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Panzer Dragoon Original Full Sound Version :: Review by Chris
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Album Title: | Panzer Dragoon Original Full Sound Version |
| Record Label: | NEC Avenue | |
| Catalog No.: | NACL-1181 | |
| Release Date: | June 21, 1995 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at eBay |
Overview
Panzer Dragoon was the first in a line of pioneering Sega games featuring militaristic storylines, flighty gameplay, and apocalyptic landscapes. Yoshitaka Azuma exploited the capacity of the Saturn to produce a pioneering score for the title back in 1995 that superbly fitted the settings and gameplay. The resultant soundtrack was given three main releases, of which the Panzer Dragoon Original Full Sound Version is easily the weakest. While this album provides the definitive versions of the stage themes, it falls down otherwise.
Body
At the centre of this soundtrack release are the stage themes. Featured in succession, the stage themes are given fully looped versions that are longed than those on the other two album releases. The themes themselves vary considerably. The first stage theme "Flight" is an orchestral overture that recounts the main theme for the game on sweeping themes. Others tend to be more electro-acoustic in flavour, such as "Worms" with its gritty bass riff and choral overtones or "Assault" with its enduring hybridised soundscapes. The punchy "The Imperial Capital Set Ablaze" and distorted "Conclusion" are also very effective at the climax of the game.
Away from the stage themes, the presentation of the album leaves much to be desired. The boss themes are shunted together at the end of the album and this is the poorest decision of the album. As a consequence, the original tracks do not fully loop, are difficult to access, and don't feel like part of the main score. What's more, these tracks no longer break up the sometimes tedius stage themes or build up the dramatic arch inherent to the other soundtrack releases, so there is a collectively detrimental effect too.
At least the start of the album makes some sense with the renditions of the slow evolving electro-acoustic cue "Opening" and the almighty orchestral main theme. These renditions are the same as those on the other two soundtrack releases. Nevertheless, there are still some omissions from the album and there are none of the bonuses offered by the other two soundtrack releases.
Summary
While the Panzer Dragoon Original Full Sound Version was a well-intentioned production, it falls down in terms of its presentation. The stage themes are overextended leaving the track order to be jumbled, the boss themes to be amassed, and several pieces to be left out altogether. Its name is certainly a misnomer. Stick with the Panzer Dragoon Original Soundtrack and Panzer Dragoon Remastered Soundtrack instead.
