Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

"A nice sequel.."

Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei is the sequel to the original Panzer Dragoon. It's much more of the same, but much better than the original. And it was a pretty good introduction for the(at the time) upcoming Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Story: 6/10

While Panzer Dragoon II's story is more developed than the orginal's, it still leaves something to be desired. The game plays as a prequel to the first Panzer Dragoon. You play a young village boy who befriends a baby dragon after he saves the young creature's life. The dragon and boy grow together and one day after returning from an adventure, the boy finds his village ravaged by the Empire. He then sets out on a quest to stop them.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics in Panzer Dragoon II were much better than the original Panzer Dragoon. Gone is the horrible jagginess of the original game. Characters are decently sharp and well-designed. Monsters are all very nice. The game uses colors to decorate the game very nicely, giving an excellent vibrancy to the game's stages. The game also moves pretty quickly and suffers from little slowdown. The game's FMV's are better than the original's as well. While they aren't stunning, they are vastly superior to the first Panzer Dragoon's.

Gameplay: 8/10

While Panzer Dragoon II's gameplay is simple, it develops upon the original game's system. No longer is attacking a simple matter of hitting the A button over and over. Now, as you fire upon an enemy, a guage fills up. When the guage fills completely, your dragon can unleash a Bezerker attack which is extremely devestating to any enemy. Other than this, however, gameplay is strikingly similar. The game is also as short as the original. You can beat this game within an hour with little trouble.

Sound/Music: 8/10

Once again, the sound and music of Panzer Dragoon II was just an improved lot of the original's. Sounds are more abundant while being sharper and more realistic. The only complaint about the sound is that when many sounds are played at once or there is a high volume of sound, the sound can get a little static in it, very similar to the N64's sound. The music is the high point. Once again, it has that epic feel of grandeur. The music is excellent.

Overall: 8/10

This game is basically what Panzer Dragoon could have and should have been. Everything is very similar except that it is better. If you liked the original Panzer Dragoon, this is definitely for you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/00, Updated 08/07/00