Panzer Dragoon Orta (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey Forner]

Quote:

There is something to be said about the pure satisfaction of accomplishment, Morgan. Who cares if there isn't an extended ending? I don't need it if I beat a great game on the hardest difficulty. I'll have bragging rights, and that's the best reward of all, in my opinion.

 

[felix_suwarno]

jeffrey, i actually try to buy games selectively because i dont have all the time in the world to try just about any games, okay? is there something wrong with it?

i used to enjoy resident evil games, but stopped playing it on veronica. i just realized that i kept playing the same game over and over again, and it is now time to find a new experience. i moved to silent hill 2, it was damn scarry at first, until i realize that the monsters either could be avoided easily because james runs faster than them, or we can simply hit them with the plank. i didnt expect these games to have big magnitude innovations, i just wanted them to have variation in the gameplay. does that make sense to you?

i do hope panzer dragoon orta has interesting level design. the kind of game that i really like is a game whose levels are diverse, different enemies on different levels, menacing bosses, but i do hate hard games. i am not the kind of gamer who needs a bragging right.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

i didnt expect these games to have big magnitude innovations, i just wanted them to have variation in the gameplay

Playing only games that have innovative features is a good thing. It's better that you support innovative games than rehashes or rip-offs. But without those games that are like many other games out there (say, survival horror games) that stand above the rest without being innovative, you can't appreciate how good those innovative games really are.

And while games should have variations in gameplay, other elements can greatly improve a gameplay experience, such as story, music, characters, graphics, sound effects, control, etc.

Of course, it's your decision and your time being spent, so you can decide what to play what you want. I have more free time, so my philosophy reflects that.

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Quote:

Hey, there's nothing wrong with wanting a new game in a series to feel and play a little differently than its predecessors. There's also nothing wrong with leaving well enough alone. With all the choices available to gamers now, we don't need to continue buying tired retreads of old games if that's not what we want. Then again, if people do want to play a new edition of a series they loved on a new console, then that's for them to decide. Perhaps Panzer Dragoon Orta will sell a million copies because it does offer an old-school gameplay style that you just don't see any more.
Let me ask you this: Did you have fun playing the demo? Do you believe that it will be a good game based on what you've seen so far? Also, what if the game scores an 86 at gamerankings? Will you refuse to buy it until it drops in price, even though it's only one little percentage point below your arbitrary number of 87?

 

[Benjamin_L]

Back to the topic at hand....
Awesome-looking demo, even on my crap home system. Can't wait to hook it up to my friend's big-screen.
even after playing through this wee demo, it's damn obvious why you guys fawn after this series so! Gameplay was totally sweet, the 360 degree swivel-camera really lends a great sense of immersion that I would never have expected in a so-called "rail" shooter.
Can't wait!

 

[felix_suwarno]

Did you have fun playing the demo?
yes and no. yes because i was familiar with the control, no but it was too short that i didnt have the chance to immerse myself.

Do you believe that it will be a good game based on what you've seen so far?

good, yes. excellently good, no. it was really similar to the third level on the first pd.

Also, what if the game scores an 86 at gamerankings?
i will wait until the price is under 30.

Will you refuse to buy it until it drops in price, even though it's only one little percentage point below your arbitrary number of 87?

yes.i used to use 90 as reference point.

i still have to play mafia, warcraft 3, and gran theft auto 3 ya know. i havent played these games for christ sake. i feel like i have missed SOMETHING already. your question is pointless. whats the point of having access to internet to find information if i dont use it? do you think i would always try every single game myself and decide whether i want to keep it or not? do you think reading tons of reviews, do research before i purchase a game is useless?

 

[felix_suwarno]

i forgot to mention that the chance of me getting panzer dragoon orta is quite big, actually. xbox magazine gave it 93. at this point i think their reviews were quite fair.

 

[Romier S]

do you think reading tons of reviews, do research before i purchase a game is useless?

No, I dont think anyone said that. Felix in the end its your decision as to how you purchase games. If an 87 is your "magic" number then fine. What I and many others are saying is that you will in fact be limiting yourself from experiencing some titles that are just as good if not better than anything rated an 87, 8.7 or whatever number you so chose.

That kind of rigid and no offense intended here but "sheep" like thinking is exactly why games like Panzer Dragoon Orta, ICO, Mark of Kri and Rez fail. They are not mainstream best sellers and while there are people who live and breath by what a publication tells them, they never will be. Hopefully your getting a better understanding of what people are trying to say to you.

Researching reviews, gathering information is a great way to get an idea of whether or not you may or may not like the game but IMO it *SHOULD NOT* be the deciding factor in whether you buy said game. Only your personal experience with a title should dictate that. One mans garbage could be another mans gem.

You don't need to go out and buy every title out there Felix. Thats what rentals are for. Make your own *informed* decisions.

I have the same views when it comes to my writing reviews here. Inevitably when my website goes live (Htgaming.com) there will be people who will read my reviews for research purposes like yourself. Even when I do write reviews on the forum I do it to pass on information, not to judge a game for someone else. One of the big things the I'm struggling with right now is whether I want to include a score with my reviews or not. Too many times people look at that number and just skim the review having already made up thier minds about the game. That is not research in my opinion and its a big reason why I'm leaning towards not having a scoring system.

 

[felix_suwarno]

"What I and many others are saying is that you will in fact be limiting yourself from experiencing some titles that are just as good if not better than anything rated an 87, 8.7 or whatever number you so chose. "

i just bought shenmue2. you know the score for that one. 87 is a rule of thumb. i dont live using formula all the time. i also bought starfox adv ( 80 percent ). i always make sure to READ the reviews first before considering the score.

"Researching reviews, gathering information is a great way to get an idea of whether or not you may or may not like the game but IMO it *SHOULD NOT* be the deciding factor in whether you buy said game. Only your personal experience with a title should dictate that."

if not researching reviews and visiting forums, how do you think people should decide? personal experience? that means people have to buy said games first. then, whats the point of doing research? rent? oh, i hate blockbusters and hollywood video. i really do. i WILL not give my money to them anymore. renting = walk to their shop, which i dont have time.

for scoring system, i think there should not be an overall score. just score each element of the game.

 

[Andre F]

It's sad, but I keep EVERY game I buy

That is a great thing to do, if only for collecting purposes (if you are into that). I once sold almost all my NES games and I still regret it. :frowning:

 

[BrianB]

if not researching reviews and visiting forums, how do you think people should decide?

Noone's saying ignore reviews completely - Romier & others are just saying that reviews are subjective & an incomplete way to judge a game. Penny Arcade recently had a good column on this - that you can't accurately put a review in context without knowing the reviewer's "history". Base it on reviews in general, base it on what your friends say, base it on your gut feeling about the developer & the game's history, base it on whether it comes in a pretty box. It helps greatly if you can play it, or if someone you "trust" plays it.

 

[felix_suwarno]

"You're subjectively casting games out because they rate lower than 87%, yet aren't in favour of such a system? Eh?"

because i think it is not perfect. like i said, i still bought shenmue2 even though the score is under 80. but i do found that generally the overall scores found on gamerankings were accurate. see, i am not depending my judgement on one review. and i usually trust a negative review.

i think you are starting to get hostile to me. what is wrong with you, brianb?

 

[Romier S]

Changing gears back to the game for a moment. I was playing the demo last night for the 100th time or so and I noticed an interesting detail. When your fighting the large ship (the boss) the commander of the ship says something to the affect of "Send in the D-units". Anyone else remember the D-units from Panzer Dragoon Saga? In the game they were artifacts which you combined to attain the "Light wing" form for your dragon. You could also combine the baby dragon and the 12 D-units to form the "Solo-wing". It was an interesting litte tie-in which was kind of neat to hear.
That along with the "supposed" appearance of Azel in the game riding the Dragoon. Though I feel that more than likely that is not Azel at all (something the producer of the game all but confirmed) and simply one of the "Drones" aluded too in Saga (the fact that she is not riding Atholm solidifies my theory). Perhaps Smilebit plans to go delve further into history the of the Drones in Orta? Perhaps even an appearance from Sestren? My god do I need a sequel to Panzer Dragoon Saga!
That is one thing that may potentially turn people off about Panzer Dragoon Orta. I have pretty much read a good bit about the plot (though I avoided most of the big stuff except for Orta: see below) and its very dependant on the story of the previous games (especially Panzer Saga of course). Some may be left scratching thier heads at the end. I can tell you that the origins of Orta and exactly who she really is, will be doozy for any Panzer fan. Now hopefully in the future we will get a nice reissue for Panzer Dragoon Saga in some shape or form (what ever happened to those classic remakes that were announced??)
I was recently reading an interview with the games producer as well and it was fantastic to hear that the game would in fact feature full voice acting and it will all be in original Panzereze! YES!

 

[Romar Armas]

When I played through the demo and decided to press the "Morph" button, my jaw just dropped!! The 2nd form truly amazed me and the fluidity of the transformation is amazing.
This was a big thing in PDS when your dragon transformed after gaining a level. The ability to morph on the fly is what I have been dreaming of since PDS.
The three different 'modes' of the dragon definitely makes this game much more strategic.
This is the main reason why I truly love SEGA. They do not release games just for the sake of selling games for money. Leave that to companies like EA who do a half assed job of porting and nothing else. SEGA is not afraid of being innovative and releasing PDO in these times show that.
I've been reading several Xbox forums and the majority of 'gamers' are nearsighted and just play for the sake of finishing. They are afraid to try different games that move out of the formula.
I bought Seaman for the Dreamcast and even though it was a short game, it was very interesting and fun to play. I'd never thought of playing a game by talking and interacting to what's on the screen. One of my fave games on the DC was Space Channel 5. I'm still wishing they would release a part 2 for the Xbox. Burning Rangers, NiGHTS, etc. All these games I want new versions of.

 

[Romier S]

Burning Rangers, NiGHTS, etc. All these games I want new versions of.[/

MMMM The thought of an Xbox NiGHTS is orgasmic....

 

[Edan W]

Azel?... Sestren?... Atholm?....D-Wings?...Panzerese?

Some may be left scratching thier heads at the end.

How about some may be left scratching their heads before they start! Well being the Panzer newbie I am, at least I'll know where to go for plot explanations when the game arrives.

 

[Romier S]

How about some may be scratching their heads before they start! Well being the Panzer newbie I am, at least I'll know where to go for plot explanations when the game arrives.

Edan if you want you can AIM me (onlyfromhell) and I'll fill you in on what has happened up to this point in the series. Saga has one hell of a story.

 

[Dave Falasco]

Edan if you want you can AIM me (onlyformhell) and I'll fill you in on what has happened up to this point in the series. Saga has one hell of a story.

Romier, it's a lot to ask, but do you think you could maybe post a brief synopsis on the story in a separate thread here on the forum? Edan is not the only one who's first experience with the Panzer games will be Orta; I'm in the same boat, as I'm sure many others are.

I know it's no subsitute for actually playing the predecessors, but if there are plot points that you think are important to newcomers, I would sure appreciate it if you could share some of them.

Having read all of your wonderfully thorough reviews, I know you could probably write a 15 page novella on these games, but I also know that would take an awful lot of time (already in short supply with all the great games coming out this week!). Maybe you could scratch out a couple of paragraphs just highlighting the main points? I love the demo and can't wait to play the game, but I also can't help feeling like I'm jumping into a great book at Chapter 5...

 

[Edan W]

Hey Romier, thanks for the offer! I don't actually have AIM on my computer right now (well, "my" computer is actually a stretch at this point, but that will be fixed this weekend) so maybe Dave's suggestion is best. You could call it "Romier's Panzer Chronicles" and make it a weekly cliff hanger until the game comes out (you know, since I'm sure you have nothing better to do ).

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Why not add some sex scenes or gratuitous violence to spruce it up a bit, too?