I FINALLY got a chance to play Orta recently (by hiring out an XBox and the game).
At first I was a little disapointed, especially with the first Episode, but as I progressed through the game, I found that old feeling of enjoyment and being “in the zone” come back, which I haven’t experienced for a very long time. The game certainly is action packed, which I love.
I’m a little disapointed with the graphics - I mean they are quite good, and certainly work here, but I was expecting more because of all the hype, and because of the power the XBox has udner it’s hood.
I’d already listened to the soundtrack, and whilst certainly suits the game, I feel that it could have been better compared with the music of the previous games. Especially how Zwei’s music used to change with the action or situation at hand. Still it works.
I was a little put off with the new gameplay features added, namely the acceleration and deacceleration, and the dragon morphing because it was kinda of complex, but I’ve since gotten used to it (after beating the game once). I think it adds an interesting dynamic to the gameplay, and brings over some RPG elements from Saga that improve the game.
The story is certainly interesting, although I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen the proper ending yet. I won’t mention any spoilers for those that haven’t played or finished the game, but the ending is a little sad, but it leaves room for another game to follow. Hears hoping they actually make it…
The information in Pandora’s Box is certainly welcome, and I’ve enjoyed reading through it all. The movies and scenes in Pandora’s Box sort of nullify one of the reasons to play through the game more than a couple of times. The submissions are interesting, although not on par with the main game.
Overall I think it’s a great game. As of yet it doesn’t hold a special place in my heart like PDS and PDZ, but its every bit as good as PDE, if not better.
Now that was fun.