Monday, July 05, 2004
A kink in the shiny white armor
Once again I have interrupted my quest through the world of Beyond Good and Evil to play another (lesser) title, just so I can update this site. Only when I finally complete BG&E, which should be later this week, will I actually talk about how bloody good that game is. So, for now, you will have to read not about my amazing exploits in the deeply flawed yet ridiculously fun Spiderman 2, but instead my run through one of the most hated games this generation: P.N. 03. An unwieldy title for an unwieldy game, I have to ask - Capcom, what were you thinking?
Product Number 03 is a game that defies categorization. Wait, that’s really cliché. Let me try again: Product Number 03 is game unlike any other game out there because no other company was crazy enough to make such a game. Screenshots make it seem like your run of the mill 3rd person shooter. I guess that would work, except the controls are not the most conducive to running and gunning (meaning you can’t move and shoot at the same time) and there aren’t even any guns in the game. But, it’s at least similar to other 3rd person shooters in that it’s a 3rd person game with shooting, albeit of the palm blasting variety.
But it’s also got this whole Space Channel rhythm game going on. You don’t have to time your moves or any other Parappa type nonsense, but it has a very similar feel. PN03 has this ultra repetitive techno music (redundant, eh?) blaring constantly, but it actually works with the game. The main character tends to move in time with the music, and the frantic beat will keep you locked on to the task of finishing the levels to shut that damn music off.
Oh, and to make the game even more confusing, it actually plays more like a top down, 2D shooter than anything else. Fights are choreographed similar to Space Invaders – walk into a room, see enemy, shoot enemy, cartwheel right, shoot enemy again, duck, then destroy enemy. With the techno music blasting and wave after wave of the same enemy in the same room coming at you, it’s easy to lose yourself in a Zen like trance that would make Buddha do his patented jig. Or maybe even Jesus…
Once again, I cannot stress this statement enough; I have no idea what Capcom was thinking.
This game is as difficult to play as any game this generation just because the controls are so unforgiving. Your character, though she dances constantly and wears many different skin tight killing suits, has the grace of a sloth. She has little problem walking forward, but struggles with lateral movement of any kind – and don’t even consider moving backwards. Did I mention already that you can’t move and shoot at the same time? I think this might be a first in gaming. Basically, this is the most structured game ever. Capcom wants you to do things their way and any deviation from their designed path results in death.
The problem then, once you figure out the controls, is the pure repetitiveness. There are only about 10 different rooms in the entire game, so there is little to no variation as you traverse the levels. Instead, the game lets you upgrade your suit and purchase new attacks in an attempt to liven things up. It’s a system that works, but, because of the high cost of items, you will find yourself playing practice missions to level up far more often than actually going through the main story.
Now that I’ve pegged the game as a repetitive shooter with frustrating controls you probably assume the game isn’t very fun, right? Well, it actually is. I know, I’m just as shocked as you. It’s that element of Space Channel - the hypnotic feel and frantic pace – that makes the game somewhat enjoyable. The music, though horrible in any other context, is almost intoxicating when in the middle of battle. I found myself moving in time to the music, and was actually having a pretty good time playing the training levels for the right to buy some pretty new armor.
The game is not amazing by any stretch, but it’s different enough from anything else out there that I really am enjoying it. If I could only find a comfortable way to hold the controller, one that doesn’t cause my hand to lock into a claw-like position after a few minutes of play, this game would be even better. As it is, it’s a fun game mostly because of the feel and weirdness rather than actual, solid gameplay.
Product Number 03 is a game that defies categorization. Wait, that’s really cliché. Let me try again: Product Number 03 is game unlike any other game out there because no other company was crazy enough to make such a game. Screenshots make it seem like your run of the mill 3rd person shooter. I guess that would work, except the controls are not the most conducive to running and gunning (meaning you can’t move and shoot at the same time) and there aren’t even any guns in the game. But, it’s at least similar to other 3rd person shooters in that it’s a 3rd person game with shooting, albeit of the palm blasting variety.
But it’s also got this whole Space Channel rhythm game going on. You don’t have to time your moves or any other Parappa type nonsense, but it has a very similar feel. PN03 has this ultra repetitive techno music (redundant, eh?) blaring constantly, but it actually works with the game. The main character tends to move in time with the music, and the frantic beat will keep you locked on to the task of finishing the levels to shut that damn music off.
Oh, and to make the game even more confusing, it actually plays more like a top down, 2D shooter than anything else. Fights are choreographed similar to Space Invaders – walk into a room, see enemy, shoot enemy, cartwheel right, shoot enemy again, duck, then destroy enemy. With the techno music blasting and wave after wave of the same enemy in the same room coming at you, it’s easy to lose yourself in a Zen like trance that would make Buddha do his patented jig. Or maybe even Jesus…
Once again, I cannot stress this statement enough; I have no idea what Capcom was thinking.
This game is as difficult to play as any game this generation just because the controls are so unforgiving. Your character, though she dances constantly and wears many different skin tight killing suits, has the grace of a sloth. She has little problem walking forward, but struggles with lateral movement of any kind – and don’t even consider moving backwards. Did I mention already that you can’t move and shoot at the same time? I think this might be a first in gaming. Basically, this is the most structured game ever. Capcom wants you to do things their way and any deviation from their designed path results in death.
The problem then, once you figure out the controls, is the pure repetitiveness. There are only about 10 different rooms in the entire game, so there is little to no variation as you traverse the levels. Instead, the game lets you upgrade your suit and purchase new attacks in an attempt to liven things up. It’s a system that works, but, because of the high cost of items, you will find yourself playing practice missions to level up far more often than actually going through the main story.
Now that I’ve pegged the game as a repetitive shooter with frustrating controls you probably assume the game isn’t very fun, right? Well, it actually is. I know, I’m just as shocked as you. It’s that element of Space Channel - the hypnotic feel and frantic pace – that makes the game somewhat enjoyable. The music, though horrible in any other context, is almost intoxicating when in the middle of battle. I found myself moving in time to the music, and was actually having a pretty good time playing the training levels for the right to buy some pretty new armor.
The game is not amazing by any stretch, but it’s different enough from anything else out there that I really am enjoying it. If I could only find a comfortable way to hold the controller, one that doesn’t cause my hand to lock into a claw-like position after a few minutes of play, this game would be even better. As it is, it’s a fun game mostly because of the feel and weirdness rather than actual, solid gameplay.
// posted by Tom @ 9:27 PM 
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