Capcom's P.N.03 Review (GameCube)

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(Administrator) 2010-04-01, 16:28 #1

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Subject: Capcom's P.N.03 Review (GameCube)

A review from the old NFGgames system. I love this game.

P.N. 03 (Product Number 03, surely a title indicative of Capcom's new creative bankruptcy) defies easy generalization. What kind of game is it? Well, visually it's a first person shooter, but it doesn't quite play like one. When you're actually shooting your movement is restricted. Your character, a shapely lass in a tight bodysuit, will auto-target enemies (and you can switch targets) while your primary movements are dodge left or right, jump, and crouch. You can't shoot at all while you're moving, so unlike your normal FPS this isn't a run-n-gun affair.

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03h.png]

The game itself is kind of a 3rd person shmup, you work for score and clear-times, and you get combo points by stringing together kills. These points are redeemed for bigger and better suits and weapons, armor, etc. I've heard people say it's a kind of music game, and it's totally not, except that there's music in it and the character kind of bops to her own rhythm. The music plays no part in the gameplay itself.

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03b.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03d.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03c.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03a.png]

Visually the game is very spare, Capcom has chosen a monochromatic look similar to Sega's Cosmic Smash. The graphics have a kind of seventies-era sci-fi flick: lots of whitish rooms with few decorations populated with well animated robots and as many lasers and missiles as you can shake a pointed stick at.

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03e.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03f.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03i.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03j.png]

I have one complaint with the controls, and it's simply a matter of design more than a flaw. When shooting or performing a special, there's a slight delay after your last shot before your character returns from her (sexy) shooting stance to a (sexy) neutral one. If you rush the next command, a special move for example, she will completely ignore it. I found this hard to get used to, and because of it there was a constant impression that the controls were laggy or unresponsive - but only during the transition from shooting to moving or performing a special.

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03m.png]

There are close to a dozen different suits to acquire, each with a different balance of armor, power, energy and special moves. Some even feature a slow auto fire, which will relieve the stress of frantically pounding on the shoot button.

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03k.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03l.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03n.png]

Bottom line: If you like old-school shooting and you want to see how it would look combined with modern visuals and a FPS motif, P.N.03 might be for you. It's all about score and clear-times, there's only a little bit of exploration, thankfully little story, and no puzzle solving to get in the way beyond 'how do I defeat this boss!?' Shoot, dodge, shoot, run for the door. Simple, good looking, and unfortunately for Capcom, not a popular idea.

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03p.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03q.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03r.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/games/screenshots/pn03s.png]

[Image: http://nfggames.com/system/arcade/special.php/b-d/bp-5/y-kof97/z-10/x-She told me she was 18!/.png]

This post was edited on 2010-04-02, 12:53 by NFG.