Panzer Dragoon (SAT, 1995)
Graphics-7.5/8* Sound-8.5 Control-8 Challenge-8.5/7.5** Story-6
Level Design-7/8** Frustration-9/8** Fun-7/8** Originality-6.5
Overall Score-8
*OpenGL
**Easy w/ unlimited rolling
+
Unique atmosphere (abstract design on enemies, buildings and NPCs)
Auto-targeting/lock-on on multiple enemies
Difficulty options
Cinematic scenes incorporated well with gameplay
You can change your view to shoot in each cardinal direction (front, sides, back)
Great bosses overall, good variation, pretty nice intro (drawn out and with some dated animation though), good framerate and decent draw distance, wizard mode/secret mode cheat makes the game play faster (not included in the PAL version), secret episode 0 level (unlocked via a cheat code) - survival mode level with draining health that you can replenish by killing enemies, two unlockable weapons via a cheat code, space harrier mode?, unlockable level select via cheat code, basic ranking system, rolling attack when low on health (double tap a diagonal direction while locking on and then release) - unlimited rolling attack mode via a cheat code, dodge move (double tap then hold), three behind the dragon view camera angles, 180 degree turn move (l+r),
JP ver.: Easier sandworms (means it's not impossible to get 100% in level 2) and fewer parasites in level 2, 3 default credits instead of 1 on Normal and unlimited credits on Easy (there is a cheat code for this in all versions though), gain 5 credits instead of 3 for 100%-ing a level
+/-
No smart bombs or upgrade system (PD2)
Very hard to 100% most levels
No in-game explanation of more advanced moves
View changing is a bit unresponsive (can't quickly tap l or r to shoot backwards) - can use the 180 degree turn move
No save feature
-
No checkpoints
Sometimes uneven difficulty (level 4 boss, level 6)
Controls would've been less awkward if the game had used 2 analogue sticks (that way you could steer the dragon and target enemies at the same time)
Somewhat slow targeting (there's a speed cheat but it makes everything run faster - also removes ranking?)
Low-res dithering (radar - removed with OpenGL in emulation)
Somewhat short main game (7 levels), some frame drops and pop up, some bosses take a little too long to kill, sometimes less fitting music for the universe (improved in sequels), some dated effects (some 2D projectiles and explosions),
the story is barely present between the last 2 levels or so,
Notes:
-Sound issues in Bizhawk, used Yabause 0.9.15 w/ OpenGL visuals
Level Design-7/8** Frustration-9/8** Fun-7/8** Originality-6.5
Overall Score-8
*OpenGL
**Easy w/ unlimited rolling
+
Unique atmosphere (abstract design on enemies, buildings and NPCs)
Auto-targeting/lock-on on multiple enemies
Difficulty options
Cinematic scenes incorporated well with gameplay
You can change your view to shoot in each cardinal direction (front, sides, back)
Great bosses overall, good variation, pretty nice intro (drawn out and with some dated animation though), good framerate and decent draw distance, wizard mode/secret mode cheat makes the game play faster (not included in the PAL version), secret episode 0 level (unlocked via a cheat code) - survival mode level with draining health that you can replenish by killing enemies, two unlockable weapons via a cheat code, space harrier mode?, unlockable level select via cheat code, basic ranking system, rolling attack when low on health (double tap a diagonal direction while locking on and then release) - unlimited rolling attack mode via a cheat code, dodge move (double tap then hold), three behind the dragon view camera angles, 180 degree turn move (l+r),
JP ver.: Easier sandworms (means it's not impossible to get 100% in level 2) and fewer parasites in level 2, 3 default credits instead of 1 on Normal and unlimited credits on Easy (there is a cheat code for this in all versions though), gain 5 credits instead of 3 for 100%-ing a level
+/-
No smart bombs or upgrade system (PD2)
Very hard to 100% most levels
No in-game explanation of more advanced moves
View changing is a bit unresponsive (can't quickly tap l or r to shoot backwards) - can use the 180 degree turn move
No save feature
-
No checkpoints
Sometimes uneven difficulty (level 4 boss, level 6)
Controls would've been less awkward if the game had used 2 analogue sticks (that way you could steer the dragon and target enemies at the same time)
Somewhat slow targeting (there's a speed cheat but it makes everything run faster - also removes ranking?)
Low-res dithering (radar - removed with OpenGL in emulation)
Somewhat short main game (7 levels), some frame drops and pop up, some bosses take a little too long to kill, sometimes less fitting music for the universe (improved in sequels), some dated effects (some 2D projectiles and explosions),
the story is barely present between the last 2 levels or so,
Notes:
-Sound issues in Bizhawk, used Yabause 0.9.15 w/ OpenGL visuals