Reviewed
12.02.2004
Publisher
Sega
Developer
Smilebit
Format
1x
DVD
Origin
Import
/ Domestic
Available
Dec,
2002 (Japan)
Jan.
15, 2003 (USA)
Exclusive
Yes
Difficulty
Adjustable
Dimensions
3D
View
3rd
Person
Genre
Flight
/ Shooter
Player(s)
1
Options
Backup
Dolby
Digital
HDTV
480pl
Vibration
Requires
n/a
Importable
100% |
| Intro |
|
> At the time of its release in 1995 (USA), Panzer
Dragoon for Sega Saturn was largely cited as
an average shooter stuck on rails by the critics. In the mean time,
people who didn't have the clairvoyance to see the splendor of Panzer
Dragoon Saga are regularly paying over $100 to buy it used!
Of course now that Sega isn't a threat in the console market,
the media has seen fit to rewrite history and sing the praises of Panzer
Dragoon, Panzer
Dragoon Zwei and Panzer Dragoon Saga. Enter,
Panzer
Dragoon Orta for Xbox. Having some former members
of the now disbanded Team Andromeda and considerable prowess
on the Xbox, Smilebit
was chosen to develop the latest Panzer sequel.
> In Panzer Dragoon Orta, the Empire has risen again and
awakened dragons of their own, called Dragonmares. Riders of the
Imperial cavalry guide their Dragonmares to unleash a maelstrom of destruction
upon the unsuspecting town. You play the part of Orta,
the white-haired heroine of the story, who is rescued by an incredibly
powerful dragon in the beginning of the game. Together they flee
the burning town and the pursuit of the Imperial Army to begin an epic
journey... |
| Graphics |
|
> Panzer Dragoon Orta's graphics are stunning to behold.
Smilebit's
experience on the Xbox with games like Jet
Set Radio Future and Gunvalkyrie
has really paid dividends. Everything from the reflections, lighting
and models, to the sight-distance, special effects and textures is simply
benchmark setting.
> Simultaneously, there can be 10's of missiles coming at you, multiple
enemies firing lasers, a huge animated boss, and you going postal on everything
with your berserk attack! All this eye-candy flows bye smooth as
silk, as the frame rate is rock solid. Check out the lower-right
picture (below) to see one frame of a color morphing berserk attack on
the first boss, a flying battleship. Your 3rd person view of this
mind blowing world should be familiar to veteran dragonriders, and is certain
to please a newcomer.
> The locales are richly detailed, and include a city at night, river pass,
tunnel, cave, desert, and a gigantic fleet in the clouds! Naturally,
the world of Panzer Dragoon Orta is littered with tons of
weird bio-monsters and bosses that await your arrival. Throw in some
awesome CGI cut-scenes to complete the story, and you have a perfect game
in the graphics department. |
| Control |
|
> Panzer Dragoon Orta's gameplay is much like its predecessors,
in that you "fly" a dragon on invisible rails with multiple paths to choose.
As usual, you have to charge up the berserk meter before it can be unleashed
on your deadly foes. The new ability to "Glide" is also limited to
your Glide meter's current status, which automatically recharges after
every use. To Glide refers basically to your maneuverability in relation
to the enemy. You can Glide faster or slower to maneuver around the
enemy.
> One interesting new feature is the ability to morph into three types
of dragons on-the-fly -- Base Wing (has shot, homing laser, average Glide,
and many lock-on targets); Heavy Wing (has shot, most powerful homing laser,
manually aimed berserk, no Glide, and few lock-on targets); Glide Wing
(has a homing shot, no laser, max Glide, and a life-restoring berserk).
Each dragon will level-up by absorbing Gene Bases, which are released by
defeated enemies, to maximum of level 3.
> All in all, I'd say the evolution of Panzer Dragoon's control
scheme has improved nicely. Smilebit also made sure
that the control is intuitive and tight -- a must have for shooter games.
Really, the only way I could see to potentially improve on this formula
would be to make the game free roaming, instead of locked on rails.
Well,... two player cooperative system link would be sweet too. |
| Sound |
|
> The Panzer Dragoon series has always had excellent music,
and the tradition continues with Orta. This time around
the music consists mainly of rhythmic orchestral beats, with a fairly catchy
boss tune. I would say Orta's songs are a combination
of Zwei and Saga. Personally, I think
there's nothing in the series that can match the orchestral might of the
opening and level 1 songs from the original Panzer Dragoon.
> The sound effects are top notch, as usual, and full of variety.
About the only effect I don't enjoy is when your dragon takes a hit (for
obvious reasons). Again, Panzer Dragoonish is the spoken
language you'll hear throughout the game, and it sounds as cryptic as ever.
Overall, this category is above average, yet fails to be exceptional. |
| Fun |
|
> For me, the fun in a shooter is deliberately blowing stuff up and enjoying
the scenery along the way. Panzer Dragoon Orta excels
at the above, and adds a good story to boot. It's reminiscent of
genre forming games like Silpheed
for Sega CD, which
I enjoy greatly to this day. Throw in some bonus unlockable features,
like the entire original Panzer Dragoon, and you have a complete
package for the hardcore gamer. Even so, if you're not into flying
around and shooting at bio-engineered monsters, then this game isn't for
you. It is, however, worth a rental (at the very least) to see if
you might be swayed to the Dragoon side. |
| Bottom
Line |
|
> Panzer Dragoon Orta has done what few other games have
done for a series -- surpass the first in the series' overall prowess for
the given console. I can't imagine a fan of shooter games or the
Panzer
Dragoon series not owning Orta. Finally, as
I've been predicting for some time, Smilebit has proven themselves
as a leading developer for Sega, if not in the videogame
market as a whole. |
| Ratings |
| Overall:
9.4 | Graphics: 10 | Control: 9.5 | Sound: 8.5 | Fun: 9.5 |
~
Shinobi ~
|
