Mind-Blowing Revelation: Unearthed Spyro Game Rattles Gaming World!

Highlights

Crash Bandicoot and Spyro both had promising starts but faced a decline in their quality. However, recent comebacks have raised optimism for the future.

Within a devkit for the original Xbox, fragments of a cancelled crossover game called Crash vs. Spyro Racing were unearthed. This is not the first instance where a potentially great Crash Bandicoot project was abandoned.

During the fifth generation of gaming, both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro were highly successful video game series that revolutionized the 3D platformer genre. They started off as PlayStation exclusives but experienced a decline in quality after switching to third-party developers. In the 2000s, both series attempted edgier reboots with games like Crash of the Titans and The Legend of Spyro trilogy. They also branched out into other genres through spin-off titles. Eventually, both series became properties of Activision and entered a period of dormancy until their original trilogies were remastered in high definition in the late 2010s.

Recently, Australian YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer released an 11-minute video discussing an interesting find. They discovered a prototype for a canceled crossover game called Crash vs. Spyro Racing. This prototype was stored in an Xbox development kit's hard drive, which the user had already explored in a previous video. Alongside Crash vs. Spyro Racing, they also found two other games on the hard drive: a title based on the Fast and the Furious franchise, as well as a prototype for a racing game featuring Chevy and Ford vehicles. The video showcases gameplay footage of a generic racer on a generic outdoor track, with the only hint of the crossover being the classic sound effects from the crates scattered around. Additionally, a rough FMV (Full Motion Video) is included, showing various characters from Crash Bandicoot and Spyro racing together in karts.

Spyro the Dragon's potential entry into the racing genre was hinted at in this title, but it wasn't until 2003's GBA version of Crash Nitro Kart and the Spyro-themed DLC in the Crash Team Racing remake that he would actually make his racing debut. Many commenters were captivated by this revelation, praising MVG for revealing it and expressing their excitement for the crossover. One user pointed out that the aesthetics of the test course resembled the Dragonfly Dojo from Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.

It's always disappointing to see a game with such an intriguing concept get canceled, especially if it had already been announced. However, thanks to the nature of game and console preservation, these canceled games can sometimes be uncovered in unexpected ways. Considering the extended breaks that both franchises took, it is likely that more scrapped games existed during that period. Nevertheless, with the recent successful revivals of both Crash and Spyro, the future looks promising for these beloved mascots.