The first time I heard of The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon was through Hamza’s impressions of the game from Sierra’s Spring Event way back in April. Ever since then, it’s been one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Like Chad (see “PlayStation Games” in profile sidebar), I’ve been a huge fan of the Spyro series ever since its debut on the PS1. And while most of the games after the original trilogy have been mediocre, this game -- the conclusion to the Legend of Spyro trilogy -- looks like it could renew my faith in the franchise.

The trailer above is the first video we’ve seen of the game, and it’s the launch trailer! Go figure. It seems a bit out of place compared to what I remember about Spyro (granted, I haven’t played any of the games since the first three). Back in the series’ PS1 heyday, things were relatively happy-go-lucky, but that seems perfectly appropriate considering Spyro has grown up. But perhaps I just caught a Lord of the Rings vibe from the trailer because of Spyro’s voice actor, Elijah Wood -- i.e., Frodo -- in addition to, of course, the “epic” orchestral score and shots of huge, lava-infused monsters.

Perhaps this game will make me actually feel like a bad-ass dragon -- as opposed to Lair, which just made me feel ... annoyed and angry. We’ll all find out in a week and a half: The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon will be flying to store shelves on October 21st (aren’t there already enough games coming out on that day?) for the PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, and DS. Hit up the game’s official Web site for more details, and Justin’s post from August to see a bunch of screenshots from the Leipzig Games Convention.