Panzer Dragoon Saga

The Panzer Dragoon series set new standards in 3-D gaming with fantastic visuals and simple gameplay. Now, Sega is taking the popular Panzer Dragoon story line, graphics and game mechanics and putting them into a brand-new action/RPG.

We have a little information and a few screen shots to share with you. So far we know that the game takes place in the Panzer Dragoon universe, but this time, you'll have full 360-degree flight and freedom of exploration. You won't have to play the game on predetermined rails like you did in the first two games.

As Edge, a young hunter who is saved by a dragon, you can explore 12 levels in the sky, on the ground, on dragon or by foot. You can pick up a variety of different weapons including locking pulse guns and lightning strikes. The dragon itself can morph into several possible forms (each with its own special abilities) with time and experience.

On the E3 demo we played in early 1997, combat was handled with a menu-driven system. Now, Sega is telling us that the battles will be in realtime 3-D. Either this means fighting will be done in the vein of Final Fantasy games (realtime with menus), or it will be in a shooting style like in previous Panzer games. We're also not sure at this point how exactly role-playing will work its way into a traditional shooter game. Panzer Saga will have characters to fully interact with, but as to what extent, we don't know yet. We'll have an update and let you know as soon as we get our hands on a playable demo.

Considering this enormous game will be packed on four discs, we can't help but get excited. More of Panzer Dragoon can't possibly be a bad thing, and if Panzer Saga has many of the same elements as the previous two installments, then Sega will have a huge hit on their hands. More on this game to come.