Panzer Dragoon Orta: Just a pretty picture? (1 Viewer)

[Phil Florian]

Howdy,
I played a bit of Panzer Dragoon and it is not only a wonderful looking game, but the play seems kind of neat. I only played one level and the tutorials, but it seems a neat game. Anyone play it? Is there much in the way of variety or is it mostly just neat looking backgrounds to fly through? Good gameplay? Some strategy involved? Just curious.


Thanks!

Phil

 

[DwightK]

There is a thread around here speaking to the goodness that is Panzer Dragoon Orta.

To answer your question, No, PDO is a very good game. Very varied strategies towards playing. Pretty and nice sounding. 5.1 is mandatory for the aural clues. All in all a fun game. Would be better if it didn't keep a record of my ineptness though. I hate seeing those D passing grades:b

 

[James T]

I tried out the demo on the new OXM magazine and wasn't that impressed. It felt like a hack n slash in the air. I kinda got the feeling the whole game was just going to be similar to that level.

 

[Romier S]

Phil,

Here is the thread:

Panzer Dragoon Orta

It felt like a hack n slash in the air. I kinda got the feeling the whole game was just going to be similar to that level.

You would be wrong. Orta happens to be one of the deepest shooters out there. There is a definite strategy to fighting the bosses and completing a good shot down ratio for each episode.

Each level presents its own challenges and differentiates itself not only in graphics/art/music but also in what dragon form you need to use to anticipate enemy attack patterns and how you want to evolve your dragon using the gene power-ups.

Once the game has been completed you then have a wealth of sub-scencarios that present thier own challenges and an entire sub-story to go through. Including a zound of other extras that amount to some serious replay value.

In the end however PDO *is* a shooter. You either enjoy a good shooter or you don't. I happen to love them.

 

[JamesH]

PDO is the best game in an awesome series, I'd definately get it. Many of the people who started gaming with the PS1 and on can't appreciate a good shooter.

PD0 is both simple and complex. You don't need much of a strategy to play on easy, but the game is very deep if you're going for 100% shot down or playing it on hard. I cleared the game 4 times the first weekend I had it and I haven't played it a whole lot since, but I do plan to finish the unlockables and try for a good score later on. I ended up quitting because I was a bit annoyed that I had to play through Panzer 1 to unlock some stuff, yet I'd rather have played the Saturn version which is a TINY bit better than the PC port in Orta.

 

[Kami]

Let me put it this way...in Pandora's Box (a section of the game) it says I have put in a total of 23 hours of gameplay

It's very challenging, the demo is no representation of the final game at all. First of all, the demo is way too easy. Second of all, it's probably the least interesting (graphically) level of the game IMO.

 

[Dave F]

I felt (and still do) that it was like a combination of Rez and Ikaruga, but not as good as either of them. An okay game, but somewhat boring, IMO.

-Dave

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Having never played any Panzer Dragoon at all until I played the demo for Orta, my impressions of the game were very similar to yours, Phil. It seemed way to easy and lacked the strategy and challenge needed to be a successful shooter.

Still, I purchased the game, mostly because of the glowing reviews for Romier and others. Since I like shooter games like StarFox, I decided to pick up Panzer Dragoon Orta. Let me tell you, I am glad I did! The full game plays so much better than the demo. You would never believe it, but it is indeed a very hard game. Some of the bosses, particularly those for the last three stages had me cursing and swearing at my TV in frustration. This game is HARD. The ability to change dragon forms, perform glide attacks to kill enemies and/or avoid their fire, and the need to keep an eye on everything around you create an atmosphere were strategy is of prime importance.

In all, a great game with beautiful graphics and a killer soundtrack to boot.

 

[Dave.A.C]

I second (or is that third? fourth?) the thoughts about the demo being a poor rep for the game. I hated the demo, played it about half-way through once, never went back. But I went ahead and rented the full-version when it came out. Very fun game, and graphically second to none. IF you aren't concerned about all of the unlockables (and there are a lot), you can finish the main story in about 10 hours. The game is worth a purchase.

 

[Joe Szott]

Romier nailed this one down 5 posts back:

In the end however PDO *is* a shooter. You either enjoy a good shooter or you don't. I happen to love them.

If you like rail shooters, PDO is mana from heaven. It's simply the best one I have ever played (including Rez.)

But if you don't like shooters, play something else. Kind of like if you don't like RPGs, why bother with FFX or Xenosaga? They're great, but still RPGs.

PDO is a darn sweet game, worth the $50 for me in a heartbeat.

 

[Scott_W]

I thought it was more of a pretty picture then fun game, but I'm in the minority here. I've never really liked games in the genre though, and was hoping Orta would change that. In the end, for me, it wasn't special. It basically became an exercise in dragging a pointer and highlighting enemes to shoot.

A lot of people love it, especially those that are fans of the genre. And there is no denying that its a beautiful game.

 

[Kris Coffin]

Very sweet looking game, fun gameplay, but a little short for my tastes. I finished it on Easy, Normal and Hard in under 10 hours. this includes all the Sub scenarios as well. Didn't open all of Pandora's Box (all the extras in the game) But opened about 80% of it.

But all in all a good game, personally Iwould look for a used copy though and save a few pennies.

KC

 

[Phil Florian]

Great input! I really appreciate it. I am not very familar with the Rail Shooter phenom (I am mostly PC Gamer...we don't do that kind of shooting much any more). I will rent it next and get the full feel of it since the demo seems to disappoint. It sure does look good, though. If it plays nice, it may be a buy.

Thanks all!

Ciao,

Phil

 

[JamesH]

Personally, I'd buy a new copy so Sega will be more likely to make the sequel to PD Saga they've been tossing around.

 

[Jon W H]

A-men!

PDO is the game I've been playing the most off-line this year. If anyone asks me which of this year's crop to get, I always recommend this one.