Even in 2013 this game is wholly immersive and a showcase for why everyone should own a Sega Saturn.

User Rating: 10 | Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG SAT
I remember this game being released and, having enjoyed both panzer dragoon 1 & 2 was excited about playing it. I must have been about 13 at the time and had to save up money from my paper round just to afford it. When the day finally came I walked into my local Game store and to my horror, all Sega Saturn merchandise had been removed from the shelves. I have never again seen a copy of this game in any retail store, either new or used; not surprising due to the limited number of copies that were printed. The game was hailed by Sega fans as the Saturn's answer to Final Fantasy VII and today, partly due to it's rarity, is considered a cult gaming classic. 15 years after the the release of Panzer Dragoon Saga I have finally had the opportunity to sit down and play it. Excitedly, I dusted off the old Saturn which was nested in a drawer at my mum's house. I had my doubts as to how this game would hold up in 2013. Would it live up to the hype, or would dated graphics and gameplay hinder my experience of a game so many (or rather, so few) hold dear? Any doubts were almost immediately quenched. After a lengthy fmv introduction I was instantly transported and fully immersed in a futuristic world of dragons, magic and ancient technology. Some 30 hours later I was still sat wide-eyed and wanting to play it all over again, it really is that good. The graphics, whilst somewhat dated, really show off what the Saturn was capable of in the hands of a talented developer. Team Andromeda proved once and for all that the Saturn could handle polygons just as well as the Playstation, with transparancies, realistic water effects and gorgeous lighting dripping from almost every scene. The draw distance in some areas can be a little frustrating though and the frame rate does drop noticeably in some of the more intensive areas but this hardly detracts from the overall experience. The gameplay is a combination of exploration and final fantasy-esque turn based strategy. Although battles are mostly random encounters, they don't occur too often to be frustrating, and the novelty of unleashing berserker attacks never grows tiresome. The sound in the game is also utterly fantastic; with an almost middle-eastern soundtrack which sets the scene perfectly. Additionally every character in the game is fully voiced (albeit in Japanese) which was unusual in 1998 and certainly adds to the depth and captivation the game holds. Overall, Panzer Dragoon Saga deserves it's cult status and would surely have been a worthy competitor to FFVII had it been released earlier in the Saturn's lifespan. It's only a shame that so few people have had the opportunity to experience this amazing game. -MeteorPolice