Annoying Video Game Characters: Sparx
by Sean Meakin-Bolderston | Friday 4th June 2010
Sparx ['Spyro the Dragon', 'The Legend of Spyro', et al]
In this edition of Annoying Video Game Characters, we look at a classic character which has served Spyro the Dragon well for the past 12 years, as his guide, his health meter, and, later, as an annoying element in what would otherwise be a brilliant set of games. Yes, today, we are looking at Sparx.
Sparx, along with most of the main characters, made his first appearance in 1998, in the eponymous game 'Spyro the Dragon'. In this, he served alongside Spyro, fulfilling many roles, from helping Spyro find Gems scattered around the world to serving as his health bar. He would even change colour when Spyro was losing health, which was jolly helpful, and just to extend that, he would even poke and prod sheep as they went by, which, if you didn't already know, helped Spyro gain his health back.
All was well and good. Then, in 2002, we were granted Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, in which Equinox Digital Entertainment decided to give Sparx something new; a voice! Well, saying he had a voice would be a stretch of the imagination; it was more a murmuring or humming, with subtitles telling you what he actually meant, but even this wasn't annoying enough. Actually, I have to admit, I found this really endearing, it made the game just a little more heart-warming, which I hate, but it isn't his fault.
Then came the "The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon". Now, I didn't play the previous games in the series, so I can't really comment on those, but in this edition, Sparx was voiced by Wayne Brady, who, don't get me wrong, is one of my favourite comedians ever. However, they took away Sparx's helpful abilities, like being a health indicator, and instead he began to serve as the whiny and scared sidekick, holding back an otherwise great story. His purpose now had become serving as comic relief when the game got too harsh, but by the end you end up screaming "SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" over and over again whenever he speaks. If he were a person, you'd probably end up starting a fight with him, just to stop the endless torture.
In other words, if you're a fan of relentless, annoying, melancholy little dragonflies, then Sparx is right up your alley. Otherwise, he is enough to make you destroy your TV, just to stop him from invading and assaulting your ears any longer.
In this edition of Annoying Video Game Characters, we look at a classic character which has served Spyro the Dragon well for the past 12 years, as his guide, his health meter, and, later, as an annoying element in what would otherwise be a brilliant set of games. Yes, today, we are looking at Sparx.
Sparx, along with most of the main characters, made his first appearance in 1998, in the eponymous game 'Spyro the Dragon'. In this, he served alongside Spyro, fulfilling many roles, from helping Spyro find Gems scattered around the world to serving as his health bar. He would even change colour when Spyro was losing health, which was jolly helpful, and just to extend that, he would even poke and prod sheep as they went by, which, if you didn't already know, helped Spyro gain his health back.
All was well and good. Then, in 2002, we were granted Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, in which Equinox Digital Entertainment decided to give Sparx something new; a voice! Well, saying he had a voice would be a stretch of the imagination; it was more a murmuring or humming, with subtitles telling you what he actually meant, but even this wasn't annoying enough. Actually, I have to admit, I found this really endearing, it made the game just a little more heart-warming, which I hate, but it isn't his fault.
Then came the "The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon". Now, I didn't play the previous games in the series, so I can't really comment on those, but in this edition, Sparx was voiced by Wayne Brady, who, don't get me wrong, is one of my favourite comedians ever. However, they took away Sparx's helpful abilities, like being a health indicator, and instead he began to serve as the whiny and scared sidekick, holding back an otherwise great story. His purpose now had become serving as comic relief when the game got too harsh, but by the end you end up screaming "SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" over and over again whenever he speaks. If he were a person, you'd probably end up starting a fight with him, just to stop the endless torture.
In other words, if you're a fan of relentless, annoying, melancholy little dragonflies, then Sparx is right up your alley. Otherwise, he is enough to make you destroy your TV, just to stop him from invading and assaulting your ears any longer.