Hands On: Panzer Dragoon Orta

[Bond]

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/359/359893p1.html

The Panzer Dragoon series is almost legendary. The majority of gamers have never played the game, but still hold it in reverence. There's good reason for the awe that follows Panzer; it's an amazing series. For those who aren't familiar with the series, here's what you need to know: You ride a morphing dragon and blast lots and lots of enemies. When you think about it, there are very few pure shooters on consoles these day and fewer great ones. Panzer Dragoon Orta may be the game that ushers in a new wave of shooters.

Panzer's controls are a snap to learn, and by the time you finish the first level you'll have them down. The game is on rails, but you still have some control over your dragon, able to move up and down, slow and speed up. Your main concerns will be adjusting speed, choosing the right dragon form for the situation, and blasting everything in sight. The left and right triggers switch the view and therefore your aiming by 90 degrees. By clicking both triggers at once the view will switch 180 degrees. Y speeds up the dragon, though you won't want to wear it out and A slows it down. B morphs your dragon into one of three forms. X fires your gun, and holding down X you can target multiple enemies for a more ferocious attack. Clicking the left thumbstick (which you use to aim) releases a fierce "berserk" dragon attack that locks onto everything and turns most of the screen white with fire. It's quite a sight to behold.

There are three forms you can assume at any time you wish. Each dragon has different abilities and attributes. One dragon has speed, another defense, and the last firepower. Choosing the right form will be crucial to besting the game.

Panzer Dragoon Orta is one of the prettiest games to hit Xbox. The particle effects, lighting, and textures are all superb and the game maintains a consistent 60fps. The second level of the demo was a desert world, where strong wind continually kick up dust. Yo9u can literally count each individual piece or dust and rock flying by. And the second boss, a long-legged giant menacing creature you must chase indicates the character designs will be as incredible as the environments.

Rather than go for a heavy sound, Panzer offers a very soft orchestral track which takes a few moments to get used to. It's the perfect score for the game and adds a feeling of elegance that seems a good fit for the powerful dragon you fly. And, as is a Sega standard, it's beautifully done in 5.1.

Panzer is incredibly fun and addictive. Sega literally had to pry my hands off the controller to get me away from the game. The first two levels we were able to play had swarms of enemies shooting missiles at you, with moth air and land creatures and vehicles after you. Later levels promise to be even more hectic, forcing you to be quick with your shots and deft with your dragon.

This has to be one of the best games of E3, IMO.