Reception
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 90.92% |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | |
| Famitsu | 30 / 40 (Saturn) |
| IGN | |
| Entertainment Weekly | A |
Panzer Dragoon received positive reviews, both in 1995 and in recent retrospective coverage.
Most 1995 reviews praised the game for its high-quality graphics and musics, and its innovative gameplay. There was some criticism over the game's lack of diversity in weapons, it's predetermined progression and its overall difficulty, however most publications presented it as one of the Saturn's system sellers. In April 1995, Famitsu magazine's Reader Cross Review gave the game a 9 out of 10, and it was named "Best Saturn Game of 1995" by Electronic Gaming Monthly. The game's universe itself was deemed "coolly surreal" by Entertainment Weekly reviewer Albert Kim, who thought the game's seven-minute "movie-quality" introduction was "gorgeous" and "nearly overshadowed the game itself". Kim argued that Panzer Dragoon could be seen as a "lyrical and exhilarating epic", a "story, not just a game" which could pave the way for a "transformation" of the videogame industry. Film director Steven Spielberg approached Team Andromeda to say he was impressed by the game's presentation at the 1995 E3 show.
Though sales were not as high as Sega expected (which could be explained by the success of Sony's PlayStation console over the Saturn), they were substancial enough for Sega to allow the series to continue with the 1996 sequel Panzer Dragoon II Zwei.
In 2007, online game magazine 1UP.com gave Panzer Dragoon a retroactive review of 8/10. They gave it a modern score of 6/10, highlighting the music as "one of the finest game soundtracks ever produced," but saying that the game itself "staggers a bit under the glaring light of a critical rereview", arguing it is "little more than Space Harrier with a 3D camera and cut-scenes." By contrast, IGN gave the game a retrospective score of 9/10, opining that "the fact that Panzer Dragoon holds up as well in 2008 as it did in 1995 is a just testament to the staying power of good art and tight gameplay." A Gamasutra retrospective also praised its art and universe, but said the actual game looked "a bit cut and dried" compared to its sequels.
Read more about this topic: Panzer Dragoon
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