Back in a time before I was born Robocop and Terminator where huge, Robocop was a big hit at the movies and so was the Terminator, both movies had mechanical men, both had action and both had a a huge amount of violence, put these two together and you have a great idea for a cross over.
Back in the mid 90's there were plans to put the two together on the big screen, sadly that didn't work out so what we got instead was a video game based off the comic book of the same name.
Released by Virgin games in 1993 the game featured everyone's favourite man dressed up as robot and everyone's favourite robot dressed as man.
The games plot (I presume) is the same as that of the comic. Cyberdyne Systems (the company that made Robocop I think) have won the rights to develop the Skynet defence system. Scientists decided that it would be best to develop the computer by modeling it after Robocop's neural networks. Robocop was the only successful link between man and machine so it was only natural that they would do this. Ironic that Robocop a machine made to protect man brings about its destruction.
Just like in the Terminator movies Skynet becomes self aware and starts a war between man and machine. Just like the Terminator the game has a time travel plot, the rebels travel back in time so that they can destroy robocop and prevent Skynet from being made. At the same time Skynet sends an army of Arnold's back in time to prevent Robocop's destruction.
However Robocop has his own agenda.
Lets talk about the game it's self, you turn the game on the SEGA logo appears and you hear a very ear-pleasing robocop saying "excellent", you then get one of those scrolling screens telling you the plot (because every game had that back them), the first thing you notice about the game is the sound people (and by people I mean Americans) often go on about the mega drive and it's "crap" sound card yet we can still get clear speech and ear-pleasing music from it. While the sound track is fairly small the game has some nice mixes to listen to such as the Robocop/Terminator mix that you hear at the start of the game, anyway enough of that on to the actual game.
Robocop Vs The Terminator is a side scrolling shoot'em up, if anything it reminded me of the Robocop coin-op from he 1980's. The game has one simple goal, get to the end of each stage and kill the boss, you do get given mission objectives but they are only there as a means of increasing your score.
The games graphics are good for the mega drive and they do make you think of the Robocop movies with its Detroit scenery and ultra violence.
Graphically everything is nicely detailed which is great because it gives you great satisfaction after you destroy something, you shoot a guy and he explodes into a bloody mess, you shoot a terminator and his skin peel's off, you kill a big guy and he collapses into a pile of inner gore, the violence is so extreme and tongue & check that its funny, but what really makes me laugh is that this came out before the age rating system, i find it funny that every talks about Night Trap and Mortal Kombat when this subject arises but this game seems to be ignored, maybe it was because the movies they were based off were both rated 18+ so parents knew what they were buying their kid. I just can't stop thinking about it though you couldn't anymore graphic, no matter what weapon you use the bad guys all die horribly, well except for the terminators they just blow up.
Anyway gameplay now, as expected of him Robocop is slow, he can't jump very high and he doesn't dodge bullets, he takes it full on like a man, the bullets should be a big problem though thanks to Robocop's health bar, not to mention he is pretty quick to the shot so most of the time he can kill them before they get the chance to shoot (presuming you have the more powerful weapons).
The enemies in this game are push overs they always stand in one place waiting to be blown up by a bullet, what's with those bullets do they explode?
The game features a fair destructible environment there are a lot of things to shoot and they tend to contain power up's (still don't understand how you can fit a flame thrower into a light bulb but there you go).
Now the game does have some fairly big flaws that ruin it, for starters the pistol is useless, it does next to no damage, if you get to the end boss and all you have is the pistol them you might as well turn the game off an start again, the pistol is unbelievably week, on the upside the extra weapons are all pretty decent and they do a lot more damage when you use them but you have to be careful, if you die while holding that weapon you will lose it, if that happens against the boss then you are in big trouble, thankfully there is a way around it, it Robocop is able to carry two weapons, if robocop dies he only loses the weapon he is using, keep this in mind because it is vital if you ever want to beat the game.
As the game goes on the levels become bigger and (slightly) confusing but to be fair if it wasn't like that the game would be too linear.
Robocop Versus The Terminator isn't long game and can be completed in about an hour provided that you are good at it.
In all Robocop Vs The Terminator isn't the best shooter ever but it will please fans of Robocop, Terminator and Shooters.
+ Awesome crossover
+ LOL gore
+ Nice soundtrack...
- ...though it is rather limited
- The pistol ruins everything
7/10
NOTE: It has *NEW* in the title because it is new, this isn't something I wrtoe ages back at Europe-Nintendo. Tring different writing style here.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Metroid Zero Mission Game Boy Advance Review
Introduction
Who remembers Metroid on NES? It was one of the best games on the console and also one of the most confusing.
There is no denying it, Metroid was an 8-bit classic and it will always be remembered for having one of the biggest twists in gaming. Samus was a woman.
Putting all of that aside Metroid is still a pretty solid title today, and I mean that in both senses, it was one of the better adventure games on the NES but it was also one of the most confusing with endless tunnels and no map to guide you along the way.
So how have Nintendo improved on this classic?
Single Player
Like I said this is a remake so it has the same plot as the original Metroid.
The game sees you play as Samus Aran who is on her first mission as a bounty hunter. Her mission is to exterminate all Metroid's on planet Zebes and to defeat the space pirates, destroy their leader Mother Brain and put an end to their plans once and for all.
As you would expect this is a 2D Metroid game so it will be just like Metroid Fusion and Super Metroid.
Multiplayer
The game doesn't have a two player mode but it does connect to Metroid Fusion so that you can unlock bonus content such as a playable version of the 1986 NES Metroid.
Gameplay
What can I say? You've played this before. Its 2D Metroid; it follows the same formula as the other games.
You start with just your beam and suit searching for power ups so that you can become more powerful.
The more abilities you obtain the more you will be able to do and see as you delve deeper into Zebes.
The controls in this game are the same as in Fusion, you press A to jump, B to fire, L to aim and R to use rockets.
There have been quite a few noticeable changes from fusion in this game. For starters there isn't much narrative in the story, the game doesn't feature much dialog. The next difference is the way that the game is planned out. Metroid Fusion was a fairly linear game, you could only go to certain areas at the start of the game, in this game you have to figure most things out yourself with only a small amount of help.
The game does offer a lot of freedom, you can go anywhere on SR388 as long as you have the needed abilities. For example you might want to go somewhere but there is a hazard or wall blocking your way, if you have the needed power then you can carry on, if not then you have to turn back and find that power or find an alternate route, so there is a fair bit of freedom.
Later in the game you will find yourself doing a stealth section where you have to sneak past the space pirates without being caught, this section is done really well and is good fun but it can become frustrating.
Putting that aside Zero Mission does still play better than Fusion, it is quicker and more fluent.
Another thing about Metroid Zero Mission is that there are more power ups to find, in this game you start completely powered down so you have to find as many abilities as you can for example, you have a short ranged beam at the start go you need to find the long beam, another example is the power grip, in Metroid Fusion you could hang off ledges at the start of the game, in this you don't have that power you have to find it. One thing that is a nice change is that you don't have to fight bosses to gain powers, or use data rooms.
Another good feature that this game has is the option to change the games difficulty, you have 3 choices of difficulty, easy, normal and hard.
In easy you take less damage from attacks, there are also fewer enemies and they tend to go down a lot quicker.
In normal you take the regular amount for damage and enemies are at full health.
As for hard mode, well I will admit it is pretty hard. For starters you now take more damage and enemies take less damage, to make matters worse you now get few power ups, Missile tanks are only worth 2 Missiles instead of five, same for the energy tanks you now get an extra 50 energy points instead of 100.
I will admit the choice in difficulty is a great thing, the game can provide a challenge for both hardened gamers and newcomers alike.
Once again this game has plenty of replay value, the game is ideal for speed running as it can be beaten in one sitting, a great way to better yourself, also lets not forget the rewards for completing the game such as art and sound clips.
Graphics and Sound
In all the graphics here are much better than the graphics in Fusion, the colours standout more and you get a much clearer view, it really looks great, some of the backgrounds look like artwork, it is that clear.
Another thing I love about this game is the animated cut scenes they are so clean and fluid, it is like watching a cartoon.
The sound is great as well, Nintendo took all of the classic tunes from Metroid and revamped them.
Conclusion
In all Metroid Zero Mission is a really solid title that does a good job improving over the past games, expect plenty of twists, turns and surprises.
+ Gameplay perfected
+ Eye pleasing graphics
+ Nice Cut scenes
+ Plenty of content
+ Plenty of freedom
- Can be frustrating at times.
10/10
Who remembers Metroid on NES? It was one of the best games on the console and also one of the most confusing.
There is no denying it, Metroid was an 8-bit classic and it will always be remembered for having one of the biggest twists in gaming. Samus was a woman.
Putting all of that aside Metroid is still a pretty solid title today, and I mean that in both senses, it was one of the better adventure games on the NES but it was also one of the most confusing with endless tunnels and no map to guide you along the way.
So how have Nintendo improved on this classic?
Single Player
Like I said this is a remake so it has the same plot as the original Metroid.
The game sees you play as Samus Aran who is on her first mission as a bounty hunter. Her mission is to exterminate all Metroid's on planet Zebes and to defeat the space pirates, destroy their leader Mother Brain and put an end to their plans once and for all.
As you would expect this is a 2D Metroid game so it will be just like Metroid Fusion and Super Metroid.
Multiplayer
The game doesn't have a two player mode but it does connect to Metroid Fusion so that you can unlock bonus content such as a playable version of the 1986 NES Metroid.
Gameplay
What can I say? You've played this before. Its 2D Metroid; it follows the same formula as the other games.
You start with just your beam and suit searching for power ups so that you can become more powerful.
The more abilities you obtain the more you will be able to do and see as you delve deeper into Zebes.
The controls in this game are the same as in Fusion, you press A to jump, B to fire, L to aim and R to use rockets.
There have been quite a few noticeable changes from fusion in this game. For starters there isn't much narrative in the story, the game doesn't feature much dialog. The next difference is the way that the game is planned out. Metroid Fusion was a fairly linear game, you could only go to certain areas at the start of the game, in this game you have to figure most things out yourself with only a small amount of help.
The game does offer a lot of freedom, you can go anywhere on SR388 as long as you have the needed abilities. For example you might want to go somewhere but there is a hazard or wall blocking your way, if you have the needed power then you can carry on, if not then you have to turn back and find that power or find an alternate route, so there is a fair bit of freedom.
Later in the game you will find yourself doing a stealth section where you have to sneak past the space pirates without being caught, this section is done really well and is good fun but it can become frustrating.
Putting that aside Zero Mission does still play better than Fusion, it is quicker and more fluent.
Another thing about Metroid Zero Mission is that there are more power ups to find, in this game you start completely powered down so you have to find as many abilities as you can for example, you have a short ranged beam at the start go you need to find the long beam, another example is the power grip, in Metroid Fusion you could hang off ledges at the start of the game, in this you don't have that power you have to find it. One thing that is a nice change is that you don't have to fight bosses to gain powers, or use data rooms.
Another good feature that this game has is the option to change the games difficulty, you have 3 choices of difficulty, easy, normal and hard.
In easy you take less damage from attacks, there are also fewer enemies and they tend to go down a lot quicker.
In normal you take the regular amount for damage and enemies are at full health.
As for hard mode, well I will admit it is pretty hard. For starters you now take more damage and enemies take less damage, to make matters worse you now get few power ups, Missile tanks are only worth 2 Missiles instead of five, same for the energy tanks you now get an extra 50 energy points instead of 100.
I will admit the choice in difficulty is a great thing, the game can provide a challenge for both hardened gamers and newcomers alike.
Once again this game has plenty of replay value, the game is ideal for speed running as it can be beaten in one sitting, a great way to better yourself, also lets not forget the rewards for completing the game such as art and sound clips.
Graphics and Sound
In all the graphics here are much better than the graphics in Fusion, the colours standout more and you get a much clearer view, it really looks great, some of the backgrounds look like artwork, it is that clear.
Another thing I love about this game is the animated cut scenes they are so clean and fluid, it is like watching a cartoon.
The sound is great as well, Nintendo took all of the classic tunes from Metroid and revamped them.
Conclusion
In all Metroid Zero Mission is a really solid title that does a good job improving over the past games, expect plenty of twists, turns and surprises.
+ Gameplay perfected
+ Eye pleasing graphics
+ Nice Cut scenes
+ Plenty of content
+ Plenty of freedom
- Can be frustrating at times.
10/10
Metroid Prime Nintendo Game Cube Review
Introduction
I'm sure by now you have heard of the Metroid Prime Trilogy that is set for release in September and I am sure that you are very excited to play classics such as Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3 Corruption.
Well, why wait for that to come to come out at retail price when you can play those games for less already?
Single Player
The game has you take the role of bounty hunter Samus Aran who is on a quest to destroy the evil that lurks in planet Tallon IV. But it won't be easy, to do this she has to once again stop the space pirates and their leader Ridley.
The game is set just after Super Metroid, for all those who don't know the Metroid Prime games fill the gap between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.
Gameplay
Well what can I say, when the game was first shown a few years ago people didn't think much of it, they looked at it and thought "meh, doesn't look like anything special" little did they know of the impact that this game would have.
The game is a first person adventure, for those unfamiliar with the term I'll explain it like this. Imagine that Super Metroid was in 3D, now imagine that it was in first person, yeah, sums it up well.
Unlike most first person games Metroid Prime doesn't use the C-Stick to aim, which does seem quite odd to most hardcore FPS fans, same goes for the controls, instead of using the shoulder button to fire you use the A button.
To aim you press and hold the R button, this lets you look in all directions whilst standing in one place, if you do not use the R button then you can only aim 360 degrees.
The game also has a lock on feature to help with your targeting, to lock on to an enemy you press and hold the L button.
To jump you just press B.
Like I said this control method may sound strange for a first person game but trust me it works really well, in fact I'd go as far as to say that it betters all other FPS games on the GameCube in terms of control.
Like all other Metroid games you unlock new abilities and weapons as you go on through the game.
So you have classic Metroid abilities like the morph ball and grapple beam.
The morph ball plays a big role in the games mechanics and you will find yourself using it on several occasions such as solving puzzles and getting through small spaces.
The morph ball can also be upgraded further so that using it never gets repetitive. In all you will have a lot of fun playing with balls.
One of the games better features is one of the new mechanics, the visor.
The game is in first person so you will always see things through the eyes of Samus Aran, the way that this has been done is genius.
For starters we have the battle visor, this is your standard view. The screen is filled with bars and numbers that you may or may not understand. The Battle Visor lets you fight enemies as you normally would, it also tells you small details like how much health you have left, how many missiles are left and what weapon you are using.
The second visor is also the games most interesting feature, the scan visor. In this mode you cannot attack enemies. The scan visor is used to gather information and data, to switch visors you use the D pad.
When using the scan certain objects and creatures will have an orange/red symbol appear on them, this means that they can be scanned, to scan look at the object/creature and lock on using the L button. All scanned data is then added to your log book.
I like the log book feature because not just does it explain the creatures and the science of the Metroid universe but because it also gives you a good understanding of the games story. Most games try to tell the story through dialog and cut scenes, this game tells the story through journals and lore, I that counts as dialog but the best thing about it is that you don't have to read it if you don't want to, in other words the story isn't shoved in your face link with most games.
You also have two other visors in Metroid Prime, first is the thermal visor which lets you view things in heat vision, this visor is ideal for dark rooms, it is also useful when fighting certain enemies.
The last visor is the x-ray visor, this do what it says in the name, its an x-ray, you can use it to see invisible enemies, to see through dark rooms and to find hidden doors and rooms, the only problem with the x-ray visor is the range, you cannot see very far when using it.
Next up is the weapons, in previous Metroid games weapons were combined to created more powerful attacks, this time the developers have decided to try a different method this time, now instead of mixing the weapons you swap them, this brings quite a few new features to the gameplay, for example you need to use certain weapons to open doors.
The game has four main beam weapons in total, to changed beams use the C-Stick.
First is the power beam, this is your standard beam which you start the game off with, this beam is pretty week at first but it can be powered up through upgrades like the charge beam.
The second weapon is the wave beam, this beam has an electrical element to it. The beam has the ability to paralyse enemies, activate electrical outputs and open purple doors. There are certain enemies who can only be damaged with this weapon.
The next beam is the ice beam, just like in past Metroid games the ice beam has the power to freeze enemies, and the beam can also open white doors. The beam does have a fault though, it has a really slow firing rate so you are likely to miss most of you shots when using it.
The last weapon is the plasma beam and this is by far my favourite weapon, for starters it is heat based so it has the power to turn enemies into a pile of ashes, which is really really cool.
The other great thing about this beam is that it is the most powerful of the four. The beam can be used to open red doors.
Metroid Prime is a huge game, once you have played it you will feel as if you have been on Tallon IV yourself, there is a load to see and there is hardly a dull moment.
A lot of the game will stick with you forever, the power-ups, the scenery, the bosses ect.
Saying that though I only have one complaint to make with this game. Sometimes the game makes you do huge amounts of back tracking, this can at times be annoying.
In all Metroid Prime does have some length to it and it should last about half a day. But that’s not all the game also has some replay value.
You may not know this but once completed Metroid Prime is can be linked to Metroid Fusion on the GBA to unlock new content.
"What kind of new content?" you ask, well how about playable fusion suit and the full version of the original Metroid for the NES, that should add to the games length as well.
Oh yeah there is also Hard mode and art galleries to unlock as well.
So yeah you will be playing this for a while.
Let's not forget that classic Metroid replay value as well, once you have finished this you will want to play it again in an attempt to better yourself.
Graphics and Sound
The GameCube was quite well known for its graphics, some first party titles looked amazing at the time and Metroid Prime is no exception. The GameCube was never quite pushed to its limit so consider this (and Zelda Twilight Princess) to be the GameCube's Graphical peak.
As for the sound, well let's just say that the music is as good as the graphics. The games music is perfect, it fits perfectly with the areas in the game, not much more can be said.
Conclusion
This game is more or less perfect, easily one of the best games ever made and arguably the best game on the GameCube.
+ Did what it set out to do
+ Looks amazing
+ Sounds Amazing
+ Plays flawlessly
+ Cool features and extras
- Backtracking is annoying
10/10
I'm sure by now you have heard of the Metroid Prime Trilogy that is set for release in September and I am sure that you are very excited to play classics such as Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3 Corruption.
Well, why wait for that to come to come out at retail price when you can play those games for less already?
Single Player
The game has you take the role of bounty hunter Samus Aran who is on a quest to destroy the evil that lurks in planet Tallon IV. But it won't be easy, to do this she has to once again stop the space pirates and their leader Ridley.
The game is set just after Super Metroid, for all those who don't know the Metroid Prime games fill the gap between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.
Gameplay
Well what can I say, when the game was first shown a few years ago people didn't think much of it, they looked at it and thought "meh, doesn't look like anything special" little did they know of the impact that this game would have.
The game is a first person adventure, for those unfamiliar with the term I'll explain it like this. Imagine that Super Metroid was in 3D, now imagine that it was in first person, yeah, sums it up well.
Unlike most first person games Metroid Prime doesn't use the C-Stick to aim, which does seem quite odd to most hardcore FPS fans, same goes for the controls, instead of using the shoulder button to fire you use the A button.
To aim you press and hold the R button, this lets you look in all directions whilst standing in one place, if you do not use the R button then you can only aim 360 degrees.
The game also has a lock on feature to help with your targeting, to lock on to an enemy you press and hold the L button.
To jump you just press B.
Like I said this control method may sound strange for a first person game but trust me it works really well, in fact I'd go as far as to say that it betters all other FPS games on the GameCube in terms of control.
Like all other Metroid games you unlock new abilities and weapons as you go on through the game.
So you have classic Metroid abilities like the morph ball and grapple beam.
The morph ball plays a big role in the games mechanics and you will find yourself using it on several occasions such as solving puzzles and getting through small spaces.
The morph ball can also be upgraded further so that using it never gets repetitive. In all you will have a lot of fun playing with balls.
One of the games better features is one of the new mechanics, the visor.
The game is in first person so you will always see things through the eyes of Samus Aran, the way that this has been done is genius.
For starters we have the battle visor, this is your standard view. The screen is filled with bars and numbers that you may or may not understand. The Battle Visor lets you fight enemies as you normally would, it also tells you small details like how much health you have left, how many missiles are left and what weapon you are using.
The second visor is also the games most interesting feature, the scan visor. In this mode you cannot attack enemies. The scan visor is used to gather information and data, to switch visors you use the D pad.
When using the scan certain objects and creatures will have an orange/red symbol appear on them, this means that they can be scanned, to scan look at the object/creature and lock on using the L button. All scanned data is then added to your log book.
I like the log book feature because not just does it explain the creatures and the science of the Metroid universe but because it also gives you a good understanding of the games story. Most games try to tell the story through dialog and cut scenes, this game tells the story through journals and lore, I that counts as dialog but the best thing about it is that you don't have to read it if you don't want to, in other words the story isn't shoved in your face link with most games.
You also have two other visors in Metroid Prime, first is the thermal visor which lets you view things in heat vision, this visor is ideal for dark rooms, it is also useful when fighting certain enemies.
The last visor is the x-ray visor, this do what it says in the name, its an x-ray, you can use it to see invisible enemies, to see through dark rooms and to find hidden doors and rooms, the only problem with the x-ray visor is the range, you cannot see very far when using it.
Next up is the weapons, in previous Metroid games weapons were combined to created more powerful attacks, this time the developers have decided to try a different method this time, now instead of mixing the weapons you swap them, this brings quite a few new features to the gameplay, for example you need to use certain weapons to open doors.
The game has four main beam weapons in total, to changed beams use the C-Stick.
First is the power beam, this is your standard beam which you start the game off with, this beam is pretty week at first but it can be powered up through upgrades like the charge beam.
The second weapon is the wave beam, this beam has an electrical element to it. The beam has the ability to paralyse enemies, activate electrical outputs and open purple doors. There are certain enemies who can only be damaged with this weapon.
The next beam is the ice beam, just like in past Metroid games the ice beam has the power to freeze enemies, and the beam can also open white doors. The beam does have a fault though, it has a really slow firing rate so you are likely to miss most of you shots when using it.
The last weapon is the plasma beam and this is by far my favourite weapon, for starters it is heat based so it has the power to turn enemies into a pile of ashes, which is really really cool.
The other great thing about this beam is that it is the most powerful of the four. The beam can be used to open red doors.
Metroid Prime is a huge game, once you have played it you will feel as if you have been on Tallon IV yourself, there is a load to see and there is hardly a dull moment.
A lot of the game will stick with you forever, the power-ups, the scenery, the bosses ect.
Saying that though I only have one complaint to make with this game. Sometimes the game makes you do huge amounts of back tracking, this can at times be annoying.
In all Metroid Prime does have some length to it and it should last about half a day. But that’s not all the game also has some replay value.
You may not know this but once completed Metroid Prime is can be linked to Metroid Fusion on the GBA to unlock new content.
"What kind of new content?" you ask, well how about playable fusion suit and the full version of the original Metroid for the NES, that should add to the games length as well.
Oh yeah there is also Hard mode and art galleries to unlock as well.
So yeah you will be playing this for a while.
Let's not forget that classic Metroid replay value as well, once you have finished this you will want to play it again in an attempt to better yourself.
Graphics and Sound
The GameCube was quite well known for its graphics, some first party titles looked amazing at the time and Metroid Prime is no exception. The GameCube was never quite pushed to its limit so consider this (and Zelda Twilight Princess) to be the GameCube's Graphical peak.
As for the sound, well let's just say that the music is as good as the graphics. The games music is perfect, it fits perfectly with the areas in the game, not much more can be said.
Conclusion
This game is more or less perfect, easily one of the best games ever made and arguably the best game on the GameCube.
+ Did what it set out to do
+ Looks amazing
+ Sounds Amazing
+ Plays flawlessly
+ Cool features and extras
- Backtracking is annoying
10/10
Luigi's Mansion Nintendo Game Cube Review
Introduction
Released as a launch title for the GameCube, Luigi's Mansion was the first "Mario" game to feature on Nintendo's Purple Box, and it was also the second game to have Luigi take on the leading role (The first being Mario is Missing).
Single Player
The game revolves around Mario's brother Luigi who has just been told that he has won a mansion in a contest that he never entered. Deciding that it didn't sound at all suspicious Luigi decides to meet up with Mario at his new three story home.
Sadly through Luigi's new home is not all that is seems to be, Mario has gone missing and to make matters worse the mansion is full of ghosts.
Fortunately Luigi has a run in with a scientist/ghost hunter called professor E.Gladd, Gladd decides that he is too old to catch ghosts so it is up to Luigi to take up his burden and save Mario.
Gameplay
Luigi's mansion is one of a kind; it doesn't fit into any genre at all.
The aim of the game is to capture ghosts but sucking them up with a vacuum cleaner.
The game has two control methods to choose from, you have the standard controls where Luigi faces which ever way you point the control stick and you have the sidestep controls where you move with the control stick while using the C-stick to aim, kind of like an FPS then.
The A button acts as the games action button, you can use it to open doors and move nearby objects, you can also shout Mario's name by pressing the A button.
Pressing Y will bring up the games map/stats screen and Pressing X will bring up the first person view.
These actions are done by using one of E.Gladds inventions, the Game Boy Horror; the Game Boy Horror is more or less the Game Boy Color which is a nice novelty.
Pressing the B button turns off Luigi's flashlight, this can be helpful at times.
On to the main gameplay now, to capture ghosts in this game you have to do 2 things, one make sure the ghost is near other wise it will just disappear when you flash your light at it. Two When you flash your light at a ghost its heart will appear when you do this press and hold down the R button its time to capture that ghost.
The ghosts have a health meter, get it to zero and you will suck them up, the best way to do this is to press the control stick in the direction that is opposite to that which the ghost is facing, you capture them quicker this way.
The game has a large Varity of ghosts each with their own abilities, there are even boss ghosts.
In Luigi's mansion there are 23 boss ghosts to capture, these ghosts were once trapped in paintings owned by Professor E.Gladd, make sure that you try to capture all of them, these ghosts aren't so easy to catch you have to find and expose they week spots to be able to catch them, if you are stuck you can scan them for clues using the first person view on the Game Boy Horror.
The last type of ghosts in the game are Boo's, Boo's are not like the other ghosts they don't get pulled towards the vacuum when you try to suck them up, they just lose health and become slower instead. Boo's are a pain because they can only be found in light rooms so it can mess things up if they escape into a dark room or a room that you don't have the key to yet, trust me Boo's can become really annoying especially when they constantly change rooms. Boo's like to hide so you have to find them using the Game Boy Horror's Boo radar.
In all there are 50 Boo's, make sure that you catch all of them.
In the game there are hidden emblems that you can find in certain rooms, obtain these emblems and you will be able to do elemental attacks. There are 3 elements, Fire, Ice and Water, you can suck up elemental ghosts to use as weapons, so if you suck up a fire ghost you will be able to burn ghosts, some ghosts can only be hurt by these elements, to use the elemental attacks press and hold down the L button while the Fire/Ice/Water gauge is full.
Scattered around the mansion arte several of princess peaches Toads, the Toads were sent to the mansion to find Mario, talking to the toads will let you save your game.
The games levels are divided up into areas; each area is opened by obtaining a special key.
To get these keys you have to defeat the boss ghosts at the end of each area.
Luigi's Mansion is quite good in terms of exploration, the mansion is full of secrets like hidden rooms and tricks.
The game also has a few interesting twists that stop the game from getting repetitive for example there are parts of the game where you have to fight invisible ghosts that grab you, to see them you normally have to look in a mirror or create shadows.
One you have completed the game you can replay it from the very beginning, but there isn't really that much point in doing so there only differences is that the game is at a higher difficulty. The only thing that makes the game worth playing the second time is the "Hidden Mansion" that you unlock after completing the game.
The Hidden Mansion is just basically Mirror Mode.
Luigi's Mansion isn't really a very long game and can be completed in a few hours, but it does gain points for trying to have replay value but being fair, it is one of those games that are no longer than they should be, like Portal.
Graphics and Sound
Out of all the game that came out on the GameCube's release this comes in second for best graphics (1st being Rogue Squadron 2), Luigi's Mansion has aged well it is graphically superior to most Wii games (That is a good and bad thing).
The games soundtrack is great it sets the haunted house tone really well and to make things better Luigi hums and whistles it, the game also features the Super Mario Bros 3 theme.
Conclusion
It's only been seven years but this game still feels relatively new, one of a kind! Shame about the length though...
+ Works really well
+ Amazing Graphics
+ Moody Soundtrack
+ Is creative
- Short
- Boo's can be frustrating
9/10
Released as a launch title for the GameCube, Luigi's Mansion was the first "Mario" game to feature on Nintendo's Purple Box, and it was also the second game to have Luigi take on the leading role (The first being Mario is Missing).
Single Player
The game revolves around Mario's brother Luigi who has just been told that he has won a mansion in a contest that he never entered. Deciding that it didn't sound at all suspicious Luigi decides to meet up with Mario at his new three story home.
Sadly through Luigi's new home is not all that is seems to be, Mario has gone missing and to make matters worse the mansion is full of ghosts.
Fortunately Luigi has a run in with a scientist/ghost hunter called professor E.Gladd, Gladd decides that he is too old to catch ghosts so it is up to Luigi to take up his burden and save Mario.
Gameplay
Luigi's mansion is one of a kind; it doesn't fit into any genre at all.
The aim of the game is to capture ghosts but sucking them up with a vacuum cleaner.
The game has two control methods to choose from, you have the standard controls where Luigi faces which ever way you point the control stick and you have the sidestep controls where you move with the control stick while using the C-stick to aim, kind of like an FPS then.
The A button acts as the games action button, you can use it to open doors and move nearby objects, you can also shout Mario's name by pressing the A button.
Pressing Y will bring up the games map/stats screen and Pressing X will bring up the first person view.
These actions are done by using one of E.Gladds inventions, the Game Boy Horror; the Game Boy Horror is more or less the Game Boy Color which is a nice novelty.
Pressing the B button turns off Luigi's flashlight, this can be helpful at times.
On to the main gameplay now, to capture ghosts in this game you have to do 2 things, one make sure the ghost is near other wise it will just disappear when you flash your light at it. Two When you flash your light at a ghost its heart will appear when you do this press and hold down the R button its time to capture that ghost.
The ghosts have a health meter, get it to zero and you will suck them up, the best way to do this is to press the control stick in the direction that is opposite to that which the ghost is facing, you capture them quicker this way.
The game has a large Varity of ghosts each with their own abilities, there are even boss ghosts.
In Luigi's mansion there are 23 boss ghosts to capture, these ghosts were once trapped in paintings owned by Professor E.Gladd, make sure that you try to capture all of them, these ghosts aren't so easy to catch you have to find and expose they week spots to be able to catch them, if you are stuck you can scan them for clues using the first person view on the Game Boy Horror.
The last type of ghosts in the game are Boo's, Boo's are not like the other ghosts they don't get pulled towards the vacuum when you try to suck them up, they just lose health and become slower instead. Boo's are a pain because they can only be found in light rooms so it can mess things up if they escape into a dark room or a room that you don't have the key to yet, trust me Boo's can become really annoying especially when they constantly change rooms. Boo's like to hide so you have to find them using the Game Boy Horror's Boo radar.
In all there are 50 Boo's, make sure that you catch all of them.
In the game there are hidden emblems that you can find in certain rooms, obtain these emblems and you will be able to do elemental attacks. There are 3 elements, Fire, Ice and Water, you can suck up elemental ghosts to use as weapons, so if you suck up a fire ghost you will be able to burn ghosts, some ghosts can only be hurt by these elements, to use the elemental attacks press and hold down the L button while the Fire/Ice/Water gauge is full.
Scattered around the mansion arte several of princess peaches Toads, the Toads were sent to the mansion to find Mario, talking to the toads will let you save your game.
The games levels are divided up into areas; each area is opened by obtaining a special key.
To get these keys you have to defeat the boss ghosts at the end of each area.
Luigi's Mansion is quite good in terms of exploration, the mansion is full of secrets like hidden rooms and tricks.
The game also has a few interesting twists that stop the game from getting repetitive for example there are parts of the game where you have to fight invisible ghosts that grab you, to see them you normally have to look in a mirror or create shadows.
One you have completed the game you can replay it from the very beginning, but there isn't really that much point in doing so there only differences is that the game is at a higher difficulty. The only thing that makes the game worth playing the second time is the "Hidden Mansion" that you unlock after completing the game.
The Hidden Mansion is just basically Mirror Mode.
Luigi's Mansion isn't really a very long game and can be completed in a few hours, but it does gain points for trying to have replay value but being fair, it is one of those games that are no longer than they should be, like Portal.
Graphics and Sound
Out of all the game that came out on the GameCube's release this comes in second for best graphics (1st being Rogue Squadron 2), Luigi's Mansion has aged well it is graphically superior to most Wii games (That is a good and bad thing).
The games soundtrack is great it sets the haunted house tone really well and to make things better Luigi hums and whistles it, the game also features the Super Mario Bros 3 theme.
Conclusion
It's only been seven years but this game still feels relatively new, one of a kind! Shame about the length though...
+ Works really well
+ Amazing Graphics
+ Moody Soundtrack
+ Is creative
- Short
- Boo's can be frustrating
9/10
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Metroid Fusion Game Boy Advance Review
Introduction
In recent years everyone has been going on about the Metroid Prime series, sadly through this has taken attention away from the 3rd person Metroid games.
But with the recent announcement of Metroid: Other M at E3 it is only right that we take a look at one of the best games on the Gameboy Advance, Metroid Fusion.
Single Player
The game is set at the end of the Metroid timeline, and Samus finds herself once again on the surface of planet SR388 after being hired by the Galactic Federation to overlook research being done by the B.S.L (Biological Space Labs).
The biological research was going well until Samus came into contact with a creature she had never encountered before...
Samus soon found out that her attacker was a newly discovered parasitic life form known as "X".
After the incident she decided to return to base when disaster struck, her body suddenly seized up, to make matters worse her spaceship was drifting into an asteroid belt.
Thankfully an auto-escape pod ejected her from the craft before collision. Her pod was later found by the research station that orbited SR388. How ever in the time since the infection the "X" had multiplied inside her power suit.
Samus was transported to Galactic Federation HQ for emergency medical treatment.
All hope seemed lost for Samus, then a miracle happened.
Someone found a cure, by using the cells from a Metroid the "X" that infected Samus were instantly destroyed.
For Samus one life ended and another began as the Metroid vaccine cased her appearance to change dramatically.
When Samus awoke Galactic Federation HQ received a distress call from the research station.
Samus then immediately left HQ for the research centre to investigate...
Gameplay
Metroid Fusion plays just like Super Metroid, so anyone who had played it will feel right at home.
Metroid Fusion is a 2-D adventure game, the games goal is to explore the space station and regain abilities for the power suit.
You use A to jump and B to fire from your arm cannon.
The games hit detection is spot on, if you shot touches the enemy in anyway they take damage, the same goes for you.
When using the blaster you can aim up and down diagonally using the left shoulder button. You can also use missiles by holding down the right shoulder button.
Throughout the game you will gain new abilities such as the morph ball and speed boost.
These power up's are all needed at some point in the game, they can all be put to good use if mastered, for example with the morph ball you can use bombs to jump if you learn the correct technique then you can chain bomb jumps and get to hidden areas, another example is the boost technique, once you have the speed boost you can use it to more or less fly at super sonic speeds, to do this you have to crouch when boost running, you then jump straight up and go in which ever direction you choose,. Like I said if you want to obtain as many upgrades as possible then you better learn to put your abilities to good use.
In the other Metroid games you gain health and ammo by absorbing items, in Metroid fusion you recover by absorbing "X" parasites.
There are about 5 different types of "X" in the game, there are Yellow (Health), Green (Missiles), Red (Recover large amount of Energy and ammo), Blue (Damages you if you don't have the varia suit) and Core.
The core "X" is what gives you your abilities back, to absorb core "X" you have to face a boss, there are many bosses in the game, some are new and other you may remember from past titles.
The games boss fights are great, no boss is the same, they are all unique and they all have their own weaknesses.
In the game you are guided by your personal computer throughout the mission, you can contact him by using navigation rooms, it's important to use the navigation rooms as they update your mission and give you map data.
If you happen to get lost in the game you can always look at the map, to view the map pause the game..
Metroid Fusion isn't that long a game if you want me to be honest, you should be done with it in a few hours, but it does have a redeeming quality, Metroid Fusion is addictive, it is one of those games where you test yourself, when you complete the game you get given a time and item percentage, you are then rewarded with some artwork of Samus. The picture changes depending on how well you have done, for example if you are a master at this game you can see Samus without her suit doing a pose.
Like I said it is a game where you test yourself to see how quickly you can complete it. I have completed this game about 5 times now and I still haven't beat the time I got a few years back (1Hr 57Mins with %52 items), the game can consume you.
Another good factor for this game is the fact that it can link to Metroid Prime on the GameCube to unlock content such as the Fusion Suit in Metroid Prime and a playable version on the original Metroid.
Graphics and Sound
The games graphics are pretty good, the sprites are clear, but the thing that really makes this game look impressive is the cut scenes they look so well drawn when you consider the fact that this is a Gameboy Advance game.
The games sound track is great as well and it really sets the tone for the game and it can make the game really intense.
Conclusion
Seven years on this game is still incredibly enjoyable, a good game to get if you are looking for a good action game on the GBA or if you are a fan or if you are new to the series.
+ Stunning Gameplay
+ Great Graphics
+ Brilliant Story
+ Good Challenge
- Too linear for some.
9/10
Note: Some time after I wrote the review I was able to better my old time by a good 20 minutes or something like that.
In recent years everyone has been going on about the Metroid Prime series, sadly through this has taken attention away from the 3rd person Metroid games.
But with the recent announcement of Metroid: Other M at E3 it is only right that we take a look at one of the best games on the Gameboy Advance, Metroid Fusion.
Single Player
The game is set at the end of the Metroid timeline, and Samus finds herself once again on the surface of planet SR388 after being hired by the Galactic Federation to overlook research being done by the B.S.L (Biological Space Labs).
The biological research was going well until Samus came into contact with a creature she had never encountered before...
Samus soon found out that her attacker was a newly discovered parasitic life form known as "X".
After the incident she decided to return to base when disaster struck, her body suddenly seized up, to make matters worse her spaceship was drifting into an asteroid belt.
Thankfully an auto-escape pod ejected her from the craft before collision. Her pod was later found by the research station that orbited SR388. How ever in the time since the infection the "X" had multiplied inside her power suit.
Samus was transported to Galactic Federation HQ for emergency medical treatment.
All hope seemed lost for Samus, then a miracle happened.
Someone found a cure, by using the cells from a Metroid the "X" that infected Samus were instantly destroyed.
For Samus one life ended and another began as the Metroid vaccine cased her appearance to change dramatically.
When Samus awoke Galactic Federation HQ received a distress call from the research station.
Samus then immediately left HQ for the research centre to investigate...
Gameplay
Metroid Fusion plays just like Super Metroid, so anyone who had played it will feel right at home.
Metroid Fusion is a 2-D adventure game, the games goal is to explore the space station and regain abilities for the power suit.
You use A to jump and B to fire from your arm cannon.
The games hit detection is spot on, if you shot touches the enemy in anyway they take damage, the same goes for you.
When using the blaster you can aim up and down diagonally using the left shoulder button. You can also use missiles by holding down the right shoulder button.
Throughout the game you will gain new abilities such as the morph ball and speed boost.
These power up's are all needed at some point in the game, they can all be put to good use if mastered, for example with the morph ball you can use bombs to jump if you learn the correct technique then you can chain bomb jumps and get to hidden areas, another example is the boost technique, once you have the speed boost you can use it to more or less fly at super sonic speeds, to do this you have to crouch when boost running, you then jump straight up and go in which ever direction you choose,. Like I said if you want to obtain as many upgrades as possible then you better learn to put your abilities to good use.
In the other Metroid games you gain health and ammo by absorbing items, in Metroid fusion you recover by absorbing "X" parasites.
There are about 5 different types of "X" in the game, there are Yellow (Health), Green (Missiles), Red (Recover large amount of Energy and ammo), Blue (Damages you if you don't have the varia suit) and Core.
The core "X" is what gives you your abilities back, to absorb core "X" you have to face a boss, there are many bosses in the game, some are new and other you may remember from past titles.
The games boss fights are great, no boss is the same, they are all unique and they all have their own weaknesses.
In the game you are guided by your personal computer throughout the mission, you can contact him by using navigation rooms, it's important to use the navigation rooms as they update your mission and give you map data.
If you happen to get lost in the game you can always look at the map, to view the map pause the game..
Metroid Fusion isn't that long a game if you want me to be honest, you should be done with it in a few hours, but it does have a redeeming quality, Metroid Fusion is addictive, it is one of those games where you test yourself, when you complete the game you get given a time and item percentage, you are then rewarded with some artwork of Samus. The picture changes depending on how well you have done, for example if you are a master at this game you can see Samus without her suit doing a pose.
Like I said it is a game where you test yourself to see how quickly you can complete it. I have completed this game about 5 times now and I still haven't beat the time I got a few years back (1Hr 57Mins with %52 items), the game can consume you.
Another good factor for this game is the fact that it can link to Metroid Prime on the GameCube to unlock content such as the Fusion Suit in Metroid Prime and a playable version on the original Metroid.
Graphics and Sound
The games graphics are pretty good, the sprites are clear, but the thing that really makes this game look impressive is the cut scenes they look so well drawn when you consider the fact that this is a Gameboy Advance game.
The games sound track is great as well and it really sets the tone for the game and it can make the game really intense.
Conclusion
Seven years on this game is still incredibly enjoyable, a good game to get if you are looking for a good action game on the GBA or if you are a fan or if you are new to the series.
+ Stunning Gameplay
+ Great Graphics
+ Brilliant Story
+ Good Challenge
- Too linear for some.
9/10
Note: Some time after I wrote the review I was able to better my old time by a good 20 minutes or something like that.
Kirby's Dream Land Game Boy Review
Introduction
Known in Japan as Kirby of the Stars, Kirby's Dream Land was the first game to feature everyone's favourite pink blob.
So the story is this, the greedy King DeDeDe has stolen all of the food in Dream Land and it is up to Kirby to get the food back.
Gameplay
On to the game play now anyone who has played a Kirby title before will be able to get straight into this, it is a very simple game.
Unlike all of the sequels Kirby doesn't have the power to steal abilities from other enemies but he is still able to suck them up, eat them and spit them out. Kirby also has the ability to fly, when flying Kirby and release a puff of air that damages foes.
In the game you will find several special food's that act as power-up's such as the curry that lets to spit out fire balls, the lolly pop that makes you invincible, and the tomato that recovers your health fully. There are other foods in the game that are used to gain power-ups and health.
The game has 5 stages in total; each stage features a sub boss and a boss battle at the end. Each stage starts with a little into movie, the intro are fairly cute and humorous.
I will admit this game is a bit too easy but there is a solution to that problem, when you complete the game you will be given a code that is used to unlock the extra game, be warned though the extra game is a lot harder than the normal game.
Graphics and sound
The graphics are fairly good for an early Game Boy game, they look nice and they don't cause any strain to the eyes.
The music in this game will stick with you it's pretty catchy, in fact it's the same music that is used in just about every other Kirby game.
Summary
A really easy game to get into thanks to its simplicity. It is very short but that's what the extra game is there for.
+Easy to get into
+Has some replay value
+Music is catchy
-Fairly short game
-Doesn't have the copy ability like the other games.
8/10
Known in Japan as Kirby of the Stars, Kirby's Dream Land was the first game to feature everyone's favourite pink blob.
So the story is this, the greedy King DeDeDe has stolen all of the food in Dream Land and it is up to Kirby to get the food back.
Gameplay
On to the game play now anyone who has played a Kirby title before will be able to get straight into this, it is a very simple game.
Unlike all of the sequels Kirby doesn't have the power to steal abilities from other enemies but he is still able to suck them up, eat them and spit them out. Kirby also has the ability to fly, when flying Kirby and release a puff of air that damages foes.
In the game you will find several special food's that act as power-up's such as the curry that lets to spit out fire balls, the lolly pop that makes you invincible, and the tomato that recovers your health fully. There are other foods in the game that are used to gain power-ups and health.
The game has 5 stages in total; each stage features a sub boss and a boss battle at the end. Each stage starts with a little into movie, the intro are fairly cute and humorous.
I will admit this game is a bit too easy but there is a solution to that problem, when you complete the game you will be given a code that is used to unlock the extra game, be warned though the extra game is a lot harder than the normal game.
Graphics and sound
The graphics are fairly good for an early Game Boy game, they look nice and they don't cause any strain to the eyes.
The music in this game will stick with you it's pretty catchy, in fact it's the same music that is used in just about every other Kirby game.
Summary
A really easy game to get into thanks to its simplicity. It is very short but that's what the extra game is there for.
+Easy to get into
+Has some replay value
+Music is catchy
-Fairly short game
-Doesn't have the copy ability like the other games.
8/10
P.N.0.3 Game Cube Review
Introduction
Set in a distant future where planetary colonisation has happened and is still being done, P.N.03 puts you in the role of freelance mercenary Vanessa Z. Schneider.
Because of the planetary colonisation the army has decided to put defensive weapons in charge of guarding the new planetary settlements, these robots are controlled by a Computerised Armament Management System (CAMS for short).
Soon things go bad when one of the settlements is turned into a killing field due to a CAMS malfunction.
It's up to Vanessa to destroy the CAMS and bring peace back to the planet.
P.N.03 was one of the Capcom 5, these were games that were suppose to be exclusive to the GameCube but were later ported to other consoles (Viewtiful Joe being one of them), P.N.03 was the only one that stayed exclusive to the GameCube.
The game also has a demo video of Viewtiful Joe on it.
Gameplay
P.N.03 is a very straight forward game and a very old fashioned one too, the reason I say this is because it follows the rules that most old games had, such as if it moves kill it.
The game is very easy to pick up and play and you will learn the controls easily, you press the A button to do a palm blast, this is the standard attack for the game and doesn't do much damage. B is the jump button you will jump in different ways depending on which direction you are going, for example if you are going forward you will do a cool Matrix style flip jump, same if you are retreating backwards. The jumping move is good for dodging enemy fire as well as getting you to higher platforms.
By pressing the shoulder buttons you will do a side step dodge, press it twice in the same direction and you will do a filp.
The Z button lets you do a 180 degree turn, the turning is like that of Resident Evil in a way but only quicker.
When there are enemies near by you will lock-on to them automatically to switch what target you are firing at press the X button, sometimes when there are multiple enemies around it can be a frustrating to lock-on to the one you want to fire at.
Sometimes you will run into holes and walls that are waist high the great thing about them is that you can use them for cover by holding the Y button, Y lets you duck, when you duck you can roll forwards and backwards, you can also do a side step duck by pressing both Y and either of the shoulder buttons.
Palm shot too weak for your liking ? Well this is where the energy drive gauge comes into play, by doing a certain input of buttons on the D-pad and then pressing A you can perform special moves that can help you destroy the enemies a lot easier and you don't have to worry about getting hit when you do these moves either because you are imperious to damage when you perform them, the moves are all different and they work in two ways, you have the energy drives that let you do powerful attacks that kill multiple enemies and you have the energy drives that power you up for a certain amount of time.
Try not to abuse the energy drives though as they come at a price, at the top left of the screen you gave two bars one is the Barrier gauge, this gauge is green and it acts as your life energy. The other gauge is the Energy Drive Gauge this goes down every time you use an energy drive move.
To refill you Barrier and Energy Drive bars you can pick up these atoms that come in two colours, green for barrier energy and orange for energy drive.
They also come in two sizes the small ones refill the gauge slightly while the bigger ones fill the gauges completely. There are also pink ones that give you extra continues in case you die.
P.N.03 isn't an easy game it takes skill to play and it takes skill to constantly dodge and kill enemies and there are all different types of them too.
When you kill enemies you get points and start a combo chain, the combos have a time limit that extends every time you destroy an enemy, the bigger combo you get the more points you earn. The points you earn in the stages can be used to buy new suits,upgrades and extra continues.
The game has about a 12 missions in total (it also has trial missions but they donÃ't have any importance besides being an easy way to get extra points) and they all involve you getting to the end of the stage by going through several corridors and rooms destroying robots and then getting to the stage boss.
After you complete a mission you get ranked on how well you did there are four ranks:
Amateur, Regular, Professional and Destroyer.
The game is fun but I have one really big problem with it, the games length, it takes 2-3 hours to complete, which is a problem if you are not one of those people who enjoys replaying a game. I suppose you could compare it to games like Resident Evil and Metroid which tell you how well you did when you complete the game so that you will go back and try to better yourself.
Graphics & Sound
The graphics aren't great but they're not bad either, but the game isn't eye pleasing in the sense that most of the rooms look the same.
As for the sound all can say is wow, the music in this game is awesome, so awesome that CAPCOM decided to put it in future titles such as Resident evil 4.
Summary
It's a decent game that seems to pay tribute to retro games with its simplicity. It' too short overall.
+Great sound track
+Stayed exclusive to the GameCube
+Easier to get into than most games.
-Horribly Short
-Palm shot will make your thumb hurt
7/10
Set in a distant future where planetary colonisation has happened and is still being done, P.N.03 puts you in the role of freelance mercenary Vanessa Z. Schneider.
Because of the planetary colonisation the army has decided to put defensive weapons in charge of guarding the new planetary settlements, these robots are controlled by a Computerised Armament Management System (CAMS for short).
Soon things go bad when one of the settlements is turned into a killing field due to a CAMS malfunction.
It's up to Vanessa to destroy the CAMS and bring peace back to the planet.
P.N.03 was one of the Capcom 5, these were games that were suppose to be exclusive to the GameCube but were later ported to other consoles (Viewtiful Joe being one of them), P.N.03 was the only one that stayed exclusive to the GameCube.
The game also has a demo video of Viewtiful Joe on it.
Gameplay
P.N.03 is a very straight forward game and a very old fashioned one too, the reason I say this is because it follows the rules that most old games had, such as if it moves kill it.
The game is very easy to pick up and play and you will learn the controls easily, you press the A button to do a palm blast, this is the standard attack for the game and doesn't do much damage. B is the jump button you will jump in different ways depending on which direction you are going, for example if you are going forward you will do a cool Matrix style flip jump, same if you are retreating backwards. The jumping move is good for dodging enemy fire as well as getting you to higher platforms.
By pressing the shoulder buttons you will do a side step dodge, press it twice in the same direction and you will do a filp.
The Z button lets you do a 180 degree turn, the turning is like that of Resident Evil in a way but only quicker.
When there are enemies near by you will lock-on to them automatically to switch what target you are firing at press the X button, sometimes when there are multiple enemies around it can be a frustrating to lock-on to the one you want to fire at.
Sometimes you will run into holes and walls that are waist high the great thing about them is that you can use them for cover by holding the Y button, Y lets you duck, when you duck you can roll forwards and backwards, you can also do a side step duck by pressing both Y and either of the shoulder buttons.
Palm shot too weak for your liking ? Well this is where the energy drive gauge comes into play, by doing a certain input of buttons on the D-pad and then pressing A you can perform special moves that can help you destroy the enemies a lot easier and you don't have to worry about getting hit when you do these moves either because you are imperious to damage when you perform them, the moves are all different and they work in two ways, you have the energy drives that let you do powerful attacks that kill multiple enemies and you have the energy drives that power you up for a certain amount of time.
Try not to abuse the energy drives though as they come at a price, at the top left of the screen you gave two bars one is the Barrier gauge, this gauge is green and it acts as your life energy. The other gauge is the Energy Drive Gauge this goes down every time you use an energy drive move.
To refill you Barrier and Energy Drive bars you can pick up these atoms that come in two colours, green for barrier energy and orange for energy drive.
They also come in two sizes the small ones refill the gauge slightly while the bigger ones fill the gauges completely. There are also pink ones that give you extra continues in case you die.
P.N.03 isn't an easy game it takes skill to play and it takes skill to constantly dodge and kill enemies and there are all different types of them too.
When you kill enemies you get points and start a combo chain, the combos have a time limit that extends every time you destroy an enemy, the bigger combo you get the more points you earn. The points you earn in the stages can be used to buy new suits,upgrades and extra continues.
The game has about a 12 missions in total (it also has trial missions but they donÃ't have any importance besides being an easy way to get extra points) and they all involve you getting to the end of the stage by going through several corridors and rooms destroying robots and then getting to the stage boss.
After you complete a mission you get ranked on how well you did there are four ranks:
Amateur, Regular, Professional and Destroyer.
The game is fun but I have one really big problem with it, the games length, it takes 2-3 hours to complete, which is a problem if you are not one of those people who enjoys replaying a game. I suppose you could compare it to games like Resident Evil and Metroid which tell you how well you did when you complete the game so that you will go back and try to better yourself.
Graphics & Sound
The graphics aren't great but they're not bad either, but the game isn't eye pleasing in the sense that most of the rooms look the same.
As for the sound all can say is wow, the music in this game is awesome, so awesome that CAPCOM decided to put it in future titles such as Resident evil 4.
Summary
It's a decent game that seems to pay tribute to retro games with its simplicity. It' too short overall.
+Great sound track
+Stayed exclusive to the GameCube
+Easier to get into than most games.
-Horribly Short
-Palm shot will make your thumb hurt
7/10
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