Panzer Dragoon Orta Comments by Kristan Reed

Excellent review.

Killer app maybe?

Remember, Lou, you wanted to buy a new PC, not an Xbox.

*gnnnnngngn*

Join usssssssssssssssss.

I'm gonna see if I can nab a cheap copy of JSRF tonight as I really enjoyed playing through the demo.

Reviews I have read across the net makes me think it's supposed to be a killer app.

Ill get it I think on the grounds of the IGN review 9.2/10 (they reckon graphics should be 11/10).

I'm still worried about being stuck on a rail

Don't worry, Tiitiz, that's what I thought when I bought REZ, and I just loved it.

It certainly is very, very pretty. Not my kinda thing, though.... :-/

Looks like March is going to be another very expensive month. Really looking forward to this one it looks absolutely magnificent.
Has this been released in Japan yet?

I heard that it comes with a port of the original Panzer Dragoon as an extra as well - but no mention of it in this review... who to believe?

hate to rain on yr parade but i doubt very much that this is a killer app. yeah yeah it is gorgeous to look at and frenzied to play but killer app??? lets face it mainstream gamers arnt gonna flock to the XBOX for an on rails shoot em up. the same will prolly go for metroid prime ... it definately deserves to be a killer app - its convinced me to buy a GC, but will it get the mass market saturation it deserves? will it buggery.

of course i may just be extra cynical today but time will tell.

Gotta agree with andywhy - surely in this day and age we should not be getting excited by an on-rails shooter?
Graphically this game is an outstanding achievement but from all I have heard, read and seen, the plot and gameplay is thin to the point of being transparent! Surely this game is a classic example of eye-candy glossing over the apparently important, nay vital areas most people refer to such has depth, gameplay and innovation?
That's not to say that this game might not be good - but surely if people are willing in this instance to ignore variety and depth in favour or lush graphics, every subsequent game should be afforded the same luxury?
Or perhaps people should come out and admit that they are graphics whores impressed by bangs and whistles. At least we'd all know where we are coming from.

Hey, I *like* eyecandy.

oh believe me the game is good and not lacking in depth... you'll be stuck after about 3 mins unless you master the dragon swapping. i just think that the games buying public has a nasty habit of completely ignoring fantastic games. just ask kristan he'll tell ya.

got hold of the US version of this at the weekend and i've been loving it. the second level is easily the prettiest thing that i have seen on the xbox. (its that one where you are flying along the river in the screenshots. mmmmm.) i didn't expect to enjoy it as much as i have, as i'm not really into shooters, but it feels like more than just an on rails shooter. the fact that you have to fend off attacks from all sides helps to keep the interest, and boss encounters require you to move to the sides, in front and behind them to get at weak points, dodge attacks etc. the dragon morphing really is an essential part of the game as well, and needs to be mastered to allow any real progress through the game. killer app? probably not, but very worth a look.

unfortunately for me, i'm waaaay stuck on the last boss :(

great as it is the only place that this is a killer app is that parallel universe where shenmue and PSO saved the DC, Rez changed the face of gaming as we know it, and Ico topped the PS2 charts for the best part of last year. Now excuse me whilst i dismount my high horse...getting vertigo.

All classic shooters are on rails (most of the 2D shooters for example)... don't be so snobbish about it. At least PDO has style.. something that cannot be said of 99% of the other games out there.

Sega are the undisputed kings of the on-rails shooter. Rez was one of the games of 2002, even tho it was a commercial flop. PDO looks like it could well be a Triple A killer app (as long as it does not become a M$ exclusive, i.e. on another console inside 3 months) and another feather in the xbox's cap.

edit: a bit of emphasis

id almost forgotten about this. good review. and before the games out to ;)

"PDO looks like it could well be a Triple A killer app "

don't make me get on that horse again..... :P

JSRF was rubbish bit bits of genius lying around.

And PDO is devastatingly short.

Prettyboytim - I've read that the original Panzer Dragoon is in there as an unlockable feature (tut tut Kristan - you definitely should have mentioned that as an unlockable item).

I'm so going to get this. March is definitely shaping up to be a very expensive month with the typical gaming drought up to then. Still, maybe I can go and actually try completing some other games in the meantime.

Christ there are a lot of Cup Half Empty people around today. Cmon, it's on rails, but that shouldn't detract from having a blast with it.

Edit : Wake up Nem.

"lets face it mainstream gamers arnt gonna flock to the XBOX for an on rails shoot em up. the same will prolly go for metroid"

I completely agree. The game will sell rather well regardless but you're right-- casual gamers aren't going to drop GTA for a game starring a dragon with a ghostly pale woman on it.

I have had Panzer Dragoon for about a week and it is most definitely a badass game. It's very satisfying and leaps and bounds ahead of Star Fox. It is hard to tell if this game will sell in what could be considered "excellent" quantities, but with a definitely cool commercial for the game showing on just about every American T.V. station in the nation and Xbox doing extremely well, it's possible.

January is a good month for Xbox. Dead or Alive Xtreme Volleyball and Panzer Dragoon Orta. Sales for the console should be rather high this month.

PDO can be my bitch; DOA:XV can stay on the top shelf TBH. I'm sure it'll get good sales mind you ;-)

Christ there are a lot of Cup Half Full people around today. Cmon, it's on rails, but that shouldn't detract from having a blast with it.

Did u mean cup half empty? That would make sense with the rest of what u said.

Sorry to nitpick :P

Well my cup's full ..... full of harsh realism anyway *heh*

Well my cup's full ..... full of harsh realism anyway *heh*

lol. touche :)

Nice review, on-rails shooters can't really get any better than this so I think the score is maybe a mark low.

My thoughts exactly.

UncleLou: why are you doing this to yourself? Just buy the damn box!

Yay, cheers F7 monkeys ;-). Updated.

It's the best game of its type, but 8/10 is fair...I can't imagine playing this beyond a couple of intense blasting days. Cracking while it lasts though, but you have to knock a point off for that, and the repetitiveness.

i'd have to agree with krudpuppy there.

Hey, that's OK, Krudster. But do a test: read your review and then tell me which score agrees with it. ;)

It's the best game of its type, but 8/10 is fair

Better than Rez? For me this looks like the most polished on-rails shooter and certainly evolutionary, but not revolutionary which, IMHO, Rez is in spades. PDO is certainly more dazzling to look at (tho i cant comment on gameplay), but Rez sucked u in and didnt let go. Even the best rythym-action games could not compete (tho bust-a-groove was a huge slice-o-fun). I borrowed Rez from a friend of mine completed twice on the first day, then proceeded to play and complete it every day for two weeks b4 he wanted it back. I wanted to open every secret, get every hidden level, the whole jewson lot (jewson - ad reference, ignore if not from uk :P). Very few games have had that kind of impact on this jaded old gamer (Elite, SMB, R-Type, Nemesis, Bard's Tale, Tekken 2, Gran Turismo, FF7 - off the top of my head). Yeah its repetitive as PDO, but for some reason, that didn't matter.

cheers jt

i had started to notice that, but i'm sure my base wing isn't at level 5 tho, and it doesn't seem to target all of them, and i'm generally not quick enough to target them either. i'll probably get there eventually tho.

Question for all EG patrons: What is the most extreme thing u have done in order to play a game?

For me it was when FF7 was released. I threw a sickie for 2 days, and proceeded to sit in my comfie chair in front of my tv and play it for 40 hours straight. Burnt out the PS1 and had to replace it. Madness :P

/me points Xensor towards the Forum door ;)

good review!, 8/10 is the lowest score on game rankings though!, but I respect that you guys are consistent with shooter scores as youre Gunvalkrie (p.s.awesome game)score was also the lowest score posted there (hey wheres duc wasn't he always quoting game rankings?)! and I thought that game was incredible!!!. I have read mostly good to high praise for the replay value (tons of unlockables and yes the first pdo is included)... so I guess it comes down to whether you enjoy shooters. If its as good as g.v. I'm in... hey I'm already in as I just bought the game yesterday, but haven't played it yet!.

p.s. killer app??? thats what doa xbv is for ;)
(p.s. I'm only basing my assumption on the "eye candy"), apparently its a hot seller in gasp, gasp Japan! as well as the states.
Go ahead uncle lou buy a box too.... the price is good, and if youre really hardcore you can wait for a linux mod too!

"Killer app at 8 out of 10?

wishfull thinking taken to new levels.."

Well, would you consider Halo a killer-app? It got an 8.

responce to b.g.i.e post hahahahahahahahahahahhahah good point b.g.i.e I know youre not a big fan of gamerankings (and neither am I(too much!), because of the messed up calculating of the average score), but panzer dragoon orta I believe has an average score of 91.7%? just under splinter cell, with quite a lot of posted reviews........ hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Compared to other entertainment mediums, game review scores seem to always be skewed to the upper end of the scale, hence we end up having these petty squabbles over whether 7 or 8 equals a good score. Read the review guys and make your own mind up. We're obviously not under the same pressure as print mags to give stupidly high scores. In my mind, there will probably only br 10 to 15 games across all formats worthy of a 9 per year (on average)and maybe one or two deserve a 10 (if that).
At times like these I can see why dropping scores altogether seems like a good idea.

At times like these I can see why dropping scores altogether seems like a good idea.

I'll second that motion!

So Kristan... have you dropped the mad-as-a-hat idea of scoring everything out of 43 (or something) that was floated on the forums a while back? If so... good. :-)

Hey Krudster don't drop the scoring!!!!!!!!!,first it is fun to bicker over points!. Second it does give us consumers a chance to try and gage whether a game might be a good buy (I use the site for this; along with a rental if i'm unsure). Third so what if we give you guys a bit of a poke if we don't fully agree with a score (its fun too), btw I agree with mostly all the scores I've read give or take a point or two!. Finally as you mentioned some places have ulteriour motives regarding video game scores or are biased!, and therefore Eurogamer scores are the best period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! b/c there is no bias!!!!! and I for one really appreciate it (if I don't mention it enough!). (my only regret was my scathing g.v. post long ago). so wipe away the phooey idea of taking away the scores, you guys are great!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. I consider anything an 8 or above a great score and worthy of a look!!!!!!!!! p.s. who am I to say whether a game deserves better unless I play the game first :an 8 for halo though??.....................just kidding ;)

8/10 and £40, that's about 1 mark and £5 per minute of enjoyment til you realise that it's on rails and that is utterly not a valid game strategy in this day and age... looks great, boring and stilted, like many x box shooters it seems

"like many x box shooters it seems" what are the other x-box shooters ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???????????

Come on Dom, even YOU have to drop the cynicism for a game as obviously great as this? PDO may be on rails, but so is a rollercoaster!

Oh, and no, we're not dropping scores, but sometimes we get so much flak over them you wonder if anyone even reads the accompanying text!