• Category Archives GameCube
  • Successor to the Nintendo 64

  • Retro Games » GameCube
  • Mega Man X: Command Mission


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    Mega Man has its origins on the NES as an action platform game so it already had a very long history when Mega Man X: Command Mission was released for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube in 2004. However, Command Mission was really more of a spin-off that deviated significantly from other games in the series. Instead of being a platform game it was more of a turn-based RPG.

    While the method of play is different, the locations and enemies will be familiar to those that have played other games in the Mega Man X series. This game was developed by those that had previously worked on Mega Man X7 and the Breath of Fire series. I guess the question is did we really need an RPG version of Mega Man? I love RPGs but I’m not overly fond of turning action games into RPGs. There’s not really enough depth of story here and game play is relatively short and quite linear. Critics liked the battle system but were not crazy about the rest of it.

    Mega Man X: Command Mission was released only for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. Why you might think these releases would be virtually identical, that was not the case. The GameCube version allowed you to connect your Game Boy Advance to enable a radar function that allowed you to find secret items. The GBA screen displayed a radar that showed the immediate area around the player and any hidden items that might be there. The GameCube version also ups the difficulty a little by having more frequent enemy encounters and steeper experience penalties for retries when it comes to defeating enemies. The PlayStation 2 version on the other hand included an unlockable demo of Mega Man X8. These differences aren’t really deal breakers or makers and reviews were virtually identical.

    If you want to give this one a try then you’ll have to track down an original for one system or the other or give it a try via emulation. The various Mega Man collections tend to skip over the spin-offs like this one and stick to the main series so there haven’t been any re-releases that I am aware of. The differences come down to personal preference so pick the one for your favorite system.


  • Vanessa Z. Schneider (P.N.03)

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    Source: Girls of Gaming – Volume 1 – – Vanessa Z. Schneider (P.N.03)

    P.N.03 is perhaps one of Capcom’s more obscure games. However, that obscurity comes from the fact that this title was released exclusively on the GameCube and was not one of Capcom’s better games. P.N.03 was released in 2003 and is short for Product Number Zero Three. It is more or less a fairly generic third person shooter and the plot bears at least a passing resemblance to I Robot (the Will Smith movie) with a little bit of Orphan Black thrown in. Though to be fair, this game preceded both.

    In P.N.03 you take the role of Vanessa Z. Schneider (pictured above from Girls of Gaming) who is hired by an unknown client to destroy the robots of Computerized Armament Management System that have run amok. Along the way Vanessa discovers a clone of herself and receives a message from her client who also appears to be a clone and the plot thickens. However, it doesn’t really go anywhere because that’s the end.

    Because of financial problems Capcom was having at the time, development for this game was rushed. The rather shallow plot is one of several problems with the game. Despite the intriguing sounding twists described above, the game is really just about blowing up robots, not that there is anything wrong with that. P.N.03 also had some odd gameplay mechanics like not being able to shoot while moving. There was also an emphasis on defensive action which seems a little odd when you are supposed to be destroying robots. At the end of the day, there was just too little variety and too much repetition. However, the gameplay may remind you of more classic arcade play, just with updated graphics.

    P.N.03 has never been re-released as far as I know. It was the first game of the “Capcom Five” which were five games that were originally supposed to be exclusive to the GameCube and introduce new intellectual property. Of those five games, one was cancelled and only P.N.03 remained exclusive to the GameCube. P.N.03 can still be had pretty cheaply. It may be one of those games destined to rise in price though as it never sold particularly well and despite its flaws, it really isn’t a bad game.





  • Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (GameCube)

    Eternal Darkness broadly speaking fits into the survival horror genre but is more of a psychological thriller than a b-movie style survival horror game. The game plays very much like the Resident Evil series but features a unique sanity meter. As the player is spotted by enemies, the meter increases. If it increases too far, changes occur in the game that reflect the player losing their grip on reality.

    The story centers on a young university student who returns to her family’s estate after her grandfather is murdered. With the police having no leads, she decides to investigate herself. Among other discoveries, she finds a secret room with strange artifacts including a book entitled ‘Tome of Eternal Darkness’. Then of course she reads it. The book reveals a long and rich history about an Eternal Darkness that threatens humanity. If she hadn’t decided to continue the fight, the game would have been a short one.

    Eternal Darkness was originally slated for the Nintendo 64 but was moved to the GameCube with the intent of it being a release title. It was released in June 2002. Despite the quality of the game and glowing reviews, the game sold relatively poorly. I don’t know the reason except that maybe a Nintendo system didn’t have the largest fan base of this genre of game. Eternal Darkness is still recognized as one of the best games on the GameCube or anywhere and any fan of the Resident Evil Series or of survival horror games in general should definitely check it out.

    Unfortunately, there has been no re-release of this game and while abortive attempts have been made at a couple of sequels they have all ended in failure. There is still some hope that a previously announced follow-up titled Shadow of the Eternals will eventually see the light of day. In the meantime, get your hands on a GameCube and Eternal Darkness and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

    Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (GameCube)

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