Panzer Dragoon Orta

"Finally, the Sega magic finally kicks back in!"

It's true. With the exception of Phantasy star Online, Jet Grind Radio Future and REZ, Sega has done nothing but make mistake after freaking mistake that it blows my mind. Where was that feeling I got playing Streets of Rage or Shinobi for the first time? Or how about setting eyes for the very first time on Sonic 2 (arguably one of Sega's best games of all time)? The generation of the Genesis was Sega's last rise at the top. Saturn hits rock bottom, and DC was nothing but an excuse to ''experiment'' with different types of games that never were that innovative or fun to begin with.

I love REZ to death. Up until the release of PDO, it was the best rail shooter out on the market. I thought it couldn't/wouldn't get better than REZ.....but it did! And here we are with the true epitome of what REZ wished it could be: the great Panzer Dragoon Orta!

Now prior to PDO's release, I had only played the original Panzer Dragoon. Yet I would even hate to even associate that game with the masterpiece that is Orta simply because Orta has so much depth and heart to it that it puts the original game (along with most of Sega's new generation games) to shame.

I don't want to even touch on what the story is about. In fact I really didn't even get it since I really never did follow the storyline of the Panzer series. It's a shooter for Jimminy's sake.

The one thing worth mentioning first off is how cleverly designed this game is in every aspect. From it's presentation, level design and graphics style, everything here in this game is presented with precise beauty. It was clear there was a vision here. Every menu and second of gameplay in this game puts you in Sega's wonderfully crafted fantasy world. I always thought Sega made better fantasy settings than Squaresoft did and this game has been the first in years to remind me why I thought so in the first place.

The stages are quite simply not only beautiful to peer at when you get the chance, but also have some of the most cleverly designed stages and events that I've yet to encounter in a game. So many memorable instances have captured my mind such as fighting off a fleet of Imperial ships, running through a deserted snowy plain, and infiltrating the whole Imperial army. The moments in this game have a lot of heart in them because there is this sense of tension going on. You are, after all, helping a girl and a Dragon fight off a whole evil empire. This concept of the story is actually one that fits into this type of genre because in a shooter you either survive or don't. Winning in any shooter nowadays always gives you a sense of accomplishment but I felt more so here because of the fact that there's so much tension going on.

Speaking of tension, these bosses have got to be seen to be believed. Huge, dynamic, and involving. The Glide effect is your ability to accelerate or decelerate around an enemy or to dodge enemy attacks. In boss fights this becomes crucial as you'll have to maneuver around the boss to be able to get a clear shot at it's weak point. This makes all the boss battles more involving since it doesn't simply involve strafing and shooting your way through.

I really would not like to go into deep detail about the graphics because I'm sure by now you've heard nothing but good things about them. It's true. They are beautiful. Again, it sets up this Sega world for you to be a part of and what a world it is. One thing I will take time to point out is the brilliant use of colors in this game. It really sets the tone of the stages and the overall look to the game. The graphics here are really not chauvinistic at all. It's very apparent that this game is about many things coming together to form this big picture. Gameplay is not sacrificed over graphics which is wonderful. There are very rare moments of slowdown. Other than that, the game is very fast paced and keeps reminding you that you got an Empire to bring down.

The controls are spot on. I do agree with several comments from other gamers that there could have been a better way of changing Dragon forms. It's kind of hard to remember how many times you've got to push the X button while at the same time decide whether you're going to dodge or shoot your way around a situation. But it's also a true testament as to how this game always keeps you on your toes. The controls never become an obstacle to overcome to enjoy the gameplay and that's what counts.

Speaking of changing Dragon forms, this is the meat and bones of the gameplay. Here, you'll need to decide on which three forms of your dragon is best suitable in different situations throughout the game. I'm going to be straight forward here, this is more of a trial and error thing. The one thing you do know for sure is what each form can do but at first it's never easy to tell what kind of damage or attack pattern an enemy has. When you start playing the game on Hard mode, you're definetly going to need to know which form is best in a given situation. However that's not really hard to do as you'll eventually figure out enemy patterns like the back of your hand and the game practically becomes second nature. My suggestion is for everyone to play through the game in Normal Mode on their first time through.

One of the reasons I love REZ so much despite it's simplicity is because of the abundance of extras it had. PDO shares some of these features plus more. The first similarity between the two games is the option to be able to got through and replay any levels you want (after you unlock Box Mode). Like REZ, you'll be able to configure gameplay options as you go through the stage(s) you want. There are tons of illustrations to go through and you can even go back and view the game's awesome FMV's and 'events' at your own leisure. In addition, you get a series of 'submission' to play through which had more variety to gameplay. Some of these are very challenging and can really show how good of a 'shooter' you really are. The biggest replay has to be the scoring system of the game. Your flight records keep a recording of your scores on every episode for every mode. It gives you a ratio of how many enemies you shot down, hits taken, and time it took to kill a boss. This sort of thing always keeps you ego wanting to do better and most likely, you will strive for those S rankings.

There's nothing else I can say about this game. You simply must get this game if you're an old school fan of Sega. It stands second only to Jet Grind Radio future but otherwise, this game is a masterpiece and should be in every Xbox owner's collection. It's about freaking time Sega. It's about freaking time!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/03, Updated 01/22/03