Game music of the day: Panzer Dragoon

Game: Panzer Dragoon

Song: Flight

Composer: Yoshitaka Azuma


Above: Flight from Panzer Dragoon

It's been an interesting week for aging videogame classics. Sonic Adventure plopped onto XBLA, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are getting HD makeovers andRadiant Silver Gun, a Japan-only, Saturn-exclusive shooter that's been a collector's holy grail for years is also getting a second chance at life. And as long as we're talking about Saturn classics, that immediately leads to Panzer Dragoon and its nearly incomperable orchestral score.

There's a lot to like about Panzer right off the top. Riding a dragon through enemy-infested skies, armed with multi-targeting missiles that scatter across the screen in a dazzling array of direction and color... all in ugly-ass 32-bit polygons. But! Even though the visuals need a pick me up, the music ties it all together, especially the very first song from level one. It's so soaring and whimsical, sounding more like a legitimate movie score than a 1995 videogame. CD-based console games were still new, so at the time this music was mind-blowing. Today it's just plain beautiful.


Above: "Empire" from the OST, a bit more videogame-y but still fits theaction perfectly


Above: The lone remix fromOverClockedveteran McVaffe

With ICO and Colossus coming to PS3, the next HD collection on my wishlist is Panzer one and two (plus Saga, but that's just getting greedy). The Panzerworld was already captivating when it was butt ugly - imagine what it couldlook like with 15 years of new tech behind it, surpassing even the Xbox's Panzer Dragoon Orta. But, as graphics rise and fall, that original score will remain as effective as it was on day one.


The Battle Begins by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori


Level one by Naoki Kodaka and Nobuyuki Hara


The Advantage, Mega Driver, Metroid Metal and more!

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE. 

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