Dragon Rage

UPC: 790561522713

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: The 3DO Company

Developer: The 3DO Company

Category: Action

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Action

Synopsis: The subject of many a legend and folktale, dragons are portrayed by various cultures as evil or as the complete antithesis thereof -- wise and noble warriors. Dragon Rage, a third-person shooter which borrows heavily from the likes of Panzer Dragoon, assumes the latter, and grants the user control of a dragon named Cael. As one of the few remaining dragons, Cael must avenge the death of his brethren who were hunted down and killed at the hands of the malevolent orcs. Using his inherent fire-breathing powers and strength, Cael must complete objective-based missions that range in scope from the slaughter of entire orc armies to acquiring eggs. Livestock can be consumed to replenish energy, while snacking on orcs restores mana, which enables the use of powerful elemental magic. Rage powers, as they are called, can be obtained by eating five cows and sacrificing their souls at a shrine. Shrines imbue the dragon with elemental abilities that increase his defensive and offensive capabilities. In addition, each cow consumed refills both health and mana levels. By pressing the requisite buttons, players can perform 180-degree turns, barrel rolls, and strafe to avoid hostile attacks. A sprite-girl named Adara, whose parents are being held captive by the orcs, accompanies Cael on his journey and grants him special powers as the need arises. Six multiplayer-exclusive levels allow players to compete in Egg Hunt, Feeding Frenzy, and Dragon Duel game events. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Registration Card

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The black-and-white manual explains the game adequately but isn't all that exciting to read. ~ Jeremy Lee, All Game Guide

Blurry and pretty ugly, Dragon Rage looks as if it were released four years before it actually was. The cinematic movies are well done, however. ~ Jeremy Lee, All Game Guide

Take control of a dragon that has been enslaved by orcs and seek your revenge! Sounds like a great idea, right? Unfortunately, the game drains any excitement out of controlling a dragon and quickly becomes a mediocre flying shooter. When compared to Drakan: The Ancients' Gate, a superior dragon-based combat game that was released near the same time, Dragon Rage just doesn't have anything substantial to offer. Dragon Rage begins with a cinematic sequence about the history of Zeen -- a world where orcs took over the land and enslaved magical races, like dragons and sprites. The details of how or why are insignificant, because all that is required to know is that Cael, the dragon, should kill everything and anything that moves. The story, although appreciated, does little to enhance the experience. After being introduced to the story, players go through a tutorial to learn the basics of flying, aiming, shooting, and regaining mana/health. If you can survive the tutorial, which is unnecessarily long and bound to test even a saint's patience, you may find some enjoyment in the actual game. There are basically two types of missions: destroy and rescue. Variations on those two themes are all you get, unfortunately. Controlling Cael is both intuitive and aggravating. Always flying at a constant speed, Cael has enough maneuvers to get around the levels, but feels a little slow and unresponsive, like a bathtub with wings. This combination of invariable speed and slow response time makes it difficult to swoop Cael down on a particular enemy or health-restoring cow, and if you miss the first time, turning back around and trying again is even harder. The controls do the job, but you'll never feel like you're actually controlling a dragon. The visual experience leaves much to be desired. The dragon looks decent (much like a typical fantasy dragon, although the cut-scene version and the in-game model are comically different) and has adequate animation. Otherwise the game looks as if it were developed for the Nintendo 64 -- blurry and primitive textures and a general lack of detail permeate the environments, making poor use of the PlayStation 2's graphical power. The dragon powers Cael can unleash look pretty cool, until you follow their effect to the blocky and poorly drawn orc models. Much like the lackluster visual experience, the audio of Dragon Rage is unimpressive. Although the graphics are generally serviceable and don't get in the way, the sound may have you wanting to breathe fire at your speakers instead of at the orcs. The voice acting of your "helper sprite" Adara not only sounds extremely forced, it sounds like she's mocking you for even playing the game. After a few levels it is difficult to pay attention to what she is saying and after a few more, you may wish to turn off the volume. The music has its highs and lows, but in general, doesn't leave an impression either way. Even though it's based on a good concept and fun idea, Dragon Rage ends up woefully inadequate. The moments of enjoyment that can be gleaned from the game -- eating your first orc, destroying an orc village with a breath attack, and gobbling up cows -- just aren't good enough to offset the poor graphics, irritating voice acting, and slow controls. If you desire an engaging experience with a dragon, try Drakan: The Ancients' Gate instead. ~ Jeremy Lee, All Game Guide

If you make it through the game the first time, there is little more to experience. ~ Jeremy Lee, All Game Guide

The music and sound effects are decent, but the voice acting may truly drive you mad. ~ Jeremy Lee, All Game Guide

Some moments may bring a smile to your face, but they're few and far between. ~ Jeremy Lee, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.