> The Panzer Dragoon series is set in a desolate world where humanity has fallen from grace. Many thousands of years ago human beings played god by creating their own lifeforms to wage war in their name. These creations turned on their creators and pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. Humanity slowly forgot all the knowledge that had helped it forge its once technologically advanced civilization, and struggled to regain the power it once held. Thousands of years after the downfall of the Ancient Age, a human empire rose to power by constructing fleets of anti-gravity warships out of the ancient technology and weaponry found in ancient ruins to fend off the nightmarish bio-weapons created by their ancestors. But of course, predictable human nature led to wars with rival nations. In a small village called Elpis bordering the frontier of the known world, mutants are killed on sight. In recent months, though, more and more mutant khourieats (later known as coolias), which are otherwise common two-legged beasts of burden, have been born... only to meet a quick death at the hands of the residents of Elpis. The blue-white light glowing on their necks is said to be ominous among the villagers of Elpis who understandably fear anything that reminds them of the mutant predators still running rampant in the world. However, Lundi saves one of these harmless creatures from death and hides it from the villager's wrath, because unlike other mutant khourieats, this one had a pair of wings. One year later, Lundi's newfound winged friend is, much to his surprise, almost fully grown, but while Lundi is riding the fledgling dragon he names Lagi, the dragon rider duo is blinded by a massive shockwave coming from Elpis. Lundi slowly opens his eyes to see a gigantic ancient rectangular airship hovering over the burning remains of his home. The mysterious vessel had burned his village to the ground with a vertical energy beam within mere seconds. Lundi naturally seeks to exact his own brand of vengeance on the airship responsible for destroying the only home he had ever known, but unbeknownst to Lundi, his dragon companion, Lagi, has his own reasons for wanting to see the ship destroyed. And so the story begins. Lundi and his dragon will fly through wastelands under siege by warring human nations, and delve deep into advanced ancient ruins full of robotic sentries still guarding them to this day, and soar over clouds while fighting against armor-plated predators grown in the past before wreaking revenge on the skyship.

     > The sound effects are as clear as they were in the first game (i.e. very clear) and similar in many respects. The laser blasts et al are perfectly synchronized, not to mention there are plenty of sounds of fleshy or metallic creatures and ships being blown to smithereens to put you in the moment (to give you the sense of being there). The voice acting is spoken in a fictitious language known as Panzerese (the indigenous language of the people living in Panzer world) created by Team Andromeda from a number of different real-world languages including Latin and German. The voice acting itself is very good mainly because it's spoken in an appropriately serious tone by the narrator. This area of the game shouldn't disappoint anyone.

     > Even with multiple routes, this game is too short. Team Andromeda regretted not including 3-4 extra stages, and I can understand why. On the bright side, there are plenty of unlockable dragon morphs, weapons and even a target practice stage to keep the game enjoyable long after completing it. I actually prefer the original game in some respects over this because you encounter more Imperial anti-gravity warships and flagships (mainly due to the fact that the Empire is far more powerful in the original Panzer Dragoon which takes place afterwards). Even without as many of these flying fortresses, the bosses are still as imaginative as they come. The game also has five different endings too depending on which dragon you finish the game with. The dragon will morph depending on how well you play, and if you shoot down every enemy in every stage and take all the hardest routes, you'll be rewarded with a dragon fans of the original game will instantly recognize, as well as the game's (cryptically short) true ending.

     > Unfortunately, the entire Saturn Panzer Dragoon trilogy suffered at the hands of questionable translations. In a Panzer Dragoon Zwei cut-scene between Episode 2 and Episode 3, Lundi is being pursued by Imperial warships, but in the subtitles Lundi says he's being chased by Meccania (a rival nation of the Empire) even though we actually hear Lundi say "Impenia", the Panzerese world for Empire, and even though the warships chasing him are marked by the Imperial insignia. And as if that wasn't enough... apparently whether or not the ancients were actually said to be human in the Japanese games is open for debate, but that's a story for another day. I'm just glad that Sega is no longer as prone to screwing up translations as it once was.