Panzer Dragoon Orta (パンツァードラグーン オルタ Pantsu~ādoragūn oruta) is a rail shooting video game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega exclusively for the Xbox in 2002. It is the fourth and currently final game in the Panzer Dragoon series.
Set decades after the events of Panzer Dragoon Saga, the game follows Orta, a young girl who is rescued from an oppressive empire by a mysterious dragon. Panzer Dragoon Orta deviates from Panzer Dragoon Saga's role playing elements by returning to the rail shooter gameplay of the original Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei.
After Panzer Dragoon developer Team Andromeda disbanded at the end of the Sega Saturn era, many of its members joined the Smilebit development studio to produce Panzer Dragoon Orta. The Xbox architecture allowed for greater graphical fidelity than previous games in the series.
Panzer Dragoon Orta was acclaimed by critics for its graphics and various gameplay enhancements and additions.[1]
Gameplay[]
Panzer Dragoon Orta returns to the series' rail shooter roots, but adds elements from Panzer Dragoon Saga's battle system including the ability to morph mid-battle and move around enemies. Standard on-rails sections in an episode allow the player to increase or decrease the dragon's speed to move ahead or behind an enemy. In boss battles, the player can use this technique to circle around the enemy.
Pandora's Box features a number of sub scenarios where the player takes control of different vehicles and creatures from the Panzer Dragoon world besides the dragon.
Storyline[]
Panzer Dragoon Orta takes players forward several decades after the events of Panzer Dragoon Saga, to a time when the once crumbling Empire had been revived and had risen to dominance again. The Imperials had succeeded in harnessing the bio-technologies of the lost Ancient Age, and they have now created dragons of their own: twisted creatures known as dragonmares. The dragonmares and their riders swept across the Continent, bringing divided nations under the Empire’s tyrannical rule.
In a city hidden in the mountains, a young girl named Orta had lived all her life as a prisoner to a society known as the Seekers. Unaware of her origins, Orta lived out her days alone in a stone tower overlooking the city, until one night the Empire and its dragonmares came for her at last. Before she could be captured though, Orta was mysteriously saved by the legendary dragon, which had returned once again from the shadows of history. Fleeing the city upon the dragon’s back, Orta set forth on her voyage of discovery, determined to discover the truth about herself.
Versions[]
NTSC-J Version (Limited Edition)[]
Panzer Dragoon Orta Bonus Disc "Die Panzer Dragoons Chronik".
Released on December 19, 2002, this limited edition of the game comes with an extra audio CD called “Die Panzer Dragoons Chronik” (a German title that translates as “The Panzer Dragoon Chronicle”). Each four-minute track on this disc is a medley of the soundtrack from one of the Panzer Dragoon games; Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG and Panzer Dragoon Orta are all represented. The titles of the audio tracks on Die Panzer Dragoons Chronik are as follows:
- “Panzer Dragoon” Music Trailer
- “Panzer Dragoon Zwei” Music Trailer
- “Azel -Panzer Dragoon RPG-“ Music Trailer
- “Panzer Dragoon Orta” Music Trailer
NTSC-J Version[]
The regular NTSC-J version of Panzer Dragoon Orta. The difference between this normal edition of the game and the limited edition is that the cover art is greyscale and it does not contain the Die Panzer Dragoons Chronik bonus disc. Released on 19th of December, 2002.
NTSC Version[]
The NTSC version of Panzer Dragoon Orta was delayed until after the end of 2002 and released on 12th of January, 2003 in the United States.
PAL Version[]
The PAL version of Panzer Dragoon Orta was released a couple of months after the US version on 21st of March, 2003 in European countries.
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
| Original series | Panzer Dragoon (PC conversion • Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 27) • II Zwei • Saga • Orta |
|---|---|
| Remakes | Panzer Dragoon: Remake • II Zwei: Remake • Voyage Record |
| Handheld games | Mini • Tiger Electronics |
| Non-Panzer Dragoon games | Crimson Dragon • Crimson Dragon: Side Story |
| Developers | Team Andromeda • Smilebit • Land Ho • MegaPixel Studio • Wildman, Inc |
| Publishers | Sega • Forever Entertainment • TA Publishing • Wildman, Inc |
| Staff | Yukio Futatsugi • Tomohiro Kondo • Akihiko Mukaiyama • Haruto Watanabe |