Summary P.N. 03: Hit or Miss?

Pros: -Crisp, realistic graphics -Unique and inspired soundtrack -Very swift and precise game controls -An innovative shooter/action game, all around
Cons: -Low replay value -In-game plot and story line could be better -Linear, non-interactive environment -Almost appears to be a Metroid knockoff

Reviewer's Comments

There are many things about this game which I found appealing, especially while playing it for the first time. The first notable aspect of P.N. 03 that grabbed my attention was the music, with the graphics falling to a close second. The developers of the game obviously put a lot of time and effort into composing a unique soundtrack. Anything from soft, rave-style music, to European technopop. All with a noticeable, futuristic flair. If anything, the music in P.N. 03 further augments the choreography of the main character. She loves to dance to her tunes.

The sound effects were not half bad, either. The game seems to have been designed so that the player can navigate his or her environment by sound, almost as well as you could by sight. Which is a good thing, because this aspect is crucial for ensuring your "survival" while rounding obscured corners, and such.

The graphics also caught my attention. As stated under "pros" they are very crisp and realistic. During the earlier stages of the game, it is sometimes difficult to tell what kind of visual detail was put into the characters and the setting. As soon as you reach the middle and later stages, however, you can begin to appreciate just how good the graphics are. Every movement made by the main character and the enemies appear fluid and natural. This, combined with the character control, makes for some beautiful acrobatic maneuvers performed by the Heroine. Think Prince of Persia, only set several centuries later.

On that note, the controls for P.N. 03 were probably close to being as accurate as possible, for the Gamecube console. Almost everything concerning the action in this game revolves around how quickly and accurately you maneuver the main character. The choreography is indeed impressive, and the game can prove to be a worthy challenge for anyone familiar with similar action titles. A combination of shooter action, martial arts, and dancing ability give the game a distinguished style unlike anything that I've played, before.

Does this game have any drawbacks? Yes, but they are certianly not tied to the graphics or the engaging action.

For starters, the story and the plot are both a little weak. Essentially, Vanessa Z. Scheider is dropped on a colonized planet, seemingly deserted except for horde upon horde of rampaging battle robots. Although I will grant that both the unfolding story and the ending have some good twists, P.N. 03 was obviously developed for action over substance. There is virtually no explaination as to why the main character is on the planet, in the first place. Or how she acquired her nifty combat suit, for that matter.

My second peeve about this game is the fact that there is little that you can do to interact with the environment. There are a few objects that can be destroyed, mostly things that you can hide behind to seek cover. But aside from this, the overall environment is entirely linear and almost completely sterile. By that, I mean that the setting is designed solely for basic navigation purposes. Everything else relvolves around seeking cover from fire and obliterating the enemies that materialize. It would be nice if they at least stuck a few exploding containers, here and there. Or breakable windows to jump through, etc.

A couple of minor things that also annoyed me are the enemy A.I. and the saving system for the game. Simply put, the enemies in this game are predictable and stupid. Most of the challenge comes from their team tactics while attacking en masse, and even this isn't foolproof as long as the player is patient enough to watch their set patterns. The bosses behave in a similar manner, but are much more threatening in terms of attack power. I managed to beat this game in a heated five hours.

As for the saving system, you may only save the game at the beginning of each "chapter." This is frustrating when you do make mistakes, and have to start all over again at the start of a long chapter.

Finally, the one thing that I noticed above all of the other drawbacks, is that P.N. 03 vaugely appears to be a knockoff of Metroid Prime. Vanessa Z. Schneider is an interplanetary mercenary with a grudge against killer robots. The Heroine in Metroid is an interplanetary bounty hunter with a grudge against a species of amoral aliens. Both have similar combat suits, although Vanessa makes greater use of acrobatics in her defense. I will leave it up to other players to judge for themselves.

In conclusion, P.N. 03 is a moderately solid title which is worth playing and beating at least once. If you can find it used, go ahead and pick it up. The only reason I can think of for keeping this game would be to unlock all of the bonus features. There are many, and it will require you to beat the game more than once on multiple difficulty settings. In the game's final defense for all of the drawbacks I've listed, the Hard difficulty setting is a real challenge.