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The Will of the Ancients is the home of the English speaking online Panzer Dragoon community. Please join us in discussing this series on the forums.
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The Will of the Ancients > Latest News
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142. Panzer Dragoon Prototypes... Released!
Date: 16th of May, 2008
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
  Hidden Palace has been updated with a torrent of the Panzer Dragoon prototypes. The prototypes included in the torrent are listed as follows:
- Panzer Dragoon Saga - Sep 16, 1997 prototype - Disc 1 (of only 1?)
- Panzer Dragoon Saga - Nov 30, 1997 prototype - Discs 1, 2 and 3
- Panzer Dragoon Saga - Dec 22, 1997 prototype - Disc 1
- Panzer Dragoon Saga - Dec 30, 1997 prototype - Discs 3 and 4
- Panzer Dragoon Zwei - 45% prototype (preview) - Feb 02, 1996
I have added a copy of the torrent to the Accessories section.
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141. Panzer Dragoon Prototypes
Date: 11th of May, 2008
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
Have you ever wondered what Panzer Dragoon Saga was like before it was completed? What changes were made prior to its release, what bugs were fixed? Well now this question has partially been answered. I recently had the opportunity to play through disc 1 of a prototype version of Panzer Dragoon Saga dated September the 16th, 1997. The prototype was bought off an unnamed contact of DRX, the owner of video game prototype website Hidden Palace, along with a number of other prototypes (of Saga and Zwei). These prototypes will all be released later in the week on DRX's website, so stay tuned for another update here when that happens.
This release would not have been possible without the generous donations of the online Panzer Dragoon community here at The Will of the Ancients, so thank you everyone who donated. As small as we are, it just goes to show how passionate people can be when it comes to this series. Sega, are you listening? :)
I've posted by impressions of the 16/9/1997 Azel prototype in the following forum topic (skip to the fourth page). Images of some of the differences are available in the Screenshots section.
For this update, Snowgirl Orta has also submitted a new piece of art, a sketch of the drone Azel which I'd added to the Fan Art section. Also, Sega have confirmed that The Zoah, mentioned in the previous update, is going to be the official name of the alien race in Sonic Chronicles.
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140. Vote for "The Zoah" to appear in new Sonic RPG!
Date: 12th of March, 2008
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
Sega Europe are hosting a poll on what the name of the new enemy race should be called in the upcoming Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. If you're going to come up a name for an alien race in a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG, why not name it after a place from one of the greatest Sega RPGs ever made? That's exactly what the people over at Sega Nerds have done, by suggesting that the new alien race should be named The Zoah.
Looking at the list of considered names, The Zoah would definitely be my choice, Panzer or no Panzer. If you agree, it will only take a few seconds to vote for The Zoah. The closing date for voting is the 15th of March, so get it quick.
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139. A theory, a link, and a rumour.
Date: 28th of February, 2008
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
Forum member Heretic Agnostic has submitted his first article to The Will of the Ancients, a theory which serves to put all other theories in their place. Okay, I exaggerate, but his theory does do a great job of offering an alternative explanation to the purpose of the mutated monsters, and the overall grand plan of the Ancients. Definitely worth a read if you're after a fresh view of some of Panzer Dragoon's biggest mysteries.
In this update I've also added a new link to, surprise surprise, the Links section. It isn't an entire new Panzer Dragoon site, but Lee Williams' website does contain an extensive section of general Panzer information, scans, clips, and more.
And the rumour? No it's not a new Panzer game I'm afraid, but we might be getting a new release of an old game. According to Xbox 360 Fanboy, there is a good chance that Panzer Dragoon Orta will be rereleased as part of Microsoft's Xbox Originals lineup. Since Xbox Originals titles are basically emulated copies of Xbox games that can be purchased via Xbox Live this would, hopefully, mean that the PAL disc version of Panzer Dragoon Orta would be fixed at the same time (it currently still crashes after the third episode). Lets hope that this rumour turns out to be true.
On a final note, somehow the tenth anniversary of Azel slipped right past me. The Japanese version of Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG was released on the 29th of January 1998, just under one month and ten years ago. Here's hoping that a game which tops Azel will be released sometime during the next ten years.
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138. Game information section updated.
Date: 18th of November, 2007
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
Lance has revamped the game information page for Sega Ages: Panzer Dragoon, the remake of the original Panzer Dragoon which was was released on the Playstation 2 last year. The page previously contained pre-release information about the game, but has now been updated with a summary of the features and collector's material that the game offers.
Screenshots of the audio CD and music box that were included in the deluxe version are also shown.
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137. The second chapter of A Trial of Endurance.
Date: 9th of September, 2007
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
As the title says, Chupacabra has submitted the second chapter of his fanfic, A Trial of Endurance, to the Fan Fiction section of this website. Chapter 2 continues off from where the first chapter concluded, with Flomu's story colliding with actual in game events. It should be interesting to see how the main character develops given the way that this chapter ends.
There's been nothing new on the Panzer front since the last update, with the closest thing to a new Panzer Dragoon game being Factor 5's Lair for the Playstation 3. Unfortunately, Lair has recieved a number of poor reviews, so if you were hoping for a solid title to fill that dragon shaped hole in your next-generation gaming library, you may be waiting for a while yet.
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136. A brand new story from an imperial perspective.
Date: 15th of May, 2007
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
Chupacabra has written the first chapter of a new piece of fan fiction called A Trial of Endurance. The story is told from the perspective of an imperial technician aboard the Vermana (the first boss of Panzer Dragoon Orta), and sets the scene for chapters yet to be written. I'm always looking for new fan fiction to put on The Will of the Ancients, and it's great that there are people out there still interested in writing stories set in the Panzer universe.
I still haven't heard word on how the next Xbox 360 emulator patch is coming along, but hopefully we'll hear some more news soon so people in PAL regions will be able to play the full game.
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135. Update: Orta fully playable on NTSC 360s.
Date: 28th of April, 2007
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
It has come to my attention that the issue mentioned in the previous update (of Panzer Dragoon Orta crashing after the third episode when playing it on the Xbox 360) does not exist in the NTSC version of the game. According to a number of American Xbox 360 owners from the Seekers' Stronghold, the update runs PDO near flawlessly on NTSC consoles (with the exception of some choppiness in the FMV sequences).
The April update wasn't the last emulation update that Microsoft plans to release for the Xbox 360 so lets hope that a future update will fix the PAL problems.
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134. Play through Panzer Dragoon Orta on the Xbox 360... almost!
Date: 20th of April, 2007
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
Microsoft has recently updated their list of original Xbox games that run on the Xbox 360 and Panzer Dragoon Orta is among them! Some of us thought it would never come, but Microsoft's latest update includes a number of the more highly acclaimed Japanese titles released on the Xbox, including Jet Set Radio Future (Smilebit) and Phantom Dust (from the creator of Panzer Dragoon himself!).
Unfortunately, the update isn't without issues; when I tried playing Orta on my Xbox 360 it crashed after the third episode. I've made Microsoft aware of the problem, but it is bit disappointing to see these kinds of errors pop up when a bit more testing might have prevented the problem. I can sympathize with the developers who are working hard to emulate this titles though; it's amazing what they've managed to achieve so far. Hopefully they'll roll an update out soon, and all will be well.
The first three episodes of the game run fine, however. Slowdown was very minimal, and it felt just like playing on the original Xbox. Small black borders accompany the left and right of the screen, but for the most part you'll forget that they're there. Once Microsoft have ironed out the problems with this update, it will be an excellent opportunity for new players to experience the game, and for old to re-experience it in a higher resolution.
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133. Panzer Dragoon on the Wii? Not quite.
Date: 7th of April, 2007
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
There isn't a new Panzer Dragoon game coming out on the Wii (unfortunately), but the GlovePIE scripting community has come up with what just might be the next best thing. By connecting the Wii Remote to your PC, via bluetooth, and applying a script, it is now possible to play the PC version of Panzer Dragoon with the Wii Remote. Not owning a Wii Remote, I haven't had the opportunity to try this out for myself, but several videos are available on the Internet demonstrating this unique way of playing Panzer Dragoon. The developers are planning on releasing future revisions of the script to make the game easier to control.
The script, as well as videos demonstrating Panzer Dragoon being played with the Wii Remote, can be found on the Global Domination website.
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132. A new year, a new dawn?
Date: 12th of January, 2007
Updated By: Geoffrey Duke
 As the new console war heats up to boiling point, we will see many new titles oozing with originality from every pore on both major next generation platforms to help seperate one another from the competition. Believe me when I say this is never a bad thing. The future may not look too bright for Panzer Dragoon, but why worry when it only offered a mere taste of the imagination that can be poured as if from the creators' souls into these interactive works of fiction? There are many more sights and sounds to soak up before we can safely call it a day.
I refuse to allow PD Net to fade away into the background, so don't expect us to go anywhere unless the world comes crashing down around us.
Over a year ago (time flies when you're having fun, eh?), me and the webmaster joined forces to compile a long list of reasons as to why we came to (as opposed to jumped to) the conclusion that the dragon hero at the centre of each Panzer Dragoon game was in actual fact the same dragon in both body and soul. We thought there were enough implications tying them together and tying them into the world as its centrepiece for the games to not have to spell it out for everyone, but it has been the subject of much debate nonetheless. We don't aim to disprove anyone's theories; rather, we merely wanted to show fellow fans how and why we reached this popular conclusion. I hope you all enjoy our aptly and appropriately named Dragon Life Cycle theory.
Have fun in your future endeavours.
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131. New translation and theory.
Date: 9th of October, 2006
Updated By: Solo Wing Dragon
Recently there has been a bit of discussion on the forums regarding the identity of the dragon, that same tired old debate of it either being the same dragon or different dragons entirely. I have written a short theory that discusses a third option. What if the dragon's body did indeed die, but his mind lived on as part of the Heresy Program? You can read the whole thing in my Attached Dragon Mind Theory.
Kimimi has once again provided us with another translation, this time from one of the Azel guidebooks. The piece of information is titled "After Sestren Function Stop" in our favourite language Engrish, and sums up some of the things that happen after Panzer Dragoon Saga. It's quite an interesting read, and suprisingly consistant with the events of Panzer Dragoon Orta.
I've also updated the About section will a few minor details and corrections, nothing major though.
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Destroy the mutant stealing habits; it is the village's code. The Will of the Ancients is an unofficial fansite that is in no way supported or associated with SEGA or Smilebit. Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Panzer Dragoon Orta and all other official Panzer Dragoon content is © SEGA, 1995-2003. Everything else on this website was made or written by Solo Wing Dragon unless otherwise noted. Please ask me first before using any content on this website for fan or commercial purposes.
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