P.N.03 (GameCube) Preview

By James Temperton 15.02.2003

Out of the Capcom five games it is apparent that huge pride has been taken in unique and diverse visual presentation. Killer 7 is perhaps the most interesting with its quite worrying mix of gore and heavily stylised visuals making it one of the most visually experimental titles in years. Indeed the same is true for the appallingly named Viewtiful Joe but perhaps the most interesting game comes in the form of the simply dazzling P.N.03.

Due out in little over six weeks (in Japan anyway) very little is known about this title that has been developed in tandem with RE:0. Indeed it is not the first game it come out of the blue, many would remember Diddy Kong Racing on the N64, announced just weeks before it went on sale. So far we have seen very little of P.N.03 but what we have seen we like. The whole package is very well polished and makes great use of CAPCOM's 'advanced engine'. Curves can be found everywhere, especially on the main character herself with every part of the suit designed in mind-bending detail. The inside level is amazingly lit and where other developers would run crying CAPCOM stands tall. Everything is curved; in fact only things that must be straight remain so.

But what of the dangers? Well CAPCOM have revealed details of some of the foes you will be meeting along the way...

Guards
The name says it all really. These large and slightly cumbersome robots are the guards to most doorways and can usually be found in sets of two. Main weapons are machine guns situated on each arm.

Sentry Guns
These highly powered and twice as accurate guards can be found at junctions and above important entrances. You must use your full range of movements and be quick to spot safe areas to even have a slight chance of getting past these things.

Perimeter Cannons
These high power hidden laser cannons can be found in the external levels. Designed to detect moving objects approaching (like yourself) it will pop out of the ground when you're just about on top of the damn thing!

Floating Sentries
Getting rid of the problems that make their stationary brothers easy to pass these foes can activate anti-gravity pads and float around corridors in packs.

Speeder Bikes
Designed to hunt and kill, at very high speeds, these unmanned bikes patrol the outside areas.

Perimeter Boss
Great fun this one. Just as you think you reached the main facilitly this one will pop out the ground and blast the hell out of you, yay!

AAF-03 Sonnenblume
Located at the centre of the facility this is one of the more powerful enimies we have come across. Using some sort of fan to convert heat into high powered lasers.

And that's just the start of it. In fact so far we have only seen the first two levels. You can expect numerous different locals based around the themes shown in the screens here, all utilising the superb game engine. This is without a doubt one of the most interesting games to come out of the CAPCOM/Nintendo partnership since its birth and we can only hope that there are many more to follow...

Final Thoughts

A game that we have been looking forward to for a long time, and it just keeps on getting better and better. Whilst we have our worries about its longevity and general depth, even if it just turns out to be cosmetic glory, we will be happy!

Developer

Capcom

Publisher

Capcom

Genre

Adventure

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  7/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  10/10 (10 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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