I know there are several Panzer Dragoon fans among these here forums. I believe we all share a similar pain in knowing that the series is most likely extinct, and that there is a crime against our past time in that only a small fraction of gamers will ever have the option to experience one of the arguably greatest game series to ever grace any console in existence. The advent of YouTube and Google Video make make the pain a bit easier to handle. Our friends on the internet may never get to play the games, but because of the hard work and dedication of a few fans, we have plenty of material to point at. There are videos available online at the aforementioned websites, and there is a site specifically created for showcasing the fantastic artwork that the series is known for. Thankfully, 1UP has seen fit to do a retrospective of the four canonical games in the series. They shed some light on a few otherwise very obscure circumstances regarding the games... Regardless, it's an amazing read. If you haven't already seen it (and I imagine that most of you who rushed to 1UP on news of Rez HD have) here is a link. Go on, and spend the rest of your afternoon getting a little bit more personal with a good friend of mine. Some choice quotes... Here's a link to the PDS Video Project. It's pretty evident that Sega and Team Andromeda had a better grasp on 3D and cut scenes than, say, Square.
i ve been screaming for years that PDS needs a remake or a re-release for some other current generation machine. It would sell I d like to think, especially appearing on a retro-focused console such as the Wii or the 360 - of course, the 4 CDs could fit on a single DVD i assume =)
You know, I've been trying to say that forever. And no one ever listens to me. I'm like, "The Panzer Dragoon story pretty much ENDS in Saga, there's no reason for them to keep making them..." But everyone always argues with me... saying "Well there's many more Sestrens" and what not. But ever since I first beat PDSaga so long ago I always felt that was it. The Panzer Dragoon story had been told and it was done. There was nowhere to go after that. The world is... well... you know. Good to see Futatsugi finally saying it where the baka gaijin can take note.
I don't know if this is heresy for me to say this, as I've never played the original games, but I thought Panzer Dragoon Orta was a work of art. The game was so beautifully done, and if Saga wasn't prohibitively expensive I'd probably be more interested in getting it.
Did one of the PDS designers commit suicide???? That's big news to me.... fuck!!!!! but didn't the game was sold out in europe and usa?? :s
Yes, the game sold out in the US and Europe due to the insanely small supply of it that was made. And yes, one of the Team Andromeda guys committed suicide during the making of PDSaga.
Yep, that's the Japanese way. Find the easy way out ! Sad and harsh to say but the Japanese fold so easily due to shame, guilt or shear embarrassment. I have no sad feelings for any Japanese that takes their own life. Live here for 10 years then you'll soon see where I'm coming from. Yakumo
I could do with gaidens, or new stories outside of the Trilogy time frame. I just love the world, graphics, characters, etc enough to where I would put up with another sequel. I liked Orta and all, but I don't necessarily consider it canonical, simply for the fact that it wasn't made by the series creator and obviously made some departures from where he would have took the story. That an invitation? I need to get out of the US. ;-)
It's all a bit too fanboyish, which is a shame as the interviews are quite interesting. PDS was a great game and still stands up well today, even graphically it is impressive for the Saturn. PD2 was also lovely for the time, but the rest... bleh. The series was quite refreshing with the classic drum music and less of the anime slant you'd see in most Japanese games of the time.
Indeed. I would say PDSaga, Radiant Silvergun, NiGHTS, Guardian Heroes, and Marvel Super Heroes. vs Street Fighter* are the very definition of the Saturn's greatness. *Could be replaced with any other great Capcom 2D fighter ports.
As somebody who has spent years collecting every scrap of information he can about his favorurite past time, it shocks me to learn this late of a Team Andromeda member's suicide as a result of Panzer Dragoon Saga failing on a commercial level. In its purest form, videogaming is all about interactive artwork and performance (whether through creation or the actual playing). However, if the makers of such products are making personal sacrifices of this severity I have no option but to feel shame next time I see a critically acclaimed title being ignored from the general public. Would anybody shed a tear if the "sweatshop" programmers and artists over at Electronic Arts were to lose a colleague? Life of any kind or quality should be treasured over the immaterial, though still it wouldn't be as much of a loss as a more respected figure in the industry. Can you imagine if Yu Suzuki had taken his life over Sega's decision not to complete Shenmue, or if Keita Takahashi gave up his fight to see the Katamari Damacy series reach western shores despite suggestions from his superiors that there wasn't a market for it there? Yes, neither of these examples could ever have really set the gaming world alight, but just imagine for a second if you can a world without them now. Panzer Dragoon Saga might not have been the greatest game ever, although now its place in the history book has a black mark on it many others will fortunately never have to suffer...
Well, i think time will put shenmue and saga in the place they deserve. Art is art, and with sales or not, is eternal.
