Description Years ago, a legacy was born that ruled the skies. As time passed and memory grew dim, distant times progressed from History into Legend. Now, the era of human prosperity has come to a grinding halt, with all but a few pockets of civilization destroyed by years of devastating battles. The population clings precariously to the brink of extinction, scattered across the desolate land, living in the darkest age in history. A new Empire rules with an iron grip, and a band of rebels begins a revolt in an attempt to become masters of their destiny once again. As the world is engulfed in the flames of war, an unlikely and unwilling Hero must become mankind's only hope. Soon, the Dragon will rise again...
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Rating Reviewed by: Jeff Cunningham(Unregistered User)
Review Date August 25, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5,
1 votes
Review NaN of 31
, from NORFOLK, Va.
Price Paid:
$50.00
from GameStop
Summary: Deep within the annals of videogaming history lies a little-known gem, a treasure that has just barely been exposed to the light of the mainstream sun. Sega’s Panzer Dragoon is as close as a videogame can come to being a cult classic, and it largely has to do with what console the game debuted on.
The series got its start on the now-defunct Saturn (you know, that 32-bit console that tried competing with the PlayStation), so there weren’t many people who actually got their hands on it. The word was definitely out—everyone and their grandmother was talking about Panzer Dragoon, it seemed—but not many people played it because, honestly, not many people actually bothered to buy a Saturn.
Which is unfortunate, because Panzer Dragoon and its sequels—Zwei and Saga—are among the greatest games ever made. Adding to the myth is the fact that these games were rail-based shooters, a genre all but dead here at the start of the 21st century. Rail shooters were huge in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, but today most people see them as too limiting and confining to be any fun.
Sega, with the help of SmileBit (the guys who brought us GunValkyrie), wanted to prove otherwise. The result was Panzer Dragoon Orta, the first game in the series in over five years.
The rail shooter sub-genre is all but extinct today, with shooters (both first- and third-person) offering players seemingly unlimited freedom to maneuver and do what they will. So even though Orta won’t likely revitalize the niche style of rail shooters, it has at the very least proven that the sub-genre is capable of depth and substance, without compromising the hectic gunfights that rail shooters are known for.
Perhaps most surprising is the fact that Orta features a pretty solid storyline. While nowhere near the quality of games like Final Fantasy, the fact that a shooter takes the time to tell an entertaining tale is worth note. It’s not the most epic thing in the world, but considering this is a shooter, that’s forgivable.
For those unfamiliar with the rail shooter, the genre involves riding (or running) along a predetermined path, shooting at monsters and other baddies as they hurl their way toward you. Traditionally, the genre hasn’t allowed for much freedom or variety, which is why the style isn’t that popular in this the day of the Grand Theft Auto’s and Metal Gear Solid’s.
But Orta changes that. This is a game that takes the genre’s predetermined formula—shooting as you roll along a linear path which you never deviate from—and expands on it, throwing in features and strategy to make a fulfilling, frantic gameplay experience.
You may go into this game with a preconceived notion of playing a game that you’ll breeze through in a matter of hours, only to be left ultimately unsatisfied with a shallow experience. That’s not the case, though; while the core game only lasts about seven to nine hours, there’s enough strategy and extras here to keep you busy well beyond the first roll of the end credits.
For the most part, the controls of Orta are spot-on. Sure, they may take a little getting used to, particularly where the speed-up and slow-down buttons are concerned, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a game that better handles timing and precision with a game pad.
Unlike most other rail shooters, Orta deviates from the joystick-and-fire-button approach, which is refreshing. By giving the player options to speed up, slow down, roll to either side and access special attacks depending on which stance the dragoon is in (more on that later), Orta provides depth, if not originality.
In case you’re having issues with the controls (or any other aspect of the game), Orta has a built-in tutorial, which is thorough enough to give you the gist of the gameplay mechanics without being overbearing or revealing too much.
Which brings up the number of gameplay options Orta has. While most rail shooters have been content to just put you on the path and throw hordes of baddies at you to fire away, Sega decided to spice things up a bit. The game operates on a fully 3D plane, a world that exists in all 360 degrees. This adds a whole new element to the game’s strategy, as you’ll be attacked from all sides, not just the front.
Fortunately, use of the shoulder buttons will switch the direction in which you’ll face, allowing you to take out the baddies before they get you. The dragoon will continue flying along the determined path, but you can look about and target baddies to your heart’s content, no matter where they are. It may not seem like much, but this little feature gives a decidedly limiting genre a much-needed sense of freedom.
Your dragoon can also speed up and slow down, depending on what the situation dictates. Sometimes you’ll have to fly in front of something or, for the sake of survival, let whatever’s after you fly past. Again, nothing major, but in a genre as limiting as the rail shooter, every little bit helps.
Like a fighter jet (or any other flying object in a videogame, for that matter), your dragoon can roll to either side, adding another element of strategy when navigating the impressive terrains. There are times where you have no choice but to roll your dragon, so mastering this skill early is practically a must.
But where Orta’s depth really shows is in the three distinct flying styles. Each style has its own look, complete with set of attacks, strengths and weaknesses. The key to survival in this game is knowing when to use which style, and how using said style will affect your speed, attack strength, etc.
The spread-wing style lets your dragoon maneuver better, but the attacks aren’t as strong as they might be in one of the other styles. Accuracy is a must for multiple enemies, while speed is really useful when encountering that one huge baddie that doesn’t move too well but packs a punch.
Each style also has its own hyper move, which can be used to inflict major damage to an enemy (or group of enemies) or to heal yourself. It’s not original by any means, but it’s just another element to consider when in the heat of battle (particularly if you’re fighting a boss).
Fortunately, the smooth controls make what may seem like a complicated engine simplistic and forgiving. It will take a little while to get used to the game’s intricacies (especially if you’re expecting a straightforward shooter), but the fact remains that Orta is deeper than many might give it credit for.
The game has three difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard (gee, how original). No matter the difficulty setting, the game plods along at a pretty decent pace, and the challenge rises accordingly. The jump between episodes five and six is sort of sudden, and things really start getting crazy around episode six, but overall this game manages to be challenging without being unmanageable.
Upon completion of each episode (or level), you’ll receive a grade, as well as personal stats. Your performance will unlock hidden features, which can be found in Pandora’s Box on the main menu. You won’t find too much original here (though playable versions of the first two Panzer Dragoon games is a nice touch), but playing through levels again to improve your grade and unlock more freebies adds a great deal of replay value to Orta.
Beneath the surface lies a fun, frantic game, but fortunately for the casual gamers out there, the surface itself is just as impressive. Orta is presented in a professional manner, much like one would expect a high-end anime to pan out. The cut scenes are played out using the in-game graphics engine, which is impressive to say the least. Voice acting is top-notch, even if the dialogue hasn’t been translated into English.
Which is actually a good thing. Any anime fan can vouch for how bad audio dubbed over in English can sound, but Orta decides not to go this route. Instead, the audio is accompanied by subtitles. The subtitles reveal to us a compelling, fast-paced story, and the dialogue is well-timed.
The musical score does its job well, as do the sound effects. But the real treat is the story, and everything that goes with it.
The most noticeable thing about Orta, however, is its visuals. This is hands-down one of the best-looking games on the console market. The sheer detail is beyond impressive, and the environments are to be seen to be believed. The pace in frantic, with the framerate never dipping—not even in the most hectic of situations.
Lighting effects and other features—such as anti-aliasing—are in full effect, and this is just one game that defies explanation. I usually have no problem delving into the details of a game’s visual prowess (or lack thereof), but Orta is beautiful beyond words. It really has to be seen in motion to be truly understood and appreciated.
An utterly beautiful title with smart game design and a thrilling action ride, Panzer Dragoon Orta does indeed prove that rail shooters are still valid entries in today’s game market. I don’t expect us to see a whole slew of rail shooters hitting the market any time soon (too much emphasis on cinematics and presentation these days), but Sega and SmileBit have done the subgenre justice.
Any self-respecting Xbox owner would do well to pick up this game, if they haven’t already done so. This game just gets so much right that I really had a hard time pointing out any flaws. It’s a shame that this series hasn’t had more attention, because it’s really one of the best to ever hit the industry. And with the quality of Orta, I sincerely hope Sega plans a sequel in the near future.
THE JEFF CUNNINGHAM BREAKDOWN (ON A SCALE OF 10):
PRESENTATION: 9.5 Fluid FMVs, a gripping and well-told story and a masterful score add up to give gamers a tale that rivals many of today’s anime titles.
GRAPHICS: 10.0 This is easily the most beautiful console game I have ever played. Sprawling environments, original creatures and luscious colors make this a sight to behold.
SOUND: 9.0 Great music, quality voice acting (without English dubs—nice) and an overall nice aural package.
GAMEPLAY: 9.0 Yes, it’s a rail shooter, but the branching environment, extensive control scheme and fast-paced action make this one hell of a ride.
LASTING APPEAL: 8.0 The core game itself is only a matter of hours, but the multiple paths, unlockable secrets and ranking system will keep you coming back.
OVERALL: 9.5 Panzer Dragoon Orta is not only the prettiest console game out there, but it’s also a rip-roarin’ good time that proves rail shooters still have a place in today’s videogame industry.
Summary: I will preface my review by saying that PDO is not really the type of game that I typically get or enjoy, so that will naturally influence my opinion of it, as it did not sufficiently win me over. However, I was drawn to it because of its wonderful artistic style and can completely state that it is a beautiful game to witness and play, if the content is a bit lacking IMO. PDO is, for all intents, a completely on-rails shooter that is not terribly long. However, if you are familiar with the PDO series and games of this genre (few and far between these days), this is not a drawback and you find that the game elevates the heritage of both that genre (rail shooters) and the Panzer Dragoon series. It is a very gorgeous, well-designed, well-implemented game, but you really need to enjoy the genre or it will leave you feeling unimpressed with it as a gaming experience.
Summary: Wow, simply put, this game is a huge refreshment if your getting bored of some of your other titles, this is an aweseome game. I was very suprised at the level of detail that sega has put into this series, even though many people dont seem to care..... or they just dont follow the story and such...... anyways, this game is brilliant, although not for everyone I suppose, its kind of short but with tons of things to unlock, including the origianl PD, which I find horibble (then again, it is 2003), I am in no way a fan of "rail shooters" but this game is great.
Rating Reviewed by: Randy Martin Jr.(Unregistered User)
Review Date June 11, 2003
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Visitors rate this review 2.00 of 5,
1 votes
Review NaN of 31
, from Madisonville, TN
Summary: Panzer Dragoon Orta is a beautiful looking game that is fun to play... until you beat it 5 hours later. When I first put the game in, I started the game at difficulty normal. I was getting creamed, (plus I did not do the tutorial first). So I quickly changed the difficulty to easy. It was pretty easy all the way until the boss at episode 8. That took me a while to beat him. The boss at episode 8 was easier than the last boss which kind of sucked. Then I beat the last boss on episode 10. I put down the controller and was hoping for some sort of good ending because I thought the storyline was pretty bad so far. I knew what was going on in the storyline but at some times, you would have to fly and shoot stuff while they put lines of text for you to read at the same time. That was stupid, I missed some important stuff I think. Also, the character Orta Never Talks. She said 2 things that I remember, and this is why I really did not care about her or if anything happens to her in the story. She just sat there, pointed her gun and blinked all the time. And her Dragoon keeping screaming all the time which got annoying. Anyways, back to the ending. The ending sucked bad. It abruptly ended, then you had to watch the credits for 5 minutes to see the rest of the ending, which sets it up for another game later. So, I was really disappointed in the storyline, but did I still have fun playing it... Yes I did.
I enjoyed playing each level, wanted to encounter the new bosses and see the next gorgeous graphics on each stage. Was I ever bored playing this game... Nope, surprising since the storyline was bad, but I never got bored. Would I buy this game.. Nope. I am glad I rented it first since it only took me 5 hours to beat it. Would I play through this game again.. Nope. It has stuff to unlock and different scenarios to play, but I don't feel like going through it again, for it just to end in 5 hours.
Summary: I really didn't get into gaming until into my lates 20's but one title that did catch my eye before that time and amazed me was the original Panzer Dragoon title for the Sega Saturn, which my little brother at the time owned. So, since hearing so much about the visuals of the new game and having had a previous interest in it before I bought the newest edition and checked it out.
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