The Will of the Ancients: A Panzer Dragoon and Crimson Dragon Fan Site

F4F Polls Sega Community About Character Statues

Posted by Draikin on 13 May, 2013.

First 4 Figures recently released a statue of Ryo from Shenmue, and because it was very well received they posted a poll on their forums where people can vote for other Sega characters they’d like to see a statue for.

The NiGHTS and Shenmue community have already been busy spreading the word and voting for characters from their respective franchises. At the moment there’s no Panzer Dragoon character on the list but they’re open to hearing other suggestions. I created a post saying I’d like to see an Azel statue, given how (to the best of my knowledge) there’s never been an officially licensed Azel statue. If you’re interested in seeing a statue for Azel (or another Panzer Dragoon or Sega character), consider signing up on the forums and letting them know.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on Intel Ultrabook

Posted by Solo Wing on 23 April, 2013.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, which features a Panzer Dragoon themed track, is coming to Intel Ultrabooks. Check out the trailer:

There is a blog post on Sega’s website detailing the Ultrabook features. The game is being enhanced to work with multiple input types, including touch:

Ultrabook devices bring a new level of flexibility and interaction to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. In regular laptop configuration, players can go head-to-head with up to four controllers for chaotic split-screen racing, while a convertible device allows for play in tablet setup, making full use of both touch and tilt interfaces. Players will find a game that has been carefully optimized for play in either configuration.

No release date has been revealed for the Ultrabook version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. It is also unclear if the Ultrabook features will be available as a free update for those who have already purchased the game on Steam.

Another Six New Pieces of Fan Art

Posted by Solo Wing on 19 April, 2013.

I’ve uploaded six new pieces of fan art to our gallery:

The first picture, titled “Please Don’t Die Blue Buddy”, is particularly fitting considering the lack of Panzer Dragoon games from Sega in recent years. On a related note, Draikin has decided to hold off sending our Panzer Dragoon Revival petition to Sega until it reaches 1000 signatures. You can help save our blue buddy from the grave by signing and sharing the petition.

Sega-Club-Tikal, the artist of “Please Don’t Die Blue Buddy”, has also contributed a high resolution scan of the front cover of Prima’s official Panzer Dragoon Orta strategy guide.

Twelve New Pieces of Fan Art

Posted by Solo Wing on 13 April, 2013.

A new batch of Panzer Dragoon fan art has arrived:

Orta and the Dragon Firing a Berserk Attack

I think they’re all stunning. There really is a lot of talent among Panzer Dragoon fans. Keep up the good work, all of you.

Eurogamer Interview With Yukio Futatsugi

Posted by Draikin on 9 April, 2013.

Eurogamer posted a new interview with Yukio Futatsugi where they discuss his career in the games industry. Among other things, he mentions the difficulty they had in creating Panzer Dragoon Saga and the various companies he worked at after leaving Sega. Crimson Dragon is of course also mentioned, although Futatsugi would only say that the game is still scheduled for release when asked about the delay. The article is definitely worth a read for Panzer Dragoon and Crimson Dragon fans.

EA Buys the Panzer Dragoon Franchise

Posted by Solo Wing on 1 April, 2013.

EA announced today that it has acquired the Panzer Dragoon license. “Sega hasn’t made a Panzer Dragoon game in over ten years. They sold the license to us for next to nothing”, an EA spokesperson said. “Copies of Panzer Dragoon Saga on eBay cost more than we paid for this.”

With the acquisition, EA announced their plans for a new title in the Panzer Dragoon series. Titled simply Panzer Dragoon, the game will be a reboot of the series. EA plans to recreate the series as it always should have been. “Although Panzer Dragoon was traditionally a solitary experience, a boy and his dragon exploring a desolate world, we felt this scenario didn’t take advantage of the amazing range of social features available on the Origin platform,” EA told us. Panzer Dragoon will feature in-game alerts notifying you of your friends’ pattergo kill count and popups every time they pet their dragons. Panzer Dragoon will require a constant Internet connection to support these groundbreaking new features.

Panzer Dragoon will also finally provide answers to some of the long running mysteries of the Panzer Dragoon universe. “Nothing should be left to the player’s imagination”, EA told us. “So we’re finally going to give players the opportunity to learn the answers to mysteries such as how the Ancient Age came to an end”. Answers to these mysteries will be available through in game transactions and downloadable content. “You’ll be able to remove the mysterious Sky Rider’s helmet for just $4.99”, EA revealed. “We think these expandable story elements will really add to the immersion of the Panzer Dragoon experience.”

EA also didn’t rule out re-releasing older Panzer Dragoon games, such as the critically acclaimed Panzer Dragoon Saga, on Origin in episodic instalments rather than as one monolithic game. “If fans are willing to pay $200 for the game on eBay, we can save them money by offering individual areas as DLC. Imagine paying just $9.99 to travel through a worm tunnel under the Garil Desert. Amazing value!” EA also stated that if it re-releases Panzer Dragoon Saga it would improve the game by making it more accessible to modern gamers. “We would remove the cryptic Panzerese dialogue and replace it with English voice acting. The laser breathing dragons would confuse causal gamers too, so we would replace them with fire breathing dragons similar to those featured in our Dragon Age franchise.”

Panzer Dragoon Saga, Twelfth Most Requested Game on GOG

Posted by Solo Wing on 28 March, 2013.

A week ago, Panzer Dragoon Saga reached twelfth place on the GOG.com wishlist of the most voted games in that week. Although the game has since gone down in the list, this is a great sign that fans are interested in a re-release of Panzer Dragoon Saga. Together with our Panzer Dragoon Revival petition (which has reached the 750 signature mark), the evidence is there that fans really want to see this classic game return. I’ve uploaded a screenshot of the wishlist with Panzer Dragoon Saga at twelfth place to this website for posterity.

Vote for GOG Re-Releases of the Panzer Dragoon Games

Posted by Solo Wing on 15 March, 2013.

As our Panzer Dragoon Revival petition nears its conclusion, I thought it would be worth sharing another option which could lead to the Panzer Dragoon games being re-released. GOG.com, formerly known as Good Old Games before they started adding modern games to their catalogue, have done a fantastic job at bringing back older games to modern PCs and Macs. Many of the games in their catalogue were incompatible with modern versions of Windows (and OSX), but the developers at GOG.com have succeeded in making them playable again via bundled emulators. The result is a clean, DRM-free package which can be downloaded and installed on modern computers.

Although Sega has yet to release any of their games on GOG.com it is not out of the question that the Saturn Panzer Dragoon games could be emulated and re-released in this manner. To help GOG.com and publishers decide which games to re-release, the site contains a handy wishlist section which allows users to vote for individual games. Some of GOG’s users have already added Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon Saga to the wishlist, and I’ve added an entry for Panzer Dragoon Zwei myself. You can vote for the Saturn Panzer Dragoon games by following these links:

A re-release of Panzer Dragoon is the most likely as a native Windows version already exists. Panzer Dragoon Zwei and Panzer Dragoon Saga re-releases are less likely, but maybe aren’t out of the question if a mature Saturn emulator is used. There’s also an entry for Panzer Dragoon Orta, however I think a re-release of Orta is much less likely due a lack of mature Xbox emulators.

Crimson Dragon is "Not Far Off"

Posted by Solo Wing on 14 March, 2013.

Eurogamer has posted some comments from Yukio Futatsugi, specifically relating to Crimson Dragon. Here’s what he had to say about the game’s release:

“Well, the game has been delayed and I know people are waiting for it, but it is definitely moving ahead,” Yukio Futatsugi told Eurogamer at last week’s Bitsummit meeting in Kyoto. “Microsoft will announce it when they’re ready.”

And how far is it away from completion? “I can’t say,” said Futatsugi. “But it’s really not far off.”

My guess is that Microsoft will announce an updated Crimson Dragon for Kinect 2 alongside the next Xbox at their event in April. This is of course speculation; officially the game is still announced for Xbox 360, although I think a 360 release is very unlikely now.

Futatsugi also confirmed that it was Microsoft who suggested he make a game similar to Panzer Dragoon for Kinect:

I gave them several proposals but Microsoft said, ‘No, how about a dragon game?’ Originally I had intended to make something totally different, but they said, ‘Something similar to Panzer Dragoon would be great.’

The full article is worth reading. He talks about how nostalgic it feels to be working with members of Team Andromeda again on another dragon game. He also addresses the concern that fans may not respond as well to Crimson Dragon as they did to the Panzer Dragoon games:

I’m working hard to make sure no one says, ‘The old one was better!’ But Panzer is Sega’s IP and this game will be different from that. The design concept of the dragons and the environments is very different. All I can really do is finish it. Anyway, games are made differently these days, so I hope people will see this as the sort of game Panzer Dragoon might have been if it had been made today.

While Panzer Dragoon may have been a Kinect game if it had been released today, I think the primary concern fans have is that Crimson Dragon won’t control as well. To many, being exclusive to Kinect is perceived as a step backwards. Let’s hope that if Crimson Dragon is released for Kinect 2 it will control better than the leaked demo, or that Grounding will include controller support.

Photos of the Panzer Dragoon Orta Figurine

Posted by Solo Wing on 4 March, 2013.

For the next round of photos from PXL, I’ve added five photos of the rare Panzer Dragoon Orta figurine:

I’ve also created a corresponding encyclopaedia entry for the figurine.

Photos of the Panzer Dragoon Orta Xbox Console

Posted by Solo Wing on 3 March, 2013.

PXL has submitted a number of photos of his growing Panzer Dragoon collection. I’ll be adding these to the website over time. To start us off, here’s four photos of the rare Panzer Dragoon Orta themed Xbox:

For those who haven’t seen it, there’s also a video of the unboxing of the Panzer Dragoon Orta Xbox which I posted earlier.

Speed Paint of Panzer Dragoon Style Dragon

Posted by Solo Wing on 28 February, 2013.

Atolm has contributed a new picture of a Panzer Dragoon-like dragon. I particularly like the dragon’s jaw, which reminds me of White Reaver from Crimson Dragon: Side Story. The colours used with this design are great too.

Be sure to check out Atolm’s other pictures linked from her dragoon profile if you haven’t done so already. They’re all great.

The Guardian Reviews Crimson Dragon: Side Story

Posted by Solo Wing on 28 February, 2013.

Some slightly old news. Earlier this month The Guardian published a review of Crimson Dragon: Side Story. Here’s part of it:

The dragon is upgradeable as the game goes on, with new secondary and special attacks unlockable to help progress through the Story and Mission modes, but it’s the visuals that really impress. The gorgeous 3D backgrounds are beautiful, and make it a pleasure to look at. The occasionally awkward controls could do with tweaking, but it’s a solid effort from developers with an exciting background.

The screenshot is from the unreleased Xbox 360 game, Crimson Dragon, so the comment about the visuals being impressive is misleading, however it still stands in relation to Crimson Dragon: Side Story’s graphics.

Luminous Engine Showcase Parallels Panzer Dragoon

Posted by Solo Wing on 21 February, 2013.

Those who have been following the PlayStation 4’s unveiling may have come across Square Enix’s Luminous Engine tech demo. Does the ending to the Luminous Engine showcase remind you of a certain other dragon riding series? I can’t help but be reminded of the way in which both Edge and Orta were whisked away from danger by the dragon of legend.

Panzer Dragoon Figure at Wonfes 2013

Posted by Draikin on 17 February, 2013.

A small update today to show you what must be the best Panzer Dragoon figure I’ve ever seen. The Panzer Dragoon “garage kit” (referring to how these sculptures are often made by hobbyists using their garages as a workshop) shows the Blue Dragon and Kyle from the first Panzer Dragoon game. It’s a ridiculously detailed and faithful rendition of the pair. There’s also a second, slightly different figure of the dragon alone which hasn’t been painted yet. Take a look at the photos here:

Kyle and the Blue Dragon Figurine (1 of 2)

Kyle and the Blue Dragon Figurine (2 of 2)

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find additional information on their origin. Garage kits are usually very limited and expensive (and probably not licensed by Sega either), so it’s unlikely that any fans will be able to acquire these.

Our thanks go to Tomopop for the photos.

Encyclopaedia Entry for Panzer Dragoon's First Episode

Posted by Solo Wing on 12 February, 2013.

I’ve created an encyclopaedia entry for the lake featured in episode 1 of Panzer Dragoon, the very first gameplay level that players are introduced to in the series.

Lack of time has prevented me from working more on the encyclopaedia, so expect these encyclopaedia entries to be released less frequently from now on (unless others wish to contribute). However, I fully intend to continue adding to and improving the encyclopaedia over time, adding the remaining characters from the Panzer Dragoon Original Video Animation, more locations, creatures, and ships, as well as entries for the people who worked on the Panzer Dragoon series. If you have any preferences regarding which entries you’d like to see next, please let me know.

Photos of the Panzer Dragoon Orta Shirt

Posted by Solo Wing on 7 February, 2013.

Skye Welse has submitted photos of his Panzer Dragoon Orta long-sleeved t-shirt which he purchased on eBay.

I have also set up a corrosponding encyclopaedia entry for the shirt.

I’ve also recieved some rare product pictures from PXL who continues to grow his impressive Panzer Dragoon collection. However, those will have to wait until another update when I find some time to sort through them all.

New Fan Art of Shelcoof and the Blue Dragon

Posted by Solo Wing on 30 January, 2013.

My thanks go to Omegapoo for this one. It’s a picture of the Blue Dragon firing lasers at Shelcoof. Although non-canonical, the drawing depicts Kyle Fluge as the dragon rider even though he never encountered Shelcoof during the events of Panzer Dragoon. The artist has told me that this is because Kyle is the only rider of the four game protagonists who has not encountered Shelcoof in some form during his adventures.

Panzer Dragoon Saga Turns Fifteen

Posted by Solo Wing on 29 January, 2013.

On January the 29th, 1998, fifteen years ago today, Panzer Dragoon Saga was released in Japan. Known as Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG in its country of origin, Panzer Dragoon Saga was released near the end of the Saturn’s lifespan when the system was spiralling towards its demise. Because of this, Panzer Dragoon Saga was overlooked by gamers, while the majority flocked to Final Fantasy VII and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on competing systems. Nevertheless, Panzer Dragoon Saga has received overwhelmingly high praise from the few who have experienced it.

Looking back, there still hasn’t been a game quite like Panzer Dragoon Saga. Even though Panzer Dragoon Saga’s graphics haven’t aged well, its art style remains incredibly distinctive all these years later. Its music ranks up there with any great film soundtrack. While the current generation of consoles has moved game story telling forward in some respects, most modern games fail to convey the maturity and conciseness of Team Andromeda’s masterpiece. And in a world where humans are rapidly depleting resources and changing the very climate we depend upon to survive, Panzer Dragoon Saga’s environmental message remains more relevant today than ever.

Panzer Dragoon Saga deserves to be played by more than just a small group of core gamers. We’re going to hold off sending our Panzer Dragoon Revival petition to Sega until the fifteenth anniversary of Panzer Dragoon Saga’s US release in April. In the meantime, I encourage those who haven’t done so yet to sign the petition and share the link around in the petition’s final months.

Golden Oldies Video Review of Panzer Dragoon Saga

Posted by Solo Wing on 26 January, 2013.

Aspiring games journalist Alex Lemcovich has published a video review of Panzer Dragoon Saga. I especially liked how Alex explains how Panzer Dragoon Saga’s characters as set apart from those found in more stereotypical Japanese RPGs. For example:

It’s a story that sets out with the simple theme of vengeance, then that seed grows and begins to spread into ideas of fighting for a just cause, and what makes it special is how Edge’s character doesn’t react in the typical Japanese RPG hero kind of way. None of this soul-searching or plucky bravado bullshit; Edge is completely down-to-Earth about what his motives are and who he’s dealing with.

He also makes a good point about Craymen’s role as the antagonist:

Another break from convention is that Craymen never appears in a boss fight. Being the apparent main bad guy you would never have thought this was feasible for a JRPG, where periodic showdowns with the villain are central to the experience.

All in all the just short of fifteen minute review nicely summarises what makes the game so special, so it’s worth checking out even if you’ve already played through Panzer Dragoon Saga. I’d also like to thank Alex for mentioning The Will of the Ancients and promoting of our Panzer Dragoon Revival petition in the video.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed PC 10% Off

Posted by Solo Wing on 16 January, 2013.

The Steam listing for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is currently showing 10% off the price if you pre-order before the release date of February 1st. Green Man Gaming and Gamersgate are also offering the discount, and both of these stores allow you to activate the game on Steam. Seems like a good deal for PC gamers wanting the experience Dragon Canyon, although no doubt there will be further sales in the future.

The listing on Steam has also been updated with the game’s system requirements.

Possible Dragon Canyon Meccano Set Coming

Posted by Solo Wing on 12 January, 2013.

The Sonic Stadium reports that several Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Meccano sets are on the way, one of which may well be based on the game’s Panzer Dragoon themed track, Dragon Canyon. The Sonic Stadium quotes the January 2013 issue of Toy World mag which mentions a canyon set:

The Sonic 3-in-1 Vehicle is from the new video game ‘Sonic and Sega All Star Racing Transformed’. The model features a pullback motor and stickers. A screwdriver and assembly instructions are included.

Meccano is adding two further Sonic play scenes, which can be combined with other sets. Sky Sanctuary and Canyon Playset recreates scenes from Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing. Each playset comes complete with buildable character figures and motorised vehicles.

Although the magazine says that the ‘Canyon Playset’ is from the first game in the series, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, as The Sonic Stadium points out, this is likely a mistake:

According to Toy World Magazine, Meccano is expanding the range of toys with some new additions. Sky Sanctuary is going to be added as a playset and another stage which is just labeled as ‘Canyon.’ The magazine claims that these stages will be based off ‘Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing,‘ but, considering Sky Sanctuary isn’t in the original ASR, it might be reasonable to assume that ‘canyon‘ refers to the Dragon Canyon from ASRT.

I agree. Also, since Dragon Canyon has been at the forefront of Sega’s marketing strategy for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, including being shown in several trailers and in the game’s opening sequence, it makes sense that Dragon Canyon would also be featured in other merchandise based on the game.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed PC Release Date

Posted by Solo Wing on 11 January, 2013.

The PC version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is now available for pre-purchase on Steam. The game will be released on the 1st of February, 2013, in approximately two weeks.

The system requirements for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed have not yet been revealed. Steam lists local co-op mode being available, which is a welcome sight considering that many PC games drop local multiplayer altogether. Although the listing doesn’t mention achievements, leaderboards, or full controller support, it seems likely that these features will be included too (or at least partial controller support). Steam sometimes neglects to mention features even after the game is released, for example in the Sonic Adventure 2 listing.

In any case, it’s great that PC gamers will finally be able to experience Dragon Canyon, the Panzer Dragoon themed track included in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

Further Details Relating to the Crimson Dragon Demo

Posted by Solo Wing on 3 January, 2013.

Recently, a demo of Crimson Dragon was mistakenly posted to Xbox Live Marketplace (see previous update). Some additional information has emerged regarding the nature of the demo and the game.

According to XBLAFans, the full game was listed as purchasable for 4,294,967,295 Microsoft Points. That’s a lot of points (US$53,687,091.19 worth!), and it was obviously a mistake. It is unclear whether the full game could have actually been downloaded if the user had paid 4,294,967,295 MSP. Presumably there weren’t any Crimson Dragon fans rich enough to try!

Yukio Futatsugi also reportedly told XBLAFans that the demo was a dedicated demo, rather than a limited version of the full Crimson Dragon game. (Edit: lifelower, who conversed with Futatsugi, believes this means the final game’s data wasn’t included/wouldn’t work even if we could unlock it). Futatsugi has been in contact with Microsoft over the accidental release of the demo.

XBLAFans also reports that the names of some downloadable content packs for Crimson Dragon also showed up on the Xbox marketplace:

Perhaps more interesting to XBLA gamers looking forward to the spiritual successor to Panzer Dragoon Saga than a demo they can’t play was the appearance of a trio of previously unannounced Crimson Dragon DLC packs on the Marketplace. The Accelerator Pack, Boss Pack and Rare Pack accompanied the game demo on its brief tour of Xbox Live on Sunday, but, unsurprisingly, none of them were able to be downloaded. No details about the DLC have been divulged to date.

It is unclear whether these DLC packs will appear in the final game. I hope that any DLC actually adds real value to the game and isn’t merely a way to extract real world money out of players (as with Crimson Dragon: Side Story’s jewel pack system).

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