Panzer Dragoon 1 or Zwei?

[The Elite MYT]

I played Panzer Dragoon 1 years ago on PC (with keyboard controls) and I remember it being alright. I picked up recently for the Saturn to complete the PD set but only started playing it recently to get it done before starting Saga.



Damn, it is so much better than I remember. Maybe using a controller makes all the difference, but I actually think I prefer it to Zwei.



Sure, Zwei is mechanically better with Beserk, multiple paths, evolving dragons, etc but the levels in 1 are so much more exciting. From beautiful oceans, to fighting giant sandworms, to flying insanely fast through underground tunnels (much faster than the tunnel level in Zwei)..... the levels are just so much more exciting.



Don´t get me wrong, I love Zwei. A LOT. But I don´t think I realised how good the original was until replaying on my beloved Saturn.



Which one do you guys and gals prefer?

[linkt101]

Graphically Zwei is a much better game, as well as having a better camera system. However, my fundamental problem lies with it being so dumbed down compared to the original. I accept the first game was probably too hard and the sequel needed to be toned down a little, but Zwei went too far in the opposite direction. I mean, the first level can't really be called a level. The first outing has more replay value due to having different difficulty settings. Not to mention having a better sound track. Nothing can beat how magical it would have been for someone playing the first level on the Saturn just after they got the system at launch.

[The Elite MYT]

My main gripe with one is that the game locks away later levels unless you play on hard. That´s a dick move.

But yeah, one is just pure magic.

[sych]

Zwei over the original for me but the original is still pretty iconic, especially in the music department. What irks me about the original is that there is no save game function.

[marc]

I rate both games. The first has a bit more depth, but the graphics in 2 are so much better. I have played zwei a lot more, I'm not a graphics tart, but it looks and feels better for me.

[retrolove]

I think both games are quality zwei is a lot easier and you have the bezerk attack but the first game blew me away when I first saw it. And all these years later it still has it,the music is beautiful the artwork(Japanese version) by mobius is amazing and the lack of the bezerk attack gives it plenty of replayability.So yeah that will be panzer 1 for me.

[darkman01]

I prefer Zwei in most ways, its got more depth in terms of the branching paths, and dragon evolution, it has the super attack (or whatever its called). It also looks quite a bit better, and even feels smoother.

That said, the original has a certain magic to it that is lost somewhat in Zwei , the world seems a bit larger and the music is incredible, even if the Saturn's sound chip does a very admirable job in Zwei (someone can correct me, but I think Zwei's music is generated by the Saturn's Yamaha chip, as opposed to the original's redbook recordings)

[zyrobs]

If the original game ran at a better framerate and had the berserk, I might enjoy it more than Zwei.

Orta is probably better than both. I recently dug up my xbox to re play that.

Zwei has by far the best last boss in the series though.

[bultje112]

zwei is objectively tons and miles better in every way except perhaps music, but even that is debatable.

[The Elite MYT]

Haha nah. The first is way mroe epic. Evolution and Beserk are way better in Zwei, as is the difficulty functionality (fair difficulty for main game and then adjustable after in Pandora) and unlcokables.

Levels, bosses and music are better in the first. Although I will say that level 6 and Last seem strangely easy after the build-up to Episode 5...... although not easy to get 100%, that´s for sure!

Both games are masterpieces though and I adore them.

[bultje112]

Feb 6, 2018 0:50:36 GMT zyrobs said:

If the original game ran at a better framerate and had the berserk, I might enjoy it more than Zwei.

Orta is probably better than both. I recently dug up my xbox to re play that.

Zwei has by far the best last boss in the series though.

I do own but have never really bothered to play orta, but better than saga endboss sestren? wow!

[bultje112]

Feb 4, 2018 19:52:53 GMT linkt101 said:

Graphically Zwei is a much better game, as well as having a better camera system. However, my fundamental problem lies with it being so dumbed down compared to the original. I accept the first game was probably too hard and the sequel needed to be toned down a little, but Zwei went too far in the opposite direction. I mean, the first level can't really be called a level. The first outing has more replay value due to having different difficulty settings. Not to mention having a better sound track. Nothing can beat how magical it would have been for someone playing the first level on the Saturn just after they got the system at launch.

I find these arguments to be so much nonsense. just play the game on a harder difficulty if you think it's too easy.

[zyrobs]

Feb 6, 2018 12:02:31 GMT bultje112 said:

Feb 6, 2018 0:50:36 GMT zyrobs said:

If the original game ran at a better framerate and had the berserk, I might enjoy it more than Zwei.

Orta is probably better than both. I recently dug up my xbox to re play that.

Zwei has by far the best last boss in the series though.

I do own but have never really bothered to play orta, but better than saga endboss sestren? wow!

The only thing I remember from the final boss in Azel is that you had to fight shadow versions of all your dragons past evolutions, which was incredibly boring (they all go down without effort but it takes so long), and then you fight this large mutant thing which isn't a challenge whatsoever because you can just keep recasting Astral Phantoms or whatever is that spell that acts like a shield + counter attack.

[bultje112]

the final boss of saga reveals the entire plot of all the games. it is one of the best things ever. it's not hard, but none of the fights in saga were hard. it was all about the storyline.

[pastel]

Like a lot of others here, I find the original Panzer Dragoon to be far more impressive. I actually remember most of the levels from it, rather than Zwei where only a few stick out. However, the various problems with the first make Zwei the better game for me. Of the most memorable problems are: no saves, cannot play through the game on normal, bad framerate, very hard, no proper analogue support (using 3D pad with it does not reach all corners of screen when rotated). Zwei really perfects the concept, but feels a bit creatively lacking.