"All style, and no substance"

P.N. 03 is one of the Capcom 5 titles that were set to be release for the Gamecube. One being cancelled (Dead Phoenix), one was released, and 2 have yet to be released. Viewtiful Joe being one of the Capcom 5 that is out is an incredible experience and is definitely one of the better games this generation. Now with P.N. 03 you have a whole different story, Viewtiful Joe was a classic and P.N. 03 is a game where you won't likely play for very long. P.N.03 is about a woman name Vanessa Schneider, who basically kills robots. This game is filled with action, however I don't know if that's a good thing in this case.

This is easily the best part of the game. While the graphics do not offer anything spectacular, the graphics do look pretty good. The environments and backgrounds are really bland. The animation is very stylish, with Vanessa, doing all sorts of dance moves. The character models for the most part look good. The game runs at a smooth pace for most of the game. Overall P.N. 03 looks pretty good, but it is nothing spectacular, and certainly nothing that we haven't seen before. Still the graphics in the game are easily the best part of the game.

Dance…Dance…Dance all around

This is the part of the game where it doesn't sit well with me. Capcom a developer who has made many classics such as Street Fighter and Viewtiful Joe are very capable of making a great game. This was not the case here, as Capcom dropped the ball on this one. I just wish that this game were satisfactory, which it clearly was not. The game controls horribly, the camera is a pain to look at, and the game is just repetitive from the opening minute of playtime. The L and R allows you to strafe from right to left, but in this game they added a little style to it by making her seem like she is dancing from left to right. Even with all the stylish moves it cannot save a game where it lacks the most important factor in making an enjoyable game. This factor is gameplay and it is something that P.N. 03 truly lacks. I will not sit here and say that I didn't find this game enjoyable one bit. It was fun for the first few rooms just blasting away. But after a short time playing it, I began to realize how repetitive the gameplay mechanics are. The controls are extremely sluggish and it was a pain trying to get Vanessa to even go where I wanted her to go. When I first started out, I realized moving the analog stick left and right didn't move your character that way, but instead it turned your character in a certain direction. Even though it seem like it was intentionally done, I found it nauseating trying to control the character this way. It didn't help since the camera was a pain to look at also. The game is a simple, I see bad guy and I kill it type of game, but without the cool factor. Instead of feeling cool when you are destroying things you find yourself wondering why the controls are so sluggish and the camera so horrible. Mostly you will go around and kill robots you see and after you kill them, some leave behind essences that will benefit your character. You can also upgrade your suit and weapons along the way. Overall P.N. 03 has very sluggish controls, a horrendous camera system, and repetitive gameplay. All in all, I just feel the game lacked polished.

The music in general doesn't make you want to cover your ears, but it doesn't make you eager to listen to it either. The music is consisted of mostly Techno music, which is cool, but a little more variety would of been nice. Also different kinds of Techno music wouldn't have been a bad idea either. The tunes weren't very good, but they weren't bad either. Also the lack of voice acting also hurts the game here. Overall music and sound is the least of your worries about this game, instead you better worry about the camera and controls.

The game is short and repetitive. From the short experience that I had with P.N.03, I didn't have very much fun. There were times when it felt satisfying playing it, but those times don't compare to the times where I felt frustrated from the controls. The game can be beaten quickly and with little incentive to play again. Overall with repetitive gameplay and an overall short game there isn't much reason to play through this game again.

While the graphics are solid, one cannot ignore the fact that the graphics are very bland and it lacks any substance. The movements are very stiff and the animation is solid at best. The gameplay is severely lacking and it seems the game was rushed. The game is short and repetitive and it lacks any value at all. I have to say the presentation of P.N.03 is very lacking.

Not one of Capcom's better performances

Overall I was extremely disappointed with P.N. 03, I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I wasn't expecting a bad game either. P.N. 03 just lacks any sort of polish and it seems to me the developers rushed this title. There were some major flaws that kept this game from being enjoyable. If you can find it cheap somewhere like I did, then you might want to pick it up. I do suggest renting it first, and even then, you still might want to consider renting something else.

Pros
+ Solid graphics
+ Solid Soundtrack

Cons
- Horrible camera system
- Repetitive level designs
- Extremely short quest
- Stiff controls
- Repetitive gameplay elements
- Upgrading weapons are not worthwhile
- Lacks any replay ability

Graphics - 7/10
Gameplay - 4/10
Sound - 5/10
Value - 3/10
Presentation - 3/10
Overall - 4.5/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 09/10/04, Updated 11/28/05