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Post by Kibbles on Sept 7, 2010 8:48:03 GMT
What's the story behind Panzer Dragoon ORTA by the way? In any interview with the developers they always gave the impression that the game started life as an Xbox project, at least as far as the actual production phase was concerned.
I have seen that Videogameimports branded it a 'microsoft induced sequel'
There was a very interesting interview with the director on The Art of Panzer Dragoon about the game.
Still the thing that bugs me most about Orta is how we never get to see how Orta gets her gun! Such an oversight plot hole!
One minute, locked up in a cell, next minute, blasting shit out of the sky with a gun.
I have read that the reason behind that was the designs weren't finalised when the FMVs were being produced, but even then that sounds like a pretty odd reason not to explain it *at all*.
Surley they could have at least given her something reminicent of the Guns from the old games?
The air ships in the opening FMV aren't the finalised design that actually appear in the in-game graphics either but they're similar enough for most players not to notice...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2010 9:03:42 GMT
Oh, yeah, the Xbox Toejam and Earl game was initially to be a dreamcast game also.
Many thanks for your input Anthaemia, however I do feel the need to ask where you got much of your information from? I know you say you've gotten into contact with certain people... do you plan to reveal who at any point (I don't know if you're in the middle of a project that you plan to release for magazine, other site, or something)?
As for Dixosaurus, I never noticed Orta never was seen getting hold of the gun, but does it really matter? Perhaps it was just attached to the dragon? IDK but I don't think I'll lose sleep thinking about it.
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mick_aka
Kickin' it lively!
"Mick is moderately adequate."
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Post by mick_aka on Sept 7, 2010 12:26:14 GMT
Orta was a canceled Team Andromeda Dreamcast project inherited and completed by Smilebit, the dreamcast project never went past the concept stage (concept art, storyboarding etc.) As part of a contract with MS after they withdrew the dreamcast it became an Xbox exclusive.
I have this info from an email interview with Shun Arai I co-wrote for a publication on games design for staffordshire university, there were rumors of Shun's retirement after Smilebit was re-absorbed by SEGA but I know that in July 2007 he was still working in R&D at SOJ.
If I can find the article at home or re-aquire a copy from the university archive I'll republish it on the forum.
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Post by saturnworship on Sept 7, 2010 20:13:33 GMT
Thanks for that Orta info mick!
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Post by Anthaemia. on Sept 7, 2010 20:36:58 GMT
I totally forgot about Shun Arai - yet another former high profile figure within Sega who quickly disppeared without trace following the company's move away from console hardware manufacturing. I know that Orta never got further than the drawing board as a Dreamcast project, but can anyone confirm if its development codename was really Panzer Dragoon Next because I'm sure I saw that working title mentioned somewhere.
Providing the "Next" project title information is correct, it would further highlight just how much had changed behind the scenes of the Panzer Dragoon series between Saga and what ultimately became Orta. Apart from the obvious major personnel changes (not to mention the integration of Team Andromeda into the then-newly-formed Smilebit), weren't the first two installments known initially as Projects Pegasus and Perseus respectively? A few holes in the world of Orta suddenly doesn't seem that unexpected, and it's clear the Xbox could have realised such a game with power to spare while the Saturn was obviously being pushed to incredible heights few other developers could have ever dreamed of reaching!
P.S. To answer your question, Terramax, many of my various sources will all be revealed one day when the mythical project I've been working on (for years, I should add!) is finally ready to be unleashed...
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ironmonger
Saturn Player
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Post by ironmonger on Sept 7, 2010 22:46:07 GMT
P.S. To answer your question, Terramax, many of my various sources will all be revealed one day when the mythical project I've been working on (for years, I should add!) is finally ready to be unleashed... Wait a sec... is this the SSM styled project you were working on years and years ago? I seem to remember seeing a few sneek peaks, and they were awesome.
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Post by Anthaemia. on Sept 8, 2010 1:25:39 GMT
I'm having a race with Duke Nukem Forever to see which project takes longer... and it looks as if I might just win, after all!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2010 9:06:50 GMT
I must say I'm very intruiged by this project. I hope we get to see it one day. by the sounds of it you have a books worth of information.
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Post by Anthaemia. on Sept 9, 2010 17:56:14 GMT
Those who've seen very early portions of my work must surely agree that it will be worth the wait, but since I'm doing virtually everything single-handedly in my spare time I really don't want to disappoint anyone by making promises of a completion date - all I can say is that your continued patience will finally be rewarded one day!
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Aydan
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Post by Aydan on Sept 9, 2010 21:21:20 GMT
i dont see what is taking so long. put the damn thing in a notepad il still read it lol. Duke Nukem Forever will win this race for sure! im so excited to read it though, i love looking at history of games nad betas and what could have been etc.
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Post by Kibbles on Sept 10, 2010 2:18:07 GMT
Oh, yeah, the Xbox Toejam and Earl game was initially to be a dreamcast game also. Many thanks for your input Anthaemia, however I do feel the need to ask where you got much of your information from? I know you say you've gotten into contact with certain people... do you plan to reveal who at any point (I don't know if you're in the middle of a project that you plan to release for magazine, other site, or something)? As for Dixosaurus, I never noticed Orta never was seen getting hold of the gun, but does it really matter? Perhaps it was just attached to the dragon? IDK but I don't think I'll lose sleep thinking about it. It matters! In every panzer game how the rider aquires the gun is a central focus of the first cinematic. In SAGA edge finds his gun but is unable to fire it, after the dragon locates him the gun starts working.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2010 6:50:24 GMT
Clockwork Knight: Penguin Wars* A simple Bomberman clone that was probably deemed too slight to justify a standalone release, although Sega of Japan recycled its allocated serial number for Panzer Dragoon. Here in Europe the name Clockwork Knight Puzzle was registered and even used for a preview in the official UK Saturn magazine. That's a point, there was supposedly going to be another CK on the gamecube also, tentivaly titled Knight N Knight. uk.cube.ign.com/objects/566/566733.htmlVery little information on it. Don't suppose anyone else has heard anything more of this?
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crue1
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Post by crue1 on Oct 14, 2010 12:38:15 GMT
Thanks for all the info Anthaemia.
Having played Heart of Darkness and Wild 9 on the Playstation, I don't think the Saturn missed much there. Far more disappointing was the non releases of Micro Machines V3 & Syndicate Wars.
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Post by Anthaemia. on Oct 14, 2010 13:19:49 GMT
Terramax, you're correct in saying there's very little information available to the public regarding Knight N Knight, although I might be able to help fill in a few key details here and there...
For starters, IGN's report on this game was posted in May 2003 and by this point it wasn't even close to being released as suggested because Overworks had already quietly cancelled the project outright! Also, it's still not known whether it would have a platformer or RPG, as there are conflicting reports as to its actual genre. Either way, it didn't get much further than the initial planning stages. The reason for this promising title's cancellation was producer Noriyoshi Ohba deciding he would rather supervise the PC and GameCube ports of Eternal Arcadia (Skies of Arcadia), even though only the latter would see the light of day in the end.
On a slightly different note, did you know that Overworks - a group consisting of former CS Team Ara members who contributed to the original Clockwork Knight series - was named in Ohba's honour?
In response to crue1's last comment, Micro Machines V3 was one of the few cancelled Saturn games that was actually complete when its publisher chose not to release it for whatever reason. Other titles that suffered a similar fate include Reloaded and Perfect Entertainment's port of Adidas Power Soccer (for Psygnosis, which included exclusive music from CoLD SToRAGE as with their other PlayStation-to-Saturn treatments).
By the way, does anybody have any information relating to a game announced at the 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo that went by the working title of 4xFrenzy? I'm fairly sure this was an early name for Mudkicker, as Scavenger's teams had something of a bad habit when it came to changing their minds about what to call their products (such as how Vertigo became Scorcher or when much later Enclave evolved from Into The Shadows), though I'd rather make sure with some concrete evidence before jumping to such a conclusion if I can. Then again, every other project revealed from around the same time by this publisher has been tracked down except for this one so maybe a guess is enough?
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RealBlue
Realistic 25 fps snowboarding action!
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Post by RealBlue on Oct 14, 2010 15:31:46 GMT
Thanks for all the info Anthaemia. Having played Heart of Darkness and Wild 9 on the Playstation, I don't think the Saturn missed much there. Heart of Darkness is an awesome game & you will show it respect. It's my favourite Cinematic Platformer & I love it even more than Another World or Flashback. Plus my old PC copy works fine on windows 7.
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