When Nintendo struck their deal with Capcom for a series of five new games for GameCube, Product Number 03 seemed to be the front runner for the most interesting of the lot (save perhaps for Resident Evil 4). Viewtiful Joe has now jumped to the forefront by virtue of its style and polished gameplay, so where does that leave PN03? When the game was released in Japan, gamers were just a bit confused, because when you come right down to it, the game just doesn’t play like it looks. Getting around that hurdle seems to give PN03 the exact opposite problem faced by Viewtiful Joe.

Product Number 03 stars Vanessa Z. Schneider as a lone mercenary, hired to complete jobs for an anonymous client. There is a bit of back-story here, with allusions to the untimely death of Vanessa’s parents, but it’s largely just a backdrop for the fairly simple gameplay. So let’s get this out of the way right now. PN03 is a “shmup” -- gamer slang for a “shoot ‘em up”. Unlike classic shmups like Ikaruga, PN03 uses a human rather than a space ship. This is a large part of the reason why people get their hands on the game and get frustrated. It looks like you should have better control than you should, but that’s because you’re used to seeing a “third person” game with very precise control. PN03 plays more like the over-the-shoulder parts of Contra, or perhaps Sin and Punishment, than a Metroid or Tomb Raider.

It’s for this reason that our heroine can’t fire and move at the same time. You get somewhat free control over your character as you move through the areas, but it’s mostly an illusion. When approached by enemies, you’ll find that you can’t simply move out of the way of shots. Liberal use of the shoulder buttons to sidestep and furious tapping of the A Button are the only way to progress in later levels. While initially jarring, it’s this control scheme that makes the game unique. Well that, and the overall style of the game.

Vanessa sports some of the most impressive animation ever seen for a character. Every curve is painstakingly modeled, and every dance move (yes, you read that right ... dance move) is fluid and effortless. It’s not just there for show, as her Aegis Suit is wired into her central nervous system, and her moves are integral to releasing the energy in her suit. She can purchase suit upgrades as she progresses through her missions (as well as “trial missions” that serve as simulators of a sort) earning points for kills, kill combos, and speed. The suits have different “Energy Drives”, which are super-powerful shots that do large amounts of damage and frequently hit more than one enemy at a time. You can also upgrade various facets of the suit, from the normal shot power, energy capacity, barrier strength, and automatic fire.

When the game was released in Japan, it was largely considered to be too easy and too short. It’s somewhat like the very old joke that the food at a particular restaurant was terrible, and the portions were too small. It’s very hard to tell if this issue will be addressed for the US release, but it’s worth noting that while the Easy difficulty setting is fairly straightforward, the Normal setting is difficult enough where most people won’t finish the first mission if they go into it cold. Learning the controls, learning how the enemies react, and having lightning fast reflexes are key here.

Skilled gamers could very likely blow through the game in a few hours. This may seem very short, but not if you’re comparing it to other shmups, where gameplay clocking in at 4-5 hours is not unusual. It would have been nice to have had more missions added for the US release, but that would have been a bonus more than a requirement.

Where the game really shines is in its stylistic approach. The game is underscored with a punchy techno soundtrack, and Vanessa dances right along to the beat. It’s almost intoxicating seeing the beautiful Vanessa moving along to the music and blasting enemies to bits. Every flip or toe tap seems to fit, and it’s almost eerie how fun she is to watch. The Internet is already abuzz over certain well-modeled aspects of her body, and the various moves that accentuate it. Yes, I’m talking about Vanessa’s ass, which she shakes and giggles as she moves.

Overall, the game is a pretty jarring experience if you come into it expecting fluid first-person shooter style control. You need to have the mindset that you’re playing a game not unlike classic shoot ‘em ups before you’re going to find much fun in the game. That said, PN03, is a very unique game, much like its other stylistic counterpart Viewtiful Joe. Shmup fans will have a blast dancing to the techno music, but it’s hard to say how the rest of the West is going to respond to Vanessa’s brand of gameplay. Regardless, it’s another solid game from Nintendo’s partnership with Capcom, and one you should definitely check out this September.