that's [[ContestedSequel somewhat contested]] for its usage of GameplayRoulette? [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Now, where have we heard that one before?]]

* MostWonderfulSound: The jingle that plays before an egg hatches in the third game.

** Even in regards to Spyro himself, while there's no contest in that his base gameplay controls great, there's a lot of discourse to be had over the copious amounts of [[UnexpectedGameplayChange vehicles]] that he's placed in, including speedboats, submarines, demolition hovercrafts, and most infamously, skateboards. Just like with the other playable characters, some see this as a good way of spicing up the gameplay with incredibly fun distractions, whereas others see them as needless {{padding}} with incredibly clunky and unresponsive controls that serve to not put Spyro's ability to good use. In regards to the skateboard segments especially, the races in the latter half of the game tend to draw ire, and some aren't fond of the fact that it was massively advertised in promotional material (to the point of being front and center on the European box art).

* BrokenBase:
** The over-focus on other characters instead of Spyro himself. About half the game is spent controlling Spyro while the other half is spent controlling other characters with many, many different playstyles. Some feel it was a good way to spice things up, while others felt it took away from the game, to the point some claim Spyro was mostly there to get you to buy the game in the first place. (The fact that GameplayRoulette fell out of style near the mid-UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 era doesn't exactly help either...)
** There's also some hot debate over whether or not it was an EvenBetterSequel to ''Spyro 2'' or if it's a ContestedSequel that shows the original trilogy isn't flawless. Pros often point to the more fleshed out Spyro parts, the pretty good boss battles, and the storyline being surprisingly deep and [[SurpriseCreepy creepy]] when you really start thinking about it. Detractors point out how less than half the game is spent actually ''playing'' as Spyro, with the other half usually consisting of being bounced around other characters [[GameplayRoulette with greatly different playstyles]], with quite a few of them[[note]]Shelia, Bentley, and a few of Sgt. Byrd's missions being the prime offenders[[/note]] controlling rather awkwardly at times.

** Haunted Tomb also has the tank battle minigame, where you have to blast some tank-riding Rhynocs with your own. The first round is reasonably fair, but the championship round is almost impossible to do normally due to the tank being '''very slow''' and 3 or 4 Rhynocs constantly ganging up on you. It's possible to snipe half of them away, but it requires patience and only works for the last remaining ones, which are away from the central arena.

* DemonicSpiders: The gun-toting T-Rexes in Dino Mines will murder you if you don't murder them first. Their shots are surprisingly accurate and dodging at close to mid-range is almost impossible. The dynamite-tossing ones are just as bad too, due to them aiming their explosives ahead of where Spyro will go instead of his current position. And even the "seahorse" dinosaurs are bad, not only because the swimming controls are beyond clunky, but because no matter which direction they're facing, their bullets still home in on you, meaning they can shoot ''behind themselves''.

* DemonicSpiders: The gun-toting T-Rexes in Dino Mines will murder you if you don't murder them first. Their shots are surprisingly accurate and dodging at close to mid-range is almost impossible. The dynamite-tossing ones are just as bad too, due to them aiming their explosives ahead of where Spyro will go instead of his current position.

* ThatOneBoss: Spike is widely regarded as the hardest boss in the game for various factors. His fight is structured similarly to Ripto’s, where both he and Spyro chase down power-ups to use against each other. The trouble is, unlike Ripto, Spike is ''alarmingly'' good at leading his base ray-gun’s shots, which can also destroy some of the munitions Byrd provides you in the fight. To make matters worse, partway through the battle, Spike stomps on and cracks the floor. This causes jets of heat to periodically burst from the crevices, making for even more positioning woes for Spyro. Perhaps most dangerously, Spike gains an unusual projectile from the blue crystal that is also very difficult to avoid: a rope-like beam that Spike trails behind Spyro ''very'' closely. Capping it off, Sgt. Byrd does not drop fodder during the fight for some reason, leaving little room for error.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad The Sorceress]] is the [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen cruel ruler]] of the Forgotten Worlds. Manipulating her apprentice [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Bianca]] into abducting 150 dragon eggs under the guise of restoring magic to her kingdom, the Sorceress quickly reveals the true depths of her [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist selfishness and hypocrisy]]. Completely uncaring of the lives of her men, the Sorceress transforms her own minions into freakish monsters to fight Spyro, and ultimately plans to create a monster to wipe out every dragon, [[WouldHurtAChild even the hatchlings]], all so she can collect their wings for a spell that will give her eternal youth. She nonchalantly states that she doesn't even have to kill them; she just doesn't want them wriggling around while she removes their wings. A genocidal tyrant who [[ItsAllAboutMe only cares about herself]], the Sorceress stands out as [[VileVillainSaccharineShow the darkest and purest villain in the original Spyro trilogy]].

* DesignatedHero: The Gnomes from Crystal Islands. They're treated as allies due to stealing magic from the Sorceress, but in using this magic for their magic tricks, they end up crystallizing an entire ecosystem, which sets its residents on a rampage for very justifiable reasons. ...And yet Spyro still helps them.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: The plot of Seashell Shore is kicked off by the Seals stealing the Rhynocs' submarine, taking if for a joyride, and causes it to crash, yet we're expected to side with the Seals?

* TheWoobie: Bianca. She just wants to become a sorceress and save her magic-depedant homeland, and in the process is constantly degraded by her boss, beaten up by Spyro and Hunter, and then is told that her boss isn't going to [[spoiler:take care of the baby dragons, she's going to kill them all.]]

* ScrappyMechanic: {{Downplayed}}. While no one hates the characters specifically, a few of the partners aren't looked upon favorably thanks to their levels resembling a slower-paced, less interesting version of an existing character's level. The prime offenders tend to be Sheila[[note]]which gets compared to Spyro's gameplay[[/note]], Bentley[[note]]which, again, gets compared to Spyro's own gameplay, and somehow manages to be far more clunkier than Sheila's[[/note]], and Sgt. Byrd.[[note]]thanks to his flight being a clunkier version of Spyro's own, which could have been easily expanded upon.[[/note]]

** [[SuperSpeed Supercharge.]] The Supercharge mechanic was rather prevalent throughout ''Spyro 1'' and ''Spyro 2'', and for the most part, it controlled rather well, making it feel like a series staple. However, whereas ''Spyro 1'' had Supercharge in seven levels, and ''Spyro 2''had Supercharge in five levels, one being a boss, ''Year of the Dragon'' only features Supercharge in ''two'' levels. In fact, whereas Sunrise Spring has Superfly, Midday Gardens has Superflame, and Evening Lake has Supershield, there's no power-up gate for Midnight Mountain, which feels like a perfect fit for Supercharge [[spoiler:with the chase after Moneybags in the postgame]].

** One of the first things you can do post-game is [[spoiler:chase down Moneybags and kick the ever-loving crap out of him to get back the gems you've spent throughout the game.]]

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Bianca is a major supporting character throughout the game, eventually making a HeelFaceTurn just before Spyro reaches the final world. Despite being built up as the perfect character to become Spyro's final playable ally against the Sorceress, she remains an NPC and the game instead introduces Agent 9 as the last playable character to free. As a fledgling sorceress, Bianca would have had just as much room to be an interesting playable character, and was much more relevant to the story.
** In fact, given that every playable character has reason to have a personal beef with the Sorceress the fact that Agent 9 is the only one of them who turns up to help fight her is this trope in itself. The entire fight could've been a multi-stage fight with the whole crew going at the Sorceress in their way.
** She's a perfectly good villain, but the total absence of interaction between the Sorceress and Spyro was felt and noted; especially since the SnarkToSnarkCombat between Spyro and the previous BigBad was a highlight of that game (and no doubt among the reasons [[BreakoutVillain he returned in the sequels]], while the Sorceress never appeared again). Spyro doesn't even meet her until the FinalBattle, and they don't have a single word to say to each other.

** The third entry for a mascot platformer on the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PS1]] that's somewhat contested for its usage of GameplayRoulette? [[VideoGame/CrashBandicootWarped Now, where have we heard that one before?]]

* HilariousInHindsight: If you turn down freeing Agent 9, Moneybags asks if Spyro is jealous that [[VideoGame/{{Skylanders}} no one has made an action figure of him.]]

* ScrappyMechanic: {{Downplayed}}. While no one hates the characters specifically, a few of the partners aren't looked upon favorably thanks to their levels resembling a slower-paced, less interesting version of an existing character's level. The prime offenders tend to be Sheila [[note]]which gets compared to Spyro's gameplay[[/note]], Bentley [[note]]which, again, gets compared to Spyro's own gameplay, and somehow manages to be far more clunkier than Sheila's[[/note]], and Sgt. Byrd. [[note]]thanks to his flight being a clunkier version of Spyro's own, which could have been easily expanded upon.[[/note]]

'''Instead:''' She tells her anyway, sparking her disappointment/dissatisfaction and eventual defection to Team Spyro.

'''Instead:''' She tells her anyway, causing her betrayal and eventual defection to Team Spyro.

** Bianca is willing to collect dragon eggs for The Sorceress because she believes The Sorceress needs those eggs to bring magic back to her homeland.

* WhatAnIdiot: In each homeworld is a playable character locked in a cage guarded by Moneybags. Moneybags naturally will release them for a bribe, and in every case, the playable character then proceeds to attack him.\\