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'''David Eugene Tudor''' ([[January 20]], [[1926]] - [[August 13]], [[1996]]) was an American [[pianist]] and [[composer]] of [[experimental music]].
{{Infobox CVG |
title=Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer |
image=[[Image:Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage.jpg|256px]] |
developer=[[Insomniac Games]] |
publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment|SCEA]] |
distributer= |
designer= |
engine= |
version= |
released= {{flagicon|US}} [[October 31]] [[1999]] <br> {{flagicon|Japan}} [[March 16]] [[2000]] <br>{{flagicon|EU}} [[November 5]] [[1999]] |
genre=[[Platform game|Platform]] |
modes=[[Single player]] |
platforms=[[PlayStation]] |
ratings=[[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]: Everyone <br> [[ELSPA]]: 3+ <br> [[OFLC]]: G8+|
media= |
requirements = |
input =
}}
Tudor was born in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]. He studied piano with [[Stefan Wolpe]] and became known as one of the leading performers of avant garde piano music. He gave the first American performance of the ''[[Piano sonatas (Boulez)|Piano Sonata No. 2]]'' by [[Pierre Boulez]] in 1950, and a European tour in 1954 greatly enhanced his reputation. [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] dedicated his ''Klavierstück VI'' (1955) to Tudor. Tudor also gave early performances of works by [[Morton Feldman]] and [[La Monte Young]].
'''''Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!''''' ('''''Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer''''' in [[Europe]], and '''''Spyro x Sparx: Tondemo Tours''''' in [[Japan]]) is the second game in the ''[[Spyro the Dragon (series)|Spyro the Dragon]]'' series.
The composer with which Tudor is particularly associated is [[John Cage]]. He gave the premiere of Cage's ''[[Music of Changes]]'', ''Concerto For Piano and Orchestra'' and the notorious [[Four Minutes Thirty Three Seconds|''4' 33"'']]. Cage said that many of his pieces were written either specifically for Tudor to perform or with him in mind. The two worked closely together on many of Cage's pieces, both works for piano and electronic pieces. Upon Cage's death in [[1992]], Tudor took over as music director of the [[Merce Cunningham]] Dance Company.
==Story==
In the fantasy realm of Avalar, local residents Elora, Hunter, and The Professor been working on their latest and largest portal. During a test of it, Hunter enters his birthdate as the portal's target coordinates, inadvertently activating it and allowing a small wizard named [[Ripto]] into the realm along with two large dinosaurs, Crush and Gulp. Identifying that the land has no dragons, declares that he is going to "move in" and take it over; however, Elora is able to de-activate the portal by instructing fairies to remove the orbs powering the portal. As Ripto begins to terrorize, Elora and the Professor plan to 'catch' a dragon in order to drive Ripto off.
After a stint teaching at [[Darmstadt New Music Summer School|Darmstadt]] from 1956 to 1961, Tudor began to wind up his activities as a pianist to concentrate on composing. He wrote mostly electronic works, many commissioned by Merce Cunningham, and often with elaborate lighting and stage designs. One piece, ''Reunion'' (1968), written jointly with [[Lowell Cross]] features a [[chess]] game, where each move triggers a lighting effect or projection. At the premiere, the game was played between John Cage and [[Marcel Duchamp]].
Meanwhile, the Dragon Realms have been under rainy weather for some time; [[Spyro the Dragon (character)|Spyro]], declaring he needs a vacation, locates a portal to the realm of Dragon Shores. However, after travelling through the portal, he finds himself instead landing in the realm of Avalar by means of a smaller portal, built by Avalar's Professor. Ripto enters the scene and destroys the portal, objecting to how the Professor succeeded in bringing a dragon to the world of Avalar. Ripto is, however, forced to retreat when Gulp accidentally swallows Ripto's magical sceptre, and Spyro is asked to help save the realm of Avalar by defeating Ripto.
Tudor died in [[Tompkins Cove, New York|Tompkins Cove]], [[New York]] at the age of 70.
==Characters==
[[Category:20th century classical composers|Tudor, David]]
* '''[[Spyro the Dragon (character)|Spyro]]''', the eager, headstrong, purple dragon and main character, now a little more experienced after his adventures in the first Spyro game.
[[Category:Experimental composers|Tudor, David]]
* '''[[Sparx (Spyro character)|Sparx]]''', Spyro's constant dragonfly companion (and in-game health meter).
[[Category:American classical pianists|Tudor]]
[[Category:1926 births|Tudor, David]]
[[Category:1996 deaths|Tudor, David]]
[[da:David Tudor]]
* '''[[Ripto]]''', the title villain, who was transported to the realm of Avalar by accident, but announced that, as Avalar had no indigenous dragons, he would be taking over the realm.
[[de:David Tudor]]
* '''Crush''', one of Ripto's bodyguards. A large, strong (but slightly dim) blue bipedal dinosaur-like creature who carries a club; also the boss of the first world.
[[es:David Tudor]]
* '''Gulp''', Ripto's second bodyguard and, to some degree, steed. A quadroped dinosaur-like creature with a large appetite, and the boss of the second world.
[[ja:デイヴィッド・チューダー]]
* '''[[Elora (Spyro character)|Elora]]''', a [[faun]] of Avalar, and assistant to the Professor. She is friendly and wise, and develops a friendship with Spyro over the course of the game.
* '''[[Hunter (Spyro character)|Hunter]]''', an anthropomorphic cheetah armed with a bow and arrows who was inadvertently responsible for bringing Ripto to the realm of Avalar, during a test of the Professor's "Super-portal". In the game, Hunter teaches the player about Spyro's abilities early on, and occasionally challenges Spyro to various mini-games or missions later.
* '''Zoe''', a [[fairy]] who helped scatter Avalar's orbs throughout the realm to prevent Ripto from using them. Zoe appears in several locations throughout all levels, and serves as a continue point should Spyro lose a life.
* '''Moneybags''', an anthropomorphic bear seen in various places throughout the realm of Avalar. As his name suggests, he has a love for gems, and will not hesitate to ask Spyro to "share" some of them, sometimes inventing ridiculous reasons as to why Spyro should agree. However, in all cases, paying Moneybags enough gems will result in access to new levels, further progress within the same level, or in some cases, a new ability for Spyro.
* '''[[Professor (Spyro character)|The Professor]]''', the creator of the "Super-portal" in Avalar. After Ripto's arrival, he created a smaller portal in the Glimmer realm to locate a dragon and bring it to Avalar.
==Gameplay==
[[Gameplay]] flows in a similar manner to the original ''Spyro'', with few variations in control and Spyro's main abilities intact. Spyro can attack enemies with his typical dragon-breath, or charge through them in a dash attack, though different varieties of enemies may require a specific attack to defeat -- metal-armored enemies are impervious to Spyro's flame, and enemies much larger than Spyro himself are immune to his dash attack.
By using his wings to glide, Spyro can extend his jumping distance to a considerable reach, depending on the elevation the player begins gliding from. Levels are designed to take advantage of this, featuring large gaps that require Spyro to glide across them, and thermal updrafts which launch Spyro into the air and can allow him access to areas otherwise unreachable.
===New Abilities===
In addition to his returning abilities (except the "side-roll"), Spyro acquires several new skills throughout ''Ripto's Rage!'' that allow the player to explore the worlds of Avalar more thoroughly.
* ''Hover''. Spyro's gliding ability has been augmented with a hover maneuver which, used at the end of a glide, gives Spyro one small, final boost in elevation and distance before he falls to the ground. Hunter explains this technique to the player early on in the first world.
* ''Swallow''. Spyro now has the ability to pick up various small items and carry them in his mouth. This is used primarily for solving certain puzzles and missions, but some items (such as rocks) can be used as weapons by spitting them back out at an enemy.
* ''Swimming''. Most water is no longer hazardous or lethal to Spyro. At first, Spyro can only swim across the surface of water, but in the first world, Moneybags teaches Spyro (for a fee, of course) how to swim underwater. Many levels feature underwater portions through which Spyro must swim, particularly the Aquatic Towers <!-- proper name? --> which are almost entirely underwater. Spyro's flame breath is of no use underwater (unless augmented by a Power-Up), but he can still use his dash attack to swim at high speeds and attack foes.
* ''Climbing''. In the second world, Moneybags teaches Spyro the ability to climb on certain wall surfaces, such as ladders. Spyro can traverse such walls to gain access to new missions and areas, but he cannot defend himself while hanging from a wall.
* ''Headbash''. In the final world, Moneybags teaches Spyro one final ability, the ability to dive vertically out of the air and crash into the ground, horns first, allowing Spyro to defeat certain late-game enemies, open certain treasure boxes, and complete additional missions.
===Power-ups===
In addition to Spyro's returning and new abilities, many levels in the game feature powerup "gates" which temporarily give Spyro enhanced abilities that allow him to defeat certain enemies, reach new areas, or complete certain missions. Powerup gates are at first inactive, but become available once the player has defeated a certain number of enemies within the level.
Three of these powerup gates are based on similar abilities in the first Spyro game:
*''Superflame''. Superflame gates enhance Spyro's flame breath, allowing him to strike down and defeat even the normally fireproof metal-armored enemies. Unlike its incarnation in the first Spyro game, this is also a long-range ability, and Spyro can aim and shoot fireballs accurately from a first-person perspective, even while underwater. If a player gathers all the orbs and gems in the game, a door in Dragon Shores will open, with a Superflame powerup that lasts indefinitely.
*''Superfly''. This gate gives Spyro the ability to fly rather than glide, similar to the speedway levels.
*''Superdash''. Superdash gates give Spyro an instantaneous boost of speed. Similar to the superdash ramps of the first Spyro game, this allows Spyro to charge through most obstacles, and even large enemies which are normally impervious to his dash attack. This ability does not wear off with time; rather it lasts until Spyro stops dashing, or hits an obstacle and comes to a stop.
Other powerup gates are new to the series:
*''Invulnerability''. This powerup renders Spyro invulnerable to all damage for a certain length of time. This is used primarily to allow Spyro to cross large areas hazardous terrain (such as lava) without taking harm.
*''Superjump''. This gate launches Spyro high into the air in a certain direction, allowing him to land in a different area of the level.
*''Ice breath''. This rare gate gives Spyro a powerful ice-breath attack which can be used at long range, similar to the Superflame powerup, as well as to freeze certain enemies for solving puzzles.
===Items===
<!-- to-do: Talismans, Orbs, -->
*'''Gems'''. Scattered throughout the realms, Gems come in varying colors and denominations, and may be found lying on the ground, or hidden in containers such as baskets, vases, and underwater pots. There are a set number of gems in every realm, and each gem collected counts toward the player's percentage of game completion; collecting enough gems is a requirement for exploring the realms (as you pay Moneybags to get rid of an obstacle) and accessing a bonus level at the end of the game.
*'''Orbs'''. Orbs are used to access later levels, and are a requirement for reaching [[Dragon Shores]] and accessing a bonus level at the end of the game. Orbs power up portals created by [[The Professor]].
*'''Fodder''' and '''Butterflies'''. In various locations throughout each level there are small creatures -- such as frogs or sheep -- which scatter when Spyro draws close; these creatures serve as powerups for Spyro's health. Defeating a fodder creature releases a butterfly, which Sparx devours. If Sparx eats nine butterflies, the tenth one will be a blue butterfly, an extra life. Blue butterflies may also be found in glass jars.
*'''Talismans'''. Talismans are rewards given to Spyro by the inhabitants of various realms after he completes the level. All of the realms have talismans to offer except for boss dungeons, speedways, and realms in the final overworld, Winter Tundra. When the player collects all of the talismans in an overworld, that world's boss dungeon opens up, allowing the player to advance to the next overworld. This exludes the final boss, Ripto, which requires a certain amount of orbs to enter.
==Minigames==
[[Minigame]]s appear in three forms in ''Ripto's Rage!'' Some appear as missions within various levels, like a match of ice hockey, or riding a manta ray around in the water.
Another form is in the "Speedway" levels as seen previously in the first ''Spyro'' game; these are optional flying missions in which Spyro must fly through (or flame) a certain number of targets within a limited amount of time. In addition, once the player has succeeded at a speedway, the player can return to the level freely, and may also locate a second challenge or minigame hidden somewhere in the level.
The final form is in the final level. Once you beat the game, the final bonus level that you can unlock has multiple minigames. An example of one of these minigames is a target practice where you shoot targets with superflame.
==Trivia==
*Unlike other ''Spyro'' titles, the game does not begin in the hub of the first world, but instead begins in one of the world's levels, Glimmer. The European version of the game is subtitled ''Gateway to Glimmer'' for this reason.
*When the player collects 64 orbs and 10,000 gems they can open up a gate in Dragon Shores. Inside the gate is what looks like a superflame powerup that when passed through grants the player a permanent superflame ability.
*Coincedintally, In the Fracture Hills realm, there is a [[faun]] named Shiela. That will be the name of a playable kangaroo character in the next game: [[Spyro: Year of the Dragon]].
{{Spyro the Dragon series}}
[[Category:Spyro the Dragon games]]
[[Category:PlayStation games]]
[[Category:Computer and video games rated E by the ESRB]]
[[fr:Spyro: Gateway to Glimmer]]
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