Panzer Dragoon Orta for Xbox

The beloved Panzer Dragoon originated on Sega’s ill-fated Saturn system eight years ago, and it returns triumphantly on Xbox. Panzer Dragoon Orta is rife with classic arcade flying/shooting action and beautiful audiovisuals; it is definitively old-school in its presentation, yet it includes a wealth of special features to keep you busy after completing the main game.

PDO is told from the perspective of Orta, who has been a prisoner all her life. Suddenly, during an Imperial attack, her prison is burst open and she is nearly killed by a dragonmare. She is quickly rescued by another dragon who beckons for her to join him. Orta hitches a ride on its back and the two flee from the devastated village to escape the pursuing Imperial army. Orta and the dragon must fight off countless squadrons of enemies while she struggles to learn the truth of her identity and the purpose of her existence.

PDO’s gameplay resembles the original Starfox on the Super Nintendo because it is classified as a ‘rail shooter’; in other words, you fly on an automatically guided path and you do not need to navigate the map; instead, you must concentrate entirely on fighting enemies that you encounter along the way. Enemies come at you from all directions, but thankfully your dragon possesses useful abilities and different attacks to counterattack them. You can aim in 360 degrees from the dragon’s back with the L and R triggers and your dragon morphs into three different forms: Base wing, Heavy wing and Glide wing. The Base wing is the most balanced of the three, offering a mix of strength and maneuverability. The Heavy wing is powerful and useful for fighting bosses and large enemies, but it is slow and unwieldy. The Glide wing is excellent for defense because it has high speed and it shoots down enemy missiles with amazing efficiency, and its special attack recovers your health meter. The Base and Heavy wing dragons have homing laser attacks which can take out multiple enemies at once. Combining the homing lasers with Orta’s hand pistol shots is essential to beating some of the tougher bosses and enemies in the game. Each form is upgradeable via the use of Gene Bases, which are level-up items carried by enemies. Masterful gameplay requires skillful use of morphing and form usage, because each form is designed for specific situations. The first level is relatively easy, but the game’s challenge mounts quickly and it is frustrating without skill and practice. A tutorial mode is included to ease the learning curve; it is highly recommended for the novice player. In addition, the game features three difficulty levels.

Panzer Dragoon Orta is a beautiful game to behold. It represents some of the highest production value seen yet in a game: high detailed 3D models, lush levels, exquisite textures, silky animation and special effects. The dragons in particular exhibit a shiny coating on their scales that reflect highlights of the environment. The later areas of the game are noticeably less exotic and luscious than the first batch of levels, but they are still impressive in their own ways.

PDO’s audio is also breathtaking, especially when played in Dolby Digital 5.1. Explosions, incoming missiles, enemies’ radio chatter and ambient environmental sounds will fill the room on a good sound system. The musical score is epic in scale, catchy and appropriate. The developers even created a ‘Panzerese’ language for the game, which is enhanced by quality voice acting. Better yet, you can hear your enemies yelling in terror as you wipe out their forces.

In addition to the long Story campaign, PDO features the ‘Pandora’s Box’ - a treasure trove of unlockable goodies including the full version of the original Panzer Dragoon (which debuted on the Sega Saturn and PC). It offers everything from bonus missions to an encyclopedia to a movie vault. Normally, ‘rail shooters’ are scorned upon as home console games because they tend to last as long as an arcade game play session, but PDO is unusually long for its type. It will take hours to complete the Story mode for the first time, and Pandora’s Box is packed with enough goods to last a long time. Although the game itself lasts for a long time, the story seems abrupt and incomplete, as if Sega had to rush to finish the game. It is a shame that PDO’s story seems so shortchanged because the Panzer world itself is rich in detail and historical background.

PDO is easy to pick up and play but challenging to master. It is deceptively deep and fun. Overall, the game is a well-polished gem worthy of any Xbox owner’s game library.

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