A Far Off World: Panzer Dragoon Series

[Saurian]

Trust me man -

NO part of this game dissappoints - after finishing it you'll still be in awe of it's quality (and gagging for a soundtrack CD)

[Madbury]

believe,

just had a check over at gamefaqs to see what the mass of idiots over there thought of this masterpiece. Can you believe that one of the muppets who reviewed this gave it a 3/10. citing that the game had no story.

No story...wtf...did he play the same game we did.

[Concept]

I'm in awe. What a game. (Spoilers below)


I finished it earlier on today... I'd heard of people mentioning Saga had a sad ending and I thought I could see the plot twist of Azel sacrificing herself a mile off...

What I didn't expect was for it to be the reverse, Edge having to cut ties with his dragon... And the fact that the player is the one who's revealed to be the 'divine visitor' from the outside world, is very contextually clever. It brings Panzer Dragoon's world outside of the television screen and makes the player themselves a part of the story. A very intelligent and satisfying ending.

However, I'm still left wanting more. I want to know what Gash did next, what happened to Edge, if Azel ever found him etc.

There are still questions left unanswered. I want to know what happens next.

Sega have to make a sequel. They can't leave it there.

I love the world in Saga, and it's left me hungry for more.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, and Saur.

I found all the D-units and got the light-wing.
I also treated Lagi well throughout and got the Astral Phantoms.
And found the baby dragon in the shellcoof.
Didn't find the dragon bibles though, so I'll make sure to look out for them when I play through Saga again.

[Concept]

A small selection of my favourite moments from an incredible game:


1 ) Listening to the Panzer Dragoon Saga theme track for the first time
2 ) The opening 20 minutes when Edge fights with the half-breed, discovers Azel and watches his crew get slaughtered
3 ) Climbing out of the abyss and witnessing the dragon makes it's introduction
4 ) The tutorial and discovering how deep and unique the battle system is
5 ) Saving Gash from Arachnoth
6 ) Taking Gash over the desert and then fighting Gigralyph in the underground caves
7 ) Watching the dragon transform for the first time
8 ) Being thrown out into the world-map unexpectedly
9 ) Witnessing the amazing water effects in the Forbidden Zone
10 ) Catching up with Craymen's fleet in the skies and fighting Azel

11 ) Exploring Zoah and watching how the light effects subtly change over time, depending on day or night
12 ) Going to Georgius when it's stuck in a whirlwind
13 ) Entering the Shellcoof and being discovered by the imperial troops
14 ) Discoveing the awesome sight and sounds of Ura
15 ) Fighting the Dreholm
16 ) Obtaining the protect keys and watching the lighting of Ura change into a vivid representation of different times of the day
17 ) Fighting Azel and Atolm once more and watching as they come head to head with Edge and his Dragon (named Concept)
18 ) Escaping from the ruins with Azel on the floating ship
19 ) Falling from the elevator and watching how Concept makes a reapperance and saves Edge and Azel just at the last moment
20 ) Flying through the skies fighting Basilus and talking to Azel afterwards

21 ) Getting access to the holy district
22 ) Flying to the imperial air force post and defeating the death-maker
23 ) Meeting Craymen personally for the first time since the beginning in Zoah, and seeing he's not quite the villian he was made out to be at first.
24 ) Flying through and inside Mel-Kava
25 ) Watching the Grig Orig destroy Zoah in an amazing piece of destruction
26 ) Fighting the Grig Orig (or trying to)
27 ) Getting revenge on Zastava for killing Edge's crew at the beginning
28 ) Going to the tower and listening to Craymen as he reveals his intentions to save the world
29 ) Watching Craymen and the Emperor being slaughtered by a half-breed
30 ) The tower reactivating and unleashing thousands of dragons on the Grig Orig

31 ) Exploring the Seeker's Stronghold
32 ) Being with Azel as she reawakens and discovers she's becoming more human
33 ) Exploring the awesome forest of Zoah while it's on fire
34 ) Destroying the Grig Orig at last
35 ) Talking with Gash in the Stronghold around the fire, and promising to meet him at the valley when it's all over
36 ) Changing into the light-wing at the tower after collecting all the D-Units
37 ) Getting to the bottom of the tower at last
38 ) Watching Azel and Edge say goodbye just as they realise what they feel for each other
39 ) Firing at Sestrel and witnessing all the flashbacks
40 ) Destroying the different types of dragon protecting Sestrel
41 ) Fighting Sestrel and watching how it brings back the Shellcoof, Mel-Kava etc as weapons
42 ) Using Dragon Phoneix for the first time
43 ) Discovering that the player is in fact the 'divine visitor' at the end, and how it is their soul which has guided Edge all along. A very contextually clever ending.
44 ) Seeing Gash absoultely gutted as he waits for Edge at the valley, upon saying his voyage has no destination hearing the dragon's wings flap just as they did at the beginning
45 ) The very last cutscene when it's revelaed that Azel has managed to survive, and is determined to find Edge.

[Concept]

Madbury, I've got 100% shot rate on all of Zwei's levels, but the full hit rate is only 98% for some reason. Since I still had one space locked in Pandra's box, that tip about using Saga's save was useful. Thanks.

[Saurian]

Really glad you enjoyed it!

But there's more - Read this if you want to know about the baby Dragon:
The baby Dragon is the final D-Unit, you have to take your Dragon in Light Wing form to the weird ancient rock thing in Zoah Forest (Edge mentions it's similar to the one in the desert)

OMG!11!1 (regarding ORTA!)

Yesterday on Orta I got a cut scene I never got before with Sestren talking to the Dragon - asking why he's doing this, you dont get to find out what the Dragon says tho! After a pause (as if the Dragon is answering telepathically) Sestren says "I understand" then yo get teleported again. You even get to see Shelcoof!

[Madbury]

OMG,

I have to play through Saga again. I missed so much first time through. Infact I never managed to get the dragon into lightwing form. (Missed one of the earlier D Units).

I think the problem was I didn't play through it in one chunk, but more like 2 or 3 chunks over a year, so I lost a bit of the story progression.

Saur. What is all this about Orta, how did you unlock the extra cutscene? I suspect I will not be able to hold back much longer and get hold of this on PAL after it is demo'd at the meet.

[Saurian]

Rah!

Orta is absolutely stunning and ties in with Saga beautifully (I have some theories about Edge and Azel but I'll keep em to myself)

The cutscene I got was on Stage 8 - you have to totally rinse the stage to get this cutscene.

BTW - Love Concept as the Dragon's name! Mine was called Vermillion.

[Concept]

Rah!

Orta is absolutely stunning and ties in with Saga beautifully (I have some theories about Edge and Azel but I'll keep em to myself)

I'm starting Orta later tonight. So, so, looking forward to it.

I'll make sure to post some impressions later tomorrow at some point. After I've initially completed Orta, tell us some of your theories Saur. I'm interested.

[Concept]

Spoilers a-plenty: Highlight to read.

Orta. Visually stunning.

But then I'd expect no less from ex-Team Andromeda Smilebit employees, when it comes to fleshing out their world on a console as powerful as the XBox.

It really is perhaps one of the most breathtaking sights I've ever seen, and that's in consideration of all entertainment mediums. I was walking down to the shop earlier on today after getting up early morning, and reality seemed more unreal and dour than the one presented in this wondrous game.

There are too many jaw-flooring moments to mention. But I will say this: It's the best game I've ever laid my eyes on in terms of aesthetic.

And I imagine with resulting from such a high-level of polish, that the game will age very well in this department and transcend to a timeless state. I really can see people in ten years coming back to Orta and still being as floored by it as I am now.

Mechanically, the gameplay is a lot more tighter and consequently deeper than Zwei, but it's a lot more hardcore and intense too. I started on 'normal' and I was expecting to breeze through the game in a couple of hours a la Zwei.

It took me about six to beat it if truth be told. For the most part it was enjoyable. Actually more than enjoyable - Perhaps the best on-rails shooter I've played. However, that final boss on episode ten was an absolute nightmare. It took me about twenty tries to beat him...

Still, that's the kind of game this is. It demands repeated play, and so consequently can't ever hope to flow quite as smoothly as perhaps Saga did in terms of gameplay progression. In relation to Pandora's box, all I can say is: Wow. I love the way everything has been thought of. The detail, information, gifts and extras is real appreciated fan service.

Smilebit have really paid attention to encouraging replay value for this game. And they aren't just token extras... There's some real meaty stuff here, especially if you happen to be a fan of the series. Which I am.

Musically I like they way they've used certain pieces and melodies from the previous games to recreate a similar mood. I also like how the style and feel of the Ancients is slightly different and expanded on through the exploration of the ruins and Sestren’s space during the mid-point of the game. However, saying this I was hoping for more connection between Orta and the previous three games. It feels very much focused on the future, and in certain instances, could have benefited from exploiting the rich mythological iconography present in the rest of the series. I wanted to see Azel in the flesh, see more of the shelcoof, know more about Sestren etc. However, I did very much enjoy the various subtle nods to Saga through the fact you can level-up your various dragon forms, move about in boss battles etc.

One gets the feeling slightly that Smiebit may be holding back on this to an extent, for throughout the game there are hints that various elements could be pushed further... I really hope the rumours of a new Panzer Dragoon RPG on the horizon are true.

The storyline... I loved the twist about half way through when it's revealed Orta is Edge and Azel's child... Half drone, half human.

It makes sense why Abadd wants to use her DNA so badly. The spirits of the Ancient Age are locked away in Sestren's space, and so thus can only return into the world through biological reintroduction... But of course that biology has to be compatible with the technology linking the spaces together for them to do so, hence the reason why Abadd can't 'resuscitate' them at the beginning without Orta's help. Yet to Azel, Orta obviously represents a chance to escape the clutches of the world's struggle, a third way if you will.

Not being entirely human allows her to escape the greed and misery which has enslaved and warped the Imperial Empire, and not being entirely of Ancient Technology allows her freedom to escape their control. Like the dragon, she is something that is perhaps has never meant to have existed. So both characters on that point share a unique problem which interlocks them.

It's also interesting later on to note that Abadd malfunctions when Orta asks why he kills. As the game progresses, one gets the sense he forgets his mission as well as his primary objective. Indeed, towards the end he seems hell-bent on using Orta's DNA to further himself and not necessarily the Ancients. He views the world as doomed and dead without the Ancients' guiding (or controlling) hand, thus cheapening human destiny, and emphasising the will of the ancients in the process. It's like he's a propaganda tool driven mad that gets muddled within himself.

Interestingly, Orta's (and the whole Panzer Dragoon) storyline theme is heavily reflected in this chapter through the combination of old-school gameplay mechanics brought into a new age of technological magnificence. Think about it, in the game it's almost the reverse:

The technology from the past is also what represents the future, whereas in Orta it's the gameplay from the past which is brought into the future to meet technology. The fixation on the old and new and how they both intertwine extends out of the game's premise and is centred within how the game has been developed, and how it functions as a piece of technology itself.

Overall, for a shooter, this game has it all in every department.

Deep, deep, stuff.

As I unlock more and how I see it tying in with the rest of the series, I'll make sure to post more comments.

[Ady]

I'll stretch my neck out now and say from what I've played, this game beats FFVII hands down.

Best RPG I've ever experienced. So far.

Absolutely. PDS is a timeless classic, and one of the best RPGs ever created.

All I need now is the soundtrack...

[Concept]

Thoughts and impressions on Panzer Dragoon (in Orta's Pandora's Box).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's an interesting game because like Orta, Panzer Dragoon appears a touch stylistically different from Zwei and Saga, the two most artistically consistent games of the series (in my opinion). The feel of the universe in the original doesn't seem quite as developed, but having said that I did love the little touches that the later games appear to have referenced.

Thing is, I'm looking at it from another way, simply because the first Panxer Dragoon is the last in the series I've played. Take the first level for example... It dawned me when I was flying through all those stone arches buried deep in the water that of course this place was Uru, just as when episode two seemed to be taking me through Garil Desert, or how episode five seemed to suspiciously remind me of Zoah's Forest.

I also enjoyed flying through the Capital on the penultimate level, because having seen the place briefly before it's destruction in Saga made me want to see what it was like. Panzer Dragoon gave me the chance to fly through up close, and it looked like how Venice might if teleported into a polluted age-old worn gothic landscape.

Again, the ambiguity between friend and foe (a theme which the series has so often visited) comes into force here. Partly because although I'd been fighting the empire throughout the majority of the game, seeing the ancients turn on them in retaliation for experimentation with their tower, was disturbingly mixed. I wasn't overjoyed flying through the Capital and seeing the enemy's turf get completely destroyed by forces beyond their control.

In a way, that signifies part of the game's mission when you think about it. Lundi wants Keil and the Blue dragon to get to the tower before the Dark Dragon partly so it doesn't activate and unleash a load of ancient-driven monsters upon the world. It's somewhat Ironic the empire is trying to stop you, when in actuality you are ultimately their only chance of a saviour.

Speaking of which did anyone else think those dark clouds merged with water during Keil's vision at the start was eerily familiar with the end level in Orta? It definitely reminded me. Likewise, the monster that flattens Kyle's Khourieat at the beginning appeared to be distinctly familiar to the one Edge has to fight during the opening of Saga.

I also liked the fact that in Panzer Dragoon you control the Blue Dragon, the same of which you can level up to and end with in Zwei. Panzer Dragoon appears to confirm this end as the true take on events in that game.

In any case, I think there's a greater sense of urgency in Panzer Dragoon compared to Zwei and Orta, because in the beginning Lundi basically hands Keil the task of getting to the tower before the Black Dragon. This automatically increases the pace and tension from the off, and it's especially evident when you encounter your rival dragon during several episodes. You have to ask yourself who's ahead, and who's exactly leading.

Music-wise, I think a lot of people have overstated the case with Panzer Dragoon in claiming that it has the best music of the series. There weren't enough standout moments for me, and although the beginning orchestral soundtrack is fantastic, to suggest the whole game is of a similar musical style is misleading. In a lot of reviews I've read, most have stated the majority of the music is very much traditionally orchestral-based. But for the most part it's actually synth-based, and I much preferred Zwei and Saga's score in comparison.

Gameplay too, is nowhere near as refined as Zwei and Orta, and although the basic hallmarks of the atmosphere are there in terms of presentation, the world doesn't feel quite as perhaps fleshed out as much in the other two Saturn games. Of course, this is to be expected because it was the first game in the series, and a lot of the conventions found in Orta were made as the series progressed. However, saying this, the timeline of the original is actually set after Zwei and so playing the first two games in a chronological order back-to-back results in a slightly different tone in terms of atmosphere. I suppose, since Panzer Dragoon is set a few years on from Zwei when Lundi is much older, that could be a reason as to why the world has changed.

The same can be said of Orta in this regard. On a fundamental level, the atmosphere and style was always going to be slightly different from the previous games because of the obvious technological improvements and emphasis on increased graphical detail. In Zwei and Saga, a lot was left up to the imagination as to what couldn't be generated with the technology avaliable. But the technique with regards to delivering the artistic vision of Orta is a lot clearer and therefore a lot more startling in a way, due to the sheer direction of it. You also have to bear in mind that Orta is set after The Great Fall, and that a new empire has been rebuilt with a new intake in terms of cultural flavour. Hence the different craft, weaponary and locales.

In contrast, the artistry of the original doesn't quite feel as sure of itself and is perhaps not as set or firmly defined as in the other two Saturn games. The playing mechanics of Panzer Dragoon are a little basic too, although having said that the addictive essence of the series is still present. It's just a shame the game doesn't quite have the replay value compared to the others in terms of a Pandora's box or such.

However, you can see the roots from which the series stemmed from. I suppose that's what's great about Panzer Dragoon, as each game has built and brought something unique to the universe. It's never rested on its laurels and become static, in the same way other games have.

Each title brings something different to the table. And although I don't find Panzer Dragoon quite as captivating as its sequels, I can recognise the importance it played in terms of setting a base for the others to grow and flesh out from.

All in all, it's a good game.