disappeared
Banned
[ parasite eve ]
"The worst foe lies within the self."
Platform: PlayStation
Developer: Square
Genre: Role-Playing / Horror
Players: 1
Release Dates:
Japan: March 29th, 1998
USA: September 8th, 1998
[ U.S. cover art ]
Based on the story, Parasite Eve, by Hideaki Sena.
Cast:
Aya Brea
Daniel Bo Dollis
Maeda Kunihiko
===================================================================
===================================================================
I decided to make this thread because I often see a lot of love for this game expressed on the forums. Here we can bask in all of its glory!
Looking back, Parasite Eve is probably one of my favorite games for the PlayStation. The developers chose to make a game that didn't follow typical RPG/Adventure formulas, and the result was a very compelling, independant property. It was also a welcome change that the lead character was a young woman. At the same time, Metal Gear Solid's protagonist, Solid Snake, was making waves as the super-macho-badass-save-the-world male, so PE's female approach was and still is an important element of the game's success.
I remember being so excited for PE. I had bought my PlayStation only months before the game's release in 1998, and it was a nice "launch" game of sorts.
Fun fact: Parasite Eve would go on to help me make an impression on my Biology teacher a couple years later. Our class was just starting our coverage on cells, and I brought up mitochondria (a recurring theme in the game's plot). My teacher was surprised I even knew the word and what it related to. Then she said we wouldn't be covering human cells, just plants. At least I tried.
===================================================================
===================================================================
[ plot ]
Christmas Eve, 1998. A young female police officer named Aya Brea steps out of a limo to accompany her date to an opera. The two get seated and the show begins. Within minutes of the performance the leading lady in red, Melissa Pearce, notices Aya in the crowd. Seconds later, Melissa sets the entire concert hall ablaze, killing nearly everyone. Surprisingly, Aya is unscathed. She takes chase after the woman responsible for the catastrophe - demanding answers. After descending into the depths of the hall, Aya sees an image of a young girl - one who looks vaguely familiar. The girl turns to run, leading the rookie cop into the dark corridors...
What follows over the next five days in the brisk Manhattan winter is a tale of love, loss, self discovery, and what it means to be a human being.
I won't go into much else plot wise, as this is such an interesting game. Just play it for the story if not anything else!
[ opening scene ]
[ details ]
Parasite Eve is highly character and narrative driven, aimed squarely at an older audience. The story focuses on rookie detective Aya Brea, her partner Daniel, a Japanese scientist Maeda, and Melissa "Eve" Pearce. The story deals with the core elements of human evolution, genetics, and just how deep beneath the skin our existence goes. Aya is forced to discover who she is and why Melissa - "Eve" - is so intent on the deconstruction of our existence as a species.
Being dubbed a "cinematic" RPG, Parasite Eve features a large dose of highly detailed (pre-rendered) environments, dynamic camera angles, and some impressive CG video to help progress the story. The FMV itself was extremely good for its time, and is still some of the best stuff on the PlayStation. Really surprising, considering the game released only a year after Square's first foray into 3D RPGs.
Gameplay is a hybrid of adventure and role-playing. Featuring traditional RPG elements like Hit Points, EXP, and equippable weapons/armor and the ability to customize equipment to their liking. Surprisingly (and contrary to the RPG staple), there is no currency is Parasite Eve. All items are either found or are dropped by enemies/bosses. It becomes apparant after you play the game for a while that any type of money at all would have only complicated things.
The progress of the game is fairly linear, but the player is oftentimes given the option of returning to previous locations to search for previously inaccesible and/or hidden items. I encourage you to explore the game over and over again, as it's nearly impossible to see and find everything on your first trip through!
Battles are fairly typical RPG fare. Enemies are usually introduced on-screen, but randomized battles do occur (with a delicious "heart beat" sound I might add). However, instead of standing in one place like just about every single other Squaresoft RPG character before her, Aya is given the gift of free movement. She stands in a "sphere" wherein she can freely run around. This provides ample room for the player to set up various battle strategies since they aren't locked to one place. Furthermore, there are various magical abilities that can alter the course of most encounters. With her "Parasite Energy" Aya can heal, shield herself, speed up her movement, slow down enemy movement, and cast several different devastating super attacks. This makes battling for more interesting than it usually is in other grind-fests.
[ opening battle & stat screen ]
Increasing Aya's statistics is fairly similar to most other RPGs. She levels up, and her HP and other skills improve. Bonus points are awarded at levels, and can be allocated to nearly every stat on Aya or her weapons.
Weapons are handled very uniquely in Parasite Eve. Instead of the standard "weapon A, weapon B" fare, you can modify weapons in almost every respect. You have the choice of melee (clubs) or guns (pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers). For guns, the ammunition capacity, rate-of-fire, and various status effects are engraved into each weapon, making no single gun the same as another. Even better, you can merge guns and their respective properties into other guns, crafting even more powerful weapons to do battle with. This element of customization actually rewards you for experimenting!
Battles, adventure, and plot all melt together to form one very great game!
===================================================================
===================================================================
[ in closing ]
When you boil it down, Paraiste Eve was - and still is - such an incredible and highly original effort on Squaresoft's behalf. So many unique aspects and interesting mechanics make up this game that it is impossible to ignore once you play it. There was enough interest to warrant a sequel years later, but the original is still the champion. If you can track down a copy, this game is well worth your while. Awesome stuff.
Aya Brea's adventures will live on.
Square needs to remake this baby... badly.
"The worst foe lies within the self."
Platform: PlayStation
Developer: Square
Genre: Role-Playing / Horror
Players: 1
Release Dates:
Japan: March 29th, 1998
USA: September 8th, 1998
[ U.S. cover art ]
Based on the story, Parasite Eve, by Hideaki Sena.
Cast:
Aya Brea
Daniel Bo Dollis
Maeda Kunihiko
===================================================================
===================================================================
I decided to make this thread because I often see a lot of love for this game expressed on the forums. Here we can bask in all of its glory!
Looking back, Parasite Eve is probably one of my favorite games for the PlayStation. The developers chose to make a game that didn't follow typical RPG/Adventure formulas, and the result was a very compelling, independant property. It was also a welcome change that the lead character was a young woman. At the same time, Metal Gear Solid's protagonist, Solid Snake, was making waves as the super-macho-badass-save-the-world male, so PE's female approach was and still is an important element of the game's success.
I remember being so excited for PE. I had bought my PlayStation only months before the game's release in 1998, and it was a nice "launch" game of sorts.
Fun fact: Parasite Eve would go on to help me make an impression on my Biology teacher a couple years later. Our class was just starting our coverage on cells, and I brought up mitochondria (a recurring theme in the game's plot). My teacher was surprised I even knew the word and what it related to. Then she said we wouldn't be covering human cells, just plants. At least I tried.
===================================================================
===================================================================
[ plot ]
Christmas Eve, 1998. A young female police officer named Aya Brea steps out of a limo to accompany her date to an opera. The two get seated and the show begins. Within minutes of the performance the leading lady in red, Melissa Pearce, notices Aya in the crowd. Seconds later, Melissa sets the entire concert hall ablaze, killing nearly everyone. Surprisingly, Aya is unscathed. She takes chase after the woman responsible for the catastrophe - demanding answers. After descending into the depths of the hall, Aya sees an image of a young girl - one who looks vaguely familiar. The girl turns to run, leading the rookie cop into the dark corridors...
What follows over the next five days in the brisk Manhattan winter is a tale of love, loss, self discovery, and what it means to be a human being.
I won't go into much else plot wise, as this is such an interesting game. Just play it for the story if not anything else!
[ opening scene ]
[ details ]
Parasite Eve is highly character and narrative driven, aimed squarely at an older audience. The story focuses on rookie detective Aya Brea, her partner Daniel, a Japanese scientist Maeda, and Melissa "Eve" Pearce. The story deals with the core elements of human evolution, genetics, and just how deep beneath the skin our existence goes. Aya is forced to discover who she is and why Melissa - "Eve" - is so intent on the deconstruction of our existence as a species.
Being dubbed a "cinematic" RPG, Parasite Eve features a large dose of highly detailed (pre-rendered) environments, dynamic camera angles, and some impressive CG video to help progress the story. The FMV itself was extremely good for its time, and is still some of the best stuff on the PlayStation. Really surprising, considering the game released only a year after Square's first foray into 3D RPGs.
Gameplay is a hybrid of adventure and role-playing. Featuring traditional RPG elements like Hit Points, EXP, and equippable weapons/armor and the ability to customize equipment to their liking. Surprisingly (and contrary to the RPG staple), there is no currency is Parasite Eve. All items are either found or are dropped by enemies/bosses. It becomes apparant after you play the game for a while that any type of money at all would have only complicated things.
The progress of the game is fairly linear, but the player is oftentimes given the option of returning to previous locations to search for previously inaccesible and/or hidden items. I encourage you to explore the game over and over again, as it's nearly impossible to see and find everything on your first trip through!
Battles are fairly typical RPG fare. Enemies are usually introduced on-screen, but randomized battles do occur (with a delicious "heart beat" sound I might add). However, instead of standing in one place like just about every single other Squaresoft RPG character before her, Aya is given the gift of free movement. She stands in a "sphere" wherein she can freely run around. This provides ample room for the player to set up various battle strategies since they aren't locked to one place. Furthermore, there are various magical abilities that can alter the course of most encounters. With her "Parasite Energy" Aya can heal, shield herself, speed up her movement, slow down enemy movement, and cast several different devastating super attacks. This makes battling for more interesting than it usually is in other grind-fests.
[ opening battle & stat screen ]
Increasing Aya's statistics is fairly similar to most other RPGs. She levels up, and her HP and other skills improve. Bonus points are awarded at levels, and can be allocated to nearly every stat on Aya or her weapons.
Weapons are handled very uniquely in Parasite Eve. Instead of the standard "weapon A, weapon B" fare, you can modify weapons in almost every respect. You have the choice of melee (clubs) or guns (pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers). For guns, the ammunition capacity, rate-of-fire, and various status effects are engraved into each weapon, making no single gun the same as another. Even better, you can merge guns and their respective properties into other guns, crafting even more powerful weapons to do battle with. This element of customization actually rewards you for experimenting!
Battles, adventure, and plot all melt together to form one very great game!
===================================================================
===================================================================
[ in closing ]
When you boil it down, Paraiste Eve was - and still is - such an incredible and highly original effort on Squaresoft's behalf. So many unique aspects and interesting mechanics make up this game that it is impossible to ignore once you play it. There was enough interest to warrant a sequel years later, but the original is still the champion. If you can track down a copy, this game is well worth your while. Awesome stuff.
Aya Brea's adventures will live on.
Square needs to remake this baby... badly.
I love this series!!!!