_____First and foremost, this game is hard. Extremely hard. So hard that I thought about playing on easy mode once or twice. Besides being difficult (which may be good or bad depending on your tastes), the gameplay suffers only slightly. If you do not know, Panzer Dragoon Orta is an on-rail shooter. So, in other words, you try to shoot down your enemy before they get off a shot on you, while the game controls the movement of your dragon. This poses a slight problem in the game, as you often struggle with being unable to dodge incoming attacks that could obviously be avoided in real life. Additionally, the game can be a bit complicated at times.

_____One of the main aspects of the game is being able to choose between three different modes, called "Wings," for the dragon. The Base Wing has moderate maneuverability and can target up to twelve different points with its lasers. It has two bars of 'boost' (more on that later), and its berserk attack is rapidly fired laser blasts in random directions. The Heavy Wing is the most armored and does the most damage with its lasers, but it is much more cumbersome than the other two modes, making it an easy target. It can only lock on to four targets, and the lasers arch, making them somewhat slower than the Base Wing lasers. It has no bars of boost, and the berserk attack is a solid beam that heavily damages anything caught within its path. The final mode is Glide. The Glide Wing is smaller and has no lasers, but is extremely maneuverable. Additionally, the crosshair for Orta's gun becomes much larger and will track towards objects such as enemies or destructible projectiles. Finally, it has the most amount of boost, with three bars. The berserk attack for the Glide Wing summons several dragons of light that fly out and damage surrounding enemies. Each of these Wings is better at accomplishing different goals than others, and you will not be able to depend on just one throughout the entire game. Each of the wings is upgradeable through the acquisition of power spheres dropped by defeated enemies. As the wings are upgraded, they are better equipped to fight the Empire.

_____Another key point of the game is boost. Using boost allows the dragon to fly forward or pull back (like using brakes), to help with dodging. At some points you must use the boost to avoid taking certain hits. So another element comes in to play: boost conservation. The boost meters replenish at a steady rate, but you must make sure that you have boost when you need it. Similar to boost is berserk. As you fight the enemy, your dragon becomes empowered, which is represented by a berserk meter on the left side of the screen. When it is full you can unleash a torrent of destruction upon your adversaries with the push of a single button. While I didn't find it entirely necessary to use, it certainly has some spectacular effects.

_____Panzer Dragoon Orta is graphically breath taking. As you soar through the alien landscapes, you can easily get caught up in the painstakingly superb details of each locale. Furthermore, the world is entirely unique. From the expansive wastes found in the Sea of Ash to the brambles lacing the river ways of the Forest of Mutation, it never ceases to surprise. Equally impressive are the enemies. The Empire, knowing the power of the dragon, has built its own dragon clones called Dragonmares. These terrors of the skies are one of the best models the game has as they bear a slight resemblance to your dragon but are mutated to be more terrifying. Additionally, like the previous games, Orta has its spectacular array of ships in the Imperial Fleet. From the heavy cruisers to the multitudes of one-man ships, each is unique in its own way, but not so much as to set it apart from the rest of the fleet. Of course, the dragon itself is no exception to this rule. As the dragon gets upgraded it changes graphically as well. The wings become more detailed and armored, the lasers look more powerful, and the dragon in general just looks more badass as you continue.

_____Sadly, one of the worst parts about this game is the accompanying music. The Panzer Dragoon series has been known to feature off-tune music from time to time, but this is by far the poorest quality music in the series. Of the entire soundtrack, the only song I've come to enjoy is the theme played when fighting a boss at the end of a level. The sound effects are, for the most part, decent. Though the menu selection sound is annoying, everything else is relatively unobtrusive. This game, like the others in the series, features Japanese voice-overs only. Personally, I feel that keeping the original Japanese voices is good for the game, not only because it follows in the tradition of its predecessors, but also because too many games have been made a mockery due to bad voice-acting (Valkyrie Profile) or bad translations (All your base…).

_____In addition to challenging and entertaining the main game in Panzer Dragoon Orta, there are plenty of bonus features that can be unlocked in what the developers have dubbed "Pandora's Box." These include the original Panzer Dragoon game for the Sega Saturn, and scenarios involving a pilot for the Empire and Mobo, a sub-character in the game. Furthermore, as you progress through the game you can read articles about the dragon, the world, and various parts of the Empire. While these articles are interesting, they do little justice as rewards for the player. Each stage gives you a grade on your performance, so better scores may or may not release more points of interest found in the game. With this in mind, replayability is moderate to low, depending on how interested you are in the world of Panzer Dragoon. As part of a greater story with excellent graphics and intermittent sound, I give this game a 4 out of a possible 5 Ortas in funny hats.

*For more info, check out one of my favorite Panzer sites, www.panzerdragoon.net.