<s>
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
is	O
a	O
platform	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Eurocom	O
Entertainment	O
Software	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Vivendi	O
Universal	O
Games	O
in	O
November	O
2004	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
time	O
,	O
he	O
collects	O
Dark	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
,	O
which	O
corrupt	O
the	O
land	O
with	O
maniacal	O
creatures	O
and	O
deadly	O
plants	O
,	O
planted	O
by	O
a	O
banished	O
Dragon	O
Elder	O
Red	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
produced	O
by	O
Suzanne	O
Watson	O
and	O
Jon	O
Williams	O
,	O
who	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
goal	O
was	O
simply	O
"	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
was	O
in	O
keeping	O
with	O
the	O
franchise	O
,	O
"	O
with	O
acknowledgement	O
of	O
the	O
problems	O
of	O
the	O
critically-panned	O
previous	O
entry	O
Enter	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dragonfly	I-Application
(	O
2002	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jak	B-Application
and	I-Application
Daxter	I-Application
also	O
influenced	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
polygons	O
and	O
textures	O
,	O
choice	O
of	O
lighting	O
methods	O
,	O
and	O
style	O
of	O
cutscenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
garnered	O
generally	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
professional	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
agreed	O
it	O
was	O
significantly	O
better	O
than	O
Enter	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dragonfly	I-Application
,	O
but	O
argued	O
its	O
low	O
difficulty	O
meant	O
only	O
young	O
gamers	O
would	O
enjoy	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
positively	O
commented	O
on	O
the	O
graphics	O
,	O
responsive	O
controls	O
,	O
and	O
incorporation	O
of	O
changing	O
environments	O
when	O
Dark	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
are	O
collected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
is	O
a	O
3D	O
platform	O
game	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
collects	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
objects	O
,	O
destroys	O
walls	O
and	O
rocks	O
,	O
solves	O
puzzles	O
,	O
plays	O
mini-games	O
,	O
and	O
fight	O
pattern-based	O
bosses	O
that	O
take	O
three	O
hits	O
to	O
kill	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
time	O
,	O
he	O
collects	O
Dark	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
,	O
planted	O
by	O
the	O
former	O
Elder	O
Dragon	O
Red	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
banished	O
from	O
the	O
Realms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
he	O
has	O
new	O
several	O
abilities	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
ledge	O
grabbing	O
,	O
wall	O
kicking	O
,	O
horn	O
diving	O
into	O
enemies	O
while	O
flying	O
,	O
and	O
swinging	O
his	O
tail	O
like	O
a	O
lasso	B-Language
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
Water	O
breath	O
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Collecting	O
the	O
dark	B-Application
gems	I-Application
restores	O
what	O
the	O
environments	O
initially	O
were	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
Dark	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
,	O
Spyro	O
obtains	O
Light	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
,	O
big	O
Easter	O
eggs	O
,	O
colourful	O
dragon	O
eggs	O
,	O
multi-coloured	O
gems	O
and	O
rainbow-colored	O
shards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Light	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
open	O
locked	O
doors	O
to	O
new	O
areas	O
and	O
power-up	O
the	O
gadgets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Professor	O
build	O
four	O
gadgets	O
that	O
Spyro	O
uses	O
:	O
a	O
glass	O
ball	O
a	O
la	O
Super	B-Application
Monkey	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
(	O
2001	O
–	O
present	O
)	O
that	O
he	O
rolls	O
in	O
to	O
move	O
up	O
slopes	O
,	O
a	O
teleporter	O
that	O
warps	O
to	O
various	O
areas	O
of	O
the	O
Dragon	O
Realms	O
,	O
one	O
for	O
temporary	O
invincibility	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
Super	O
Charge	O
gadget	O
that	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
limited	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
,	O
provides	O
Spyro	O
more	O
strength	O
and	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Eurocom	O
Entertainment	O
Software	O
,	O
specifically	O
the	O
team	O
of	O
Harry	B-Application
Potter	I-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Chamber	I-Application
of	I-Application
Secrets	I-Application
(	O
2003	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
working	O
title	O
was	O
Spyro	O
:	O
The	O
Dark	O
Realms	O
,	O
before	O
Vivendi	O
decided	O
on	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
in	O
early	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Williams	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
goal	O
was	O
simply	O
"	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
was	O
in	O
keeping	O
with	O
the	O
franchise	O
,	O
"	O
with	O
criticisms	O
of	O
the	O
critically-panned	O
previous	O
entry	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enter	I-Application
the	I-Application
Dragonfly	I-Application
(	O
2002	O
)	O
acknowledged	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
more	O
positively	O
reflects	O
on	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
,	O
which	O
he	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
Eurocom	O
's	O
better	O
projects	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
collaboration	O
between	O
developer	O
and	O
publisher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
by	O
Terry	O
Lloyd	O
and	O
Phill	O
Bennett	O
,	O
and	O
programmed	O
by	O
Dave	O
Pridmore	O
,	O
Andy	O
Brown	O
,	O
Daniel	O
Secker	O
,	O
John	O
Stephens	O
,	O
Kristoffer	O
Adock	O
,	O
Mark	O
Topley	O
,	O
Matt	O
Partridge	O
,	O
Narinder	O
Singh	O
Basran	O
and	O
Stuart	O
Johnson	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
start	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
were	O
influenced	O
by	O
Jak	B-Application
and	I-Application
Daxter	I-Application
(	O
2001	O
–	O
present	O
)	O
,	O
attempting	O
to	O
emulate	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
detail	O
in	O
polygons	O
and	O
textures	O
,	O
lightning	O
methods	O
,	O
and	O
style	O
of	O
cutscenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
was	O
produced	O
with	O
Engine	O
X	O
,	O
in	O
what	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
Eurocom	O
had	O
multiple	O
in-progress	O
projects	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Andy	O
Mitchell	O
,	O
Bob	O
Smith	O
,	O
Diego	O
Garcia	O
Huerta	O
,	O
Jim	O
Makin	O
,	O
Kev	O
Marks	O
,	O
Kevin	O
Thacker	O
,	O
and	O
Mark	O
Duffill	O
programmed	O
the	O
development	B-Application
kit	I-Application
's	O
other	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modelling	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
done	O
with	O
LightWave	B-Device
3D	I-Device
,	O
took	O
one-to-three	O
days	O
,	O
and	O
texturing	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
process	O
where	O
the	O
colours	O
and	O
details	O
were	O
conceived	O
,	O
took	O
three-to-five	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
a	O
decrease	O
of	O
angularity	O
from	O
the	O
PS1	B-Device
to	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
the	O
fully-rounded	O
marketing	O
renders	O
were	O
extremely	O
useful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ramford	O
's	O
initial	O
colour	O
palette	O
for	O
Blinky	O
was	O
red	O
,	O
white	O
,	O
blue	O
and	O
amber	O
,	O
taking	O
inspiration	O
from	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
titular	O
character	O
of	O
Billy	B-Application
Hatcher	I-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Giant	I-Application
Egg	I-Application
(	O
2003	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
softer	O
look	O
that	O
was	O
appropriate	O
for	O
the	O
setting	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Goonies	I-Application
(	O
1985	O
)	O
,	O
Blink	O
had	O
added	O
to	O
him	O
a	O
backpack	O
,	O
his	O
shoes	O
changed	O
from	O
Converse	O
boots	O
to	O
Timberlands	O
,	O
and	O
his	O
colours	O
were	O
altered	O
to	O
purple	O
,	O
blue	O
,	O
green	O
and	O
amber	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fez	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
Mr.	O
Moneybags	O
to	O
give	O
him	O
the	O
look	O
of	O
a	O
shoekeeper	O
at	O
a	O
bazaar	B-Protocol
,	O
inspiring	O
by	O
a	O
perceived	O
Arabic	O
feel	O
of	O
Spyro	O
's	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
horn	O
dive	O
boulders	O
,	O
scrapped	O
late	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
would	O
have	O
been	O
filled	O
with	O
dragon	O
eggs	O
and	O
Light	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
27	O
April	O
2004	O
,	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
received	O
its	O
first	O
public	O
announcement	O
by	O
Vivendi	O
Universal	O
Games	O
;	O
its	O
premise	O
,	O
Spyro	O
's	O
new	O
attacks	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
additional	O
player	O
characters	O
were	O
revealed	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
its	O
release	O
date	O
set	O
sometime	O
in	O
last	O
quarter	O
of	O
2004	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Douglas	O
C	O
.	O
Perry	O
of	O
IGN	O
reported	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
target	O
audience	O
to	O
be	O
very	O
young	O
,	O
its	O
size	O
to	O
be	O
four	O
times	O
as	O
large	O
as	O
Enter	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dragonfly	I-Application
,	O
and	O
taking	O
potentially	O
twice	O
as	O
long	O
to	O
beat	O
,	O
18	O
–	O
20	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spyro	O
:	O
A	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tails	I-Application
only	O
officially-released	O
demos	O
,	O
solely	O
for	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
were	O
the	O
E3	O
giveaway	O
bundle	O
with	O
Crash	B-Application
Twinsanity	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
and	O
those	O
in	O
magazines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	O
before	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
received	O
preview	O
coverage	O
in	O
Cube	O
and	O
IGN	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Australian	O
edition	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
Official	O
Magazine	O
,	O
in	O
its	O
November	O
2004	O
issue	O
,	O
provided	O
its	O
readers	O
a	O
demo	O
of	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
,	O
where	O
the	O
main	O
hub	O
area	O
,	O
an	O
egg-collecting	O
mission	O
,	O
and	O
mini-game	O
levels	O
for	O
Hunter	O
and	O
St.	O
Byrd	O
were	O
playable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Application
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
2	O
November	O
2004	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
versions	O
on	O
9	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Europe	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
16	O
November	O
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
version	O
19	O
November	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
version	O
26	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reminded	O
of	O
the	O
technical	O
flaws	O
that	O
plagued	O
Enter	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dragonfly	I-Application
,	O
critics	O
from	O
GameSpot	O
and	O
IGN	O
were	O
very	O
hopeful	O
of	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
for	O
reasons	O
of	O
a	O
reputable	O
developer	O
,	O
improved	O
graphics	O
,	O
wider	O
draw	B-General_Concept
distance	I-General_Concept
,	O
absence	O
of	O
loading	O
times	O
,	O
and	O
variety	O
of	O
playable	O
characters	O
and	O
scenarios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
professional	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
deemed	O
it	O
vastly	O
superior	O
to	O
Enter	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dragonfly	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
common	O
criticism	O
,	O
even	O
among	O
those	O
that	O
found	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
decent	O
,	O
was	O
having	O
too	O
little	O
innovations	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
and	O
collecting	O
genres	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
formula	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avery	O
Score	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
wrote	O
the	O
template	O
only	O
shined	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
time	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
1	I-Device
,	O
a	O
console	O
that	O
had	O
far	O
less	O
3D	O
platformers	O
than	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
that	O
only	O
"	O
modest	O
improvements	O
,	O
"	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
ledge-gripping	O
,	O
were	O
made	O
in	O
A	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
U.S.	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Magazines	O
Dana	O
Jongewaard	O
also	O
found	O
the	O
platforming	O
tedious	O
and	O
disliked	O
the	O
"	O
brainless	O
"	O
enemy	O
showdowns	O
,	O
joking	O
it	O
was	O
easier	O
to	O
die	O
in	O
mud	O
puddles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hyper	O
journalist	O
Joey	O
Tekken	O
found	O
that	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
had	O
the	O
"	O
effortless	O
charm	O
"	O
similar	O
franchises	O
such	O
as	O
Crash	B-Application
Bandicoot	I-Application
had	O
lost	O
,	O
calling	O
its	O
characters	O
and	O
dialogue	O
"	O
quite	O
funny	O
"	O
and	O
noting	O
its	O
variety	O
of	O
move	O
sets	O
,	O
mini-games	O
and	O
playable	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
good	O
flow	O
in	O
the	O
level	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
changing	O
of	O
environments	O
when	O
the	O
dark	B-Application
gems	I-Application
are	O
collected	O
,	O
were	O
praised	O
for	O
being	O
smooth	O
and	O
providing	O
the	O
player	O
gratification	O
for	O
destroying	O
the	O
Dark	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Per	O
previous	O
entries	O
,	O
A	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
maintains	O
a	O
low	O
challenge	O
level	O
,	O
which	O
critics	O
thought	O
would	O
make	O
it	O
a	O
great	O
product	O
for	O
its	O
young	O
demographic	O
,	O
but	O
maybe	O
not	O
for	O
other	O
gamers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kosmina	O
found	O
the	O
mini-game	O
stages	O
tough	O
,	O
close	O
to	O
par	O
with	O
Contra	B-Application
(	O
1987	O
)	O
and	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
of	O
possibly	O
turning	O
off	O
its	O
demographic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
George	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
writer	O
for	O
GameRankings	O
,	O
called	O
it	O
superior	O
to	O
Enter	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dragonfly	I-Application
for	O
its	O
increased	O
responsiveness	O
,	O
frame	O
rate	O
,	O
and	O
focus	O
on	O
simple	O
platforming	O
over	O
repetitive	O
fighting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anise	O
Hollingshead	O
of	O
GameZone	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
version	O
was	O
easy	O
to	O
play	O
,	O
but	O
reported	O
issues	O
in	O
difficulty	O
balance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
analogized	O
the	O
visuals	O
as	O
a	O
polished	O
PlayStation	B-Device
1	I-Device
title	O
;	O
although	O
they	O
argued	O
it	O
lacked	O
detail	O
and	O
did	O
not	O
take	O
full	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
's	O
capabilities	O
,	O
the	O
child	O
audience	O
would	O
still	O
be	O
enamored	O
by	O
its	O
colorful	O
and	O
sharp	O
textures	O
,	O
the	O
diversity	O
and	O
detail	O
in	O
its	O
environments	O
,	O
and	O
adorable	O
,	O
cartoonish	O
and	O
well-animated	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Castro	O
positively	O
analogized	O
them	O
as	O
Tak	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Staff	I-Application
of	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
and	O
Scaler	B-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
if	O
they	O
had	O
less	O
detail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hollingshead	O
compared	O
its	O
visual	O
cartoon	O
style	O
and	O
upbeat	O
music	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Wind	I-Application
Waker	I-Application
(	O
2002	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paul	O
Kautz	O
of	O
4Players	O
reported	O
minor	O
issues	O
of	O
background	O
texture	O
flickering	O
and	O
slightly	O
off	O
anti-aliasing	O
in	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
2019	O
Game	O
Informer	O
piece	O
by	O
Andrew	O
Reiner	O
,	O
Spyro	B-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Hero	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tail	I-Application
was	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
dark	O
era	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
post-trilogy	O
where	O
developers	O
switched	O
between	O
games	O
,	O
"	O
none	O
capable	O
of	O
delivering	O
the	O
magic	O
fans	O
have	O
come	O
to	O
expect.	O
"	O
</s>
