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Set many hundreds of years after the events of the first PD trilogy; the new installment follows the adventure of Orta, a young and mysterious girl who's been locked in a tower for many years. Her existence is an omen of darkness and destruction for the world. On a dark night, the Empire sends its Dragon Mares (mechanical beasts) to kill her. Suddenly, a legendary Dragoon shows up, killing all the Mares and rescues her from certain death and imprisonment. Thus, the game begins in dramatic fashion and you take control of Orta. From this point on, it's up to you to guide her to on the journey to her final destiny.
The gameplay is intense with non-stop battles and action, with an unrelenting pace that keeps you constantly challenged at even the lower difficulty levels. Panzer Dragoon Orta rarely lets up and players will find themselves under constant assault from enemies. The game's creative bosses are some of the most impressive ever seen in an Xbox title and will take plenty of perseverance and skill to defeat. These are extended campaigns and you probably won't defeat them the first time through, but the game allows you to continue at the beginning of these battles, which helps a great deal in mitigating frustration. It starts out tough but Panzer Dragoon Orta gets progressively more difficult as you move along, with smarter, more powerful foes making for tough adversaries.
This game is unforgettable and includes many breathtaking sequences. Some highlights include Orta running through claustrophobic dark canyons with dozens of enemies in pursuit. Another unforgettable moment occurs when she dives into dizzying spins through massive cloud formations hot after the trail of Empire foes. Another great sequence occurs while she runs over a seemingly endless bridge while a massive boss attacks her, with only the moon to light her way, perfect in design, implementation with subtlety and nuance. This is as good as it gets as you face massive boss characters moving with an eerie beauty, ominously circling you in gorgeously rendered skies. There's a remarkable level of detail and imagination evident in every element of the game, which gives Panzer Dragoon Orta a consistency and coherence that's rare in most games. Further adding to the game's cinematic appearance, elaborate and poetic cut-scenes move the plot forward and introduce other characters. These also look quite amazing and immerse you even deeper into this astonishing world. All of these elements are flawless, and make this one of the best-produced Xbox titles to date, rivaling Halo in terms of sheer impact.
Rygar
(PS2)
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Unlike
the RPG style of the legendary (and highly valuable) Panzer Dragoon Saga, Orta
is more reminiscent of the first two games' approach and is an ambitiously
designed on-rails shooter. This might disappoint some players who wanted another
Panzer Dragoon Saga, but the keep-it-relatively-simple. approach makes sense,
since the series is beign reintroduced after a long hibernation. The controls
are reminiscent of the other games, so series veterans will feel right at home
especially since you can use either the standard or digital pad to fly, just
like the Saturn editions. The first thing you'll need to keep an eye on is the
radar, which shows the location of enemies along with the direction you're
facing. When they come into view, you can move yourself around either manually
or automatically though the transitions are seamless for both methods. The
game's intuitive 360 degree shooting system allows you to change the viewpoint
quickly. This gives you a much greater sense of freedom, letting allowing to
concentrate on shooting enemies without the flying getting in the way. You can
either shoot manually or lock-on to target multiple enemies by holding down the
fire button and moving the cursor over them. PZO's lock-on system is intuitive
and makes it easy to target and shoot multiple enemies with little effort. In
addition to her standard shots, you can call up a devastating Berzerk attack,
though you need to use these wisely since the power-bar moves up very slowly.
Finally, in addition to being able to move in 360 space, PZ Orta adds the
ability to Glide. Using Glide allows you to move in front of, beside, or behind
enemies. This is very important during boss battles because you can only damage
them if you're positioned correctly. This is tricky at first, but once you get
the hang of it, it adds a new dimension to the gameplay. While new players may
be a little confused by all these seemingly complex systems, Orta includes an
extensive tutorial that lets you learn the basics painlessly.
In
addition to these weapons, Orta can utilize the Dragon's many different forms to
take out enemies. During flight, Orta's Dragon can morph into three different
forms: Base, Heavy and Glide. Taking on these forms gives you different
abilities and weapons. For example, when the dragon takes on its Base form it
can perform locking berzerk attacks, lock on to enemies, and has a decent glide
function. In Heavy Mode, the dragon has powerful attacks but cannot use the
glide. Each of these modes is best suited for different situations and you'll
probably have to switch between these frequently, especially during boss
battles. Knowing when to switch is somewhat difficult, due to the overlapping
functions, but finding the ideal form adds yet another layer of strategy to the
gameplay. Another huge factor to consider is that the dragons evolve into more
powerful forms when you defeat levels, which gives the later levels and added
intensity and excitement.
During
the game, you'll traverse many different areas and each is massive in length and
scope with unique strategies and enemies. There are 10 levels in all are divided
into standard battles and boss battles. To help in the longevity, branching
paths are included and these junctions give PDO a lot more depth. The rewards
for success are numerous and impressive. When you defeat a level, you unlock
additional items in the Pandora's Box screen. While other games would be content
to just give you a few tokens, in Orta, you can unlock entire side-quests and
missions with other characters including the enemy, adding more to the game.
This definitely adds to the longevity and addictiveness of the game. While the
main quest is relatively short, these bonus levels add to Panzer Dragoon's
addictiveness making you want to play more to unlock more. These extras include
background information on the Panzer Dragoon world, concept art, movies from the
game as well as it's prequels and more. The biggest extra in the new game is the
inclusion of the original Panzer Dragoon, which can be unlocked as well. Despite
its age, the game has held up well over the past seven years and remains
thoroughly enjoyable. Unfortunately, you can't save your progress in the
original game to the hard drive, which is annoying.
As
players have come to expect from the series, Panzer Dragoon Orta is an aesthetic
tour-de-force that transports players majestically into a world that encompasses
both dream-like, ethereal fantasies of flight and ominous, darkly oppressive
areas where danger lurks constantly. The mix of both day and night missions
allows you to get a true sense of the world. One of the key elements that has
made the series such a cult success has been it lusciously detailed design,
that's nearly unrivalled in scope. Refreshingly imaginative character design is
evident throughout and the legendary Dragon has never looked better. It seems
almost alive and moves with a surreal yet plausible appearance that helps you
suspend your disbelief. The enemies as quite imposing and you can sense their
evil intentions the moment they come into view, and even the smaller ones have a
distinct look that allows you to pick them out immediately. The mix of
technological and natural elements is seamless, giving the game a unique all its
own. It doesn't just look good in screen shots, because the game's graphic
engine pushes the Xbox hardware to another level. The animation is brilliant,
and the environments seem alive with incredibly detailed light-sourcing and
weather effects making for one of an arresting deluge of powerful imagery. PZO's
soundtrack is up to the visuals, and ranges from imposingly dark to epic
grandeur, enhancing the atmosphere of the plotlines and gameplay perfectly.
Despite
the glorious aesthetics, some difficulties result from its approach to on-rails
shooting. While there are loads of boss-battles, these tend to become a bit of a
drag, especially when you face them one right after the other. In addition,
while the controls are decent, morphing the dragons can get confusing,
especially during the heat of battle, since the changes in the display and
targeting HUD between them are subtle. The somewhat awkward controls can also
make it frustrating to implement glides when switching Dragon forms, since each
one has a different power-level for this. However, these are mostly minor
quibbles with what is otherwise, one of the best Xbox titles to date. True, the
gameplay becomes extremely difficult after awhile, but most players should be
able to build up enough skill that it is not overly frustrating. What's most
impressive is how well the game retains the original feel and the new glide
system feels organic to the existing conventions. While fans of the Saturn games
will definitely love being immersed in this evocative world once again, those
who are new to the series shouldn't be intimidated because the story is
self-contained to a large degree. The creativity and spirit that gave the first
three Panzer Dragoon titles such a large cult following is here in spades and
this installment represents is a welcome return to a series many have wished to
revisit. With a rich back-story, incredible design, evocative environments, and
intense gameplay, Panzer Dragoon Orta is an immensely satisfying and challenging
experience that makes it an essential purchase for all Xbox owners.