SPYRO THE DRAGON 2: RIPTO'S RAGE!
Skill Points, Secrets and Mysteries In-depth FAQ. Alpha Version.
This is the latest version of this FAQ as of 8NOV1999.
Unpublished work Copyright 1999 *Ryuuko*
This document is archived exclusively on GAMEFAQs, www.gamefaqs.com
at this time.
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THIS FAQ IS COPYRIGHT TO THE AUTHOR KNOWN AS *RYUUKO*, 1999. ALL
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THIS LEGAL NOTICE MAY NOT BE ALTERED OR REMOVED FROM THIS FAQ, PERIOD.
THIS GUIDE WAS CREATED AND IS OWNED BY ME, *RYUUKO* . ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE
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ENUMERATIONS, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED IF SUBJECT TO LEGAL ACTION WILL BE
PROSECUTED THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS
STATEMENT, AND THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR RESPECTING ITS CONTENTS.
From Kao Megura's Cosmic Fantasy 2 MiniFAQ, which I am considering
to be part of this FAQ's Legal Statement:
"To continue, this FAQ and everything included herein is protected by
International Copyright Law. Failure to adhere to any of the above will
result in violation of the aformentioned law, and consquently, may be
the cause of legal action against prepetrators. Remember that breach of
copyright (not to mention plagiarism) is a crime. If you disagree with
any part of this disclaimer, you must promptly delete / destroy this
FAQ. To put it simply, don't try and make a living off of my work,
since I have every right to take legal action against you if you do so.
FAQ ripping, plagiarism and misuse is sadly blatant in today's world.
However, if it happens to you, remember that anything you create is
automatically protected by copyright, and that gives you the right to
take legal action, assert your rights, and punish transgressors to the
fullest extent of the law."
This is the Alpha Version of this FAQ. Contributions are appreciated and will be listed with your name in the
[Credits] section. All text herein is unedited and unrevised to date
(8Nov1999)
Spyro the Dragon 2: Ripto's Rage! was developed by Insomniac Studios,
with assistance from Universal Interactive Studios, and produced and
published by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc with assitance from
its Japan and Europe divisions. It was released in 1999 CE. Spyro the
Dragon is copyright Universal Interactive Studios, fnar. Spyro 2 is
basically just how Spyro the Dragon would have been made if the
development team had spent more time on the game and had more feedback.
It's 29 more levels of Spyro the Dragon (Summer: 9, Autumn: 12, Winter:
7, and Dragon Shores) with new moves, a new challenge-orientated
structure, even more collectibles, and a brand-spankin' new menu system
that looks quite attractive except for the annoying (imo) guidebook
page-flipping animations. Spyro the Dragon was one of my favourite
games for a long time running. Its wonderfully tight control,
exceedingly yet subtly cute animations, intriguing visuals, enjoyable
puzzles and best of all, dragon cast, made it an instant classic for me.
I first played Spyro the Dragon 2: Ripto's Rage! at a SIGGRAPH (Special
Interest Group Graphics) convention, where they had on display a level
where you collected spark plugs to deactivate force fields, with none of
the speech implemented. When you talked to friendly denizens, they
informed you that the level was still being developed ^ _ ^
3.2 About the Author
I now know this level to be Hurricos, off of the Summer Forest
homeworld. I bought Spyro 2 as soon as its sadly positively abysmal
(in terms of scope) advertising campaign finally let me know it had been
released. The game sang beautifully as tore through the myriad
challenges in no time flat, to discover at the gate of Dragon Shores
that they wouldn't even let me in, I had so few orbs and gems. I
quickly mopped up the remaining levels until only Mystic Marsh had a
solitary orb left, and I had all 10,000 gems. The third and last Orb of
the Realm seemed out of reach of my claws. A long line of question
marks, greyed out, filled the space in the guidebook. The Challenge was
to trade for The Professor's pencil, starting with an egg. I could not
figure this one out; I could not seem to discern who to trade the egg
to, or even how the trading of the egg might be done. I spit the egg at
the bird's nest, first. Then at the cauldron, the pot, the basket, the
ducks, all the different characters, and so on. Nothing seemed to work.
I decided it wasn't worth my time and tried to look it up on the
internet, but the only information available on Spyro 2 gameplay was
Dallas' FAQ/Walkthrough he created from the demo on the Crash Team
Racing disc, right here on GAMEFAQS. IRC had nothing to offer, either;
the game was too new. I put out an APB on information on the several
sites include GAMEFAQS and "the Care and Feeding of your Young Dragon"
but I knew that such a process would likely take weeks before someone
even found my request, let alone fufilled it. I went for a walk. An
hour later, I came back, dived right back into the level, and instantly
solved the puzzle, wondering at how I thought I had gotten skilled at
indentifying the glaringly obvious. The problems associated with this
puzzle and how to avoid them are discussed in the [Orbs and Gems]
Section.
3.2.1 Biography
This is *Ryuuko*'s first PSX game FAQ. Additions, questions,
statements, comments, constructive critisms, and manifestos relevent to
this FAQ are welcome. Requests for further research must be related to
subjects outside of those that are bare-bones necessary to complete the
game. Verification will be done for similar topics before added; the
only rumours/hypothesises that will be included in this FAQ will be my
own.
The reason for this is the reason for *Ryuuko*'s reasons for writing
this FAQ in the first place. On the walk I took for a break during my
play of Spyro 2, I stopped to behold a beautiful panorama on a
promontory. To the west, stretching north and south, was a long,
darkened strip of beach under rolling clouds of overcast-- smog. To
the east was a vast cityscape, filled with bright lights and
rectangular structures of widely varied shapes and size, and streets
and freeways blanketed with cars, Both directions echoed with their
own distinctive, muffled roars each representive of their mostly
disperate but in no small part similar realms. Both extended
endlessly, to the perceptive limitations of the eyes. I blanked my
mind and considered everything past and present. One of the memories
that came to me was that, a few years ago an RPG for PSX called
"Wild Arms" was released. I blazed through this game like there was
no tomorrow, and knew I would based on information from a friend. I
had rented the game, and so didn't want to waste time hunting for the
easter eggs. I waited until I completed the game before I scanned the
internet for FAQs, not wanting to spoil the plot. To my dismay, I
found that I had not kept a save game outside the final area,
Ka Dingel, excepting one far, far back in the game, and that I could not
restore a game inside the tower because once one had entered this final
area, one could not leave. I wondered why do there not exist FAQs only
including the easter eggs and the glitches in the game so that we can
play through without spoiling it, and gain the full enjoyment programmed
in by the developers by finding not bypassing any of the easter eggs or
getting stuck because of poor programming? Was not my carefree method a
more enjoyable one, in the end, then the careful, time-consuming search
that would have been required to locate the tiny island where aliens
*sometimes* appeared that *occasionally* dropped duplicators? Skill
Points are about Skill, right?
Those are the reasons for this FAQ. It is a listing of the easter
eggs and hang-ups in the game for players of Spyro the Dragon 2: Ripto's
Rage to reference to find all the secrets in the game they might
otherwise miss in the normal process of the completing the game as well
as guidance through problems they may encounter unrelated to the game's
intended challenge (e.g. poor control, textual errors, &c).
*Ryuuko* is an avid video and computer game player, quality assurance
dragon/beta tester, furry writer & artist, windsurfer, an advocate of
japanese animation and to some extent Japan's culture and modern
counterculture, and all around ecclectic, tigger-like dragon. I play
online games, still looking for one that meets my exacting standards,
follower game developer industry news, attend game development, furry,
gaming and anime conventions, hike, run marathons, search for the
purpose of the universe, and save the world every so often.
"Sometimes a special challenge comes along. If you master this task,
you'll hear a special sound effect meaning you've just gained a Skill
Point. Collect enough Skill Points and you'll get a surprise!"
4.2 *Ryuuko*'s take on Skill Points
By being especially resourceful or completist or playing the minigames,
one can acquire notations on the last page of one's guidebook called
"Skill Points". The sound effect isn't very obvious, at least until
you've heard it a few times when you're expecting to hear it. In order
to find the "surprise", once you have obtained 8 skill points flip to
the skill points page and press the X button.
4.3 Known Skill Points
This is what my skill point chart looked like when I gained the
"surprise."
Level Skill Point
Hurricos All Windmills
Colossus Perfect in Hockey
Crush's Dungeon Perfect
Gulp's Overlook Perfect
Ripto's Arena Perfect
Ocean Speedway Under 1:10
Metro Speedway Under 1:15
Canyon Speedway Under 1:10
4.4 Description of Skill Points
Hurricos/All Windwills=> I'm not 100% sure, but the destruction of all
the small windmills that you see, including the ones you need to use the
Supercharge Power-Up to destroy in order to access switches and new
areas should result in the obtaining of this Skill Point. The small
windmills are scattered through out the level, and Sparx won't look for
them for you, he will only point to gems, so destroy them as you find
them.
Colossus/Perfect in Hockey=> Play the Orb Challenge Hockey one on one
(Orb #2) and go for a shut out, Spyro 5 - Home 0.
Boss levels/Perfect=> Complete these levels without being hit once
during the battle in order to obtain these 3 skill points. This is much,
much easier to do once you have collected all the orbs and gems in the
game and been to Dragon Shores.
Speedways/Under #:##=> Complete the course under 1 minute and 10
seconds, or 1 minute and 15 seconds for Metro Speedway. This is much
easier to do once you have collected all the orbs and gems in the game
and been to Dragon Shores.
4.5 Unexplored Skill Point Possibilities
There may be even more Skill Points out there. And goodies beyond the
"surprise" awarded for 8 skill points.
Possible locations for more skill points include:
Colossus, Orb 1: Hockey vs. Goalie=> This is a timed task. Perhaps if
one can defeat the goalie in under a minute or less, one would get
another skill point?
Magma Cone, Orbs 2 and 3: Crystal Geysers I & II => Perhaps if you shut
out Hunter in the same way one can obtain a Skill Point from Hockey one
on one in Colossus, one could get one or perhaps even two Skill Points
here?
More?=> If you have any other skill points in your chart, please send me
a copy of your chart similar to mine above along with as much
description as possible as to how you obtained the Skill Points you have
that are not listed in section 4.3 . Your
contribution will be noted by the Skill Point description and in the
[Credits] section. Thanks in advance ^ _ ^
"To totally complete a realm:... 2. Complete all the orb tasks. Talk to
any friendly folks who invite you to accept challenges Some may ask you
to perform multiple tasks. / 3. Collect all the gems.... Collect 100% of
everything in the game and you will be generously rewarded .... All of
the realms in Avalar contain orbs... You win orbs, most of the time, by
completing challenges from the inhabitants of Avalar. It might also be a
task you do to help someone. / Find out about challenges by talking to
characters during your travels... P.S. - There are four secret orbs in
the game... If you can't find those last few gems, I can help. Press
L1+L2+R1+R2 at the same time and I'll point you to the nearest gem....
For a perfect game and a very special reward, you must complete 100% of
every world in Avalar."
5.2 "... Complete all the orb tasks..."
The only orb task that I found picky enough to mention here is Mystic
Marsh's 3rd orb, mentioned in the introductory portion of this FAQ. In
this challenge, knowing how to trade the items is important. Just like
the Thunderstones in the thief challenge in Hurricos, the trade items
will "snap-on" to their appropriate location for placed in the generally
the correct area. You will not have to speak with anyone in order to
complete this challenge, just spit the item onto the appropriate
platform. In order to aim effectively, if you are trying to place the
item in a container, press and hold the triangle button, position the
targetting reticle (the circle) so that the top of of the container
fills only a little bit of the bottom portion of the reticle.
5.3 "Collect 100% of everything in the game and you will be generously
rewarded."
You will find your reward in Dragon Shores. There are no alternate
endings or any other alternate cinema that you would not otherwise see
just going through the process of getting 100% of each realm. Skill
Points are not counted towards this total.
5.4 "If you can't find those last few gems, I can help."
You only need to press all those shoulder buttons at the same time once.
Afterwards, Sparx will always point to the nearest gem or gem container.
No need to hold the buttons in. Sparx will only point to gems however,
and will not point to orbs, skill points, talismans, or a rocket
necessary to blow up a gem container.
5.5 "P.S. - There are four secret orbs in the game..."
This one has me a bit puzzled. It may that these include orbs obtained
through the secret speedway challenges, but there are only three of
those. Other possibilities might include gates that can't be reached
unless you talk to someone, such as Aquaria Towers... but that seems far
less likely. Some possibilities:
Ocean Speedway
Metro Speedway
Canyon Speedway
Metropolis
Aquaria Towers
There may be orbs I have missed as well. If you have further information
or confirmation with regard to these "four secret orbs" please e-mail me
at
5.6 A little reassurance with regard to orb challenges
Excepting abilities purchasable via Moneybags, everything you need to
clean out a Realm to 100% will be available the first time you enter, no
matter how you manipulate the environment, no matter how many enemies
you turn into spirit particles, and everytime afterwards. Unlike Wild
ARMs, you can always go back, although you cant replace gems or
non-challenge orbs once they are taken except by starting a new game.
Challenge orbs and talismans confer no further gameplay benefit as a
result of earning them more than once.
"To unlock the secret playable demo of CTR (Crash Team Racing)TM press
and hold L1 and R2, then press the square button simultaneously while
in the intro Menu screen for the game."
6.2. "...the intro Menu screen for the game."
This refers to the screen where Spyro has already landed and
"Press Start" flashes on the screen.
6.3 Description
Options are available to play 1, 2 or 4 players. You jump right on to a
track at the start of an 8 (?) car race similar to Mario Kart.
6.4 Controls
X = accelerate
square = brake
O = use ? box item
R1 = jump
L1 = power slide boost
select = turns your PSX screen black and causes a system halt.
6.5 More?
If you would like to add to this section, you can e-mail me at
Speedways are hidden Realms, like in the first game, where you have an
untimed Superfly Power-Up on and run an obstacle course. The Orbs found
in Speedways are located just like in other Realms; you must find a
person to speak with that will give you a special challenge. These
special challenges are very fun ^ _ ^
- Other than the aforemented "four secret orbs" mentioning, the manual
has a few quirks in the credits. Under Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
(Japan) for Producer is written "Tsurumi-0600". What's the history
behind that?
- The credits to the game mention different studios involved in the
development of Spyro 2 than appear in the manual.
- The ending. Is there anyway to take them (Avoiding a spoiler here
with pronouns a vagueness) with you? IS there an alternate ending?
- What happens if you obtain -all- the Skill Points?
The alpha version of this FAQ was created entirely by *Ryuuko*, with no
assistance from any other sentient being other than friends and
observers cheering me on, and examination of Kao Megura's FAQs as
recommended by GAMEFAQs to refer to for style, and formatting, and to
some extent I have used pieces of Megura's legal notices in mine. This
section will in the future list the contributions of others.
I hope you enjoyed my Spyro the Dragon 2: Ripto's Rage! FAQ! Remember,
that e-mail address for contributions is ryuuko@metacrawler.com. Have
fun playing Spyro, support Spyromania with your gaming yen, euros,
dollars or whatever your local currency of value so we can have a
Spyro 3 ^ _ ^
