P.N.03

Published by CAPCOM
Developed by CAPCOM
Platform: GameCube
Released - 29th August 2003
Price : £39.99

When a new console is released it's always anticipated that completely new games will emerge. Of course in most cases we simply find continuations of already well established series with improved graphics and usually with the same old gameplay. However now and again we do get something original; something we haven't encountered before. P.N.03 is one of those games that stands out for it's originality.

P.N.03 is based in the distant future. The story goes that as planetary colonization continues the army decides to give the task of planetary defence over to a Computerized Armament Management System (CAMS). Of course this seems like an ideal solution, that is until something goes wrong and one of the CAMS goes haywire and decides to slaughter everyone in sight. You control the lithe and very athletic Vanessa Z. Schneider, a freelance mercenary whose parents were victims of the CAMS.

Vanessa isn't your ordinary character though. From the early cutscenes you can see that she never stands still and is constantly moving, as if to a dance beat. Vanessa has super agility and can jump, dance and somersault her way out of the trickiest situations there is. Of course this agility is essential as she isn't equipped with the greatest of firepower, at least to begin with. It's also worth mentioning that Vanessa can't fire and move at the same time so you have to pick your moments when you decide to stay still and fire. Thankfully though Vanessa auto-locks on to her targets which avoids any frustration that may occur.

P.N.03 has a lot of style, make no mistake about it but the real beauty of the gameplay is that it is simple yet very addictive. There is a simplicity here that isn't usually seen in a modern game. Vanessa does not come with a load of firepower options. She can simply fire palm shots (laser fire from her own hands) or use the energy drive power, which is a special power for want of a better word, that you can equip to her Aegis suit. Throughout the game you'll get the chance to purchase different Aegis suits. Each suit has different capabilities. There are 11 suits in all but some can't be purchased and have to earned. Each suit has a barrier, palm shot, automatic (rapid fire power) and energy rating. The suit you begin with, the Prima Fusion, is only basic and will only do for the first couple of missions.

During the game you'll earn points for your performance. Extra points are given for clearing rooms (as they are called in the game) of all their enemies without taking damage, and for combos. A combo is basically where you destroy enemies within so many seconds of destroying another enemy. Destroy an enemy and a countdown (of about 12 seconds) begins. If you destroy another enemy within this countdown you'll have scored a combo. The more combos you can string together the more points you'll receive. With these points you'll be able to purchase power-ups, continues and additional Aegis suits for Vanessa that will give her increased capabilities. In between missions (of which there are 11 in all) you can take part in trial missions which are basically missions to allow you to gain more points should you be short for anything you'd like to buy.

Stylish is perhaps the best way to describe the look of P.N.03. Taking just a momentary glance at the screenshots you'd be forgiven for thinking that the game is actually just in black and white. Whilst this isn't true, trust me there is plenty of colour, there is a lot of white in the game which gives the game a very unique appearance. Whilst Vanessa looks impressive most of the textures and enemies in the game are fairly bland. The framerate dips on the odd occasion, ever so slightly, but it never harms the gameplay at all.

P.N.03 is completely deaf gamer friendly. All the conversations that Vanessa has with the mysterious client before the missions are shown in text. All information is given in text also and you'll need to press the 'A' button in order to move the conversation and messages along so you'll be able to read them at your leisure. The game manual is very brief and whilst it fills you in on the basics I would have liked to have see more details in there such as the capabilities of each Aegis suit for instance.

There is always a lot of media attention lavished on CAPCOM titles, and deservedly so, what with the Resident Evil 4, Viewtiful Joe and Killer 7 all to come it's just possible that P.N.03 might have passed you by. However if you long for that simple addictive experience that the games of yesteryear used to provide then you'd be silly to ignore P.N.03. In all honesty the game is not that long but with three difficulty levels and a whole load of Aegis suits and power-ups to play the game with it has a lot of replay value. If you're looking for something different from your current software collection this could be the one you've been waiting for.

Overall Game Rating: 8.4/10
P.N.03 is just the kind of game that the Gamecube needs. It feels fresh, is simple to get to grips with and is very enjoyable to play.

Deaf Gamers comment:
No problems at all. All information is given in text.