IGN hands on" I thank you"
March 27, 2003 - This Thursday marked not just the massive multiplatform launch of Namco's Soul Calibur. It also brought the release of the first title in Capcom's Big-5 set of GameCube games, P.N.03 (along with a new Super Robot Wars game, but that only concerns tiny percentage of readers over at IGNPS2).
We actually provided some impressions of P.N.03 a few weeks back via a quick playtest outside a Tokyo retailer. Now, having sat down with the game and worked our way through four levels, we're actually a bit confused.
On the one hand, P.N.03 is a very new experience. We guarantee that you've never played anything like it. It's part blastathon, part stealth, and we've even noticed some elements of that long lost genre of gaming, the shooter. Yeah, we know -- the game looks nothing like a shooter. But take the pattern-based attacks of the enemies and gameplay that has you dodge bullets and occasionally line yourself up in such a manner as to avoid large streams of fire, and we think you'll see the similarities.
Outside of new experiences, there seems to be plenty of gaming to be had in P.N.03. Shooting baddies with style earns you points that can be traded up for items, ranging from continues to new suits. You can also use points to upgrade suits that you already own, increasing their defensive and offensive ratings. In the first four stages (totaling about 30 minutes of playtime), we've opened up three different suits, each a different color and featuring a different super attack for the main character, Vanessa.
Regardless of what suit she's wearing, Vanessa is very cool. She begins the game by teleporting onto what seems to be an abandoned planet, and almost immediately, she begins tapping her feet to the music. Those two drones packed with ammo approaching from the distance? No concern to Vanessa. She just stands there and lets the blasts fly by, then leaps into the air and unleashes a special move, taking them out instantly.
Sadly, we can confirm that there's not the tiniest bit of voice in the game. Vanessa doesn't make a squeak as she blasts through the levels, and mission briefings involving Vanessa in conversation with an unidentified operative, are strictly text-based. We were hoping to hear what this new mark for female character coolness sounded like.
While we can live with all these minor presentation issues, what's really annoying us about P.N.03 is the control. We mentioned in our last update that the control is a little on the weird side, feeling somewhat like a first person shooter, or perhaps Tomb Raider (where you press left or right to rotate your character). This ends up forcing you to keep your character in a forward-facing direction where the action, in theory, lies. That's all fine and dandy, as the game seems to be designed with the control scheme in mind. The problem is that the controls are very unforgiving and often too sensitive. Tap the control stick to the right just a bit on accident, and you'll find the main character turning around way too much, leaving you confused.
Four stages into the game, and we're getting a bit more used to the controls, although we gave up playing on normal mode long ago. While we're embarrassed to admit it, our first time through P.N.03 is going to have to be on easy mode. Don't laugh, as you'll probably end up doing the same!
So the answer to the burning question -- do we like P.N.03 -- is: maybe. We may or may not like it, but we're not sure at this point. A couple of things are clear, though. Capcom has made a very unique title, and now a good way's in, we're anxious to play more. We'll be back with an update down the road once we've determined a bit more if we love or hate P.N.03
March 27, 2003 - This Thursday marked not just the massive multiplatform launch of Namco's Soul Calibur. It also brought the release of the first title in Capcom's Big-5 set of GameCube games, P.N.03 (along with a new Super Robot Wars game, but that only concerns tiny percentage of readers over at IGNPS2).
We actually provided some impressions of P.N.03 a few weeks back via a quick playtest outside a Tokyo retailer. Now, having sat down with the game and worked our way through four levels, we're actually a bit confused.
On the one hand, P.N.03 is a very new experience. We guarantee that you've never played anything like it. It's part blastathon, part stealth, and we've even noticed some elements of that long lost genre of gaming, the shooter. Yeah, we know -- the game looks nothing like a shooter. But take the pattern-based attacks of the enemies and gameplay that has you dodge bullets and occasionally line yourself up in such a manner as to avoid large streams of fire, and we think you'll see the similarities.
Outside of new experiences, there seems to be plenty of gaming to be had in P.N.03. Shooting baddies with style earns you points that can be traded up for items, ranging from continues to new suits. You can also use points to upgrade suits that you already own, increasing their defensive and offensive ratings. In the first four stages (totaling about 30 minutes of playtime), we've opened up three different suits, each a different color and featuring a different super attack for the main character, Vanessa.
Regardless of what suit she's wearing, Vanessa is very cool. She begins the game by teleporting onto what seems to be an abandoned planet, and almost immediately, she begins tapping her feet to the music. Those two drones packed with ammo approaching from the distance? No concern to Vanessa. She just stands there and lets the blasts fly by, then leaps into the air and unleashes a special move, taking them out instantly.
Sadly, we can confirm that there's not the tiniest bit of voice in the game. Vanessa doesn't make a squeak as she blasts through the levels, and mission briefings involving Vanessa in conversation with an unidentified operative, are strictly text-based. We were hoping to hear what this new mark for female character coolness sounded like.
While we can live with all these minor presentation issues, what's really annoying us about P.N.03 is the control. We mentioned in our last update that the control is a little on the weird side, feeling somewhat like a first person shooter, or perhaps Tomb Raider (where you press left or right to rotate your character). This ends up forcing you to keep your character in a forward-facing direction where the action, in theory, lies. That's all fine and dandy, as the game seems to be designed with the control scheme in mind. The problem is that the controls are very unforgiving and often too sensitive. Tap the control stick to the right just a bit on accident, and you'll find the main character turning around way too much, leaving you confused.
Four stages into the game, and we're getting a bit more used to the controls, although we gave up playing on normal mode long ago. While we're embarrassed to admit it, our first time through P.N.03 is going to have to be on easy mode. Don't laugh, as you'll probably end up doing the same!
So the answer to the burning question -- do we like P.N.03 -- is: maybe. We may or may not like it, but we're not sure at this point. A couple of things are clear, though. Capcom has made a very unique title, and now a good way's in, we're anxious to play more. We'll be back with an update down the road once we've determined a bit more if we love or hate P.N.03
- clueless...
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