As a general fan of consoles, I would prefer all of them to have a good selection of titles to work with. The XBox is the one that needs the most work. This is why I was fully looking forward to Panzer Dragoon Orta. I really didn't play much of the previous two, as my only experience with it is playing the first one at a Toys'R'Us demo display (I think, but I do remember playing it, not remember where exactly). But still, it was pretty impressive (though I wasn't exactly old enough to get a job and a Saturn was a bit out of my reach). Anyway, getting one now requires digging and a deep wallet, so I decided to hit the next best thing, Panzer Dragoon Orta.
With the past pedigree, I thought this baby would be a good bet. Looks like a quality title in the previews, but lets see how it all turned out.
Most Pretty
Sega seems to have a knack of getting everything out of the big, black box. And Panzer Dragoon is no exception. This baby is pure gorgeous. Insane models, perfect texture work, beautiful effects. This game is a work of art in itself. The only real flaws are the poor use of anti-aliasing as I noticed a lot of jaggies while playing the game itself and the up-close cutscenes are really odd as there are some funky effects going on. Orta looks all pasty and dead and the dragon has a strange shine to it. Otherwise, top notch visuals.
Sounds Good
There really isn't much to the sound department, but what’s there is happens to be decent. Blast effects are wonderful and enemy death effects are good too. My only beef is that strange voice over. I am not sure WHAT that is, some sort of strange made-up stuff. It got a bit annoying, as they would say things that sounded exactly the same as a previous narration, but the words on the screen would be different. Another example: a character in the game clearly said "Orta" when referring to the main character, but (even though the main character's name is used extensively) the narration doesn't use it often.
Sweet Gameplay
The gameplay is absolutely sweet. As this is a rail shooter, you have little choice as to where you go as you are pulled from point A to B on your dragon; there is quite a bit going for it. Strategy has a huge pull here. First, there is your lock-on ability. You hold down the A button, and you are able to lock on to a given number of enemies depending on the wings on your dragon. This unleashes an attack that streams out to multiple enemies.
You then have your standard attack.
Tap the A button, and Orta fires on enemies with her blaster. When you’ve cleared out enough enemies or caused enough damage, a green bar on the lower left fills up and you are then able to unleash a powerful attack. Knowing when to use the blaster, take time to use your slower yet more powerful lock-on attack, or when to use your limited use power attack is all part of the game. Then there is boosting and looking. Especially during boss fights, you will need to use your boost ability. Boost and slow are limited use and need time to recharge. Looking is also important as enemies rarely come at you from one direction, so using the L and R button to spin around, or both at the same time to pull a 180, are also important.
The gameplay itself is fast and furious. There is little time to take careful aim and then fire, you should be able to just sweep across the screen and hit the locks then fire. This gives a great deal of challenge to the game, something missing from many next-gen titles.
Game Sounds Sweet So Far, What's Wrong?
The biggest (if not only) problem is the complete lack of play time. Orta is a circus midget among games, and dwarfs only the 45 minute Way of the Samurai. This game can quite literally be beaten in only 4-6 hours depending on the difficulty level. You do unlock a few things, like alternate level paths, but those felt tacked on. You also unlock the original title, but for some reason it didn't feel like a good title after playing the silky, sweetness of Orta.
Also, there is the story… It is pretty much non-existent. Apparently, you are some drone thing, something explained in a previous game apparently as they told me very little beyond them being war machines. You are locked up in a tower for no apparent reason and are freed by a dragon (one from the previous games) and attacked by an empire because they fear your power to destroy them. Pretty much you fly around and shoot things. Not much meat in this story, just an excuse to blow stuff up. It felt empty and dull in that sense.
Bottom Line
Panzer Dragoon Orta had all the makings to be an instant classic. Tight gameplay, bleeding edge visuals, and some great sounds to make things sound real. Unfortunately, Panzer Dragoon Orta came up short, literally, with it's complete lack of actual gameplay. This game felt like more of a coin-op than an actual console game. Cost could be a factor here as this title would be worth a purchase at around $29.99. It could have been a completely awesome title, but it started fast, burned out, and left you feeling empty and wanting more by the end (which sucked, by the way). Regardless, it was fun while it lasted.
