Panzer Dragoon

[Abnormal Palm]

Prompted by the recent release of the remake of the first game on the Switch, anyone like or plays these games?

Only rail shooters I ever really played are Starfox and Rez, the latter being one of my current faves because it looks insane on an OLED telly.

I barely touched Panzer Dragoon, though. I played one of them on the 360, I think, might even have been the original on BC but I ditched it pretty quickly because it looked a bit ropey. I think Orta is on Game Pass so I'll probably give it that a go at some point.

I've quite enjoyed the Switch remake, though. I heard it's been patched a couple of times very quickly to address a few number of control issues mentioned in various reviews. For one, the lock-on is now snappier after a slightly loose and sluggish feel at launch. It feels pretty good to to me. Music sounds excellent and I think it looks decent rather than impressive.

Anyone?

[popcorn]

I'm an enormous fan, though I've never cared much for the first game. It feels skeletal and badly dated, and the remake doesn't really interest me much. I hate that phrase "no one asked for this", as if one need only to see what people are asking for to create the next great innovation, but it does feel like a product absolutely no one is going to buy, not even many old Sega pricks like me.

That said the only Panzer game I truly love is Saga, the RPG. As good as Zwei and Orta are, I think the richness of the world is lost on the rail shooter genre... I tend to get bored pretty fast of anything that's very arcadey.

But Saga! So much more mysterious, dark and beautiful than any other RPG. It breaks my heart that no one got to play it. I mean, FF7 battles looked like this:



ie, static, with two lines of enemies taking it in turns to hit each other in the face. Whereas Panzer Dragoon Saga battles look like this:



OK erm you probably can't tell from that screenshot, but the Saga battles are all sweeping and cinematic and alive. The animation is still really expressive (video). Even though the battles are turn-based they feel responsive and urgent because of the way the controls and the timers work. And it was all in full 3D and fully voice-acted to boot, only a year after FF7 was released.

Love the music and character designs too.



I hate FF7! FF7 can fuck off! Saturn rules!!!!!!

[The Crumb]

Loved Orta on the orginal Xbox, was an amazing looking game at the time, a great challenge and weird as hell. Evolving your different dragon forms was cool, until you accientally picked up a precious canister in the wrong form. There was a weird strain of moral ambiguity, which is not something usually seen in a rail shooter.

It included a version of the original that seemed ropey even in 2004, never stuck with it for more than a couple of levels.

[bgmnts]

Orta was great.

[Bazooka]

I had Sin and Punishment on Wii, but got it late on, so didn't invest much time in it.

[madhair60]

They're all terrible, like almost all Saturn-exclusive games, desperately propped up by those who bet on the wrong horse and had to justify their foolish expense by desperately claiming that the likes of NiGHTS and Burning Rangers were good, actually, honest, they're amazing, who needs MGS ;_; (sob)

Nah just fucking about. I'm really shocked that Panzer Dragoon Saga has never been re-released in any form, given how acclaimed it is. I just looked it up on Youtube and it looks pretty dynamic, with fantastic music.

[popcorn]

Fuck off madhair!

If anyone would like to play Saga and can't be fucked with piracy or emulation send me a PM and we'll work something out. You'll need a PAL Sega Saturn.

[popcorn]

I'm really shocked that Saga has never been re-released in any form, given how acclaimed it is.

Sega lost the source code apparently, though the director hinted at a games panel recently that it might have been found again behind someone's fridge or something.

[madhair60]

I'm sorry Popcorn. I just really like winding up Saturn fans. It's actually quite good and probably the system I regret not owning the most.

[popcorn]

You are also the poster I regret not owning the most.

[Jerzy Bondov]

That new PS5 controller looks like something out of Panzer Dragoon. Love the design of these games.

[madhair60]

From what I saw of the remake it appears to have lost the ethereal, otherworldly aesthetic that made the series stand out in the first place. I didn't think much of Orta either, with its gunships and generally dim-looking graphics. It probably worked at the time.

[Quote]

I remember pouring over the screenshots of the Saturn version before the system came out, just marvelling at how amazing it seemed, how far ahead of my crappy letterboxed PAL Super Nintendo it all was.

Looks like fucking shit thesedays of course.

[Hank the Rapper]

Adding to the love, popcorn. So glad I got the soundtrack when I lived in Japan.

Love them all, but Saga is the king by a long, long way. Paid £70 for it 2007, after missing my chance in 1998. Still the jewel in my pile of gaming shite.

[popcorn]

Adding to the love, popcorn. So glad I got the soundtrack when I lived in Japan.

I suppose all the Saga likers have to have lived in Japan then which is probably not a coincidence. When I was there I got the urge to play it again and bought a copy for 1500 yen (Japanese copies aren't rare). I took it to a game cafe in Shinjuku and did the whole thing over the course of three visits. At the end I gave it to the cafe since they didn't have a copy. I was hoping they'd give me a free beer but no. Twats.

[popcorn]

Strangely rumours of a Saga remake have arrived today, though I don't put any stock in them: https://www.resetera.com/threads/4chan-rumor-panzer-dragoon-saga-azel-resurrection-revival-details-leaked.183369/



The font on this is so fankwanky. And what convenient images to heave leaked, renders with no environments.

[Abnormal Palm]

I'm rather enjoying this. I'll definitely be giving the original and Orta another go now.

I appreciate that the remake doesn't have the same atmosphere as the original, but it's got personality and the enemy, player and environmental designs are really cool and unusual.

[popcorn]

Don't forget Zwei! Orta is great but still Zwei is the best shooter in the series I think, and cheap as chips.

You'll need a Saturn too of course but what hardcore gamer doesn't have two of those?

[Abnormal Palm]

Cheers, I'll grab one of our spare door stoppers in the morning and fire it up.

[popcorn]

Cheers, I'll grab one of our spare door stoppers in the morning and fire it up.

?? It won't work on a PS1.

[madhair60]

I should get one of those pseudo saturn things. And, er, a saturn.

[madhair60]

I want to play Mr Bones. I'm not even joking. Fuckin love skellingtons.

[Dewt]

show me a shrellingtren

[Abnormal Palm]

Panzer Dragoon Orta is backwards compatible, 'Enhanced for the One X' and on Game Pass. They have done a hell of a job with it for an original Xbox game. It looks way better than the new Switch version, put it that way.

Just checked, yeah, it's 4K at 60fps. Looks amazing and runs like shit off a shovel. Would recommend for anyone with a One X.

[madhair60]

Does it get better after the truly shit first level?

[Abnormal Palm]

Orta or the remake?

I'd say both get better as they go on. It's just about the whole sum of it for me, I've realised. The gameplay is fine but nothing more. It doesn't inspire me to get any better at it, I'm just happy enough taking in the spectacle and the music and takakakakak locking on to baddies.

Heard the Switch is getting another massive patch soon to basically make it run, play and look well better. I'm holding off for that now.

[popcorn]

Play Saga you cunts

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Was it supposed to be called Panzer Dragon and no one spotted the typo until it was too late?

[popcorn]

Was it supposed to be called Panzer Dragon and no one spotted the typo until it was too late?

Virtual Fighter

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Pants! A dragon!