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P.N.03 Review - Gamecube

Futuristic third person action game Product Number 03, the first of the 'Capcom 5' (that has now become 4) to be released, has been met with a mixed response. No doubt you've heard stories of it's poor control system, repetitive scenery and short game play, but I'm here to tell you why none of that matters in this enjoyable game.

Gameplay

Joining the ranks of the ever-popular female heroine is the super talented and sexy Vanessa Z Schneider, who you play as for the entire game. In this world of the future, robots known as CAMs (Computer Arms Management systems) have gone berserk, and it's up to hired mercenaries such as Vanessa to destroy them. Knowing nothing but the fact her parents were killed by CAMs and that she is now working for a mysterious client who refuses to show her face, you are sent into mission after mission of robot destroying action. There is not much story aside from the occasional interruption by your client to give you mission objectives or hints about the upcoming area, but that matters little as the name of the game is action, action, action! P.N.03 is a shooter, and shooting you will do. Vanessa wears what is known as an Aegis suit, and it allows her to attack the enemies using a palm shot, which is the basic attack, and energy drive attacks, which vary from suit to suit. To pull off an energy drive attack you will need to execute a combo with the dpad and drain some of your energy meter, which is limited. These attacks take a few seconds to execute, but enemies cannot hit you while you are performing them so there is no disadvantage, except for the fact that the small dpad makes these moves a little difficult to pull off.

Controls may seem odd at first to some people, but it doesn't take long until manoeuvring Vanessa becomes second nature. Her movements are very smooth and stylish, with a lot of turns and flourishes as she summersaults and cartwheels her way around the environment. It is impossible to move and shoot at the same time, but not really a problem. It would be nice to be able to jump and shoot, but that would make things a little too easy now wouldn't it? As pushing down with the control stick moves you backwards but does not turn you around, the Z button, which makes you do a 180 turn, soon becomes your best friend.

The game consists of 11 different missions, each involving many rooms filled with CAMs and laser traps. The game is played room by room, and as you leave each one it will give you the stats on how many rooms in the mission you have been to, how many enemies you killed and how many points you earned. Small points are earned by destroying enemies, but the (continued next page)

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