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1UP Panzer Dragoon Retrospective.
Sheep
Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
I know there are several Panzer Dragoon fans among these here forums. I believe we all share a similar pain in knowing that the series is most likely extinct, and that there is a crime against our past time in that only a small fraction of gamers will ever have the option to experience one of the arguably greatest game series to ever grace any console in existence.
The advent of YouTube and Google Video make make the pain a bit easier to handle. Our friends on the internet may never get to play the games, but because of the hard work and dedication of a few fans, we have plenty of material to point at. There are videos available online at the aforementioned websites, and there is a site specifically created for showcasing the fantastic artwork that the series is known for.
Thankfully, 1UP has seen fit to do a retrospective of the four canonical games in the series. They shed some light on a few otherwise very obscure circumstances regarding the games... Regardless, it's an amazing read.
If you haven't already seen it (and I imagine that most of you who rushed to 1UP on news of Rez HD have) here is a link. Go on, and spend the rest of your afternoon getting a little bit more personal with a good friend of mine.
Some choice quotes...
1UP: It's interesting that at the end of the first two games that the dragon leaves you to sacrifice itself, although it's always a little foggy as to exactly what happens. What was really going on at the end?
YF: I had this main 'line' going through all three projects. That's why Zwei ended with the departure of the dragon, what I wanted to express there was the connections. In the first game, the story had already been going on for decades, and characters that had come before are either dead or don't exist any more, but still there's a relationship and connection going through the whole series. And in Saga, the connections with the characters and dragons that didn't exist in the first game were given life in Saga. Do you follow?
Zwei was the second title in the series, but it was the first story in the series (it was a prequel). So I didn't want to end episode 1 (Panzer Dragoon) with a happy ending, because I wanted it to bleed into the second episode. That's why I cut the story off there to make you wonder what was going to happen next, or what happened to the dragon, or why was there a departure? The soul of the dragon got carried over to episode 2 (Panzer Dragoon), meets a different character and they connect, which is what I wanted to express.
Still, despite the glowing reviews and high hopes, sales of Panzer Dragoon Saga (called Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG in Japan) in its home country and North America were underwhelming at best. The fallout, as urban legend would have it, was that one of the lead designers of Saga, who had poured absolutely everything he could into making it the best game possible, took his own life as a result. So distraught were the surviving members of the development team that they apparently all visited a Buddhist temple to help cleanse themselves of the sorrowful vibrations caused by the suicide.
YF:YF: To me, the story ended with Azel, so I don't want anything to continue from there. So I want to just create a shooter Azel. Or I want to create a Panzer without a dragon. [Laughs] You know, you're not the person riding the dragon this time. You're just a person, a nobody in the game, and you see a dragon flying in the distance, and you can't even imagine riding such a thing. It might even appear to be an enemy.
...
I just want to create something that will make no money. You find bits and pieces of old planes and machines, and you rebuild it, and then you fly far away with it. You travel and find pieces of weapons and machines, and reassemble these things. So if someone came to me and said "Make a Panzer game that would make the original fans happy," I'd make a shooter version of Azel. But if there was no lock on the concept, no preconceptions, I'd make the game I just described. You're a little person in this town that's about to collapse, you can't ride the dragon. You just collect pieces from caves all over a mountain, and build a plane, fly somewhere else, create a gun or weapon, and just do stuff like that. I'd probably create a game like that.
YF:I'm saying this now, but if the opportunity came I'd be more serious about it. But if my wish were to come true, I would be allowed to create a sequel to Panzer Dragoon before I die.
Sheep on
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Anyway, heres to hoping someone will breathe some new life into the franchise.
edit: please god someone let the man make a sequel.
Sadly in the section about saga he says the code is gone. So there is like a 99% chance we will never see a port of it. Makes me a sad panda. I never owned the game but a roommate at the time did. I actually spent a fair amount of hours watching him play it and it looked like 10 shades of awesome.
It actually registered around 12 shades of awesome, once you're done with it.
That's... really shitty.
How did you pay for it? Both PayPal and eBay have the means to reclaim funds from shady sellers.
That's really depressing.
My Backloggery
Eh.
Personally, Orta is the most difficult of the shooters. IMHO.
Not that I dislike any of the games, I just suck at them.
My Backloggery
Still haven't bothered opening the thing up.
http://DocumentingLaziness.blogspot.com/
Now I kind of wish it had.
Good battle system and music, but only about 12 hours long and not very "meaty." I liked it enough to get a 100% clear file, but I think there are more cost-effective RPGs on the Saturn.
Based on like.. 5 minutes of play at a store kiosk.
That game is amazing.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Yeah, it came out during the very end of the Saturns run, so I don't know how anyone expected otherwise.
I was lucky enough to get the game before it was gone from store shelves, loved every minute of that game.
I wish more people realized this.
Some people will go to stupid lengths to get something rare, they may not even care about the game itself.
It is one of my fave RPG's of all time, but I would never pay over $100 for it at most. Only reason I'd put it that high is because some games have been that price or close brand new (Phanstasy Star IV).
I wanna get the PAL version of Saga. Has neat packaging. I don't think any other game was packaged the same. The US version itself isn't bad. Each CD has its own paper sleeve...
Off topic, but did anyone have Riven for the Saturn, and recall how it was packaged?
I had a copy when I was a kid. Original Saturn broke, and I eventually sold, lost, or traded off most of my games. I remember trading Albert Odyssey for, I think... the Advanced Daisenryaku game that Working Designs put out.
To make a long story short, I ended up buying another copy a while back. Paid 80$ for it. Got it from someone on these here forums. Regardless, if you have the money to buy it (and alot of people do), then get it and play it. Most people don't dive off into collecting obscure "Greatest Ever" games and expect it to be cheap anyway.
Sounds like the first game.
Zwei, the follow up, fixed up the graphics majorly, and used a much better camera system.
Also, lack of Panzer Dragoon love in this thread is disappointing.
How is that for love?
I still have my Saturn, and all 3 of the Saturn games (originals, no copies), plus the Xbox with Orta.
No OST or limited edition in Japan only Xbox tho... So I know there are plenty of bigger Panzer fans out there than I.
I don't even see that bad boy pop up on eBay.
I own Panzer Dragoon, Zwei, Saga and their japanese counterparts just for the heck of it. Also have the original art book that came with my gamefan subscription as well as the Panzer Dragoon anime VHS tape from god knows how long ago.
Where do you live?
A special place in my head. Nah, I have a large collection of retro stuff that has kinda built itself up over the years. I get close to ebaying it every once and awhile but can't bare to part with it. Everything from Atari to TurboGrafx, Saturn, Dreamcast - sad thing is there are a lot of games in storage boxes that haven't even been opened or played. I'm getting married soon and moving into a new home - I may try to part with some of it then, if so i'll definetly let everyone on PA know first since you guys appreciate classic gaming.