P.N.03

[Matt G]

Yep, another fairly big fan here though most of what I'd say about it has been said. I'm up to the stage of having the papillion suit but have not played a game through with it. I thought it was really nasty but also funny that you can't take it off once it's on. After one level I was like "that's too hard just now, back to the normal suit" and then couldn't! Luckily I hadn't saved then. Plus having access to all the special moves and free choice of what to use is nice.

I would say the trial missions are it's downfall though, even though I've played so many of them to upgrade most of the suits to full. It's just the fact that you have to find every room and I almost always went down the longer route first, resulting in huge treks back through empty areas which gets fairly annoying. In terms of the Megaton stuff Viewtiful Joe is probably the better game but I think I actually played P.N.03 more, just cos it was over the summer and I had more time to.

[Mr. Pin?]

I would say the trial missions are it's downfall though, even though I've played so many of them to upgrade most of the suits to full. It's just the fact that you have to find every room and I almost always went down the longer route first, resulting in huge treks back through empty areas which gets fairly annoying. In terms of the Megaton stuff Viewtiful Joe is probably the better game but I think I actually played P.N.03 more, just cos it was over the summer and I had more time to.

A map on each trial mission would have been a godsend. Doing each and every one on hard was a pretty soul-destroying experience, especially when the areas from later on are used with their long corridors and multiple branches. I found that I could fire slightly faster manually, but for the long slogs through trial mode a powered-up auto suit was a must.

Yep, I had the same experience, I played PN03 to death (everything except running through with the Papillon, seemed too much like hard work), and then didn't finish Joe. It's still on my 5 games to complete list...

[The Sheriff of Nottingham]

Re getting lost in the trial missions: just stick to the "rule of right" (or left if you prefer), i.e. always leave a room by the first door to the right (/left) of the way you came in. There is usually a bit of backtracking at some point but at least you don't get lost.

I had no idea that you couldn't un-equip the Papillon...

[Mr. Pin?]

Re getting lost in the trial missions: just stick to the "rule of right" (or left if you prefer), i.e. always leave a room by the first door to the right (/left) of the way you came in. There is usually a bit of backtracking at some point but at least you don't get lost.

I had no idea that you couldn't un-equip the Papillon...

True, and this was invaluable when I was playing. I find I seem to do this automatically in most games these days, but I would much prefer an overall map.

Baldur's Gate:DA2 has an annoying map: it only shows your immediate surroundings.

[routeburn]

Picked this up at lunchtime today - £9.99 from Virgin in Leeds city centre. They've got a few left.

[The Sheriff of Nottingham]

Picked this up at lunchtime today - £9.99 from Virgin in Leeds city centre. They've got a few left.

What a bargain! I paid £40 on launch day (I know, I'm a fool) and I've definitely had my money's worth already.

Just remember to finish ALL the trial missions between the main chapters, this will help you upgrade your suit much quicker, and you'll get the Blackbird suit as a bonus at the end of your first run through. Get a suit with auto-fire at the earliest opportunity. And buy the Ultra Guardian as soon as it's available/you can afford it and max all the upgrades.

I'm jealous, I wish I was starting it for the first time again...

[routeburn]

Spent an hour on it last night. Looks good, sounds good, feels good. I was also surprised that the checkout person in Virgin said he had got it and thought it was great.

First impressions are that this is definitely a title to pick up given its current pricing. Like others have said, once you get the hang of the controls and the flow of movement/shooting, it all slots in to place. A very nice title (despite some poor English in the subtitles on occasion - "your" rather than "you're" but maybe their character set didn't include an apostrophe )

[Graham S]

I don't recall there being any mention of the guest reviewers only having an hour to play the game either. The article wasn't about mis-scoring so much as how different people will interpret a game in different ways.

No, they definitely only had a short time to play the game (I thought it was only 15 mins, but I might be wrong about that).

[Mr Sheen]

After trying to get this on USA cheap off ebay I snagged it last week.

Alls I can say is I love it, really love.

Its the first gamecube game in a good while that has kept me playing for hours on end.

Someone mentioned it as the GC's Gunvalkyrie and although imo they are quite different I get what they meant.

Anyone who is a fan of GV should give this a go, I think its a cracker.

[vamecum]

I have the soundtrack. This is a game I've been wanting for some time. I should get a job.

[Cyhwuhx]

.::: Finally picked it up today as Free Record Shop discounted it to 20 euros. Bugger me but it's really good. Better than earlier experiences with the game gave away. I liked it for it's quirkyness but this is great.

It starts off slowly and very "huh is this it?" but once you are welded into place it's highly addictive. I just NEED to hear that 'no damage clear' ping now. Every time.

The trial missions are terrific, letting you easily upgrade while getting in some practise and not risking your progress.

F*ck, I should've bought it full price.

[edit] Lovely ass.

[Alex W.]

You're not kidding. One of the few game heriones who I've actually found unbearably attractive.

[Rocko]

You are yet to discover that the controls are built around the combat, rather than being designed for smooth 3D exploration...

I think that's the sound of the nail beig hit on the head. Because of the 3rd person perspective you sort of expect that you'll be able to control her like Lara Croft or Mario- not the case, because the gameplay doesn't really demand that. I get the feeling that once you're happy within the limitations (ie you're not constantly trying to do things you can't) it'll really take off. Of course, that presumes that you *can* be happy within them - some people I suppose won't ever be. And that's probably where the marmite bits comes in.

I picked this up on cheap the other day, and have only played a couple of levels through, and I'm enjoyed it quite a lot. It looks great, sounds really good, it's positively steeped in style.... and I suspect it's going to get quite hard. So far so good.

Great post, BTW Insin.

[zy]

No, they definitely only had a short time to play the game (I thought it was only 15 mins, but I might be wrong about that).

You weren't wrong. We only had fifteen minutes to make an assessment.

And though I believe it was selected at random, I think PN03 turned out to be an ideal title for proving that you can't review a game in fifteen minutes.

[Preacher]

Anyone who is a fan of GV should give this a go, I think its a cracker.

I am, I did and it is - picked P.N.03 up for the not too bad price of £15.

Obviously, I wasn't impressed with the opening level: the open environment does nothing for the combat and really makes it difficult to target specific enemies. Saying that, the corridor stuff is a total blast. It kind of reminds me of Time Crisis in terms of dodging, ducking and then shooting - albeit in third person.

And yes, it is strangely compelling. I find it difficult to stick with games these days, but the ones I do end up persisting with are the ones that exploit fundamental aspects of video games - games like P.N. 03.

Not sure about the Gun Valkyrie comparisons though - P.N. 03 is great but it's still flawed in places, unlike my beloved Gun Valkyrie. I think the problem with P.N. 03 is when they try and apply the combat to open environments, as I mentioned earlier. I'm just glad they didn't do it too often. Also, the controls aren't particularly well suited to the joypad, as a lot of the dodging moves aren't conveniently placed.

Yeah, and just because it does my nut in everytime I hear it, the learning curve for Gun Valkyrie is not a steep slope - rather a dramatic and sudden shift once you've seen the rolling demo and watch the game being played properly. The way people make out that playing the game is laborious is nonsense, because once you've seen the demo, you almost instantly get the hang of it.

P.N.03 probably scrapes an 8/10 for me. It might be flawed, but it takes one hell of a game to make you want to look past the shite, nay?

[f2097]

I really like PN.03, im still playing it reguarly while ikaruga, viewtiful joe and most of the others are nothing more than dust collectors. I agree with what has been said in this topic, its so fun when you get into the swing of it, the whole game feels very pure and stripped down .. all substance and no style which is kinda the opposite of its advertising campaign, visual style and all the previews..

even if im rubbish at it and always die halfway through its great fun to just play and get that little bit further each time..

[Juria]

I really like it but i'm at a point where I have to spend forever in the practice room to get enough credits for a better suit or to collect ALL the suits to get some unlockables.

[shirubagan]

I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

[___]

I really like it but i'm at a point where I have to spend forever in the practice room to get enough credits for a better suit or to collect ALL the suits to get some unlockables.

That's half the game, there - playing through the 5 practice levels to get the maseeeve bonuses, with the rooms from the levels you've completed comprising the map.

Getting full autofire on my suit has killed P.N.03 for me a bit, but it's still fun enough.