We honestly surprised ourselves at how easily we decided to name Panzer Dragoon Orta as GameSpot's Best Shooter of 2003. The game was released less than two weeks into 2003, yet many of us still vividly remember every instant of this inspired, intense, and artistic shooter. Perhaps you expected a more-conventional first-person shooter to claim the top honors in this category. But whereas most shooters this year incrementally improved on their predecessors, Panzer Dragoon Orta took a classical shooter design--the rail shooter, in which you mostly just control the aiming and firing, rather than the movement of the character--and delivered what's easily the best such game, ever. And, despite the seeming simplicity of the game design, Panzer Dragoon Orta has some real depth and replay value and even some role-playing elements. Plus, Panzer Dragoon Orta's incredibly good visuals and audio make it an experience that's simply unlike any other this year. The entire world of the game is so richly fleshed out, despite the relatively simple gameplay, that it captures an epic feel that's highly uncommon among games of this type (or games of any type, for that matter).

Furthermore, the premise of Panzer Dragoon Orta has some truly memorable twists. The main character, a young girl who fights for her life while riding on the back of a legendary dragon, is perceived by her enemies as the harbinger of their destruction. It's a fascinating turning of the tables when, as you battle the huge and intimidating forces of your foes, you actually hear them panicking--as if they know they're doomed. Yet you're just fighting for your life.

Panzer Dragoon Orta features a beautiful selection of stages, as well as some very challenging, protracted boss battles. Plus, the game is loaded with some extremely cool extras, which give tons of insight into the unique Panzer Dragoon setting. There's even an unlockable version of the original Panzer Dragoon game, which was originally released for the Sega Saturn. It's a genuine classic that holds up surprisingly well to today's standards, and we fully expect that, many years from now, we'll be saying the same thing about Panzer Dragoon Orta.