Best Games You've Never Played: Dragon Force Sega Saturn

Dragon Force was one of the best games for the Sega Saturn. It was released in Japan as a Sega Ages Collection for Playstation 2, but unfortunately we are not that lucky here in the U.S. Dragon Force was translated and released by the now defunct Working Designs (great studio) and released for the Saturn in 1996. Dragon Force's claim to fame were the epic battles with up to 200 troops onscreen with 7 different troop types (soldier, samurai, archer, mage, harpy, dragon, or zombie) but it was a tremendous strategy game with a ton of replay value (8 different Rulers to Choose from). The graphics were great for their time and there will full anime cutscenes that were very stylish. The orchestral music worked well with the theme and the epic battles with some (though little) real time interaction by the way of special moves and troop formations kept me interested through all the strategy elements. Nothing beat overwhelming an army with a swarm of 100 dragons. The game mixed RPG elements, Story, Battles, and Strategy elements perfectly for a very engaging 40-50 hour quest. The game won a ton of awards including best game of the year, but was not widely released in America. I was lucky enough to be a die-hard Sega fan at the time and pretty much got every new game that came out. Back then this was one of the best games in my collection.

Back then: 98%

Dragon Force holds up pretty darn well to this day. The biggest downer is the complete lack of voiceovers and a ton of text to read...but that was the name of the game back then... still it's a burden now and makes the story less compelling than I remember. The anime sequences are still awesome and sprites and look of the game definitely hold up, though the animation doesn't have as many frames as I would like. The most important thing is gameplay though...and the gameplay is still unique today and refreshing when compared to all of the Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics style of strategy RPG warfare. I wish you could take more direct control of the General...but perhaps this was present in the Japan only Dragon Force 2. I'm sure us here in the US will never know, especially since it is one of the best games that was never played over here.

Verdict Now: 93%

One of the Best Games You’ve Never Played- Panzer Dragoon Saga

If you are a ‘gamer’ you have no doubt heard of this game. You can currently find this title on Ebay and Half.com for around $200 (I actually sold mine for $380 about 5 years back when the graphics weren’t so vastly different). It is truly a collector’s item since only 30,000 or so were made for the US since it was near the end of the Sega Saturn. I actually owned a Saturn (and pretty much every game) and preordered this title and got a copy of this 4 disc RPG epic. It scored a perfect 10 across the board in EGM back then and was one of the finest games on the Sega Saturn not to mention one of the best games of the 32-bit era. You can learn more about this game at Wikipedia.

Gameplay: 10/10
Pros: Fusing the action of the panzer dragoon shooters into an RPG was no easy task, but Saga did it perfectly. The battles were exciting and action-packed with a real-time engine. You could even explore towns off your dragon as the boy and the world was incredibly immersive with one of the most epic stories of the era.
Cons: The gameplay was perfect and the only con is that more people didn’t get an opportunity to play this title.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Pros: I know the graphics look awful now, but they were among the best for Saturn. It’s hard to rant about dated graphics, but you can still appreciate the nice CG work for the story and the amazing character and creature design. At the time this was a beautiful title.
Cons: It had some of the quirks of a Saturn game, such as polygon clipping, poor textures, and weird zoom issues (as witnessed in the above video).

Sound/Music: 9/10
Pros: The score was epic and the subtitles and language barrier helped create an even eerier post-apocalyptic world filled with mutants and dragons.
Cons: It would have been nice to have the voicework of the premiere Playstation RPGs.

Lasting Appeal: 10/10
Pros: The game was LONG as in 4 Discs long and even after that there were additional dragons to unlock. The story was fantastic and I believed I played through the story at least twice. It was one of the most engrossing games and the best RPG I’ve ever experienced.
Cons: No more Saturn, no more Sega Consoles, no more Panzer Dragoon… It would seem that Panzer Dragoon Orta will probably be the last game in this excellent franchise as Sega seems to focus on crappy Sonic games over developing and expanding some of their excellent Saturn franchises (Burning Rangers, Nights anyone?).

Average: 96.25%
Tilt: +2.75%

It’s a shame that Saga will never see a sequel or really be played by the mainstream. It was truly a gem of the 32-bit era. It can really only be appreciated by being played and Saturns are hard to come by and Panzer Dragoon is even harder or will cost you. If you get a Sega Saturn emulator and search for ROMs you may be able to experience this game, but it won’t be easy and isn’t really the same without having a controller in your hand. Probably cursed to be a hardcore gamer’s classic and nothing more, Panzer Dragoon Saga is still a testament to what Sega could have been. Phenomenal!

Verdict: 99%

One of the Best Games You've Never Played: Shadow of the Colossus PS2

Released in October of 2005, Shadow of the Colossus was a sequel of sorts to the cult classic, and PS2 launch title, Ico. I never played Ico, but Shadow completely stands on its own and is absolutely enchanting. Here I am 2 years later, and I am yearning to play the title all over again (the only question is where is it). Describing what makes Shadow so good is difficult because the game is more a piece of artwork and an experience than a game. It's truly breathtaking, both graphically, in scale, enjoyment etc. One of the true gems of the Playstation 2 and a title that probably sold a third as many copies as the disappointing and rather abysmal Devil May Cry 2. I do not want to ruin any of the majesty and wonder of the title, but the basic premise is that to save your love, you have to defeat these colossal beasts of the land. Shadow is really just a series of Epic Boss battles and mythical land traversing and exploring. There's no real point in breaking down what makes Shadow work and what doesn't work. The only complaint I had (still have) is that the adventure is over too quickly. A true gaming masterpiece that would make even the harshest anti-game senator admit that videogames can be works of art. A must play for any Playstation 2 (or 3) owner.

Verdict: 99%

This game is an absolute must buy at these prices: