Product Description

Years ago, a legacy was born that ruled the skies. As time passed and memory grew dim, distant times progressed from History into Legend. Now, the era of human prosperity has come to a grinding halt, with all but a few pockets of civilisation destroyed by years of devastating battles. The population clings precariously to the brink of extinction, scattered across the desolate land, living in the darkest age in history. A new Empire rules with an iron grip, and a band of rebels begins a revolt in an attempt to become masters of their destiny once again. As the world is engulfed in the flames of war, a mysterious hero on a dragon becomes mankind's only hope and stands alone against the empire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3126 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Atari
• Released on: 2003-03-21
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Platform: Xbox
• Number of items: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Panzer Dragoon: Orta is a quintessential action game with deceptively simple gameplay: you ride on the back of a flying dragon, blasting enemies and incoming missiles while your scaly friend soars along a pre-determined path through gorgeous fantasy landscapes. Floating power-ups serve as tasty rewards to players who are particularly apt at dishing out carnage. Gigantic "boss" monsters make regular appearances, each one challenging the player to decipher the particular boss's attack pattern and weak points.

While its core gameplay is the very definition of old school, Panzer Dragon: Orta is much more than a shooter on rails. The dragon that Orta rides can shift into three forms: light, medium, and heavy. Success depends on a player's ability to quickly shift between forms in order to take advantage of each form's particular abilities. The medium form is most useful in the most situations. The light form is fast and manoeuvrable, ideal for quickly shooting down swarms of projectiles or attaining a favourable tactical position. The heavy form presents a slow, big target, but sports the most damaging weapons in the game. The shapeshifing aspect adds depth to the game, especially considering that each form can be upgraded with powerups and enables a unique special ability.

Clever shifting strategy and a sharpshooter's eye earn a player much more than victory and powerups. Skilled players are rewarded with extras such as passages of Panzer Dragoon fiction, concept sketches, additional playable characters, extra missions, and even the original Panzer Dragoon game from 1995. The goodies celebrate the rich history of the Panzer Dragoon series, and fill in the background of the game's unfolding story.

Disappointingly, the genuinely interesting story is told through subtitles instead of spoken English. Subtitles would be fine for slow sections or non-interactive cutscenes, but Orta's text is displayed during pitched battles. The frantic pace and constant action demand the player's full attention; it's difficult to spare the time to read text when you're desperately gunning down 20 incoming missiles while dodging around a cliff wall and trying to draw a bead on a flying battleship's weak point. In other words: the game is so good, you shouldn't be forced to take your eyes off the action for even a second.

Challenging, rewarding, and beautiful, Panzer Dragoon: Orta stands with Halo as one of the "must-have" Xbox games. --Mike Fehlauer

Customer Reviews

Good game, but beware if playing on Xbox360
One of the best rail shooters I have played, or up to level 3 anyway. If you are planning to buy this for the Xbox360, then the PAL version of the game will crash after level 3. No fix has been released by Microsoft even though they state this game as backward compatible with Xbox360. This problem has been noted on several internet forums so it is not an isolated case.

Eye burning shooting thrills!
The legacy of Sega's last ever console continues on Microsoft's little baby, the Xbox. An old game now, this little gem can probably be picked up in your local Gamestation for under a tenner. The structure of the game is unashamedly old school, the 'on-rails' shooter brought up to date in full 3D glory ... flying through level by level until you reach the 'uberboss' at the end of each stage. The game I could liken this most to is another Sega oldie, Afterburner II. Flying round, loosing off missiles, shooting things down and dodging the return fire. Where the game comes into its element is the 3D action.

Sat ontop an ancient dragon, orphan Orta finds herself embarking on a journey, rebelling against the evil empire that seeks to control the world. As the dragon flies through each level, Orta can spin through 360 degrees as she defends herself from attacking forces from each side. The levels themselves are wonderful, from war torn villages, giant air battles in the sky, mysterious ancient ruins ... everything is presented so well that you wouldn't think this was one of the original line up games of the Xbox.

The game itself provides a challenge like the shooters of old, rather than breezing through the game as you would with many a new title ... the levels and the bosses themselves are a real challenge. You can't just sit in the middle of the screen and hammer away at the fire button. Your dragon can switch between 3 forms, Glide - with its auto aim lazer, manoeuvrability and restorative skill, Base - a well balanced form which can move well but can also dish out many heat seeking 'arrows of light', and Brute - sluggish to move, slow to fire, but hits hard when it does! Each form comes in useful when presented with different situations. Using Glide to power away from a bad guy who is trying to ram into you, switching to Base to swat down a swarm of flying bad dudes before ending up in Brute to take on something that is a bit more meaty on the armour side is something you'll have to master. Its not a case of one form for every level.

Add to the package a decent amount of unlockables, such as the original Panzer Dragoon game and plenty of side missions to play, you'll have plenty to keep you entertained. A decent story keeps the game moving with purpose, graphics and sound help immerse yourself in the world. Arcade thrills with a bit more meat than just a throwaway shooter.

For the price that this goes for, its more than a worthwhile purchase!

If OTOGI was the wedding then this must be....
Beautiful and clicky? I first saw PDO in a shop display case and wondered why I was playing Rogue Squadron on my Gamecube. No I still didnt know the maths behind nuclear reactors and I hadnt even pointed a digital camcorder in anger.

Perhaps the best thing to suggest to anyone thinking of buying this game is go buy a Dreamcast and do the homework. Seriously!