This week in video game history: Celebrating ‘Panzer Dragoon Saga’ and ‘Rez HD’

Two stand-outs of their genre, both first published by Sega, reach milestone anniversaries a day apart, beginning with 1988’s rail shooter hybrid “Panzer Dragoon Saga” and continuing in 2008’s trancendent experience “Rez HD”.

Unlike its three predecessors, on-rails shooters which allowed players room to maneuver within a predefined air corridor, 1998’s “Panzer Dragoon Saga” dared to embrace elements of an otherwise unrelated role-playing adventure genre; in doing so it became one of the most well-received releases of its time.

The dragon-riding combat stayed central to proceedings, but added to it were on-foot exploration, live-action video cutscenes, plentiful non-player characters, and a plot that starts with a security guard at an archaeology dig and ends with a fourth-wall breaking battle of the AIs.

Unfortunately, it was originally released for the underappreciated Sega Saturn console and, since then, has become a high-priced collector’s item: unusually, for such a highly praised release, re-releases and remasterings have been sorely absent, and the original source code is believed to have been lost.

Several alternatives suggest themselves for those in need of an interactive trip down Nostalgia Lane, away from software emulation and YouTube videos.

Those requiring a more recent dragon-flying RPG hybrid might like to seek out 2012’s Xbox 360 and Windows PC adventure “Divinity II: Developer’s Cut”, the product of another developer unafraid to experiment with established tradition.

Meanwhile, a 20th anniversary “Panzer Dragoon Saga” soundtrack album is available to purchase or preview from store.bravewave.net, while panzerdragoonlegacy.com remains the pre-eminent fan resource for “Saga” and the surrounding franchise as a whole.

And then there’s 5 Reasons We Need a Rebooted Open World Action-RPG Panzer Dragoon Game, a petition for a new franchise entry, which is live at change.org.

“Panzer Dragoon Saga” isn’t the only rail-shooter Sega great celebrating a significant anniversary this week.

Unlike its predecessor, 2001’s mesmeric masterpiece of vision and sound, Dreamcast classic “Rez”, has been generous with remasters, and it’s the Xbox 360’s “Rez HD” that turns ten on Jan. 30. JB

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