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Games Revisited: Panzer Dragoon Orta

Started by Sk8teland85, November 13, 2008, 08:33:12 PM

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Sk8teland85

Last generation I for the most part was a PS2/Gamecube fan despite having all 3 of the systems. The X-Box just did not have many titles that appealed to me. But that being said there was one game that I just loved on the system. That game being Panzer Dragoon Orta.

Now Panzer Dragoon Orta is the 4 game in the Panzer Dragoon series from Sega that started on the Sega Saturn. This series has always been very popular in Japan but not so popular here in the US, which begs the question as to just why Sega decided to put this game on the original X-Box since that system just was not popular in Japan. Orta is the direct sequel to Panzer Dragoon Saga and has a good number of story links through-out.

Panzer Dragoon Orta follows the story of Orta, a young girl with a mysterious past who starts the game imprisoned in a tower where she has been most of her life. One night the tower and the village around it are attacked and Orta is about to get captured when a powerful dragon come in a saves her. Thus her journey begins as she trys to find out about her past and protect the future. It may not sound too original but trust me when I tell you, this is one of the most well written story lines in any video game out there.

I had not played this game in a while so it took me a little bit of time to get used to the gameplay again. Panzer Dragoon Orta is a 3rd person on rails shooter kinda like the early Star Fox games. Although there is a bit of a twist since you have a 360 degree field of fire meaning you have to watch out for enemies from all sides. This overall is not too hard at all though since all you need to do to change your view point is press either of the triggers and the camera will rotate 90 degrees, press them both at the same time and it will rotate 180 degrees.

Once I got used to that (which did not take too long), I then had to get used to the other big part of the gameplay, the Dragon Forms. The dragon you ride has 3 different forms which can be changed with a press of the Y button. Each form has it's own strengths and weaknesses and strategically switching between them is key to mastering the game. This adds in a nice degree of strategy to the game which is always nice.

Now the game itself is not all that easy but I would not call it hard, more challenging since you have to have the right strategy to clear a level with ease. Most stages have multiple paths to chose which further adds to the replayablity which is always nice.

Overall the controls are spot on and very responsive and very easy to learn which is a big plus. There is never any point in the game where it feels as if you have no control over the actions. Adding to this is the camera which works perfectly. I still wonder why Sega can't seem to get these features right on the Sonic games since they work so well here.

As for the presentation, well to put it simply it is top notch. This has got to be one of the best looking games for the original X-Box. Heck some early generation PS3 and 360 games did not even look this good. All the environments are just beautiful to look at and all the little effects they work in just make it look all the better. Adding to this is the music which is just plan phenomenal. This series has always prided itself on great music and this game is no different. Overall everything in the presentation is just so well done.

All in all this is one of the best games ever made for the original X-Box and IMO is a must own for the system. It takes some getting used to yes, but once you are used to it is just a great game. Now I know rail shooters are not for everyone and if you are not a fan that is fine. But if you are willing to a rail shooter a shot, this is definitely one of the ones to consider.