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"I think this transporter is bad for my skin....."

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 32 / 36
Date: September 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

So proclaims Vanessa Z. Schneider, mercenary unlike any other. She spins out of the path of oncoming missiles, flips backwards to avoid laser fire, deftly rolls to a safe point, then unleashes a barrage of electric death from her biomechanical suit, all while snapping her fingers and tapping her foot to a rhythm of destruction that's all in her head. She's a killer, and she knows and loves it.

Vanessa is the star of Capcom's amazing and unique action-shooter for the Nintendo Gamecube, Product Number 03. Rarely has such a visually impressive character appeared in a video game, especially one with such boundless charism beyond just her looks. Director Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, Devil May Cry) has captured what few game developers can claim: a soul inside the machine. On the surface, P.N. 03 is a basic dodge-and-fire shooter with a quirky control scheme, but just underneath the obvious is a remarkable work of subtle emotion and brilliantly conceived design.

The story is minimal: Vanessa is hired by a mysterious client to destroy an army of rogue robots that has invaded the distant colony of Ode. Few details are revealed as you progress through the game's eleven missions, but they're understated on purpose, almost to the point of inscrutability (the eventually revealed identity of the client seeming to be the most baffling). Although the dialogue is brief and largely unspoken (although the voice-acting that does exist ranks among gaming's best), Vanessa and her client instantly have their own complex identities. It's a tribute to the writers that so much can be communicated with so few words.

The gameplay is basic, but unique. See the robots, kill the robots...before they kill you. Destroying an enemy starts a timer, which resets with each successive kill. Waste seven droids in a row before the timer reaches zero and you score a nice 7x multiplier. And, if you're able to clear an entire room without taking any damage, another point bonus awaits. Each mission has around 15 rooms, and you're rated after each room. The more points you get, the more power-ups, additional suits, and continues you can purchase from the in-game shop. Along with each normal mission is a set of five training missions, included to help you net extra points and work on your technique. The rooms are full of strategic spots for hiding and launching attacks, and when coupled with the careful enemy placement and movement patterns, the gameplay has an almost puzzle-like feel. Upon entering a room, you'll instantly start planning your positioning in order to maximize combo potential while staying unharmed. One more thing worth mentioning - the camera never gets in the way.

Vanessa does not control like you might expect. She can only attack while standing still - there's no strafing. The triggers make her dodge right or left, the Y button is for ducking, B is jump, A is fire, Z is a 180-spin, X switches targets and executes special moves called Energy Drives when used with short d-pad combos. It may feel awkward at first, but with practice, you enter into a oneness with the action that only the best games deliver. Executing a ballet of destruction, twirling to safety and returning lethal fire feels as exhilirating as it looks. Much like the dance-like combat of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the firefights of P.N. 03 have a wonderful choreographed elegance to them once you've had some practice. It's initially stiff, but much like the unorthodox controls of Sega's GunValkyrie, persistence pays off, and is well worth it.

The graphics of P.N. 03 aren't exactly spectacular or mind-blowing, but they are understated and artistic in a fashion much like Sony's Ico. Everything fits and flows perfectly in P.N. 03, from the dust blowing across the planet's surface to the curved, delicately lit hallways and sleek, menacing enemies. Vanessa's character model is incredibly rendered and animated, but in a quiet and graceful manner rather than a brash show of pure polygon power.

P.N. 03 also sports a remarkable soundtrack. It's not the kind that sticks in your head when you're away from the game, but it has enough creativity, character, and energy to be an essential part of the experience. Add to that sound effects that are wonderfully natural, and you've got a game that benefits from high volumes (Dolby Pro Logic II included).

Here lies a points- and performance-based throwback delivered with modern graphics and sound, along with rare intangibles that set P.N. 03 apart. Of course, the smoothest and deadliest heroine since Samus Aran doesn't hurt either. Capcom's P.N. 03 is not only one of the best games of 2003, it also stands as an example of the interactive art of videogaming at it's understated finest. Highly recommended, especially for anyone wanting something different.

take it for what it is

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: February 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

We've all done it, bought a game because it looked awesome and then got it home and it sucked. Thankfully P.N. 03 was an impulse buy that turned out to be a good one.
Visually its stunning, but the game itself is rather simple.... The computer system on the planet ODE has gone haywire and an arsenal of robots and machines have taken over. Enter Vanessa Schneider, a mercenary hired to "deal" with the problem. Vanessa battles her way through the alien compund in her quest to destroy the central A.I. controlling the machines, all the while dancing to the techno-laden soundtrack.
As far as plot and story are concerned there's little of either. A brief and virtually futile attempt is made to add some mystery to the game. Little pieces of information about Vanessa's past pop up here and there to make you go "Hmmm?" but ultimately have little to do with the game's progress. Then there's the mysterious "Client" who has hired Vanessa and does alot to make the game frustrating.
But back to the basics, the game is simply a shooter. Vanessa plows her way through rooms and corridors blasting robots to smitherines with the aid of the handy Aegis suit that turns her into a walking arsenal.
The first few levels offer you the chance to learn how to manipulate Vanessa....you can jump, shoot (but only while standing still), move left or right, and crouch. Vanessa's controls are sensitive and take a bit of getting used to. She's hyperresponsive but often does the wrong thing or moves farther than you want her to. This can result in toppling our heroine off into the abyss or placing her in the line of fire.
While most games you beat and never play again, P.N. 03 offers multiple levels of difficulty, along with a volley of suit combinations and abilities to make the game replayable. The levels themselves are fairly basic....you embark on 11 missions, each involving around 15 rooms to shoot through. The suits and acessories available advance with each level. With each suit comes special moves and abilities, key to progressing through the game.
All in all though P.N. 03 is an engaging experience....the graphics are stunning. Vanessa herself is rendered in suprising detail and her suits are no exception. Each is awesome in its own way. The music is good enough that you'll want to leave it on. It also becomes very important to listen to Vanessa's surroundings as the bots have a nasty ability to teleport, and often the sound of one transporting in or out is the only way you'll know you're about to get fried. There are plenty of power ups and lives, I never hit a game over once playing on normal, though there were a few close calls. The rooms themselves can become repetitive after awhile but most of them are so detailed you'll want to pause and check them out before moving on (I.E. when Vanessa finds herself on a walkway high above a futuristic city surrounded by flying cars and sky scrapers lost in the clouds.)
All in all it's a fun gaming experience that allows you to play multiple times and gaurantee each time is a better than before.

Action game in it's purest form

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Since when had we all demand that a good game has to have a storyline or depth or character development or different endings otherwise it's no good? Frankly I'm tired of wondering around in some nondescriptive game world for hours just to locate some absurd key to open that stupid door, or looking for some specific NPC to talk to, at same time trying to convince myself it's all part of that all important plot.

I play a game for fun and this game provides exactly that. Actually I can't get enough of it even thou both my thumbs are numb. Right now I'm on my second round of the game (normal difficulty) and I know that I'll play it again (hard mode) when I'm done.

Very few games had given me this feeling recently.

Innovation is the key

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Admittedly I bought this game due to its apparent originality and it's visual appeal... and original it is, but not totally genre creating. However, there is nothing else like it.

My initial expectations were low, I mean it has had considerably low key launches in comparison to something say, like Resident Evil for example.

This game is actually very good, a simple concept whereby you can control the main character (Vanessa) through what seems to be a series of corridors and.... killing everything!

Well, it's not that simple, you have two forms of attack: palm shots and energy drives. Palm shots are standard forms of attack, and energy drives are a so-called special move, taking various forms. The thing is, you can't attack whilst you are mobile, the leads to the very delightful scenario of attack, dodge, attack, dodge, dodge, attack, etc.

It may sound repetititve, but it does quickly become an art, especially as missions become increasingly intense. A couple of missions into the game and you will have finely tuned your senses of the environment around you. It's a fine line between knowing when to move and when to fire like hell.

You earn points in each room based on time taken, combos and damage sustained. Points, can in turn be traded for newer better* suits and upgrades.

This is wicked fun, and immensely addictive.

Controls are a bit weird, and surroundings are a bit monotonous, but Capcom really have done a great job here

*really your opinion here, as suits sacrifice particular elements for various others.

Great game though they could have put some more work into it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

P.N. 03 is truly a game to behold with its futuristic environments and enemies but the game has a class of its own because you "dance" to actually dodge enemy fire. Because of the price right now you should get this game. I got this game about a year ago and I'm still playing it.

Review points are averaged together.

(8)Plotline: A colonial settlement on a distant planet goes out-of-control after a Computer Arms Management System goes haywire. Enter Vanessa Schneider, a freelance mercenary and robot killer with a grudge to settle in this exhilarating action game. But will Vanessa's dark past collide with her ultimate mission?
Now this is one of those games where the title is sort of secret and you have to play the game and do some thinking for yourself to figure this title. You were probably wondering why the game is called Product Number 3 anyway but I won't spoil the fun exactly. The missions you're looking for to give you the hint would be mission 9 and 11.

(8)Graphics:Now the graphics failed to get my attention but they're just okay. I like how they showed all of the transforming robots and how they explode. The special effects are pretty good though. The graphics probably could have been better for 2003.

(10) Sound:The sound for this game is simply astonishing. The techno music was great and fit the levels perfectly. Though I did hear the same soundtrack in a few levels. The enemy sounds gave me the reason for this to be a ten. The sounds of the lasers and the movements of all the robots were great. But in some of the later levels when you have to face a flying robot that sounds like it's making breathing noises like in a scuba tank made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

(9)Control: The game uses all the controls and are pretty easy to use. There are two reasons why I gave it a nine. One reason is that you should already start out with full automatic palm shots so you can just hold down A and fire. The second reason is when you're in a tough fight and want to use an energy drive, but the control pad is sometimes hard to use and it takes a few tries to get it to work. This creates a problem when you're facing the final boss on Hard and you can take about 4 lasers.( No really.)

Multiplayer: No multiplayer but if it doesn't have a multiplayer, then I won't give it a score.

(9)Glitches: A few glitches like when you're floating over an abyss in level five on the invisible barriers around the corners of paths. And when you're going through enemies.

(10) Entertainment: This game is great to play and listen to. I don't understand how great games like this people can hate though. This is completely different from one of those shooter games where you hide behind a wall, lean over the side, shoot some people, roll over into some cover, continue, and then move into the next area and continue the steps. I love how the enemies transform because then you have to completely change your strategy if they get a new move. The bosses are hard and challenging.(At least on the later difficulties.)

(9) Replay Value: Even though this game is short, you'll want to play it over again on the different difficulties and try to get all the suits,powerups,trial missions, and more. That could take awhile because trial missions are basically another level and change depending on the level you're currently in and those suits don't come cheap either. So there's a lot to do in this game. This game could have used a multi-player though. Think about it, you start out in different places in a level with the Prima Fusion suit. You can collect better suits by searching through the level. Your palm shots would probably do a lot to each other because they aren't the weakened blasts from the robots. Normally you can't use energy drives but when you get one from like an item box or something, you would get a randomly selected energy drive and would be able to use it once. You could even get energy drives you couldn't normally get for that suit. There would also be some robots that respawn in parts of the levels for chaotic fun. That's a pretty good idea huh?

Overall Rating(Review points are averaged together.): 9 exact

A final word: It's a great value for eight bucks, so I recommend you just get it.

Make her dance...if you can...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Jet Set Radio. Viewtiful Joe. Gun Valkyrie. These are games that you'll never hear a mainstream gamer talk about. They are games for the hardcore, die-hard, take-no-prisoners-and-get-no-sleep-till-you-break-the-highscore gamers. They emphasize gameplay and innovation over graphics and accesability. But they are brilliant in their own way, and so just plain DIFFERENT in their dynamics and control schemes that they make you unlearn what you have learned. This is THAT kind of game.

If you are expecting a typical action game you will be diappointed. If you are expecting highly polished graphics you will be disappointed. If you are expecting greatness that requires patience, practice, and dedication that only the hardcore can muster you will be blown away. The story is simple. In the future a mercenary has been dispatched to destroy the robots on a colony world that have gone awry and started attacking anything that moves. She is one Vanessa Schneider, a skin-tight armored bodysuit wearing chick who is short on words and fast on acrobatic manuevers. Through a series of simple text explanations you are briefed on the situation of each level, and then you run and gun your way through every room in the level until you beat the level boss and get a chance to save your save before progressing to the next level. It all sounds so simple. And it is. And it isn't.

You see, the control system is optimized for acrobatics, not for changing direction. You don't walk. You run (by pushing forward). You don't turn. You change direction (by hitting the Z button to turn around or Z and another direction for a 90 degree turn). You don't jump. You flip through the air forward or backward. And sorry, but you don't run or jump and shoot at the same time. You stand still and shoot, and when the time is right you dodge or jump out of the way (or crouch). Well, actually, you can turn, but it is slow and awkward. You will quickly find that it is far more effective to dodge to sidestep or cartwheel in a direction (right or left trigger) rather than wasting time turning. It sounds odd and it is. It is also genius.

When you are doing poorly this game is very frustrating, as you fall off ledges over and over and keep taking hits and getting killed by the robots' laser fire. The trick is to overcome the limitations, or rather the UNIQUENESS of the control scheme, and make Vanessa DANCE across the levels in a sort of high-speed blasting ballet.When you are doing well, and with practice you will, this game is wonderful. It's like every Mila Jovovich movie was combined into one long action sequence. You backflip and cartwheel and shoot energy blasts, timing your shots and dodging out of the way in the nick of time. You destroy huge bosses in seconds and backflip and dodge through the air, barely touching the ground as you back away from lasers chasing you. Everything moves to a rhythm, and every moment you stand still Vanessa keeps tapping in time to the music, like she's itching for action and can't bear to stand still. The graphics are not crystal clear or razer sharp. They have artfacting and pixelation and jaggies like look kind of like a low resolution video feed. I love it. The rooms of the complexes look incredibly retro and spartan like like they came out of Space Channel 5, all smooth lines and bare walls. I like the purity of gameplay the spartan presentation highlights. No distractions here. And there ARE outdoor segments and a timed escape to break up the repetition (with some great dust wind blowing and searchlights to run from). And of course there is a boss at the end of every level which you must defeat BEFORE saving your progress.

You can upgrade your battle suit throughout the game by cashing in the points you are awarded for destroying enemies in combos (a timer starts whenever you destroy an enemy), finishing rooms quickly, and finishing rooms without taking any damage. All the suits have different strengths and weaknesses (and colors), and collecting them provides some replay value as well as motivation to score well (suits are very expensive). There is also a trial mode of levels to unlock, and all purchased suits can be upgraded for a price.

The key to enjoying this game is to master its difficult controls, to grow to love its unique presentation, and revel in its unique and amazing gameplay. I love action games, and difficult ones are ultimately the most rewarding if you have the patience for them and they are well balanced. I love this this game, and if you feel the same way about action games I highly recommend a rental, if not a purchase.

Step To Your Own beat

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

PN03 is a novel game, for those that love action, shooters, and a bit of attitude. As offbeat it may be, this game goes over the top with its simple, yet challenging design. For anyone that enjoys a game that is fun, yet difficult, do not miss a game like this one.

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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