P.N. 03

 GameCube
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Release Date: Sep 9, 2003
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 35
  3. Negative: 6 out of 35
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  1. Play Magazine
    91
    Once you synch up with Vanessa and the rhythm of the game, it's impossible to put down and clearly meant to be assailed three times (or more), which is also the only path to unlocking every suit and the secrets within. [July 2003, p.16]
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  2. Gamezilla!
    90
    Might be a bit too streamlined and stylized for some, coming off as more simplistic than artistic, but I personally love it. P.N.03 makes you feel as if you're in control of a laser-toting ballerina with death at her fingertips, and that's all good in my book.
  3. Ferrago
    90
    And amidst a rash of horrendously tedious stealth games, it really is a lot more fun to go somersaulting over a couple of incoming missiles, land among the enemy, pull off an outrageous dance move to mock/destroy everything around you, then to leap back and cartwheel off into cover again.
  5. TotalGames.net
    82
    If you can look past this failing though, P. N. 03... is massively enjoyable game. Each room is another challenge, asking you to think on your feet while being attacked from all angles, and strangely, it never gets too frustrating.
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  6. Nintendo Power
    82
    Although the stilted play control makes it frustratingly difficult to move at times, the overall playing experience is very engaging. [Oct 2003, p.137]
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  7. NTSC-uk
    80
    Striking perhaps for all the wrong reasons. It surprises due to the simplicity and appears original because it bucks the current trend of excess. Yet this originality is indeed false, because it has been so heavily based upon the games of old. [JPN Import]
  8. GamePro
    80
    P.N.03's strong aesthetics add flavor to the repetitive gameplay...Sure, this may not be the deepest GameCube offering available, but for those who crave a shoot-em-up with old-school inflections, P.N.03 is A-OK.
  9. Games Radar
    77
    A super-stylish, dance-a-minute, well animated shooter. But the repetitiveness, uninspiring bosses and dull design don't do it any favours. [NGC]
  10. Nintendophiles
    77
    If you're not into the idea of constantly shooting and blowing stuff up, this may not be the game for you. Up to this point I have used the word shooting sixteen times in this review, and there's a reason for that. That is the bulk of the game.
  11. GameCube Europe
    77
    Not a reason to leave the beach, but for anyone who likes a decent shooter this stylish game is a great choice.
  12. GameShark
    76
    With an incredible sense of style and some great old fashioned shooter gameplay, P.N. 03 overcomes its weaknesses and delivers a solid, entertaining experience.
  13. Edge Magazine
    70
    You'll soon learn the groove: shoot, dodge, shoot, dodge. It should get tedious, but it doesn't. P.N.03 rewards skill above all else and mastery brings huge satisfaction. Grace under fire has rarely been done better. [June 2003, p.96]
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  14. Eurogamer
    70
    Although P.N.03 is plainly flawed, with a little perseverance the gameplay still shines through as something relatively new and engaging.
  15. Gamestyle
    70
    Overall P.N.03 may not offer anything new, but the combination of old values, futuristic looks and game play has made this one of the most satisfying Gamecube releases of late. [Import]
  16. GameSpy
    70
    If you're partial to some good shooter action, then check out P.N.03 -- it's not the longest game ever made, but it's stylish and challenging nonetheless.
  17. Kombo
    70
    P.N.03 may easily turn off some gamers, whether it's because of the high difficulty level or the hard to pick up controls; but once you get past those issues, you'll get a feeling of nostalgia that few games this generation will inspire.
  18. eToychest
    70
    The game is mindless, shooting mayhem that is extremely evocative of sprite based shooting games of yesteryear.
  19. Into Liquid Sky
    67
    Those expecting an action adventure game will be severely disappointed, however if you are looking for a great old school shooter in the vain of "Space Invaders," "Ikaruga" or "Raystorm," then P.N.03 is well worth buying.
  20. Nintendojo
    65
    Another huge, glaring error on the controls in PN03 is that controlling Vanessa is like controlling an open jar of molasses through Omaha Beach.
  21. Games Radar
    60
    The sci-fi action found here is good while it lasts; it just never changes from the first level.
  22. NintendoWorldReport
    60
    Its core gameplay is initially attractive and mildly addictive, but the missions and enemies offer little variety or depth. You might enjoy playing with the different suits and upgrades, but unlocking any of the good stuff requires hours and hours of playing through the bland trial missions.
  23. Adrenaline Vault
    60
    While P.N.03 does provide some solid shooting action, the incredibly repetitive levels and unintuitive controls significantly detract from the experience.
  24. GameZone
    58
    The style Vanessa adds with her dance moves is one of the biggest draws, but poor controls and overpowered enemies bog this title down. Maybe the enemies seem harder because the controls are bad, but something needs fixing.
  25. Game Informer
    58
    If you don't die of boredom playing the game, you'll run headlong into the most disappointing aspect of P.N.03: It can be completed in a measly four hours. [Sept 2003, p.111]
  26. Gaming Age
    58
    A decent shooter and would have been great had the character been given enough speed to match her robotic peers.
  27. Deeko
    55
    Visually dull, painfully boring and completely short of Capcom's usual high standards.
  28. IGN
    53
    A 3D action-shooter with a certain degree of style, sure. But it has no depth whatsoever. Worse, its control scheme, clunky and sluggish, perpetually clashes with the would-be fast-moving battles the game serves up continuously.
  29. GameSpot
    51
    As you guide her through one identical-looking corridor after another, shooting one identical-looking robot after another, you'll almost certainly be unimpressed with the repetitive and cumbersome action at the heart of this game.
  30. Yahoo!
    50
    Loaded with style, what could have easily been a top-tier game suffers from sluggish controls, repetitive gameplay and a hopelessly generic storyline.
  31. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    43
    Excitement wears thin when you realize you're fighting the same enemies and running down the same corridors over and over. There's not even a real story to cling to, so players are left with little more than a few hours of tedious button mashing. [Oct 2003, p.163]
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  32. GameNow
    42
    Tries to capture the excitement and intensity of old-school 2D shooters, but the end product is just a boring hodgepodge of gaming cliches. [Oct 2003, p.49]
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  33. GMR Magazine
    40
    Boring and repetitive... The best part of the game is when Vanessa flaunts her futuristic T&A as the credits roll. That's right, it's more fun than playing the game. [Oct 2003, p.73]
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  34. Cheat Code Central
    40
    P.N. 03 won't keep anyone interested for more than a couple of hours. The longer you continue to enjoy the game after that is directly proportional to the time you spent watching reality TV shows.
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  35. G4 TV
    40
    There's no sense of continuity since you have to keep stopping and starting. And where are the puzzles or something other to do besides shooting at hard-to-see robots?
  36. Cinescape
    33
    Feels like it's just a block of jello. It could have been molded into something new, but instead, Capcom just left it as is, a block. It's uninspired, generic, and there is no reason to play it.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best GameCube Game of 2003
50
#50 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2003
15
#15 Most Shared GameCube Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 78 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 78
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 78
  3. Negative: 5 out of 78
  1. wesker2012
    May 28, 2012
    5
    This game coulda been good but it felt incomplete. Combat was fun but repetitive.
  2. PaulR.
    Oct 29, 2003
    10
    You either get it or you don't. If you're expecting something that handles and feels like all those generic 3rd person ps2 games You either get it or you don't. If you're expecting something that handles and feels like all those generic 3rd person ps2 games out there, you'll feel v constricted and agree with the 40 ratings. If you're up for timing & sequences of moves and totally unique handing, you'll love it like I did.… Full Review »
  3. XV_
    Jun 5, 2021
    6
    Product Number Three starts with an interesting starting setting but that sentiment wears off a couple of hours during the game. Both theProduct Number Three starts with an interesting starting setting but that sentiment wears off a couple of hours during the game. Both the manual and the game doesn’t give you much to work with in terms of context. The meta-story behind the game and the Capcom Five is far more interesting than the inside the game and that is truly disappointing.

    Same as its main story, the gameplay has its fair share of problems and it's also a sad thing as it could have the potential of being great and fun (and in a few portions of the game it is), yet buried under a lot of issues it does have some redeemable aspects. The first problem that the player will likely face is moving the camera around, you can only move the camera within the spectrum of a limited of fixed angles, it’s hard to explain without showing but think of playing a shooting game with fixed angles like classic Resident Evil games.

    Shooting is the main mechanic of the game and it's arguable the most fun part of it, you shoot enemies by facing them and the game automatically targets the nearest target and it will change upon destroying it, you can’t move your aim but you can change targets if needed with a dedicated button, what takes some of the fun is that bullets are shot manually and because it doesn’t seem to have a speed cap, you can deal more damage as long as you smash that button the fastest. This doesn’t sound like an issue but because enemies are HP sponges you’ll likely focus on dealing with them as fast as possible, the problem is that if you’re looking to have playing sessions from at least 1 or 2 hours or even more, most likely your thumb muscles or in my case, my forearm muscles (as I shot with my index finger for more speed) will get very tired by the end of the session and will be sore by the next day.

    The game has 10 levels to advance from and each level consists of 15 to 18 rooms that culminate with a boss battle at the end of them. Bosses can be a mixed bag, some of them are fun to fight, some of them are extremely easy and a few of them give you a good challenge. You don’t have a map and you don’t have to clear them up to get to the boss. But because the game doesn’t have a navigation system at all, you have to rely a lot on your memory to track your way through when you inevitably hit a dead-end or die, it doesn’t help though, that every room in the complex looks exactly the same and when going to the next level everything remains the same aside from an ever-so-slightly different color scheme.When advancing through the main game you gain access to different tiers of suits to dress Vanessa, they always come in sets of three and are specialized in defense, offense, and all-round, each of them has unique skills that you need to purchase and for the most part they will be extremely expensive that by the time you afford a suit for the 2nd tier you’ll likely unlock the next and better tier and ultimately stick with your weak suit for more time.

    Not everything is mixed or bad in P.N.03 art direction for a change it’s generally good, character design and mechanic design are top tiers, particularly the bosses, they are inventive and have a Ghost in the Shell inspiration to them that I like quite a lot.

    Everything has an early 2000s aesthetic and that includes the music in my case that is a good point as I can be transferred to another decade just by the sound of it and it goes extremely well with the art direction and tone of the game, it's techno-tropical sound with a sometimes androgynous voice chanting made-up words make for an upbeat soundtrack.

    I really wanted to like P.N.03 as it has all the things that I like in a game along with the direction of a living legend director as Shinji Mikami. When all is said and all is done, I don’t hate Product Number Three at all, it is mostly a mediocre game with a pretty good aesthetic and pretty neat ideas but poorly executed, but if anything I think that at least the developers tried to do something that is not conventional and that is always commendable. By this point, it is extremely unlikely that this game will have a remake or reboot of some sort but I think that it has a lot of ideas that could make a great video game, even a masterpiece. Anyway, as it is Product Number Three it’s not a recommendable game by any means, I hope a lot of people play it and experience it themselves because Who knows? maybe the next legendary developer will love it and see its true potential and gave the game a second chance at least in spirit.    … Full Review »
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