History VideoGame / PN03

* AttackAttackAttack: Skilled players who are familiar with enemy patterns and sound cues and know when/where/how to dodge in the open can ignore [[TakeCover! cover]] and play more aggressively.

* AllThereInTheManual: Little of the background is mentioned in game, but you play a mercenary hired by the military to investigate an AI defense system gone haywire.

* TakeCover: One of the ways to avoid enemy fire. Really skilled players don't need to rely on this so much, though there are certain enemies whose attacks cannot be dodged.

* DancingTheme: Several trailers showed off Vanessa's dance-like movement. One of the attract videos of the game is a thirty-eight second video titled "dance", showing Vanessa performing all her in-game animations like a dance. The ending credits scene is a similar, longer video of Vanessa performing all her animations like a dance.

** Many of the overdrives are super flashy and over the top but do pitiful damage and in some cases can miss the target entirely!
** The Papillon Suit can access all the overdrives, but turns you into a OneHitPointWonder.

** The Black Aegis Suit is the first suit that allows for maximum upgrades in all categories and has access to Tengu Pro, Pegasus Pro and Swan Pro, three of the best overdrives in the game.

* InvulnerableAttack: Much like the super bombs of {{Shoot Em Up}}s, Vanessa is completely invulnerable during an Overdrive.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: The game adds excitement and intrigue into an otherwise mundane mercenary mission with techno music and [[SheFu dancing]].

* SmartBomb: All of the Overdrives are variations on this theme.

* SingleStrokeBattle: With the game's SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity, and using the right Pro Overdrive, you can end most boss battles with a single strike.

* OneHitPointWonder: The Papillon Suit reduces your health down to the point that a single hit from a basic mook will kill you.

* {{Expy}}: One of the commonly encountered GoddamnedBats resembles the Sentinels from ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved''. Vanessa herself is somewhat of a futuristic expy of Jill from the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series.

* BoringButPractical: Tengu and the upgraded version, Tengu Pro. Doubles your shot power, but most importantly gives temporary invincibility. The ability to ignore an enemy's attacks and just fire away can come close to a {{Game Breaker}} if used correctly. [[spoiler:Two Tengu Pro stringed back to back is enough to kill the final boss on '''Normal''' with a fully upgraded Palm Shot.]]

* DoNotRunWithAGun: Vanessa has to be standing still to fire. The game's {{Scrappy Mechanic}} to some, and the big reason why people have a hard time playing it - ironically, the exact same mechanism so lauded in VideoGame/ResidentEvil4. The strict segregation of movement and attacking define the way the game plays.
** This only applies to the control stick, ''not'' the dodge buttons.

The game wasn't altogether well-received when it was released on September 9th, 2003 in North America, with most critics and players considering it to be mediocre. Sales were remarkably poor, with less than 30,000 sold worldwide. The below-average reception for a Capcom 5 title was due in no small part due to a [[TroubledProduction difficult development process]] in which project lead Mikami reportedly had a difficult time caring about it and the team couldn't agree on the "true" title (its development title was ''Jaguar'', reflected by a trailer where she makes catlike movements). The features ended up being as minimalist as the architecture, as due to the extended development cycle many features were dropped. The game engine, some music, and some of the mechanics were later used in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', as mentioned above.

* FakeMemories: [[spoiler:The Client says in the ending that memories can be implanted, including her own.]]

* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:Implied by the plot twist of Vanessa discovering a clone of herself, and that her client is also a clone.]]

* BareYourMidriff: The Papillon Suit does this, revealing a butterfly tattoo.

* CloningBlues: [[spoiler:Vanessa discovers a clone of herself in a late-game plot twist. In the ending, her client face-reveals herself as a clone, also.]]
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: The Aegis Suit cybernetically empowers Vanessa to fight robots by connecting to her spine and central nervous system to generate and shoot energy. Vanessa herself has no known powers.

* {{Cyborg}}: Vanessa technically becomes one with the Aegis Suit on, since it connects to her spine to shoot energy.

* ExistentialHorror: [[spoiler:Vanessa experiences this when she discovers her clone late in the game. Further emphasized in the ending when when the Client says [[FakeMemories memories can be implanted, including hers]].]]

* FanserviceCostumes: All of Vanessa's suits, especially the Papillon.

* SpyCatsuit: All of Vanessa's Aegis suits, except for the Papillon.

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Vanessa [[ShakingTheRump shaking her butt]] in [[SpyCatsuit skin-tight catsuits]] and [[ThongOfShielding thongs]] has invoked many stripper comparisons.

* ThongOfShielding: The Papillon Suit.
* {{Transhuman}}: The Aegis Suit [[{{Cyborg}} cyborgizes]] Vanessa by connecting to her spine and allowing her to shoot energy through her palms. [[spoiler:Further emphasized when Vanessa discovers a clone of herself, and that her client is also a clone.]]

* MultipleEndings: Beating the game on Easy gives the standard ending. Beating the game on Normal or Hard adds an additional cutscene after the ending. Beating the game with the [[OneHitPointWonder Papillon Suit]] treats the player to a ShowerScene, and the Client reveals her name as "Dominique".

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}'', as mentioned above.

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Vanessa [[ShakingTheRump shaking her butt]] in [[SpyCatsuit skin-tight catsuits suits]] and [[ThongOfShielding thongs]] has invoked many stripper comparisons.

* {{Transhuman}}: The Aegis Suit [[{{Cyborg}} cyborgizes]] Vanessa by connecting to her spine and allowing her to shoot energy through her palms.

* MultipleEndings: Beating the game on Easy gives the standard ending. Beating the game on Normal or Hard adds an additional cutscene after the ending. Beating the game with the [[OneHitPointWonder Papillon Suit]] treats the player to a ShowerScene.

The game features cybernetic ActionGirl and ThirdPersonSeductress Vanessa Z. Schneider, who uses palm shots and energy drives combined with acrobatic moves or while standing still [[MaleGaze gyrating or wiggling her bottom]] to destroy robots in a range of Apple-chic futuro-minimalist facilities. Impressively, all of her animations were handcrafted.

* LatexSpaceSuit: All of Vanessa's Aegis suits, except for the Papillon.

* MsFanservice: Vanessa, who wears a skintight outfit throughout with a strong dose of MaleGaze applied.

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Vanessa [[ShakingTheRump shaking her butt]] in [[LatexSpaceSuit skin-tight suits]] and [[ThongOfShielding thongs]] has invoked many stripper comparisons.

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Vanessa [[ShakingTheRump shaking her butt]] in [[SpyCatsuit skin-tight suits]] and [[ThongOfShielding thongs]] has invoked many stripper comparisons.

* Main/Stripperiffic: Vanessa [[ShakingTheRump shakes her butt]] in skin-tight suits and thongs.

* ThemeNaming: The Black Aegis Suit is black, like the name implies. Papillon is named after the french word for Butterfly, signifying the butterfly emblem on it's stomach.

* OneWingedAngel: Orchidee II transforms from a mecha-centipede to a SpiderTank form. Loewenzahn II changes from a [[FanNickname "lion scorpion car"]] to a [[ThePhoenix phoenix]]. Alraune starts as an easy robotic skull, then turns into a much tougher {{humongous mecha}} [[ScaryScorpions scorpion]].

* MultipleEndings: Beating the game on Easy gives the standard ending. Beating the game on Normal or Hard adds an additional cutscene after the ending. Beating the game with the [[OneHitPointWonder Papillion Suit]] treats the player to a ShowerScene.

* OneHitpointWonder: The Papillion suit reduces your health down to the point that a single hit from a basic mook will kill you.

* PointBuildSystem: The Aegis suits are both buyable and upgradable through the points scored in both the storyline and the side missions.

* ScoringPoints: You need the best possible scores in all the side missions to unlock both the Blackbird and Papillon.

* ShowerScene: Wearing the Papillion suit through the whole game rewards you with one.

The game wasn't altogether well-received when it was released in September 9, 2003 in North America, with most critics and players considering it to be mediocre. Sales were remarkably poor, with less than 30,000 sold worldwide. The below-average reception for a Capcom 5 title was due in no small part due to a [[TroubledProduction difficult development process]] in which project lead Mikami reportedly had a difficult time caring about it and the team couldn't agree on the "true" title (its development title was ''Jaguar'', reflected by a trailer where she makes catlike movements). The features ended up being as minimalist as the architecture, as due to the extended development cycle many features were dropped. The game engine, some music, and some of the mechanics were later used in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''.