The Final Word game review

Panzer Dragoon II (Zwie) -- Sega

Go back in history to a time before the vicious battle against the empire. The country is Machania, and dragons are bred exclusively for the Dragoons (or Knights). You are a young boy who has opted to save a mutant dragon born with wings, and after your village is destroyed, he will carry you into battle and glory. Panzer Dragoon II by Sega is for play on the Saturn.

Jester
I wasn't really a fan of the first Panzer. For me to get estatic about a track shooter, it has to be something special -- like StarFox. However, Zwei improves on this by giving you some path choices, while enhancing everything there was to like about the first game. Namely the graphics and sound. I've been told that the artwork is all done by some guy that worked on the magazine Heavy Metal, but I don't care. Give me giant ships helt up by ballons and animate them this good and I will play. As I said before, the big improvement is in the gameplay. The choice of different paths through a level and the option of sometimes flying or staying on the ground really enhances the game. A winner.

R.I.P.
Fantastic! This game is a must have for any Saturn owner who enjoys shooters. Everything about it is excellent... well, almost everything. I have one major complaint about this game, and it's the same complaint I had about its predecessor. The game is way to damn short! Imagine my irritation two days after getting the game, and about a dozen plays, to beat the boss. Sure there are a lot of cool things that are made available to you in menus after you solve the game, and the better you solve the game, the cooler the new menu items get (level select, dragon select, etc...)... But, these do not change the game. This title still ends leaving you wanting. Personally I would have been happy with three or four more levels, and would have felt that the game was a reasonable length... Grrr... On a more positive note, playcontrol is very responsive and targeting in the game is quite accurate. Replay value is moderate, considering the number of extra features you get to play with as you solve the game better and better. The cinemas in the game are fantastic, and while not necessarily better than the first Panzer, they are an equal. The musical score is excellent as well. I will have to admit that there is still some confusion here as to whether Panzer II is a sequel or prequel to Panzer I.

>>>>> 43.0/50 <<<<<		Jester	R.I.P.
Graphics		4.5	5.0
Sound		4.0	5.0
Gameplay/Control		4.0	5.0
Longevity/Playability		3.5	3.5
Overall		4.0	4.5
Total		20.0	23.0

(09/96)