Worth noting that here, in France, we have a national museum who owns a nearly complete collection of physical copy of every single game released in France, and some versions from other countries, and they're accessible to researchers, as are versions of every console released here. We also have a unique system made to convert the datas on fragile old physical support onto digital copies, for the purpose of archival. Also worth noting that nearly ALL of those games and game consoles were donated by collectors and NOT by the console makers or publishers.
I was lucky enough to visit that archive a few years back, when participating to conference about video game history preservation, and it is both a sight to behold, and an incredibly depressing statement to lack of interest that publishers have in preserving their own history
@@PaladinGunn Lack of interest? They're actively interested in _destroying_ their history because they want their creations to be disposable for endless consumption like Madden and Diablo Immoral, not art that outlasts the yearly bean counting.
Better use of people’s collection compared to the whack shelf collectors we see on youtube these days. I’ve never understood dedicating an entire basement to video games, only to play a percentage of them.
Ah France! One of the few nations that still get it! We also have in Brazil an private backed, but still vivid game musem of the games that were produced in this corner of the third world at the turn of the century. I would love to visit this archive someday, could you share its name please?
I played panzer dragoon on release. It immediately became my favourite game of all time. I remember writing a guide on paper by hand. This video does oof to my belly. I would give anything to play the game again as I once did
@@mrbransformer4184 It's been a goal of mine for too long to re obtain the title to archive a fresh version of it, but due to bad past choices I've missed a couple of real opportunities I've had previously. Due to pressure from others and bad timing. I remember holding a copy in my hands 10 years or so ago for £250.00, and now it's £600.00. Regrets. Never let people make you feel bad for following your heart kids, because listening to others can lead to some painful reflection down the line, I tell you what. I especially loved the games ties to zwei. Both games being developed at the same time and interacting with each other via the pandoras box features. Playing saga unlocking features in zwei and vice-versa. Zwei is also an astounding high point in the shooter genera for me that I find often gets overlooked by people talking and writing about the series to an extent.
@@SEiiBUTSU I managed to get an original copy for £80 about 12 years ago. I’ve also got it copied to CD rom to play in my chipped Saturn. I love that game. I’m so glad I did buy it when I did as the price for it now is insane although at the time I thought that £80 was far to much but i really wanted it
I think I still have a copy....know I have virtua cop with lightgun....frank Thomas big hurt baseball....lol. Panzer Dragoon was great. I had rented it on saturn and then bought it as it was awesome.
I've been ludicrously excited to see this video in its final form for so long and it yet surpassed my expectations. Video game preservation and emulation has been dear to my heart for decades and as such it makes such a great case to bust through the misconceptions people have been manipulated into believing (i.e. emulation is illegal and you'll go to Nintendo-jail for it). I genuinely hope it gets more people to try their hand at it. And at the same time, it's such a wonderful love letter to Panzer Dragoon Saga, that I now regret never having finished. It's time. Glad you're back on your bullshit -- Panzer Dragoon Forever!✊
You should cover some of these obscure sci-fi classics. I know you do where it applies to horror, but I think you could stand to expand your horizons. "Monster of the Week" is a series for your channel. Let us see the others!
archiving music, tv, movies, and games are why i've always thought anyone with a pc should get as much storage as possible and just fill it with all their favorite things. trust not in streaming lol
I love hearing anybody talk about this game. Every person who does with a platform nudges this masterpiece of an RPG closer to entering the popular video game cannon. It's truly one of a kind, revolutionary, and get's my highest recommendation. It's the greatest piece of art in gaming that has so little fanfare or number of people who played it and it absolutely mut be re-released so that it isn't lost to history.
Great video! Little correction: Metropolis is still not fully available. The Argentina version is longer and better quality than any versions up to that point but even that one is still missing a little bit of the movie.
Correction to your correction: the Argentinian footage is actually extremely poor quality. It’s only used in current releases for the 20-odd minutes where no other source exists. It’s the footage that’s badly damaged and cut off at one side. It essentially completes the film though
@@j4yb0b You're right. I remember watching the new restorated version after the Argentina findings for its premiere in German TV. They inserted the footage in the already restorated version that was known until then. But I also remember that it still was not the whole movie, there was a whole escape section near 3/4 of the movie that was told through text, because the scenes are still missing.
I pre-ordered Panzer Dragoon Saga from my local game store back in 98 knowing it was going to be something special. I once thought the eBay price of $200 was going to be the ceiling for several years and held off from selling. Glad I kept it in storage!
These are the kinds of games I am always seeking out. Oversized ambitions artfully squeezed into a too small space often result in the best forgotten gems. Thanks for delving into this bit of history!
I stopped at the time in the video where you mentioned the term "avant-garde". And that's what drew me to Saga and the series as a kid. I thought back then "damn! I'm in for a treat if there's more games like this in the future!life is awesome!". But then the years rolled on and not many games seemed to want to do something that thought a little bit ahead. Apart from Riven and the Myst series, and the Legacy of Kain games I haven't come across anything in gaming that really transported me somewhere I haven't been before in the way Panzer Dragoon did. I wish more people were concerned with breaking new ground with their worldbuilding in games. The medium has such potential, but creativity is being stiffled by numbers these days. Thanks for the video :)
If this beautiful channel can come back from the dead, then so can Panzer Dragoon. My brothers in Christ, let us go to the emulation archives once more!
exceptional work, as expected i actually work in entertainment media preservation/archiving, and this certainly makes me think we need to push into games at some point if i can develop enough of a reputation (im getting there), i'll be able to push this onto some very important people if anything so wild actually happens, you will be the first to know
A few things: firstly, I was truly overjoyed to see another video come into my perspective of your magnificent magnitude. Thank you for being here. Secondly, the entire DRAKENGARD/Nier series is very close to my heart, so seeing the inspiration behind the dragon combat was awesome! And lastly, when Legend of Mana got a bare bones remaster compared to every other game in the series, my fears were confirmed. Because of it being #4 in the series as well as the most out there of the entire franchise, I knew it would be given the least amount of work, which hurt every time I brought it up to someone. I wanted it to happen so bad but I was dreading the result.
I've played PDS on an original (Japanese) Saturn albeit using a burned CD back in the 2010s. While a bitch and half to get working (I used the action replay hack) and I did physically shock myself doing so (accidentally touched the powered internals trying to quick swap a disk) in the end it was all worth it to play this masterpiece I'm happy emulation has gotten to the point where people can enjoy it without having to go through 50,000 steps involving original hardware
Bingo, and what you describe is exactly why emulation is so important. Even when I played it back in middle school on original hardware, it still wasn't a glitch-free experience. The switch from disc 2 to disc 3 didn't "take" several times, which almost brought our marathon playthrough to a crashing halt then and there. Now, anyone with the willpower can enjoy this masterpiece right now -- just as it should be.
@@MichaelSaba fuck it pride aside I’m halfway computer literate and work too much to look up a good tutorial for getting the emulator going tbh you think you could just drop me a quick bulletpoint of text on how I can play this? Lolz sorry I know that might sound dumb lolz
Wow, you went through all that heartache for nothing. To get any burned game to work, all that is required is an original sega saturn game (doesn't matter what game) and a burned disc. What you do is you need to take the cover off and put a piece of tape on the cd cover switch to trick it into thinking that the door is always closed, then you put the original game in first, and listen for the lense to move to the top of the track, and then immediately swap the burned disc in. With a little practice, you get a 100% bootup rate. No modchips, no action replays, no bullshit. In modern times, all you need is a Fenrir, which replaces the cd drive unit in favor of a sd card slot.
I still have my copy, albeit with no console to play it on since my Saturn gave up the ghost. I'd absolutely love to see a remake or re-release of some kind, however since the Zwei remake was confirmed to be due out last June and there's literally been no update on it since, it does feel a bit like hoping against hope at this point.
I've never played this game but over the years I had heard about it and its legendary status. This video has finally made me decide to play it for myself. Emulation it is then! And I always appreciate the MGS references!
About the whole emulation thing, i would not exist as i am without it, and it boggles my mind how so many people look down on it. It was for most of my childhood the primary way of playing games and discovering new ones as well. It has shaped my personality and tastes in ways i couldn't get in any other way. I played many classic games, and most importantly, many obscure games, the ones less talked about, and if that were to be taken away from me it would make my life infinitely worse. I played so many games from so many different consoles that what i played is probably worth millions of dollars if i were to buy everything i needed to play said games. I am brazilian and grew up as a relatively poor kid who loved games, that coupled with the gaming market here being stupidly expensive meant that i only had access to older consoles, and often the games would be pirated ones (like 80% of brazilians back then and it still kind of like that today). Eventually, i got a pc as a gift, a piece of garbage pc of course, and didn't have anything to play in it. I did use emulators before on my cousin's pc but didn't really understand what it was or how to use it, and the way i got properly introduced to them was through a ps2 "7200 games in 1" disc that had some emulators in it, and it came with pc emulator as well. And that's how i started to love to play and discover new games from old consoles. I have the utmost respect for those who took the time to contribute to emulation, the developers of the emulators themselves, the research and documentation of games and consoles, game databases, game backups and anything in between. It made me experience so much, including the masterpiece that is Panzer Dragoon Saga.
@@Aldenfenris Yeah i think similar experiences to mine are pretty common in south america. Speaking of famiclones, i had 2 DVD players that had "games included", which was actually a collection of nes games built in, i still have one of those to this day lmao.
@@Blankult Mine was slightly curious, it was shaped like a super famicom, including the joypads (with the actual colors, but no L-R buttons) and it actually had a NES cartridge port, but came with an 'adapter' to plug in famicom carts. (It also came with a copy of.. Yie ar kung fu in a NES cart, the only NES cart I ever seen in real life). It also was ntsc I believe as opposed to the othe rfamiclones around that was pal, so it had a different speed. The adapter was an important part, since all you would ever find here were famicom carts.
19:02 Slight correction here. Only the first Panzer Dragoon game uses redbook audio for the soundtrack. Zwei either streams or generates the music using the Saturn's sound chip.
2023 has been, for me, unfortunately and similarly bleak. I've also lost family, profits from my art business have fallen to about 1/3 of the previous year with little hope in sight, social media seems to be actively fighting against artists, and my depression and anxiety have been hitting harder and harder. But the only way to go is forward and I'm determined (or just stubborn) enough to see what the future holds. I know I'm quite late with this but I've always enjoyed your works and hope to see more uploads in the future.
my friend found a complete (with box) copy of this game a few days ago and got it for $30 because of a pricing error. I now know why he was super excited about it. I'm going to play this game now!
Thank you so much for this video! As a huge fan of the work of Moebius, but someone who never really got comfortable with 3D graphics in video games (Still hooked on those pixels), this was the last big part of his legacy I had no real knowledge about. It was nice to see this series through your eyes.
This makes me really happy to hear. Moebius was indeed so forward-thinking, inventive, influential, genre-shattering, and more -- easily one of the greatest comics artists ever to have lived. It feels silly to say that he's "under-rated", and yet he still is, kind of?
@@MichaelSaba Absolutely. He's one of those people who's always there when you scratch under the surface, because his work was so influential on the people who loved his work and who got to do great things themselves. I do not think that science fiction, as a genre, almost in it's entirety would have been the same without his influence. But somehow most people still haven't heard of him. If we stand on the shoulders of giants, and the giants are mechas, then he is the shadow gundam of our world. A hulking 16.2 ton robot that is somehow stealthy enough to seemingly vanish in thin air, but who's influence on the world cannot be understated.
I burned this to a disk and played it on my Saturn a couple of years ago and this game blew me away. As someone who grew up watching stuff like Vampire Hunter D with it's post-apocalyptic world filled with all sorts of monsters, and the 1980 animated film Heavy Metal (when my friend's and I parents weren't around) especially the last story with Tarna the Last Tarakian riding on her something in between a Dragon and Pterodactyl, loved bizarre sci-fi like the tv show LEXX, loved Dystopian Western/Action/sci-fi like Stephen King's The Dark Tower (the 3rd book, The Wastelands, is still my favorite), listened to power metal bands like Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire with songs like Power of the Dragon Flame. Coming from a background like that this game was literally EVERYTHING I ever wanted in a video game and I'm still mad I never heard of this game until RUclips became a thing when it was too late. I'm glad I got to play it in some form but this should be talked about in the same reverence as Zelda Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy 7.
Wow what an absolutely INCREDIBLE video. Loved it. I don't know much about the game or the emulation scene itself, but I did have a Saturn and I loved that you showed Dragon Force. I played that game so much in middle school. I think I beat it with all of the 'heroes'. Anyway, this was a super high quality essay and I can't wait for the follow-up. Stoked to see you back.
Amen to this! All you really need to have a decent emulation experience is a cell phone and possibly an old Bluetooth game controller if you dislike on screen controls.
Thank you for this phenomenal video - while I'd never really heard of dragoon saga, the topic of preservation and archivism and it's intersection with piracy and copyright law has been something of a passion in me since before this game came out. I was raised to the view that the loss of art - any kind - is a tragedy for all humanity; that we are all standing in an ever-burning Library of Alexandria, and must be vigilent and dedicated to saving all we can from the flames. Now of course we're staring down the barrel of a future-present where the flames are becoming ever more literal. This video brought tears to my eyes repeatedly. A world with both too much yet not enough water - haunting, and terrifying. And real. And you frame things with an eye to the reality of the present that I rarely encounter in most climate discussions - that it's fucking here, that each *month* matters. Anyway. Thanks for this. I hope as many people as possible see it. For all our sakes.
I think old games are pretty safe, digital code doesn't degrade, and emulation will only get better. It's the modern, online-only games you should worry about. Also, Panzer Dragoon Saga is sweet! I played it on my phone, finished it twice.
This is one of the greatest documentaries on Panzer I've ever seen. You are such an eloquent and beautiful speaker. I was captivated the whole time. So much heart, depth and philosophy. I'm broke down and sobbed multiple times because of nostalgia and your incredibly relatable insights. I've subscribed to your channel and look forward towards your future videos. I have to say my biggest regret is selling my near mint copy of Panzer Saga on eBay a few years back for $500. It's amazing what you will do in dire times. Now that I'm more financially secure I am sooooo angry with myself for parting with piece of Saturn history...
I thought I was going to get a cool video about an old computer game. I was NOT prepared for the second half of this video. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for the effort, vulnerability and earnesty on show here.
Thank you for your hard work Michael, love to see you as always ♥ Take care of yourself in those hard times. Game Preservation would be a nice "ikigai" to have; since video games saved my life in a general sense, wouldn't it be natural to try to help in return?
NEW Dreaming In Neon!? Awesome! So glad to see you back at it. I discovered your channel during the Pandemic and it means a lot to me. I didn't know if you were ever going to upload another, but I'm glad you did.
Great video ! I actually bought a japanese Sega Saturn not that long ago. I'm currently learning japanese, and most japanese Saturn games are not expensive at all, so of course i bought Panzer Dragoon Saga as well. It's currently sitting on my shelf patiently waiting for my japanese to catch up.
I was fortunate enough to find a copy of PDS off eBay for a decent price about 10 years ago, missing the first disc. Fortunately, for whatever reason, a Sega magazine had sent out a "demo disc" of PDS which was literally just the entire first disc of the game. Still haven't finished the entire game, but i think I'll make an effort to now. Thanks for the video!
I really believe the Sega Saturn has one of the greatest video game libraries of all time. It's sad how hard it is to play these games and how few people have played them. And Sega of America really dropped the ball with the system, leaving the vast majority of its best games stranded in Japan only because of their obsession with only releasing 3D games. Hopefully we will see more Saturn games coming to modern systems, and hopefully dedicated emulation devices for CD era systems will become more common in years to come. I've got about half a dozen ways to play SNES games, but since my original systems broke down I've now got only one way to play Saturn and PS1 games. This really needs to change.
I could never feel the same enthusiasm for playing games after finishing Saga, which oddly is a cherished feeling of "finale" I keep that helped solidify the directions I wanted to go in life. I loved the experience, it is the only game I can remember keeping before giving a system away.
Note: You can also mutate your dragon mid-battle! I made heavy use of this. Anyway, I played this game after seeing the title of the video, but before watching it. I had played the remake of Panzer Dragoon previously, and kept hearing rumblings about Saga. I think it's my new favorite game. It's also the only JRPG I've finished, although I did kind of like Pokemon Red.
Did you know panzer dragoon saga was the most expensive video game of all time until shenmue? More expensive than final fantasy 7. It really shows as well. The game took three years of development. The game took out so much of team Andromeda that after saga was released they asked to be dissolved themselves and Sega did so. Sega expected this game to sell millions initially, but it got released at the end of the Saturns life.
@@drunkensailor112 wild arms 1,Suikoden 2, chrono cross, both lunar games ,bof 3,grandia,star ocean 2 i could go on but im guess you would have no clue what the next set i bring up even are
legitimately more people need to play Terranigma. it was a magical journey I can still recall 10+ years later. criminally underseen game, just like panzer dragoon saga
thank you so much for everything you do. it brings me so much joy every next video of yours I watch. they are works of art unto themselves which do total justice to the works they portray. much love and I wish the best for you
I've added this video to THREE of my youtube lists. Excellent subject. Excellent logical arguments. Excellent excellent excellent!!! Saw you link to this video from Sega Saturn game group in Facebook. Keep up the promotion and great work!
Comment for the unholy algorithm. But so thrilled to see you upload again ❤ Easily one of the most talented creators on here and I hope more people come to see that.
This is my favorite game of all time! I'm so happy that it's getting the love that it deserves now. When I first bought this game back in the day for the Sega Saturn it was part of the last run of Saturn games that I got from Japan. And I was never disappointed! And to hear that the myth of terrible Sega Saturn emulation is just that fills my heart with so much gladness. I have thought that this game and all of my Sega Saturn Classics were lost forever, but now I see that that was all just a myth and we can play these games again! You earned a sub for this man you really did lifetime as long as you have the channel I'll watch your stuff!
Its crazy to me that there are actual human beings on this planet who are so out of touch with reality that they define something that doesn't take something from another person as theft/piracy. These are people living in a fantasy world in which the downloading of, or making available, a file involves a gremlin going to someone's house and taking the file from them. Thank you So much sir for speaking the truth, that those who are deemed "pirates" are really true archivists.
It certainly isn't the companies. I remember back when the hd collection for silent hill 2 and 3 came out and a lot of people were pissed at Konami. Honestly, I'm surprised it wasn't worse considering that Konami had somehow lost the fricking source code to two of its most beloved and critically acclaimed games and the dev team had to scramble to find a workaround. Make no mistake, the money machine has no compassion for its marks.
Because it is functionally theft under certain specific circumstances. If something isn't legally available from the original provider or the pirate wouldn't purchase it to begin with it isn't theft. However if the pirate would otherwise buy it it's functionally no different from theft, just not theft with a monetary loss attached to it. For example if you pirate my game that you would otherwise pay money for I lose out on a potential sale, which in practical terms means it becomes harder for me to put food on the table. Granted big corporations just LOVE to argue every pirated copy is akin to theft, which it really isn't. As they can't reasonably assume every pirated copy would otherwise transfer to a sale. And especially with retro-games the vast majority isn't legally available to begin with.
I really wouldn't worry about that. There are so many damn people committed to game preservation, that all but the most obscure titles are in any danger. And even then, you have loads of people specifically hunting down obscure garbage just so they can one up each other. And the only way they get noticed is by sharing what they have with the world.
Largely agree with everything you said about emulation and preservation, but I will go to bat for Skyward Sword HD. More than just a "barebones" port, it introduces a significant number of quality of life improvements, while also including a more traditional control scheme, finally making the game accessible to people with mobility issues. The price point was too high, I'll agree with that, but overall I'd say it's a much more worthwhile rerelease than many of Nintendo's other rereleases (e.g. Mario 3D All Stars).
These features are so basic, original game shouldn't have shipped without them. It's like paying for a long overdue patch. Fan made community patches and mods for many games are more comprehensive than changes to SS HD.
I’ve been gaming since 1988. Have never sold a single game or system in my life. And guess what, I’m 100% behind emulating or otherwise digitally playing older games. In fact, today I feel it’s the better way to play retro games.
wonderful video. i just played this game through emulation a few weeks ago and haven't really known how to feel because it was THAT good. and ironically this video, one more about the surrounding circumstances rather than the game itself, really helped me think about it in a more focused manner. you're a great storyteller, keep this stuff up!
I’ve always looked at emulation like this; if the company making the games isn’t at this moment trying to make a profit than feel free to emulate it. Than If they do ever decide to re-release it officially buy it to support people who went through the effort of bringing it to you in a current format. A great example of this is the remake of Live A Live I played this game ages ago using an emulator now it’s getting incredible remake that stays true to the original while smoothing out the jank from the SNES. The original game SNES fan translation will still be there for this wanting to experience it. This would be the ideal scenario of course I’ve seen just as many bad remakes which are inferior to their original counterparts. Which is why I encourage people emulate and mod games if publishers won’t give you what you want than go get it yourself it’s available to you right now with a quick Google search. Do not hesitate to experience classic titles you may have never played from ages ago.
Copy right for games ar eabout 5 years. If they drop support its abandonware and free to distrubute etc with fans. Community. Really as simple as that. However if they resell an emulator. Or a different version etc. That doesnt change you being okay to emu.
@@quarreneverett4767 Well I don’t really care whether it’s legal or not the fact is it’s convenient. I can name many games I would not have played if not for emulation: Mother 3 (GBA), Terranigma (SNES), Fire Emblem: Genology Of The Holy War (SNES) as a few good examples of games that can only be played in English via emulation. Am I going to simply wait for the people who created these games to bring them to me legally. Especially in the case of Mother 3 I have no confidence in Nintendo to bring that game to English speaking audiences anytime soon. If they wanted to do it they would have done it by now. This is why I am perfectly ok with emulation legal or otherwise. Edit: Mother 3 is about 16 years old now and Nintendo has never issued a cease and desist to people who created the translation. Even though have sent CDs to many others they did not care Mother 3 then and they do not care about it now so emulate away.
@@wolffster25 like when ea got battlefield 2 ans 2142 fan site servers with fixes to shut down cause they made it playable again. They threatened them to shut down so they did
Emulate! Emulate! Emulate! Good art should not be hoarded by the rich and the corporate elite! Knowledge is our key to a better future! (Also, never pay for academic articles, as currently they are far too much money for your average person to afford! There are many websites where you can obtain them for free!!)
I owned a Saturn Christmas 96. I supported it from night until Ray earth... I couldn't find a copy of panzer dragoon saga in any video game store in my home town
This video was beautiful, thank you. I've only ever played PD1 via the old PC port and a rental copy of PD Orta, but I definitely need to check out Zwei and Saga now.
You're in for a treat. Both are superior entries. Zwei improves on the original in every way and Saga has some of the best atmosphere and storytelling for its time.
It makes me so sad how the perverse pressures of capitalism have ruined or hampered some of the greatest pieces of creativity we have gotten. The worlds of consoles doomed to relative obscurity due to poor sales, such as the dreamcast, saturn, gamecube, etc, are as beautiful as to me as the world of the playstation. All forms of our art should be preserved!
@@metalfacedoom3209 it would happen. Socialism and communism actually free people from eternal labour to do what they actually want. Socialism and communism aren't economic ruin and dictatorship, as much as you'd want to believe it or as much as western propaganda has brainwashed you.
@@mrheroprimes Why not both? Is creativity most born from freedom such as being able to own and profit from your creations under Capitalism, or from limitations such as Socialistic and Communistic countries banning anti-art games-as-disposable-services short-term profit-printers such as lootbox gambling?
I never understood why Sega never released this game on any of the console eshops or steam for like 15 or 20 dollars\euros, I'm sure it would sell,Sega should make a panzer dragoon , phantasy star and shining force collection package as well
Because SEGA are lame with their IP... Look, SOR has to be done by small French studios, Sonic Mania follow the same origin while games like Night, Burning Rangers, Skies of Arcadia or Panzer Dragoon were forgotten
@@Leynx-Et-Fenrir too true all they ever seem to do is constantly re-release the 16 bit sonic games almost on a annual basis ,there is so many ips they seemingly just threw away i would love to see a rent a hero game but I won't hold my breath lol
@@Bloodbane2099 The good news here is that the Fandom Does What Segacan't and are hard at work on an english translation of the Dreamcast Rent-A-Hero No. 1: www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=32314.0
37:00 ODE's exist. You don't need a expensive copy of a game to play it these days (or in the last ~10 years). A modern ODE for the Saturn is around 70 dollars (from the top of my head) and a Saturn can be gotten for around 30 to 40 dollars. The idea that playing games on original hardware is expensive is a pure myth. And that's not even touching piracy, at which point you can play Panzer Dragoon Saga for about 60 bucks (and a whole host of other games). Being able to play the whole library of a system for on the cheapest for some 60 bucks isn't this mythical super expensive only for collectors and speculators affair. The idea that it's binary between emulation and original hardware with the original disc is pure myth and has been since almost the launch of the Saturn. Emulation isn't perfect like so many love to proclaim but playing games on original hardware also isn't expensive as so many love to ploclaim.
Happy to have you back, and happier to hear Ill be seeing more of you in the future. And thanks for coming back. Life couldnt be harder right now, so let's all stick together and fight as hard as we can.
The only preservation problem we really facing now is music, you can still download games easily, and running games on custom copies ODEs ect only becomes easier as technology improves. Just last week nearly all uploads of Saga/Azel music were taken down on RUclips and if it's a copyright DMCA it's only a matter of time before unofficial archives are down too. The full CD album for Azel costs $300 used if you can even find it, the tracks on the game aren't redbook.
17:36 You are actually able to mutate your dragon during battle at the cost of one attack gauge. It is a very nice safety buffer if you enter an encounter an enemy that is your dragon's kryptonite.
thank god sometimes youtube still shows me an absolute gem like this video. You did justice to the spirit of panzer dragoon saga, by making a deeply profound video that went past just by celebrating the game
my brother and i were big into RPGs back in the day and were already fans of the series after playing the hell out of the first two games. my older brother had preordered panzer dragoon saga and when it arrived in the mail, it was one of the most excited moments of my teenage years. we still have out CIB copy and it's one of our most coveted games in our collection. it's such a wonderful, memoral game.
I own it and have a direct digital backup of my own disc and I play it to completion probably once a year. It has such great vibes and is one of my favorite games. It should be more available. Also as someone who was there? It only sold a few thousand copies because they only MADE a few thousand. There are even ads making fun of the fact that they didn’t make many copies of it from SEGA themselves.
I have never played this game or even heard of it but my goodness I think I need to check it out. Really happy you're back and sorry for your loss with the family. I lost people too this year.
So glad you’re back! RUclips can be demoralizing as fuck in terms of copyright or even getting people to see your video, but you do good work and I hope to see your stuff more frequently!
Ha, at 21:45 when I had looked away and heard the saxophone music I thought it was the end of the video and I was like "this guy is amazing, I need to subscribe and add this to my favorites," then more video started playing. This is great work that touches on all the important points! Keep it up!
The campfire in this game really resonated with me. While struggling with depression in high school like everyone else. The feeling of isolation this game provided me brought much comfort. Usually songs that I love in tone, bring me back to that experience such as jynweythek ylow.
Holy hell I've never been so excited to see an upload before! You're one of the few RUclipsrs that I've taken the time to see your entire catalogue . Keep it up!
One of my all time favourite games. I genuinely feel honoured to have been able to have played it. My copy sits proudly on my games shelf, although my Saturn is temperamental. The narration of this video was beautiful, and brought a tear to my eye. Thank you.
Worth noting that here, in France, we have a national museum who owns a nearly complete collection of physical copy of every single game released in France, and some versions from other countries, and they're accessible to researchers, as are versions of every console released here.
We also have a unique system made to convert the datas on fragile old physical support onto digital copies, for the purpose of archival.
Also worth noting that nearly ALL of those games and game consoles were donated by collectors and NOT by the console makers or publishers.
I was lucky enough to visit that archive a few years back, when participating to conference about video game history preservation, and it is both a sight to behold, and an incredibly depressing statement to lack of interest that publishers have in preserving their own history
@@PaladinGunn Lack of interest?
They're actively interested in _destroying_ their history because they want their creations to be disposable for endless consumption like Madden and Diablo Immoral, not art that outlasts the yearly bean counting.
What the name of the museum ? I really want to visit that place if their still doing so
Better use of people’s collection compared to the whack shelf collectors we see on youtube these days. I’ve never understood dedicating an entire basement to video games, only to play a percentage of them.
Ah France! One of the few nations that still get it! We also have in Brazil an private backed, but still vivid game musem of the games that were produced in this corner of the third world at the turn of the century. I would love to visit this archive someday, could you share its name please?
I played panzer dragoon on release. It immediately became my favourite game of all time.
I remember writing a guide on paper by hand.
This video does oof to my belly.
I would give anything to play the game again as I once did
Yeah loved the OG when it came out. Played a ton. But I’ve never played saga, didn’t even know it existed till way too late.
@@mrbransformer4184 It's been a goal of mine for too long to re obtain the title to archive a fresh version of it, but due to bad past choices I've missed a couple of real opportunities I've had previously. Due to pressure from others and bad timing.
I remember holding a copy in my hands 10 years or so ago for £250.00, and now it's £600.00. Regrets.
Never let people make you feel bad for following your heart kids, because listening to others can lead to some painful reflection down the line, I tell you what.
I especially loved the games ties to zwei. Both games being developed at the same time and interacting with each other via the pandoras box features. Playing saga unlocking features in zwei and vice-versa.
Zwei is also an astounding high point in the shooter genera for me that I find often gets overlooked by people talking and writing about the series to an extent.
@@SEiiBUTSU I managed to get an original copy for £80 about 12 years ago. I’ve also got it copied to CD rom to play in my chipped Saturn. I love that game. I’m so glad I did buy it when I did as the price for it now is insane although at the time I thought that £80 was far to much but i really wanted it
I think I still have a copy....know I have virtua cop with lightgun....frank Thomas big hurt baseball....lol. Panzer Dragoon was great. I had rented it on saturn and then bought it as it was awesome.
@@bluewffl8472 it’s worth having a look for it. I know in Europe it regularly sells for around £400-£700 if it’s boxed
I've been ludicrously excited to see this video in its final form for so long and it yet surpassed my expectations.
Video game preservation and emulation has been dear to my heart for decades and as such it makes such a great case to bust through the misconceptions people have been manipulated into believing (i.e. emulation is illegal and you'll go to Nintendo-jail for it). I genuinely hope it gets more people to try their hand at it.
And at the same time, it's such a wonderful love letter to Panzer Dragoon Saga, that I now regret never having finished.
It's time.
Glad you're back on your bullshit -- Panzer Dragoon Forever!✊
You should cover some of these obscure sci-fi classics. I know you do where it applies to horror, but I think you could stand to expand your horizons. "Monster of the Week" is a series for your channel. Let us see the others!
Have you done "Fear Effect" yet? Stop slacking Ragnar.
archiving music, tv, movies, and games are why i've always thought anyone with a pc should get as much storage as possible and just fill it with all their favorite things. trust not in streaming lol
I agree i neen saying similar things for many years
About emulation and stuff
THE RETURN OF THE KING
I love hearing anybody talk about this game. Every person who does with a platform nudges this masterpiece of an RPG closer to entering the popular video game cannon. It's truly one of a kind, revolutionary, and get's my highest recommendation. It's the greatest piece of art in gaming that has so little fanfare or number of people who played it and it absolutely mut be re-released so that it isn't lost to history.
haha he said cannon
Cant believe youre back my man, Imma comment first then watch what is sure a great video again.
Same, for the algorithm
Great video!
Little correction: Metropolis is still not fully available. The Argentina version is longer and better quality than any versions up to that point but even that one is still missing a little bit of the movie.
Correction to your correction: the Argentinian footage is actually extremely poor quality. It’s only used in current releases for the 20-odd minutes where no other source exists. It’s the footage that’s badly damaged and cut off at one side. It essentially completes the film though
@@j4yb0b You're right. I remember watching the new restorated version after the Argentina findings for its premiere in German TV. They inserted the footage in the already restorated version that was known until then. But I also remember that it still was not the whole movie, there was a whole escape section near 3/4 of the movie that was told through text, because the scenes are still missing.
I pre-ordered Panzer Dragoon Saga from my local game store back in 98 knowing it was going to be something special. I once thought the eBay price of $200 was going to be the ceiling for several years and held off from selling. Glad I kept it in storage!
Good to see you back!
These are the kinds of games I am always seeking out. Oversized ambitions artfully squeezed into a too small space often result in the best forgotten gems. Thanks for delving into this bit of history!
I stopped at the time in the video where you mentioned the term "avant-garde". And that's what drew me to Saga and the series as a kid. I thought back then "damn! I'm in for a treat if there's more games like this in the future!life is awesome!". But then the years rolled on and not many games seemed to want to do something that thought a little bit ahead.
Apart from Riven and the Myst series, and the Legacy of Kain games I haven't come across anything in gaming that really transported me somewhere I haven't been before in the way Panzer Dragoon did. I wish more people were concerned with breaking new ground with their worldbuilding in games. The medium has such potential, but creativity is being stiffled by numbers these days.
Thanks for the video :)
If this beautiful channel can come back from the dead, then so can Panzer Dragoon. My brothers in Christ, let us go to the emulation archives once more!
Yes my brother in odin
Yes my brother in Tiamat let the gates of archives will be forever open
exceptional work, as expected
i actually work in entertainment media preservation/archiving, and this certainly makes me think we need to push into games at some point
if i can develop enough of a reputation (im getting there), i'll be able to push this onto some very important people
if anything so wild actually happens, you will be the first to know
Keep pushing we'll support
A few things: firstly, I was truly overjoyed to see another video come into my perspective of your magnificent magnitude. Thank you for being here.
Secondly, the entire DRAKENGARD/Nier series is very close to my heart, so seeing the inspiration behind the dragon combat was awesome!
And lastly, when Legend of Mana got a bare bones remaster compared to every other game in the series, my fears were confirmed. Because of it being #4 in the series as well as the most out there of the entire franchise, I knew it would be given the least amount of work, which hurt every time I brought it up to someone. I wanted it to happen so bad but I was dreading the result.
There is a fan patch emulatpr thing i think i heard spmewhere as a superipr form
There was a youtibe video woth it. Idk whom it was
I've played PDS on an original (Japanese) Saturn albeit using a burned CD back in the 2010s. While a bitch and half to get working (I used the action replay hack) and I did physically shock myself doing so (accidentally touched the powered internals trying to quick swap a disk) in the end it was all worth it to play this masterpiece
I'm happy emulation has gotten to the point where people can enjoy it without having to go through 50,000 steps involving original hardware
Bingo, and what you describe is exactly why emulation is so important. Even when I played it back in middle school on original hardware, it still wasn't a glitch-free experience. The switch from disc 2 to disc 3 didn't "take" several times, which almost brought our marathon playthrough to a crashing halt then and there.
Now, anyone with the willpower can enjoy this masterpiece right now -- just as it should be.
@@MichaelSaba fuck it pride aside I’m halfway computer literate and work too much to look up a good tutorial for getting the emulator going tbh you think you could just drop me a quick bulletpoint of text on how I can play this? Lolz sorry I know that might sound dumb lolz
Wow, you went through all that heartache for nothing. To get any burned game to work, all that is required is an original sega saturn game (doesn't matter what game) and a burned disc. What you do is you need to take the cover off and put a piece of tape on the cd cover switch to trick it into thinking that the door is always closed, then you put the original game in first, and listen for the lense to move to the top of the track, and then immediately swap the burned disc in. With a little practice, you get a 100% bootup rate. No modchips, no action replays, no bullshit. In modern times, all you need is a Fenrir, which replaces the cd drive unit in favor of a sd card slot.
I'm glad my RUclips recommended a video from you randomly one time despite your last post being like a year ago.
I'm just glad that PDS is getting more attention. I keep hope that we'll see a remaster or remake in the future.
I still have my copy, albeit with no console to play it on since my Saturn gave up the ghost.
I'd absolutely love to see a remake or re-release of some kind, however since the Zwei remake was confirmed to be due out last June and there's literally been no update on it since, it does feel a bit like hoping against hope at this point.
Remaster is impossible unless the source code is recovered. As of today, it's lost.
One of the great ones woke up and chose to shine bright once more for us
Miss you Saba
I've never played this game but over the years I had heard about it and its legendary status. This video has finally made me decide to play it for myself. Emulation it is then!
And I always appreciate the MGS references!
About the whole emulation thing, i would not exist as i am without it, and it boggles my mind how so many people look down on it.
It was for most of my childhood the primary way of playing games and discovering new ones as well. It has shaped my personality and tastes in ways i couldn't get in any other way. I played many classic games, and most importantly, many obscure games, the ones less talked about, and if that were to be taken away from me it would make my life infinitely worse. I played so many games from so many different consoles that what i played is probably worth millions of dollars if i were to buy everything i needed to play said games.
I am brazilian and grew up as a relatively poor kid who loved games, that coupled with the gaming market here being stupidly expensive meant that i only had access to older consoles, and often the games would be pirated ones (like 80% of brazilians back then and it still kind of like that today).
Eventually, i got a pc as a gift, a piece of garbage pc of course, and didn't have anything to play in it. I did use emulators before on my cousin's pc but didn't really understand what it was or how to use it, and the way i got properly introduced to them was through a ps2 "7200 games in 1" disc that had some emulators in it, and it came with pc emulator as well. And that's how i started to love to play and discover new games from old consoles.
I have the utmost respect for those who took the time to contribute to emulation, the developers of the emulators themselves, the research and documentation of games and consoles, game databases, game backups and anything in between. It made me experience so much, including the masterpiece that is Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Similar story here, just change Brazil for argentina. First console was a famiclone, and old emulated stuff on an old PC
@@Aldenfenris Yeah i think similar experiences to mine are pretty common in south america. Speaking of famiclones, i had 2 DVD players that had "games included", which was actually a collection of nes games built in, i still have one of those to this day lmao.
@@Blankult Mine was slightly curious, it was shaped like a super famicom, including the joypads (with the actual colors, but no L-R buttons) and it actually had a NES cartridge port, but came with an 'adapter' to plug in famicom carts. (It also came with a copy of.. Yie ar kung fu in a NES cart, the only NES cart I ever seen in real life). It also was ntsc I believe as opposed to the othe rfamiclones around that was pal, so it had a different speed. The adapter was an important part, since all you would ever find here were famicom carts.
This is one of the most important videos about videogames ever uploaded on this platform. Thank you.
19:02 Slight correction here. Only the first Panzer Dragoon game uses redbook audio for the soundtrack. Zwei either streams or generates the music using the Saturn's sound chip.
2023 has been, for me, unfortunately and similarly bleak. I've also lost family, profits from my art business have fallen to about 1/3 of the previous year with little hope in sight, social media seems to be actively fighting against artists, and my depression and anxiety have been hitting harder and harder. But the only way to go is forward and I'm determined (or just stubborn) enough to see what the future holds.
I know I'm quite late with this but I've always enjoyed your works and hope to see more uploads in the future.
I never did like this type of rpg games, but hell if i ain't going to emulate and play this game after this incredible video.
my friend found a complete (with box) copy of this game a few days ago and got it for $30 because of a pricing error. I now know why he was super excited about it.
I'm going to play this game now!
Great video. I was never this touched by a talk about emulation.
I cant believe my constant search for "panzer dragoon saga essay" paid off, thank you for making this video
Thank you so much for this video! As a huge fan of the work of Moebius, but someone who never really got comfortable with 3D graphics in video games (Still hooked on those pixels), this was the last big part of his legacy I had no real knowledge about. It was nice to see this series through your eyes.
This makes me really happy to hear. Moebius was indeed so forward-thinking, inventive, influential, genre-shattering, and more -- easily one of the greatest comics artists ever to have lived. It feels silly to say that he's "under-rated", and yet he still is, kind of?
@@MichaelSaba Absolutely. He's one of those people who's always there when you scratch under the surface, because his work was so influential on the people who loved his work and who got to do great things themselves. I do not think that science fiction, as a genre, almost in it's entirety would have been the same without his influence. But somehow most people still haven't heard of him.
If we stand on the shoulders of giants, and the giants are mechas, then he is the shadow gundam of our world. A hulking 16.2 ton robot that is somehow stealthy enough to seemingly vanish in thin air, but who's influence on the world cannot be understated.
I burned this to a disk and played it on my Saturn a couple of years ago and this game blew me away. As someone who grew up watching stuff like Vampire Hunter D with it's post-apocalyptic world filled with all sorts of monsters, and the 1980 animated film Heavy Metal (when my friend's and I parents weren't around) especially the last story with Tarna the Last Tarakian riding on her something in between a Dragon and Pterodactyl, loved bizarre sci-fi like the tv show LEXX, loved Dystopian Western/Action/sci-fi like Stephen King's The Dark Tower (the 3rd book, The Wastelands, is still my favorite), listened to power metal bands like Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire with songs like Power of the Dragon Flame. Coming from a background like that this game was literally EVERYTHING I ever wanted in a video game and I'm still mad I never heard of this game until RUclips became a thing when it was too late. I'm glad I got to play it in some form but this should be talked about in the same reverence as Zelda Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy 7.
Wow what an absolutely INCREDIBLE video. Loved it. I don't know much about the game or the emulation scene itself, but I did have a Saturn and I loved that you showed Dragon Force. I played that game so much in middle school. I think I beat it with all of the 'heroes'. Anyway, this was a super high quality essay and I can't wait for the follow-up. Stoked to see you back.
Amen to this! All you really need to have a decent emulation experience is a cell phone and possibly an old Bluetooth game controller if you dislike on screen controls.
Thank you for this phenomenal video - while I'd never really heard of dragoon saga, the topic of preservation and archivism and it's intersection with piracy and copyright law has been something of a passion in me since before this game came out. I was raised to the view that the loss of art - any kind - is a tragedy for all humanity; that we are all standing in an ever-burning Library of Alexandria, and must be vigilent and dedicated to saving all we can from the flames. Now of course we're staring down the barrel of a future-present where the flames are becoming ever more literal.
This video brought tears to my eyes repeatedly. A world with both too much yet not enough water - haunting, and terrifying. And real. And you frame things with an eye to the reality of the present that I rarely encounter in most climate discussions - that it's fucking here, that each *month* matters.
Anyway. Thanks for this. I hope as many people as possible see it. For all our sakes.
Just found this channel yesterday. Everyone is saying welcome back though. Seems like I found him at the right time
I think old games are pretty safe, digital code doesn't degrade, and emulation will only get better. It's the modern, online-only games you should worry about. Also, Panzer Dragoon Saga is sweet! I played it on my phone, finished it twice.
Your videos are always cinematic experiences, and I get so excited to see a new one pop up. Your hard work is appreciated.
Perfect I just got food, thank you and glad to see you're back
This is one of the greatest documentaries on Panzer I've ever seen. You are such an eloquent and beautiful speaker. I was captivated the whole time. So much heart, depth and philosophy. I'm broke down and sobbed multiple times because of nostalgia and your incredibly relatable insights. I've subscribed to your channel and look forward towards your future videos. I have to say my biggest regret is selling my near mint copy of Panzer Saga on eBay a few years back for $500. It's amazing what you will do in dire times. Now that I'm more financially secure I am sooooo angry with myself for parting with piece of Saturn history...
I played this game on launch day, gaming used to be pure, it used to be art 😢
I thought I was going to get a cool video about an old computer game. I was NOT prepared for the second half of this video. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for the effort, vulnerability and earnesty on show here.
I like the way you review stuff, i hope you're still kicking out there
Ah, it's that time of year again. Nothing says 365 days have passed quite like seeing a new Michael Saba video. Great to have you back!
Thank you for your hard work Michael, love to see you as always ♥ Take care of yourself in those hard times.
Game Preservation would be a nice "ikigai" to have; since video games saved my life in a general sense, wouldn't it be natural to try to help in return?
Like so many others here I was moved to tears by the end. Thank you Michael, for a truly wonderful video
COME BACK BROOOO
I was not expecting to feel so emotional coming off this. Good job.
You might subtitle this video the "panzer dragoon saba"
NEW Dreaming In Neon!?
Awesome! So glad to see you back at it. I discovered your channel during the Pandemic and it means a lot to me. I didn't know if you were ever going to upload another, but I'm glad you did.
Great video ! I actually bought a japanese Sega Saturn not that long ago. I'm currently learning japanese, and most japanese Saturn games are not expensive at all, so of course i bought Panzer Dragoon Saga as well. It's currently sitting on my shelf patiently waiting for my japanese to catch up.
I was fortunate enough to find a copy of PDS off eBay for a decent price about 10 years ago, missing the first disc. Fortunately, for whatever reason, a Sega magazine had sent out a "demo disc" of PDS which was literally just the entire first disc of the game. Still haven't finished the entire game, but i think I'll make an effort to now. Thanks for the video!
I really believe the Sega Saturn has one of the greatest video game libraries of all time. It's sad how hard it is to play these games and how few people have played them. And Sega of America really dropped the ball with the system, leaving the vast majority of its best games stranded in Japan only because of their obsession with only releasing 3D games. Hopefully we will see more Saturn games coming to modern systems, and hopefully dedicated emulation devices for CD era systems will become more common in years to come. I've got about half a dozen ways to play SNES games, but since my original systems broke down I've now got only one way to play Saturn and PS1 games. This really needs to change.
Emulation will get easier to do
I could never feel the same enthusiasm for playing games after finishing Saga, which oddly is a cherished feeling of "finale" I keep that helped solidify the directions I wanted to go in life.
I loved the experience, it is the only game I can remember keeping before giving a system away.
you ok bro it’s been a year
Almost two now...
Note: You can also mutate your dragon mid-battle! I made heavy use of this.
Anyway, I played this game after seeing the title of the video, but before watching it. I had played the remake of Panzer Dragoon previously, and kept hearing rumblings about Saga. I think it's my new favorite game. It's also the only JRPG I've finished, although I did kind of like Pokemon Red.
Did you know panzer dragoon saga was the most expensive video game of all time until shenmue? More expensive than final fantasy 7. It really shows as well. The game took three years of development.
The game took out so much of team Andromeda that after saga was released they asked to be dissolved themselves and Sega did so. Sega expected this game to sell millions initially, but it got released at the end of the Saturns life.
but ff7 is light years ahead in everyway
@@grimsvaultstreaming3956 no. It was behind in literally everything compared to saga.
@@drunkensailor112 lol nope your fanboying there are at least 15 far better rpgs of that ear maybe ore and iv played them all
@@grimsvaultstreaming3956 oh your opinion is higher than mine? I couldn't name a single thing better in ff7, but please provide if you can
@@drunkensailor112 wild arms 1,Suikoden 2, chrono cross, both lunar games ,bof 3,grandia,star ocean 2 i could go on but im guess you would have no clue what the next set i bring up even are
legitimately more people need to play Terranigma. it was a magical journey I can still recall 10+ years later. criminally underseen game, just like panzer dragoon saga
Where did you go?!
thank you so much for everything you do. it brings me so much joy every next video of yours I watch. they are works of art unto themselves which do total justice to the works they portray. much love and I wish the best for you
Imo panzer dragoon saga has the greatest storyline and ending in any video game. For that to understand it is mandatory to first play 1 and zwei
I've added this video to THREE of my youtube lists. Excellent subject. Excellent logical arguments. Excellent excellent excellent!!!
Saw you link to this video from Sega Saturn game group in Facebook. Keep up the promotion and great work!
Comment for the unholy algorithm. But so thrilled to see you upload again ❤ Easily one of the most talented creators on here and I hope more people come to see that.
This is my favorite game of all time! I'm so happy that it's getting the love that it deserves now. When I first bought this game back in the day for the Sega Saturn it was part of the last run of Saturn games that I got from Japan. And I was never disappointed! And to hear that the myth of terrible Sega Saturn emulation is just that fills my heart with so much gladness. I have thought that this game and all of my Sega Saturn Classics were lost forever, but now I see that that was all just a myth and we can play these games again! You earned a sub for this man you really did lifetime as long as you have the channel I'll watch your stuff!
Its crazy to me that there are actual human beings on this planet who are so out of touch with reality that they define something that doesn't take something from another person as theft/piracy. These are people living in a fantasy world in which the downloading of, or making available, a file involves a gremlin going to someone's house and taking the file from them. Thank you So much sir for speaking the truth, that those who are deemed "pirates" are really true archivists.
It certainly isn't the companies. I remember back when the hd collection for silent hill 2 and 3 came out and a lot of people were pissed at Konami. Honestly, I'm surprised it wasn't worse considering that Konami had somehow lost the fricking source code to two of its most beloved and critically acclaimed games and the dev team had to scramble to find a workaround. Make no mistake, the money machine has no compassion for its marks.
Because it is functionally theft under certain specific circumstances. If something isn't legally available from the original provider or the pirate wouldn't purchase it to begin with it isn't theft. However if the pirate would otherwise buy it it's functionally no different from theft, just not theft with a monetary loss attached to it. For example if you pirate my game that you would otherwise pay money for I lose out on a potential sale, which in practical terms means it becomes harder for me to put food on the table.
Granted big corporations just LOVE to argue every pirated copy is akin to theft, which it really isn't. As they can't reasonably assume every pirated copy would otherwise transfer to a sale. And especially with retro-games the vast majority isn't legally available to begin with.
I really wouldn't worry about that. There are so many damn people committed to game preservation, that all but the most obscure titles are in any danger. And even then, you have loads of people specifically hunting down obscure garbage just so they can one up each other. And the only way they get noticed is by sharing what they have with the world.
Largely agree with everything you said about emulation and preservation, but I will go to bat for Skyward Sword HD. More than just a "barebones" port, it introduces a significant number of quality of life improvements, while also including a more traditional control scheme, finally making the game accessible to people with mobility issues. The price point was too high, I'll agree with that, but overall I'd say it's a much more worthwhile rerelease than many of Nintendo's other rereleases (e.g. Mario 3D All Stars).
As someone who (foolishly) bought Mario 3D All Stars -- can confirm
These features are so basic, original game shouldn't have shipped without them. It's like paying for a long overdue patch. Fan made community patches and mods for many games are more comprehensive than changes to SS HD.
I’ve been gaming since 1988. Have never sold a single game or system in my life. And guess what, I’m 100% behind emulating or otherwise digitally playing older games. In fact, today I feel it’s the better way to play retro games.
This game aged extremely well, and I can confidently say that because I played it for the first time like a year ago.
Well apart from the graphics I'd say. The music has aged the best as it should've been
I'm glad I beat it because 24-mins in a major spoiler was dropped with no warning.
Guess I'm taking a "Saba"tical
wonderful video. i just played this game through emulation a few weeks ago and haven't really known how to feel because it was THAT good. and ironically this video, one more about the surrounding circumstances rather than the game itself, really helped me think about it in a more focused manner. you're a great storyteller, keep this stuff up!
I’ve always looked at emulation like this; if the company making the games isn’t at this moment trying to make a profit than feel free to emulate it. Than If they do ever decide to re-release it officially buy it to support people who went through the effort of bringing it to you in a current format. A great example of this is the remake of Live A Live I played this game ages ago using an emulator now it’s getting incredible remake that stays true to the original while smoothing out the jank from the SNES. The original game SNES fan translation will still be there for this wanting to experience it.
This would be the ideal scenario of course I’ve seen just as many bad remakes which are inferior to their original counterparts. Which is why I encourage people emulate and mod games if publishers won’t give you what you want than go get it yourself it’s available to you right now with a quick Google search. Do not hesitate to experience classic titles you may have never played from ages ago.
Copy right for games ar eabout 5 years. If they drop support its abandonware and free to distrubute etc with fans. Community. Really as simple as that. However if they resell an emulator. Or a different version etc. That doesnt change you being okay to emu.
@@quarreneverett4767 Well I don’t really care whether it’s legal or not the fact is it’s convenient. I can name many games I would not have played if not for emulation: Mother 3 (GBA), Terranigma (SNES), Fire Emblem: Genology Of The Holy War (SNES) as a few good examples of games that can only be played in English via emulation. Am I going to simply wait for the people who created these games to bring them to me legally. Especially in the case of Mother 3 I have no confidence in Nintendo to bring that game to English speaking audiences anytime soon. If they wanted to do it they would have done it by now. This is why I am perfectly ok with emulation legal or otherwise.
Edit: Mother 3 is about 16 years old now and Nintendo has never issued a cease and desist to people who created the translation. Even though have sent CDs to many others they did not care Mother 3 then and they do not care about it now so emulate away.
@@wolffster25 i think you got the wrong idea. You preaching the choir here :)
@@wolffster25 i dont dissagree with alot of that indeed. Companies try to hard to bully and use scare tactics
@@wolffster25 like when ea got battlefield 2 ans 2142 fan site servers with fixes to shut down cause they made it playable again. They threatened them to shut down so they did
I wasn't expecting the Third Impact in my Panzer Dragoon video, got the like for sure
Emulate! Emulate! Emulate! Good art should not be hoarded by the rich and the corporate elite! Knowledge is our key to a better future! (Also, never pay for academic articles, as currently they are far too much money for your average person to afford! There are many websites where you can obtain them for free!!)
I owned a Saturn Christmas 96. I supported it from night until Ray earth... I couldn't find a copy of panzer dragoon saga in any video game store in my home town
Just crawling out of the ether to drop an hour long essay on an extremely niche topic. Very cool, Michael
This video was beautiful, thank you.
I've only ever played PD1 via the old PC port and a rental copy of PD Orta, but I definitely need to check out Zwei and Saga now.
You're in for a treat. Both are superior entries. Zwei improves on the original in every way and Saga has some of the best atmosphere and storytelling for its time.
It makes me so sad how the perverse pressures of capitalism have ruined or hampered some of the greatest pieces of creativity we have gotten. The worlds of consoles doomed to relative obscurity due to poor sales, such as the dreamcast, saturn, gamecube, etc, are as beautiful as to me as the world of the playstation. All forms of our art should be preserved!
Capitalism has always limited creativity. The simps just love to state otherwise
@@harrylane4 Not a government simp, but you can thank the government-funded internet to have this message arrive in front of your face lol.
@@metalfacedoom3209 it would happen. Socialism and communism actually free people from eternal labour to do what they actually want.
Socialism and communism aren't economic ruin and dictatorship, as much as you'd want to believe it or as much as western propaganda has brainwashed you.
@@metalfacedoom3209 you're confusing socialism with Communism.
@@mrheroprimes Why not both?
Is creativity most born from freedom such as being able to own and profit from your creations under Capitalism, or from limitations such as Socialistic and Communistic countries banning anti-art games-as-disposable-services short-term profit-printers such as lootbox gambling?
man, this video really got me good, by the time the nights ost started playing at the end I was overcome with emotion, thanks for making this gem 🙏
I never understood why Sega never released this game on any of the console eshops or steam for like 15 or 20 dollars\euros, I'm sure it would sell,Sega should make a panzer dragoon , phantasy star and shining force collection package as well
Because SEGA are lame with their IP... Look, SOR has to be done by small French studios, Sonic Mania follow the same origin while games like Night, Burning Rangers, Skies of Arcadia or Panzer Dragoon were forgotten
@@Leynx-Et-Fenrir too true all they ever seem to do is constantly re-release the 16 bit sonic games almost on a annual basis ,there is so many ips they seemingly just threw away i would love to see a rent a hero game but I won't hold my breath lol
Sega lost the source code decades ago.
@@Bloodbane2099 The good news here is that the Fandom Does What Segacan't and are hard at work on an english translation of the Dreamcast Rent-A-Hero No. 1: www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=32314.0
Markets don't provide us with what we needs they provide what people feel like selling
They don't deliver to real demands
I miss your twitch streams, man. Have a good one, whatever you're doing.
Same here. He still writes scripts with RagnarRox regularly though. To what extent (I'm guessing, a lot of it) and why it's only a footnote, that idk.
37:00 ODE's exist. You don't need a expensive copy of a game to play it these days (or in the last ~10 years). A modern ODE for the Saturn is around 70 dollars (from the top of my head) and a Saturn can be gotten for around 30 to 40 dollars. The idea that playing games on original hardware is expensive is a pure myth. And that's not even touching piracy, at which point you can play Panzer Dragoon Saga for about 60 bucks (and a whole host of other games). Being able to play the whole library of a system for on the cheapest for some 60 bucks isn't this mythical super expensive only for collectors and speculators affair.
The idea that it's binary between emulation and original hardware with the original disc is pure myth and has been since almost the launch of the Saturn. Emulation isn't perfect like so many love to proclaim but playing games on original hardware also isn't expensive as so many love to ploclaim.
Happy to have you back, and happier to hear Ill be seeing more of you in the future. And thanks for coming back. Life couldnt be harder right now, so let's all stick together and fight as hard as we can.
A spoiler warning would've been nice you just spoiled the ending on a game we didn't get to play
I haven't dreamt in neon for a year and a half. I'm starting to get withdrawals haha. Miss you dude, hope you're doing well.
The only preservation problem we really facing now is music, you can still download games easily, and running games on custom copies ODEs ect only becomes easier as technology improves.
Just last week nearly all uploads of Saga/Azel music were taken down on RUclips and if it's a copyright DMCA it's only a matter of time before unofficial archives are down too.
The full CD album for Azel costs $300 used if you can even find it, the tracks on the game aren't redbook.
I appreciate the effort you've gone to in finding only the highest quality footage and images really well made video thanks
Thanks for coming back with such a video. Always nice to see you around on youtube
17:36 You are actually able to mutate your dragon during battle at the cost of one attack gauge. It is a very nice safety buffer if you enter an encounter an enemy that is your dragon's kryptonite.
thank god sometimes youtube still shows me an absolute gem like this video. You did justice to the spirit of panzer dragoon saga, by making a deeply profound video that went past just by celebrating the game
This is some of your best work yet imo. I do think that, with this quality of content this channel is bound for YT greatness. Thank you!
Your videos give me a nostalgic feeling but in the best possible way. No other channel does this for me, so i treasure these videos. Thank you.
my brother and i were big into RPGs back in the day and were already fans of the series after playing the hell out of the first two games. my older brother had preordered panzer dragoon saga and when it arrived in the mail, it was one of the most excited moments of my teenage years. we still have out CIB copy and it's one of our most coveted games in our collection. it's such a wonderful, memoral game.
I own it and have a direct digital backup of my own disc and I play it to completion probably once a year.
It has such great vibes and is one of my favorite games.
It should be more available.
Also as someone who was there?
It only sold a few thousand copies because they only MADE a few thousand.
There are even ads making fun of the fact that they didn’t make many copies of it from SEGA themselves.
I hope you can do a recording of your play through.
I have never played this game or even heard of it but my goodness I think I need to check it out. Really happy you're back and sorry for your loss with the family. I lost people too this year.
So glad you’re back! RUclips can be demoralizing as fuck in terms of copyright or even getting people to see your video, but you do good work and I hope to see your stuff more frequently!
Youtub me isnt even doing cooy right they are being felons
Ha, at 21:45 when I had looked away and heard the saxophone music I thought it was the end of the video and I was like "this guy is amazing, I need to subscribe and add this to my favorites," then more video started playing. This is great work that touches on all the important points! Keep it up!
The campfire in this game really resonated with me. While struggling with depression in high school like everyone else. The feeling of isolation this game provided me brought much comfort. Usually songs that I love in tone, bring me back to that experience such as jynweythek ylow.
Holy hell I've never been so excited to see an upload before! You're one of the few RUclipsrs that I've taken the time to see your entire catalogue . Keep it up!
One of my all time favourite games. I genuinely feel honoured to have been able to have played it. My copy sits proudly on my games shelf, although my Saturn is temperamental. The narration of this video was beautiful, and brought a tear to my eye. Thank you.
Constantly blown away as to how good your videos are, wow!!