I decided to have a bit of fun and dig around some old pre-release screenshots and trailers and compare them to the final version. I created the topic because there were no topics like this in this section. If you played this GBA game, or curious about this topic (if so, possible spoilers then!) - read on! It's somewhat long!

IMAGES

Large fruit seemed to have a certain role/running theme in the game. They were placed in different locations...wondering that's the purpose for these...maybe other than background objects (maybe not...). Both of these disappeared in the final version.

With the exception of the large Professor statue and Spyro, everything in the screenshot was different. Perhaps it's an earlier version of the Virtual Playground.

What's that item at the top-left corner? It doesn't look like a green swirl to me. It looks like some kind of stone with a gem on the center.

For the images you are seeing, I never recalled those images being part of the game. Pretty much never.

Another piece of fruit...? Some green stuff laying on the floor (at the top-left corner)?

There used to be a purple clean pathway until it was removed - maybe to make the entrance of the Rhynocs n' Clocks a bit more dramatic by adding bones on the ground.

The first image shows that Spyro collected gems during the virtual playground. Interesting... For the other two images, Sparx said a line that never made it into the final version, and the holographic Professor having it's final line changed. It's an earlier version of the Virtual Playground but with the graphics in the final version.

See "0.26 - 0.30" in the Trailer section.

The infestation room in Rabbit Habitat was originally going to have a large tall carrot as an obstacle. In addition, there was a time limit (implying that you can keep playing even if you fail to burn a rhynoc), and a lower number of ryhnocs to fry.

TRAILER
Now for the trailer for the game (probably from E3):

(Optional: I found a more clearer, and smoother version of the trailer! http://www.gametrailers.com/video/trail … ttack/3747)

0.10 - 0.12: Another sighting of fruit - this time smaller...but what's that in the bottom left corner, and top right corner? Those greenish stuff...
0.12: The fence at the bottom right corner was missing.
0.13 - 0.15: The "Stormy Passage" section in Dragon Shores doesn't seem to gloomy (bright green instead of pale blue). The cloud didn't disappear after Butler got electrocuted.
0.15 - 0.19: I never seen that part! It didn't look like the mini-battle occurred in the XYZ Section of the Fairy Library. (The Rhynoc-snake creature seemed to be carrying the Fairy Spell Book tho.)
0.19 - 0.22: The cage design was different, and there is no evil smile on the turret.
0.26 - 0.30: What? Did Agent 9 shoot it's grappling hook onto a wall and pulled with it far away? That's impossible... Also, the background (behind the twirling colored pencils) was pink instead of dark purple.
0.33 - 0.34: In the top sub-video - there were some tall pencils standing. I guess they replaced them with cones because it was a hassle.
0.35 - 0.42: The arrows (L and R ones), weren't animated.
0.38: There were supposed to be 13 ability items, but one of them was removed in the final version (making it 12 ability items).
0.42 - 0.48: The line of colored bulbs on the floor weren't animated, and the large magic hat can bypass the colored bulbs.

ARTWORK
And if you haven't notice the concept artwork:
http://www.darkspyro.net/adventure/gallery/#artwork

Image 3: A sheep wearing a wizard outfit! An enemy and fodder at the same time? What kind of world would this idea best fit in? Rabbit Habitat?
Image 6-9: LOOK! More large pieces of fruit! But besides that, all of these are concept art of what the levels are supposed to look like. Not all the items made it into the final version, but it was fun looking at them.

...And that's all for there is to it. Seeing that this game had to be developed under a year (due to time constraints) just like the first two Spyro GBA games, a lot had to be changed...from simple tweaks into gameplay parts that were cut out.