E3 2003 – Hands On
Among the many action-oriented
titles found at Capcom’s booth at E3 in Los Angeles, a few of their more unique
and original titles stand out. One of these is Product Number 03, or P.N.0.3.
Taking place in a factory on a
distant mining planet, you play as a mercenary for hire that has been asked to
help destroy robots. The factory’s defense system has gone haywire, and all the
defense mechanisms have been wreaking havoc.
Before the demo began, a menu came
up that displayed a few costumes to pick from. Each one had different color
schemes and special moves that the costume would enable. Four costumes were
available, but there are going to be a lot more when the game releases.
The demo level consists mainly of
going from room to room and shooting all the robots in your way. Each room and
hall looks almost exactly like the last in the demo, but scenes from later in
the game show that the environments will change – and they look great. One of
the biggest visual attractions in the game is how the main character dances,
which can be seen during and after her attacks. She even taps her foot if left
idle.
To get through each room and hall,
you’ll have to combine attack moves with dodge moves. Mastering the dodging move
is essential to completing the game since enemy attacks do a considerable amount
of damage. There are also duck and jump buttons, which are much needed in halls
with pesky laser beams that need to be avoided. The special attacks are executed
with simple button combinations and create effects that beautifully do mass
amounts of damage in a grand ballet of destruction. They’re pretty.
P.N.0.3 is definitely a game to look
out for. Although in the demo there wasn’t much variety, I think the other suits
and environments will mix it up a bit. The game is currently scheduled for a
release in September, so keep an eye out.
