Show Some Love

Posted on Sep 20th 2009 at 04:01:49 PM by (Crabmaster2000)
Posted under PN03, Gamecube, Review, P.N.03, Unloved, Modern Gaming

This was the first release of the infamous Capcom Five (4 in reality and 1 if you want to be even pickier) for the Nintendo Gamecube. For myself PN03 really captured that old 2D Arcadish feeling but with a 3D environment. I cant really think of any other game that has done that for me.

[img width=340 height=474]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/z-9.jpg[/img]


First of all as far as 3D games go this one is quite short. This is remedied by having multiple difficulties and a large amount of unlockables. Even though this game can be finished within 2-3 hours on your first playthough I logged about 15hours into it in the first week I started playing. To unlock new suits and weapons you use the points you receive from destroying enemy robots. These same points are used to keep track of your highscore. I found that to be a very addictive combination. The ability to unlock loads of goodies is a great incentive to really push that highscore.

As for controls its really a matter of taste. It uses "tank controls" similar to the first few Resident Evil games. I just happened to have played a lot of RE2 as a kid and am a huge fan of the play style so I found it very comfortable to jump into. I understand most peoples reservations about them though. With that said its much more stylish and fluid than RE's tank controls. First of all there is very little back tracking. Your always pushing forward quickly to get a good time (which translates to good score) so you don't have to move around a lot. The shoulder buttons act as quick dodges to either side and your character runs at a nice speed when moving forward. This helps keep it seem much faster paced than the RE controls.

The art style and play style complement each other amazingly. The game mostly takes place inside futuristic, huge, white, strangely clean buildings. Your human/robotic character has all very charismatic movements that resemble dancing at times. With a neat techno style music it really ties your characters movements together with the atmosphere somehow.

The enemies in the game are quite boring and repetitive, but fit in well with the style of the game. The bosses on the other hand are enormous and interesting. The last few boss fights are intense, difficult but fair, and just all out fun.

The only real flaw I saw in this game was the story. Its really not a long enough game to develop a story properly yet they attempt to. It just makes the ending twist seem anti climactic. Add this to the fact that there are only 2 characters that ever interact and it just seemed pointless. It also disrupts the fast paced gameplay a few times which is annoying in a game like this.

[img width=480 height=373]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/z1-3.jpg[/img]

Its really hard to describe the unique style this game has to it so I highly recommend checking out some youtube videos to see just what I mean. Heres  a link to one to start you off:



It seems to be a very underrated game that falls under a lot of peoples radar. It is definitely one of my favorite Gamecube titles and can be found for very cheap though so grab it if you come across it. Easily worth the few bucks it costs!!

Final Score - 8.5/10


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Comments
 
wow, I'm glad someone else gets this game!

If you're looking for more super-cheap but fun titles, look into SEGA's early releases from last generation.
Gungrave, Shenmue II, and Gunvalkyrie can be found on the cheap, but certainly have playback value.
 
I'm still on the fence about this game. I've played it a couple of times through, and I still can't make my mind up about it. I love the fluidity of it all, but I just don't seem to get it like you have.
Incidentally, with my DB Editor's hat on, you could submit this as a review for the database Wink
 
@Oatbob

Im not much of a Shenmue fan, but I will definately look into Gungrave and Gunvalkyrie. Thanks for the recommendations!!

@ga5ket

In the next couple days I'll submit each review I've done to the database. Thanks!!
 
I had never even heard of this game until now, thanks for the recommendation Crab!
 
Seems like a fun little game. I'll see if I can find it for a nice price on eBay (GameCube games have become hard to find at my local flea market).
 
@Oatbob

I looked into both the games you recommended and Gungrave looks great!! I cant wait to track down a copy. Gunvalkyrie I'm not sold on yet, but if I find it for cheap I'll definately give it a try.
 
why does she have to shake her ass like that? hehehe
it's awesome!
 
I really think that Crabmaster's Unloved series is my favorite series of blogposts on here now. I feel like all three have been eye-opening to me.

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