Previews

Published on June 17th, 2012 | by Davis Fan

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[E3 2012] Project P-100 Preview

Amidst the Nintendo booth at E3 this year, there was hardly a spot where we did not see a Wii-U console and an early build of a game that was already widely available on either the Xbox 360 of PS3. However, one Platinum Games title stood out, though it has been making less noise than most other titles. Despite not even have an actual name yet, dubbed Project P-100 as a working title, it’s already making our wish list for the Wii-U’s launch.

Players control a hero who in turn commands a squad of underlings, organizing them to move and attack as a group. While the concept of commanding whole groups isn’t new and often seen in other titles ranging from the Vita’s Orgarhythm to the Wii-U’s own Pikmin 3, Project P-100 allows players to do some interesting tricks. Simple commands to attack are still within the protagonist’s arsenal, but by drawing certain shapes with the right analog stick or touchscreen, players can make weapons out of the troops. So far, the sword, fist, and gun formations have been shown, each possessing different combos and usages. The fist itself can act as a regular hand, operating gigantic gears, which only piques our imagination about the game’s full potential.

During certain segments, gameplay will be directed toward the gamepad. In the demo, the superhero walks into a warehouse where he would needed to solve a quick puzzle in order to unlock the door. While interesting, this seemed totally unnecessary and is probably one of the main criticisms with the Wii-U’s third party titles (but that’s a discussion for another day).

As expected of any Platinum Games title, the action is hectic, quick paced, and stylish, which is a perfect way to show off the Wii-U’s improvements over its predecessor. Even when there are no enemies on the screen, the city is vibrant and colorful, filled with pedestrians who are ready to be recruited for the fight against the alien threat. The over-the-top action was most apparent during the demo’s boss fight, which was a giant alien mecha the heroes were fighting atop and destroy while it stampeded across the city.

It’s mind boggling why this has not had more publicity yet, much less made it to Nintendo’s press conference. Not only was it one of the more unique third party Wii-U games at the show, but its developer has the bragging rights for creating some of the best action games of this generation. I honestly could not have cared more about the Wii-U until this game, but now I am eagerly awaiting its and Project P-100’s launch when they come out together.