At last, Sega's answer to Final Fantasy 7 is finally here. Panzer Dragoon
Saga has arrived but it is too late. The Saturn is dead in the States and
Panzer Saga is a final thank you to those who stuck with the system from the
very beginning. This is what a RPG should be like. It comes in 4 cd's and
starts off with a 10 minutes intro in beautiful FMV. Even though the speeches
are Japanese and have English subtitles it helps you think that you are in
an alien world. Having completed Panzer Saga and Final Fantasy 7, I can say
that Panzer is better. Not because it has more discs than the almighty FF7
but becasue the gameplay has more depth into it. In FF7 all you do is press
the action button plenty of times everytime there was a battle. But in Panzer
Saga, you have to position yourself in the right place and battle. There is
alot of strategy involved in this game. When playing Panzer 1 and Panzer Zwei you
were set on paths directed by the CPU but in Panzer Saga, you having free
movements in this very unique world. I won't reveal any of the story here
because it is one of the game's strong points. I have rated this game in 5
categories.
Graphics : 9.5/10
The graphics are pretty good for the Saturn. The whole game is in polygons
and they are pretty good. However this is why 3D games look better on the
PSX. Backgrounds are done beautifully. Also the game changes according to
its surroundings. If you visit a town at night, the bar might be open and
there might be no one else around. If you wait till morning, you can see
peole walking, shopping and other usual stuffs. The only thing is that the
dragon's wing looks kinda flat. That could have been done better.
Gameplay : 9.7/10
The movement of the main character is similar to Tomb Raider. You see the
back of the character and walk around. However, this is only for exploring
towns. The main adventure is on the dragon. Of course, you get to not only
ride the dragon but also a floater. Some kind of a floating scooter, when
you are seperated from your dragon. The fighting mode is unique and fun.
When you encouter an enemy there are three guages that fill up one by one.
Normal shots use one gauge but magic and special moves may require more
filled gauges. You are able to manuever your character in front, behind,
or to the sides of the enemy. Some enemies may have weak spots accessible
to only one side. In some areas the enemy is not able to attack you. The
enemy moves too so you can't just sit in one area and fire away. Your normal
arsenal is the dragon breath (laser) and the gun your character has.
Sound : 9.3/10
Although not as good as the second and first one. Its still ok. The music
is very like an occesstra. Very dramatic. Also one of the game's main point.
The music fits the situation as well. For instance if you are flying over
the sea, there is a very dreamy music to go along with it.
Sound Effects : 9.5/10
Also very good. The SFX for attacks are very good. And when you are flying
by the sea at night, you can hear the wind blowing and stuffs. Very good.
Replay Value : 9/10
The replay is very good because of the battle sytem.
I don't know if there is a second ending but I'll keep you informed.
Overall : 9.4/10
Overall this game is very good.The gameplay is unique. This is a must have
if you have a Saturn. Too bad most gamers won't enjoy this masterpiece. This
game has opened up the Panzer world to me and also has the history of the
dragons and monsters. I thank Sega for bringing it over to the Saturn even
though they are concentrating on the Dreamcast. Speaking of the Dreamcast.
There has been rumours of a Panzer 3 and a remake of Panzer Saga with better
graphics and FMV. Let's all pray that Sega makes a version for the Dreamcast.
