Panzer Dragoon Orta: The First Hour

 Game: Panzer Dragoon Orta

Platform: Xbox

Genre: Rail Shooter

Year Released: 2002



    Panzer Dragoon Orta is the sort of game I started The First Hour for. It debuted on the original Xbox at a time when I still thought the Console Wars were a thing and believed the PS2 had the Xbox and Gamecube beat. How foolish this twelve year old was! Deep in my heart, I was always a Sega fan, my first console being the Sega Genesis, but it wasn't until this game had released that I'd even heard of a "Panzer Dragoon". 

    The series began its' life on the Sega Saturn with Panzer Dragoon, followed by its sequel, Panzer Dragoon Zwei and finished its tenure with the experimental RPG, Panzer Dragoon Saga . Another four years and a company paradigm shift would pass before Panzer Dragoon would find new life on Microsoft's green and black powerhouse, the Xbox. Panzer Dragoon Orta is a return to form for the series, playing much more like the first two games in the series. 

    Gameplay is often preceded and bookended by story and then goes into gameplay reminiscent of games like Star Fox, but with 360 panoramic aiming. I played this on the Xbox Series X, and the game performed extraordinarily well. You move using the left stick, aim with the right, switch your viewpoint using the triggers, use special attacks with the bumpers, the Y button shifts between your dragon's three forms, the X and B buttons boost and brake respectively, and the A button is your attack. The attacks change based on your dragon's form. Basic Wing attacks with rapid fire at the press of the button, but holding the button down allows for homing bullets on multiple foes. Heavy Form, which cannot boost or brake, changes your shot to a 5-shot burst, and the charge locks on to only three targets, but does massive damage. The third form, Glide Wing, has no charge, but a rapid homing fire on single targets and is enhanced with an extra boost and brake, as well as a new "barrel roll" move done by tapping the left stick in a direction twice.

    The story follows Orta, a young girl rescued from a tower by a mysterious dragon, who is hunted by The Empire, a recurring foe in the series. They seek to capture Orta as she holds some kind of significance as a "Harbinger of Destruction". Fighting your way through a city under siege and squaring up against the Empires new weapons, the Dragonmares, Orta and the dragon escape for a time, running into a man named Mobo and his tribe. Orta for a short time gets to experience happiness and a normal life until the tribe is attacked by The Empire and despite fending them off, Orta is caught up in an explosion that cripples the dragon and she is once again left alone in a desolate icy wasteland.

    I only played four chapters of this ten chapter epic, but it was a fun and breezy time. The fourth chapter especially is a standout, with you attacking a huge fleet of Empire ships and singlehandedly destroying many. It's a very cool game, and I can't wait to play more of it.


Any questions, comments or thoughts? Want to see my thoughts on a particular game? Please type them below, I would appreciate any input. This is a labor of passion and love, and all opinions are my own. 


Thank you, and I can't wait to share another First Hour with you!



Location: Reno, NV, USA

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