E3 2012: Project P-100 hands-on preview
By: Jeff Rivera
For this generation, Platinum Games has been the developer that has demonstrated most convincingly that they are top dogs when it comes to providing a good action game. Bayonetta is, without a doubt in my mind, one of the finest action games ever created and easily the best of the current generation. When Project P-100 made a surprise appearance on the E3 2012 show floor in Nintendo's booth, I was excited to find out that it was a Platinum Games project.
The game is, as most PG games are, quite quirky. You control a super hero that looks somewhat similar to Viewtiful Joe, and you lead around a group of civilians to bring down bad guys who are making some serious trouble in the city. Many of the enemies are huge, making it necessary for you to use swarm tactics to bring them down. Your allies are controlled in two ways: first, whenever your main character attacks or jumps, they mob will mirror your actions. Secondly, you can draw lines on the Wii U GamePad and the allies will form up in that shape. There are also some special moves that will combine your mob into special formations, such as a giant sword, a large hand, or even a huge gun.
The combat was crazy. It was tough to get it a handle on things completely in the short demo, but I liked what I saw and I think there's a lot of potential for a solid action title here. The game is due out for the Wii U launch, and it should be one of those games that will pair well with one of Nintendo's more casual offerings.
As the Wii U launch approaches, we'll have continued coverage of Project P-100, including the unveiling of its official name.
