spainlinx0

I'm just wondering what everyone's impressions are. The review thread died, maybe this will get more attention because we can focus on the game and our own opinions. There seemed to be a lot of hype, so which one of you actually purchased it. Right now I'm on the final boss on the normal difficulty setting. I never played the original Saturn games because I couldn't afford to get every new system when I was younger, but I bet I will love the original as well.

Has anyone found the game difficult, easy? Did you think it was worth the wait and hype? Are you disappointed? Feel free to share, and if you think a secret is better left discovered by the player, put it in spoiler tags. Anything that's not a big deal let's not worry about it. Try to err on the side of caution though.

Ralph Wiggum

I didn't find it very difficult.

Right now I'm going through it on Hard for the second time. Then I'll beat the original and all the Sub-Scenarios.

I've never played a Panzer game at length before and was just blown away by this game. I really want to play all the Saturn incarnations now and hope that Smilebit keeps this series going.

Lastblade

I am on lvl 4, I think the first time going through any level (besides 1) is tough, not knowing when to brake, when to speed up, what to watch out for, etc... So it isn't easy, but isn't super hard.

I really like the game, the art is fantastic, the story is cool (and the humor is great), the action is non-stop and the boss battle is simply awe-inspiring. I know it is "only" a shooter, but it is as good as it gets.

the aftermath

I rented it and got up to level 6 on Normal. I gotta rent it again and finish it off.

Tuan Jim

I've been playing on easy and I just can't beat the last boss. I can get through the first section really quickly (who can't), and I can generally do decently against the second iteration, but there are always certain attacks that really mess me up, but I just get to the third one and get wasted. Any suggestions? I know you can beat the laser lock attack by targetting his weapons, but it's hard to do quickly enough sometimes.

Tuan Jim

C-Killer Redux

I think the difficulty is just right. It's hard the first time, but not frustrating. It's just a matter of learning the way to kill certain enemies and which form is best used in which situation. What's really hard is getting perfect ratings.

I definitely think the game is worth the hype. I too never owned a Saturn until this past summer which I got with Panzer Dragoon 2: Zwei. However, I fell in love with the first ever since I played it off my firend's demo disc all those years back. I coudln't wait for Orta and no, I'm not disappointed. I wish the main game was longer, but the sub senarios and the addition of the original more then makes up for it.

As for the story, it was deeper then i expected as far as the character's and their relation to Orta is concerned, but on a whole it pretty much ended the way I expected. In the next game and hopefully it'll be an update to Saga(the RPG) we can revisit all the past characters of the series. In some way or another.

Tuan Jim

Ok, finally managed to beat the boss right after I posted. However, I was playing on easy and it doesn't seem to have unlocked the original PD. Do I need to beat it on normal or something else?

thanks,
Tuan Jim

happypants

I think you need to finish one of the two "sub" missions in Pandora's Box.

You're not missing much. Pretty painful to look at compared to PD Orta. The port looks like the original (which I checked out on my Saturn), except for the fact the original is not interlaced, and the options screen is different.

Looking back I can understand how great I thought this game was at the time, because there wasn't anything like it. I still like watching the videos.

cubanx

PD open's after 20 hours of play also according to a magazine I read. I have not got around to playing the game yet though and just got DOAVX in the mail. Next week i'll be getting .Hack in the mail and then XenoSaga.

I need to stop ordering games till I catch up as I never get around to playing them until the price drops by half anyway

Ralph Wiggum

It opens after 5 hours.

spainlinx0

I think's it's after 15 because I'm sure I have been playing at least 5 hours, and I don't have it yet.

Jeraden

Personally I'm quite disappointed with the game. Its an enjoyable playing experience, but in my opinion there is way too much emphasis on boss fights. I voiced this complaint on another board and everyone flamed me though. While the bosses are cool and all, once you know the pattern they follow they get pretty easy. I really don't see it being much fun to replay it many times since after you got the boss patterns down they stop being fun and just become a chore. It's like this on all games with bosses really. The problem is, the normal levels on this game are extremely short except for a couple of them. 2 minute level, 4 minute boss fight.

I guess I was just expecting something a bit more epic based on all the hype. Whats there is good, its just that there's not enough actual gameplay. Half the time is spent fighting bosses!

As for difficulty, I played through on Normal. Most levels took me 2 tries to get past, while a few of them took a while longer. I thought the difficulty was about right I guess.

I'm currently playing through the submissions now - I think I'm almost done with them though. I plan on replaying the game on hard at least once to see how it is a 2nd time through.

superboyreturns

It's definitely lived up to the hype. But you have to remember where that hype came from - fans of the original games - since most people didn't get a chance to play the original PD games. Smilebit did Team Andromeda proud.

TheMadMonk

Great Graphics, cool cutscenes and voice work, interesting creature design, decent soundtrack, acceptable sound effects, decent extras, fast-paced, yet somehow incredibly dull gameplay, quite short.

Perfect as a Rental, but won't stand the test of time.

I never played the original panzer games, and after this game, I don't see myself ever looking forward to any future panzer games, either.

This is the 3rd best rated game on Xbox? (after halo and splinter cell). If so, that is just sad.

The Franchise

Played it for a bit at a bud's place and I don't really see what the big deal is. Yeah the graphics are nice, but it's essentially an on-rails shooter with incredible visuals. The play mechanics are like River Raid on the Atari 2600! Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Ralph Wiggum

Mine opened up after 5 and all I did was beat it on Normal. I haven't even hit 15 yet.

jeffdsmith

My thoughts exactly.

Gallant Pig

The first three sure did, they are well talked about as game legends on forums.

Lastblade

Well it is a shooter, it was never billed as anything but. If you don't like shooters (it is hardly River Raid, I mean you can't call Final Fantasy X the same as Adventure, can you? Or Halo is basically Wizardry I). The art is very different, and "complete", there are a ton of details in every stage, and the boss fights is pretty cinematic and exciting.

But if you are not a shooter fan, I can understand how you wouldn't like it.

The Franchise

Agreed, maybe the River Raid comment was going a little far, but you get the idea. Beyond the shooter concept it's not that evolved (graphics aside of course). It's no Splinter Cell or Fable. I like shooters, but didn't see why this one was such a big deal.

Ralph Wiggum

For shooter fans it's been increasingly lean these last few years so when any shooter comes along it automatically generates interest. It's rare that a shooter, a rail shooter to boot, of this quality is made.

spainlinx0

I read that it opens up automatically after beating the game on any level, or after 15 hours of play. So I guess that would explain the time thing.

darthsabatino

Has anyone beaten the game yet? How do you beat the second boss on the last level?

Tuan Jim

This one took me a while. I mostly just use the glide wing for this one because his shots home automatically -- using lock on missiles takes too long most of the time because he dives in and out so quickly.

I just stayed locked on firing non stop as often as I could. If he dives into the wall in the distance, be ready to swerve and dive to avoid the green beams. You can pretty much tell when they're coming and they normally have a few second delay on your position so if you're quick you can dodge. If he starts coming from behind you -- either above or below -- going up and down, wait till the third time when he's about to come at you, and then accelerate or brake to avoid him.

It's also kinda hard to dodge the tail once he starts swinging it up and down at you. This is a good time to use a charged up attack if you have it. I like the base wing attack because it doesn't require aiming. You're also invulnerable while using it.

The really tough parts of this IMO are when the red glowing orb surrounds you and you hear the beeping of laser lock on -- you need to switch to base wing and home in on all the laser beams before they fire -- glide wing is useless at this point. If you even miss one, it can really hurt -- this took me a while to beat just on easy.

Seems like each section of the boss is tailor made for one of the wings: part 1 -- Base, part 2 -- Glide, part 3 -- Heavy. With a little necessary variety thrown in.

Tuan Jim

Gallant Pig

DVDTalk sure loved this game, one of their highest, most glowing reviews ever. http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/games/read.php?ID=26