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Preview: Panzer Dragoon Orta |
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| Saturday, July 19, 2003 | 12:52:14 AM | By: nuckles87 |
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The gameplay is even more action packed than the originals, and has a much quicker pace.
 Aah, yes, the hands on preview of Panzer Dragoon Orta. Before I start the preview, here is some information on the series history. Panzer Dragoon Orta’s three predecessors were the Sega Saturn’s crown jewels, and were Team Andromeda’s (the developers of the original Panzer Dragoon series) crowning achievement. It all started with the debute of Panzer Dragoon. This game started off the Panzer Dragoon Trilogy. It featured the enemy lock on mode, classic game play, and a deep story to keep any gamer playing. Next was Panzer Dragoon Zwei, this game improved on the original in every way. Your dragon could now morph. The rate it morphs from an adolescent dragon to and adult was affected by how well you did in battle. Also new to the game was the new berserk mode, in which your dragon just, well, went berserk and blew up everything in sight. This really was a big improvement for the game, and encouraged you to try to nail everything on screen so you could access the berserk attack when you really need it. This game also introduced ground battles, in which your dragon goes into battle on foot. Also introduced were multiple paths that you could access if you get enough baddies before the branching path comes up. The graphics looked considerably better than the graphics in the original, and showed just what the Sega Saturn could do. The last one to hit the Sega Saturn, Panzer Dragoon Saga, was the series big finish. Instead of just another rail shooter, this game was an RPG. Sadly, I never bought this game, so I do not know exactly how the game plays, but it is definitely considered one of the finest and most original RPGs ever made! Many consider it better than Final Fantasy. Sadly, only 10,000 copies of the game were released in the US, meaning that very few people got to enjoy it. Why were only a few released? It was May 1998, and the Sega Saturn was on the road to the console graveyard. Many were hoping the series would be continued on the Sega Dreamcast. But after the death of Team Andromeda’s president, causing the break up of the team, it seemed bleak. Then the Dreamcast died, meaning that it was even bleaker. But people who enjoyed the original series would finally have an excuse to dance in the streets just a few months after the Dreamcast’s demise, courtesy of the Sega developer known as Smilebit (who actually had 23 of the original 30+ Team Andromeda members) at E3 2001.
May 2001, Panzer Dragoon Orta was presented for Xbox in a quick video clip. It showed a girl riding on a dragon, escaping a burning village. The graphics were dazzling and showed just what the Xbox could do. But after that, it seemed that everything went quiet, as the developers kept working on this masterpiece. A year later, the game was shown again at E3 2002. The graphics looked even better, and the game play looked like classic Panzer. But fans still had to wait. But the wait wasn't as long now. Now the game is just months from being released, and fans are getting more excited by the day. While the game has been delayed until January 2003, still, the extra wait will hopefully be worth it. But, the game is nearly complete, and thanks to the Official Xbox Magazine, which featured the demo in their demo disk (that comes with every one of there magazines, you can pick up yours at your local book store today), we get a little sample of it early. Enjoy! Here is the lowdown on how the game played:
This game was just amazing and surpassed all of my expectations. The gameplay is more action packed than the originals, and has a much quicker pace. To help you with the faster pace of the game, you can move the targeting retinal much quicker than in the originals, and the handling was much smoother, and there is a new speed boost feature to allow you to zip out if danger. Smilebit has also added something else to allow you to adapt to any situation quickly: The ability to morph your dragon. You can now change your dragon into two other dragons: a quick, maneuverable one, with a quickly rechargeable speed boost. This dragon’s main disadvantage is the fact that it has no lock on feature and can't take as many hits. This dragon is known as a Glide Wing. The other is a slow, lumbering giant, four times as big as a Glide Wing. But it can take a lot more hits, and has very strong attacks. But it has no speed boost. This dragon is known as a Heavy wing. The dragon that you will normally use (and is the same dragon from the orginal game), is called a Base wing. This dragon has average speed, and average fire power, and can lock onto many enemies at once. The gameplay is still classic panzer, with enemies come at you from all angles, huge boss battles, tons of missiles coming homing in on you, and ground, as well as air, levels. The old moves are back including the berserk attack, lock on attack, and rapid fire attack. The graphics were absolutely fantastic, with beautiful character models, excellent lighting, and before I get into technical stuff that I know nothing about, it’s the best looking game ever made. Seriously, it is. The music is, as usual, brilliant. Who ever composed this must be as good as John Williams. The music is that good. For those of you who played any of the previous games, it is more of the same, with an exception. Occasionally, the music takes on a PSO-esque beat. As for the speech, well sadly no one talks in the demo, but it is reported that the same Japanese/German/Latin language is still intact.
Many of you are probably asking “Well, what kind of game is it?” by now, if you haven't played the three predecessors. Well, it’s a shooter. But not a shooter like Rogue Squadron or Starlancer, where you have the freedom to fly around your world. This game is much more like Starfox64. You fly on a straight track, or “rail” (think of yourself being on a train on tracks), with tons of enemies coming at every angle. You use the trigger buttons on both sides of your controller to move the camera around your dragon, and lock onto enemies. You use the left analog thump pad to move your targeting retinal, and lock on multiple enemies. Once you lock on (using the “A” button) release the button when your ready to destroy the enemies you have locked on to. Sometimes you will have to dodge incoming objects, such as missiles or enemies. Easier said then done, since missiles and enemies home in on you. Doesn't sound to impressive, does it? Well believe me, it is. This game can get very intense, especially during the boss battles.
Pandora’s Box: This is where you can access many of the extra goodies you earn while playing the game. One of these goodies is a full version of the original Panzer Dragoon. Cool huh? And that’s just one of the many reported goodies that will be in the full version.
Don't believe me? Don't think this game will be all that? Then go see for your self. Go buy the latest Official Xbox Magazine (it has some guy in stealth gear on the cover) and play the demo on the disk that comes with the magazine. Oh, and the magazine is worth reading.
This should be a game to watch for. Expect to see more coverage once the game comes out this January.
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