It has a very strong beginning but it's just too short to merit a purchase
Doesn’t sound like much of an exciting plot now does it? Well it shouldn’t, since Capcom wasn’t focusing on a huge plot, or engrossing story with PN03. Instead, the story takes a backseat, while the action aspect of the game is riding shotgun.
But the action part of the game is a bit disappointing. Vanessa has to shoot enemy robots with blasters that are equipped to her Aegis suite, you can press A for automatic fire, or you can rapidly press A for even faster fire. Vanessa also has many different special moves (energy drive, is what they’re called) at her disposal, though she will need all the different Aegis’ suites to perform all of them. The “energy drive” moves are probably the most entertaining thing PN03 has going for it. After entering in the specific combo according to which suite she is wearing, Vanessa releases a major blast of energy. Each combo looks and acts different; there are moves where she shoots two massive lasers from her palm, and others where she gives off a large blast radius. The energy drive’s are vital if you’re planning on staying alive, you have to have enough energy to perform them though, so pacing when you use the energy drive adds an element of strategy to the game. Another aspect of the game that adds strategy is the combo system. When you kill an enemy, a combo timer goes off, and you have a few seconds to kill your next victim if you want it to reach the next combo countdown. If you string together a bunch of kills within the combo time, you’ll be rewarded a handsome amount of credits. And credits are important, since you need them to purchase the rest of Vanessa’s suites. Vanessa can’t run and gun however, you have to stop to shoot, which certainly adds a strategic twist to the game and forces you to find cover amongst the stunning architecture of the levels, but it also makes PN03 feel very repetitive and tedious. There isn’t enough variety in the game to please most gamers, and many levels are recycled and used over again, which certainly doesn’t help.
Visually, PN03 is pretty standard, with nice explosion effects and beautiful character movements. But the environments are a little too simple, and come off as plain and boring. Almost every room looks identical, and you’ll probably find yourself getting lost due to their generic look. PN03 does offer some outdoor levels though, which are a lot more fun than the ones inside, and look nicer, but there aren’t enough outdoor levels to make up for the tedious look and feel of the interior parts of the game. What stands out though, in terms of graphics, is Vanessa. Not only does she look beautiful in her different Aegis suites, but her character movements are stunningly graceful and hypnotizing. And fluid character movement is definitely a plus considering Vanessa dances while attacking enemies. She’s always tapping her foot to the music that’s playing, and all her different moves are carried out with perfect finesse making it look like she’s performing a dance routine. However, Vanessa may be very well rounded physically, but she’s as shallow as a kiddy pool when it comes to plot involvement. There is a basic story behind PN03, which might be interesting if explored further, but sadly it’s not.
The audio in PN03 certainly isn’t memorable, but it gets the job done. The music however is a bit nicer. The soundtrack in PN03 consists of fairly generic techno beats, and it’s fairly enjoyable while playing through the game, though it’s all a matter of opinion. If techno isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll probably end up hating this game from the start, since there’s always a continuous stream of music playing.
PN03 controls are different, to say the least, and a bit too creative for their own good. Vanessa doesn’t have the option to strafe, and most gamers will find she controls rather sluggish. Though if you play it properly, there are many ways to get around this. Instead of strafing and turning to the left, you can press the Z button to spin around, and the shoulder buttons to flip left or right. The way PN03 was designed to play, makes Vanessa always look like she’s dancing, which is just pure brilliance if you ask me. But controlling her the way you should is sometimes hard, since you have to focus on destroying your enemies too, and Capcom doesn’t make it apparent that the game is supposed to be played like this. So most gamers will just give up on it.
When it comes down to it, PN03 is a rather disappointing game. It’s terribly short (I completed it on easy, within 3 hours), though I didn’t unlock all of her available suites, so going back through the game on medium and hard does serve a meaningful purpose. And you wont be disappointed when you the more powerful special moves. But most gamers will only go through it once, and be too disappointed to give it another try.
I wouldn’t recommend anyone purchase this game unless you feel then need to, giving it a rent is probably the better alternative. If played properly, PN03 does have its moments, and it has a very strong beginning, but it's just too short to merit a purchase.