P.N.03 - official

[dyomides]

Well I got PN03 already but I gotta get VJ also, Capcom is really blowing me away in the past 2 years. Steel Batallion was more than I could have ever asked for as a gamer and the fact that they are making a second game for it I am in heaven...not to mention that awesome looking title they call Killer 7.

D

[BioMechanic]

Just in case there are other people still playing this (i.e. not totally enamored with VJ ) - you get the third ending by beating the game on any difficulty while wearing the Papillon suit. That's it. You don't have to do Trial Missions, and as far as I can tell, there aren't any restrictions regarding continues or number of saves, and you can get it on any difficulty level. Takes around two hours to beat the game on Easy and get the new ending, which I think is worth it. Watching the Papillon in action kinda helps too.

By the way, the Papillon can survive more than one hit on Easy...my guess is because the enemies do less damage..? But still, with zero barrier, two hits at the most and it's lights out Vanessa.

[kabuki]

Just in case there are other people still playing this (i.e. not totally enamored with VJ ) - you get the third ending by beating the game on any difficulty while wearing the Papillon suit. That's it. You don't have to do Trial Missions, and as far as I can tell, there aren't any restrictions regarding continues or number of saves, and you can get it on any difficulty level. Takes around two hours to beat the game on Easy and get the new ending, which I think is worth it. Watching the Papillon in action kinda helps too.

By the way, the Papillon can survive more than one hit on Easy...my guess is because the enemies do less damage..? But still, with zero barrier, two hits at the most and it's lights out Vanessa.

Thanks for the info, Bio.

[BioMechanic]

Man, this game continues to get snubbed.....that's really too bad. A lot of you guys are seriously missing out.

Anyways, after spending considerable time with the Papillon suit, I think using it is how P.N.03 is "supposed" to be played. On Normal and Hard modes, most enemies kill Vanessa with one hit when she's got the Papillon equipped. Needless to say, this makes the game extremely intense. Knowing the enemy patterns is vital - in fact I think it's very possible to play through the entire game without getting hit once. I'm trying to do it - I'm on Mission 6 on Hard mode, trying to beat the game using no continues. It's quite a challenge, but what a blast! A lot of the beauty of this game comes from old-fashioned replay value rather than length or complexity.

Another layer of strategy is added with the Papillon - since it has all energy drives enabled, and since Vanessa is invulnerable when using the drives, I've been using multiple Level 1 drives. With a fully-powered energy supply, you can fire several Level 1s before emptying the gauge - but you still have to be real careful when you use them. I also like how you can use full-power Level 3 drives with even a tiny sliver of energy left - great for bosses.

What a mind-blowing game. The more I play it, the more I appreciate it.

[Kinopio]

At this point in time I like PNO3 more than VJ. Only spent about 5 hours with each, however.

[Rocca]

Pn03 's style is stellar, I would buy it but i have many other games on mind for now.

[Adman]

*Throws game onto Christmas list*

I've considered buying this a couple times, and I think I meant to put it on my list anyways, but I forgot. Thanks for confirming my thoughts about this game, and reminding me of its existence!

[barbu]

Does anyone know where I could find a screenshot of the "thank you for playing" screen you get when you finish for the second time ? It'd make a nice wallpaper.

Now off to see that third ending.

[barbu]

now i just saw the third ending Are they really discussing whether they have common ancestors or not ? the discussion seemed odd

and while looking for the screenshot, I found this video showcasing the papillon suit http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?to...488&replies=22 (full of spoilers of course, most notably part of the third ending)

[Videodrone]

For those who don't enter the discount thread ever, BB has this for $10 in store.

I was always interested, but figured it was going to end up cheap, because of the low reviews, so I'm happy.
I wasn't all that impressed after my first few runs, but once I got adjusted to the gameplay, I'm in love. It was difficult to get by the not being able to shoot on the run, since you can in every game of this type. Once I got by that, I realized that is the true appeal...dodging attacks, timing your shots and such, and I am hooked.

For 10 bones you can't go wrong, pick up a copy!