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Aarghh...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 11
Date: December 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Boom! This is one of the only enjoyable things about this game. The backround never seems to change and the gameplay never changes. Each room (there are 15 a stage) seems identical to the one before it. Unless you really enjoy slowmoving games- ignore this one.

Down right aweful.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: November 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

THis game makes you think it will be good over the first few minutes of cool cut scenes and cool action. THen you move inside the game ... for the rest of the game it seems. THen the game loses all coolness. Somewhere around the fifth room, you realize you have to do the exact same thing in every room.
Bottom Line: Is it fun? If you like bad action and the same thing over and over again. Will you keep it? No way. Is it for kids? You blow up robots againa and again and again and again and again and ... you get the idea. If that is bad for kids well there you go.

good and bad

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this game was great at first but turned bad! after doing the same exact thing for 1 maybe 2 hours it gets pretty boring.
nothing seems to change threw the entire game.this game is only good if your planning on playing it from time to time.

WHY?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: March 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The story is convoluted yet sparce and the gameplay is dubious at best. I read reviews of how great this game is and when I play it I know why - horny teenagers will give a great review to any game with an attractive female character(seen from behind) who gyrates and poses every time she attacks(which you must do alot because your weapons aren't very effective). If you need a storyline or good gameplay DON'T GET THIS GAME, if you don't and your tastes only rely on a techno chick then go ahead.

Final verdict: Get Ghost in the Shell(PS2 game or the Shows) instead, because then at least you'll get a good story to go with the fan service.

A classic example of "good but not great"

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

In the eighties and early nineties, Capcom was the leader in the third-party video game market - no questions asked. Sadly, the company hasn't been so lucky in the new millennium. Their new takes on older games just haven't been working very well - Just look at all those Mega Man clones they've been whipping out for the last five years. Fortunately, in recent months, the company decided to try its hand at something new - a shooter. Read on for my review of P.N. 03.

THE GOOD:
-Let me start by saying that the graphics in this game are nothing short of excellent. It's amazing how far video game graphic technology has some in so little time.
-The music and sound effects are also very nice. With many video games, you'll be tempted to mute the television and crank up your own music - not likely here.
-There are a number of different suits you can buy - each of which can use different special attacks and reach certain levels of power in different areas.
-The controls are surprisingly good for a third-person shooter.
-To earn points to buy new suits/parts/continues/etc., the game offers training levels between each stage.

THE BAD:
-The problem with this game is the lack of depth. Every stage is pretty much the same "kill all the robots" formula. Only the boss characters are truly unique, and even a number of them repeat.
-A number of enemy attacks can kill your character in a single blast. This is extrememly annoying.
-The main stages are huge and you can't save your progress in an indiviual level.
-The controls are very strange at first, since the casual gamer will probably play this game expecting a platformer. Even though this is a shooter, I think platformer-based controls would have worked much better.
-The game is very short. You can probably finish it in a few days if you go all out.

OVERALL:
This is a good game, but the flaws of it ultimately drag it down. I recommend renting this game, but not purchasing it. This was an interesting venture, and I really hope Capcom plans on releasing a sequel.

How's it play? Well, you hit the 'A' button a lot.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: February 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is probably the worst way to describe a game, but for P.N. 03- you'll enjoy it if you don't expect it to be a good game, or get any better. See, P.N. 03, created by the much respected company Capcom, came out a few years ago and got some terrible reviews. In fact, I think the best it did was a 6.5/10 in one magazine. After playing through the game, I can see why it didn't get great scores, but the game hardly deserves all the harsh criticism. Yes, it's not the best game out there. No, it's not the worst either. In fact, of the non-franchise Capcom games I've played, this is one of the better ones I've played, not that all their smaller games are grade A quality ones. If anything, P.N. 03 reminds me of a few other niche games like GUNVALKYRIE for Xbox and Gungrave for ps2. In fact, you could say that P.N. 03 is a dumbed down version (or even very early rough cut) of GV. The cameras are alike, the main characters are alike, they both have trippy techno music for the most part, and there are a lot of useless upgrades, and more. But there are a lot of things that keep P.N. 03 from reaching good status.

You play as Vanessa, a mercenary hired to...run around shooting things. Her objective is never given much depth aside from communications in-between levels and rooms with someone simply named "Client". They tell her where to go and what to shoot, and she does it. It's that simple, and never gets any more complicated. Vanessa travels to a ton of similar-looking rooms, taking out the robots that patrol the area, deals with a big robot boss once in a while, buys new suits with the points she earns, and that summarizes the plot and gameplay pretty fast. Vanessa attacks with a laser that emits from the palm of her hand, which is armored, along with the rest of her, in one of her many suits. As you progress, Vanessa can get newer, more powerful suits to fit her needs. Some give you better defense, others give more offense, and others are well-balanced. They don't come awesome-ready though: you have to upgrade them with the points you earn in each level. Points are earned in a number of ways- the time it takes to clear a room, the number of enemies you destroyed, the highest combo (enemies killed within a time limit you're given after one is destroyed), and not taking damage. Not taking damage is probably the hardest of the bonuses, as some of the enemies can be pretty relentless. I often found myself being attacked by one enemy, and when I got back up from an attack, the enemy caught me in a pattern where I'd fall back down each time I got up. No fun. Luckily, Vanessa also comes with some bad-ass special attacks called Energy Drives. After hitting the d-pad in each Drive's respective combo, Vanessa will attack with a massive energy attack. It's almost cheap to use these since she's invincible the entire time when summoning up the energy, and even invincible a second or two after it's done. But they all come in handy, and are essential if you want to get high combo totals. After each level is cleared, you can try your skills in Trial Missions, which are bonus runs of the level you just cleared. It's almost redundant since you're running through the same level again (for 5 times since there are 5 trial levels), but they net you more points to buy new suits and upgrades.

The main problem I have with this game is how broken the controls are. Vanessa can only attack when standing still. You can't attack while jumping, running, rolling, or dodging. This makes her a sitting duck when in a room with more than 2 enemies in sight. While Vanessa can auto-target, which is nice, you have to hit X in order to select another target. The C-stick could've done this better, I think. Like hit it in the direction of the enemy you want to target, instead of randomly selecting one with one button, leaving you open for attacks during that time. But no, the C-stick is used to move the camera- something you probably won't do at all, as it moves it further behind Vanessa, to the side, or more above her. All of the angles make gameplay worse actually. Even a simple rotating camera option would've been nice. On top of all these problems, Vanessa's moves are included. Like I said- she can only shoot when standing still, but what else can she do? Jump, roll, duck, the essentials in an action game. Are rolling and ducking useful? Very rarely. Some boss fights will have small holes in the floor, which spoon-feed you the fact that you'll need to use them in order to avoid some massive laser attack in a minute. The level design isn't any better- the majority of levels look the exact same. There are a few times when you'll need to jump to higher points in each room, but there's hardly anything to worry about aside from enemies- there's only one case later on when you can fall to your doom. You're kind of limited in the space you're in, no matter what the situation looks like. Vanessa can also dodge to the left or right with the L and R buttons. If done at the right time, she can block an attack while dodging, but the enemy fire is random, and I found myself getting hit more often than not. You're safer just jumping behind the enemy and going from there. Finally, the suit upgrades are nice, but hardly worth switching over and upgrading them all. I cleared through the game with the same suit with only a few minor upgrades. The later suits, of course being powerful, are best used if you buy them later on, and use them in the game's nifty New Game + feature. And of course, it's required if you want to unlock a certain fan service extra that I've provide a picture for in the Shared Images on this page. If you upgrade the Palm Laser and the Automatic drives once, you should be fine. And if all else fails, just work on your dodging. But what the gameplay comes down to in the end, is you ability to hit A real fast, just like how Gungrave's gameplay for most people came down to hitting square a lot.

Visually, the game looks decent. Vanessa's character model looks a little like a late-Dreamcast model, but still looks good. You can tell a lot of design went into certain aspects of her. Unfortunately, the robots and areas all look like 5 minutes of time were put into them. The robots look like they walked out of the very first Armored Core game, and the levels, again, all look the same. Even though it's in progressive scan, things do trip up a bit during gameplay. Vanessa's animations are a bit robotic, the frame rate will tumble occasionally, and there are tons of repeated textures. The music is a little better, but it's recycled so much that you begin to hate it. It's all trippy techno, but since I've only just now played the game, I discovered something interesting. If you've played through Resident Evil 4's Mercenaries mini-game, you'll know how cool Krauser, Hunk and Wesker's themes are. Well, they were all ripped straight out of this game. Doesn't that seem like lazy programming in RE4 now? The sound effects are alright (mostly small explosions and lasers), and what little voice acting there is, is better than average.

The best way to put it is- everyone WANTS to love P.N. 03, but it's hard to even merely like it. Shooter fans will find better games elsewhere, like Ikaruga, and niche gamers can do much better. Again- you'll have fun with the game as long as you don't expect that much. In fact, if you set your standards incredibly low, you'll be pleasantly surprised. But just keep in mind that this is one of the most repetitive games to come out of Capcom for the current generation.

THE most eclectic shooter I've ever played hands down.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The main character's name is Vanessa.

You start off in the desert and you eventually enter this place where there is nothing but metal on top of metal and robots and drones aplenty. You shoot with the A button but it's not just shooting you actually dance as you blast your foes! Trust me, it barely gets boring. That's one of the most amazingly-awesome features of the game.

You can upgrade suits and master different techniques, each suit possessing different colors, strengths and weaknesses, and 2 (or 3) different abilities that come in handy! She jumps high and awkwardly, like a ballerina on crack but it's cool! Very graceful.

It starts off pretty easy but by the middle of the game it gets tougher. By the end you will have died plenty times and gotten frustrated enough to throw the controller across the room and at the wall or at least think about it! : )

Besides the control there are one or two main complaints I have to attack:

---> The training mode where you get points for more suits and to strengthen them is fun at first but eventually, the rooms start to blend giving you a "I know that I've been here and done this room before...!" and it's TRUE. You HAVE been here before! You HAVE done that!

---> The graphics are pleasant 4/5 but grainy sometimes. Especially some boss battles and the CG clips. But no major complaints there.

---> It's not very long and there is NO 2-Player mode.

I'm thinking the pluses here outweigh the minuses.

Cover Art: D+
Inside Art: C
Story: D-
Gameplay: C++
Character: B
Voice Acting: B-
Graphics: B-
Difficulty: B-
Replay Value: D+
Length: C+

3.65 stars.

Overall: C

I really would have liked to give this game a 4/5 but seriously the controls and the repetitiveness of the rooms in training mode will irk your nerves like no other! The controls also could use some fine tuning. Lastly, the graphics were nice, but could have been touched up also in the CG clips. Otherwise, this game is a quirky look into a shooter game. Very futuristic and pretty fun. I enjoyed it and beat it over 3x! ^_^

A pleasantly innovative game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is very innovative. It is from Capcom, and feels like a mixture of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil, set in a generic space theme.

The graphics are excellent. The game is third person, meaning you can see yuor character. She is animated in great detail, as well are all the enimies. I only have one complaint about the graphics: the indoor levels look way too much the same, and they make up over half the game. Sound effect are good, but the music is adequate.

Controls are very fluid, but the setup could use some work. The whole game is very fast. A lot of moves are available, such as running as walls, jumping high, and even Matrix-style dives sideways, but no slow-motion. You control your play with the analog sitck, but it uses a Resident-Evil stye setup. Pushing left or right will turn your character, you have to push forward to move her. Pushing down will turn your character completely around. However, this is much easier than in Resident Evil. First, your character runs, instead of walking slowly. Also, the camera is excellent, and will turn to behind your character when you start moving.

The game is about 12-13 hours long, and is only on 1 disc. However, it is good enough to replay. There levels are exciting, with a focus on action over storyline and puzzles. It is not perfect, but this Gamecube exclusive is still worth playing. I really enjoyed it, and this could definately become a major series for Capcom.

P.N.03: Stylishly Dancing into the Hearts of Gamers

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: June 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

P.N.03 is a very fun and addictive experience. It is a highly underrated game, which has been receiving unfair negative comments and reviews.

In this stylish game, you play as the heroine Vanessa Schneider who is on a mission to destroy the Computer Arms Management System (CAMS), which has gone haywire. You will ''dance'' your way through several mission and training levels battling dangerous robots and deadly bosses.

There is not much depth to this game if you just look at it as advancing from mission to mission, shooting everything in sight. However, you will fine very challenging and rewarding gameplay if you try to get through each room without taking any damage along with trying to collect each suit and add-on.

One common complaint is about the repetitive and stale level design. If you look at the game from the standpoint the developers most likely were, you will understand why there is not much variety. This is a science fiction game, and the levels have a very futuristic feel to them.

Another complaint is about the control. I have not experienced any problems with the responsiveness or control setup. It should be noted that you cannot shoot while jumping. This feature would have been a nice addition, but its absence only adds to the challenge presented by the game.

The music in P.N.03 is very good. There are several nice techno beats that play through the levels. The sound effects are average. There is no distance level to the effects. For example, fire from a robot that is standing right next to you will sound the same as fire from a robot across the room.

P.N.03's graphics are decent at best. If you compare it to Capcom's previous releases on GameCube (Resident Evil Remake, Resident Evil Zero) you will be disappointed. The GameCube can handle much better graphics than these. That does not mean that they are bad by any means though. They still are much better than several other GameCube and PlayStation2 games.

You cannot go into this game expecting it to be the best ever. It is not going to revolutionize the industry or even its genre. The sound is good, the graphics are decent, but the gameplay is fabulous. This game is not for everyone, and I would definitely recommend renting before buying. You will either love it or hate it, but in my opinion, it is one of the most fun and enjoyable experiences you will find on the GameCube.

Oh my gosh do not get this game for your sake and mine.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 18
Date: June 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Really where to begin with this horrid game... Oh, yes. First and foremost is the very very repetitive gameplay. Shoot robots, repeat. Then there was the issue of going through the same old gray hallway. I mean come there are only like three pathetic hallway types. One of the biggest problems is that you can't run and freakin' shoot! Whose idea was that anyways!? I'm shootin' one 'bot with my lasers standing still and we're just moronicly standing still shooting one another. I was very anxious to get my hands on this game, and as it turns out it sucks! Well I guess its time to add another game to the bargain bin.

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