| Panzer Dragoon | SEGA Enterprises Ltd. / Expert Software, Inc. | 1997 | |
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Panzer Dragoon is set in a distant oppressive future. The Dark Dragon needs to be destroyed, and you, Keil Fluge, are aboard a dragon and armed with a powerful weapon to do so. In this shooter, you ride an armored dragon on a predefined path with 360ยบ of freedom (you can rotate and zoom in and out). This path takes you through an aquatic setting, through a tunnel and over a forest, and into combat with giant worms, wasps and flies. Each level ends with a boss. In a idea influenced by the film Blade Runner, cutscenes use a fusion language combining elements of German, Latin and Japanese. It's a fun 3D shoot 'em up game from SEGA (a PC port from the hit SEGA Saturn version), featuring multiple gameplay styles. Similar to Dragon Strike from Westwood/SSI years ago, it's 3D dragon-dogfights at its best. Your dragon can not only breath fire, but also has a homing laser (!) which is activated by holding down the fire button and will lock on up to eight targets automatically. There are three difficulty levels: easy, normal, and hard. The easy level only lets you play the first four levels, but your dragon can die many times (after which you can restart in the last level you just completed). The normal and hard levels give you limited arcade-style "credits" for continuing a game. Depending on how well you shoot, you will gain credits at the end of each level if you pass a required percentage threshold. The gameplay is similar to a typical "rail shooter," i.e. you battle enemies while your dragon flies on a predetermined path. Each level ends with a "boss" creature, whose hit points show up as a bar to let you know how close it is to dying (or not). If you like arcade-style games, Panzer Dragoon is fun enough and just unique enough to keep your interested, but compared to other classic SEGA titles it does not quite match in terms of quality and addictiveness. After a while the game becomes a bit repetitive due to lack of variety in enemy types and terrain.
See also: #Panzer Dragoon: Remake |
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