P.N.03
GameCube, £39.99 Capcom, ****
Japanese games developers have a style all their own, which is much admired throughout the world - particularly among hardcore gamers. It owes a lot to the tradition of Manga comics and anime films, and if you fancy finding out what that style is like, you could do worse than buy a copy of P.N.03 (Product Number 03).
In P.N.03, you play Vanessa Z Schneider, who can only be described as a cyber-babe. In a similar manner to Metroid Prime, Vanessa has a trick suit packed with weaponry, which can be upgraded during the game. The gameplay is also fairly reminiscent of Metroid Prime, although it does not feel quite so hi-tech and takes place in the third person.
You pilot the lovely Vanessa through various levels, which are chopped up into short sequences, shooting pretty much anything that moves and negotiating simple puzzles, such as laser traps. What sets P.N.03 apart is the way Vanessa moves. Leave her to her own devices and she will groove away to internal music, and she has an arsenal of winsomely gymnastic moves such as cartwheels.
She also acquires more powerful attacks as the game progresses, which are mapped, uniquely, in a similar fashion to beat-'em-up special moves. The stylised, almost monochrome, graphics also provide an agreeably cyberpunk/anime vibe. All in all, P.N.03 is a classic slice of Japanese-style, shoot-'em-up action that is an absolute must if you own a GameCube.
Steve Boxer
Heaven and Hell: Live & Let Die
PC, £29.99 Madcat/CDV, ***
Despite the superfluous subtitle, for one second you think this is going to be something really special. The idea seems to be to turn Peter Molyneux's Black & White into an old-skool, top-down God game, packed with gentle humour and instinctive gameplay. At first, it pays off.
Gameplay involves converting various nomadic tribes to your ideology, which you do by performing miracles or preaching. Once won over, they produce manna, which you need for the better miracles, and so on.
Naturally, there are evil prophets too, which is where the whole thing starts to come off the rails. You have no direct control over your followers or soldiers. You can recruit prophets, and they give orders or cast spells, but there seems no balance to their abilities. There also seems to be a fundamental flaw in the targeting system, which remembers where a target was rather than where it is by the time your men get to it. It's a shame, because proper combat would have lifted this to a new level.
However, fans of games such as The Settlers may find it an acceptable trade-off as there are so many cute touches to enjoy. The way your Bapticon gets lost while misguidedly trying to convert sheep, or the spy who can camouflage himself as a shrub. It's just a pity the developers didn't get more time to iron out the bugs.
Mike Anderiesz
The Great Escape
Xbox, PS2, £39.99 Sci, **
What's next? Easy Rider? Continuing the recent trend for retro-licensed videogames - Starsky & Hutch, Rocky - comes The Great Escape.
Based on the movie, this is a stealth-based war game that only sporadically shows signs of escaping mediocrity. Initial signs are positive. The familiar soundtrack and solid graphics create a warm nostalgic glow. After all, who wouldn't want to control Steve McQueen in the legendary motorbike sequence?
Sadly, the annoying controls make this section a scant reward for ploughing through the rest of the game. That's not to say The Great Escape is without merit. The levels are varied, with a good mix of sneaking and fetching. The objectives are fixed but there is relative freedom as to how a player achieves them and, with four different characters to play with, and some diverting vehicle sections, there is a lot to do here. But so much of the good work is dissipated by hit and miss detection and a laughably frustrating combat system. Sadly, The Great Escape is just a bit too authentic in its depiction of tedious captivity.
Greg Howson
