| Product: |
Parasite Eve (PS) |
| Date: |
14/11/07 (49 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Alright graphics, tune-up feature, great FMV sequences, audio well done
Disadvantages: Short, poor interactivity, no real puzzles
On Christmas Eve 1997, Aya Brea, of the NYPD's 17th Precinct Force, is in attendance at an opera in New York's Carnegie Hall, when suddenly actors and audience spontaneously combust, excepting herself and an actress whom on being asked by Aya answers to the name of Eve. A cinematic RPG based on Hideaki Sena's novel of the same name, Parasite Eve covers the six days beginning with this incident, with what is to follow a battle for survival between human race and mitochondria.
FMV clips are of a high standard for the PlayStation; whilst fires and liquids do not look convincing the sequences - especially those near the beginning and end - effectively establish the horror of Parasite Eve. Not being able to skip these isn't too great a deal, but as there are no restart points it doesn't look good when, following a battle and possibly some cut-scenes the game throws you into a situation where you have to avoid instantaneous death - thankfully this is not often.
The in-game graphics are alright. Character models and enemy designs are well done, but the level of detail on them tends to be low. The pre-rendered backdrops which Parasite Eve uses are detailed, if a touch too dark at times. However, you are reminded once in a while that they are simply static backgrounds; a lack of advanced shadowing techniques allows for a car stranded in Central Park at night with the headlights left on to highlight this, and, despite having shown itself to be capable of having water in motion, the sewers sees to the very definition of still water. Early on, the game showcases some mirrors in the backstage dressing room settings, but these fail to reflect changes in the surroundings.
Animation-wise, all is decent apart from veteran detective Daniel's gestures being wildly exaggerated and his son Ben's walking movements being poorly animated. In the cut-scenes characters curiously spin on the spot, but this is not an indication of what the controls are like, with Aya heading in the direction which you press in. I recommend playing this with the analog controller, as this gives players the edge when it comes to movement both on the field and in battle. However the downside of this is having to use the stick to navigate the menus (d-pad is disabled when analog mode is switched on), so the controls are not well realised. The same can be said about the menus, and seeing as the limited inventory is of concern, the task of having to manage it in a manual manner makes for a laborious task.
Item capacity can be increased however with the Bonus Points which are awarded when Aya's level increases. These can also be distributed to increase the Parameter Values of equipment or the rate at which the Active Time Bar fills but perhaps the best feature in the game though is being able to tune-up equipment. With a Tool you can carry Additional Effects and Parameter values from one weapon or armor over to another, allowing for creation of original equipment.
Making up the magic system of this RPG is Parasite Energy. Battles are in real-time, so players can avoid enemy attacks as the AT Bar fills, with the action pausing for command selection. The encounters are random but such that there is rarely more than a single battle per screen, with the fights usually taking place within a restricted field of the current area. Unfortunately, the battles can occasionally be made tricky because of a lack of space, awkward camera angles and Aya's recovery time.
The game could do with weight in certain departments. While I could easily forgive there being no voice acting, the severe lack of interactivity is disappointing; Aya has little to say about her surroundings, only ever dealing with what is necessary to progress - of which it demands you be rather precise about where to look which does not help matters. There's the usual searching for keys to open doors, but puzzles are missing in action; instead, there are a few (optional) quiz questions in the Museum which will test whether you've been paying attention to the details throughout the game.
Parasite Eve is often billed as a survival horror, but it's not a game which demands too conservative an approach - somewhat of a shortcoming is that you've got to have a club in your inventory (not handy when you're picking up the likes of Junk!) even if you've bullets to spare. Musically, themes to either build up tension or lull you into a false sense of security are few but then, it's not as if there is much to follow it up with; the game coming low on scares. Of note, care has been taken with the sound effects, and thus you can hear Aya's footsteps sounding different on the various surfaces. For me, an odd moment in this game comes on visiting Dr. Klamp for the first time - whose attention is his monitor - where a repetition of button pressing sounds make it seem as if he intentionally tapping out a rhythm on his computer keyboard!
The ten hours or so it takes to complete Parasite Eve is not great for an RPG of sorts. There is the EX Mode to tackle afterwards which ups the level of difficulty and allows for access to an optional building, but unless you like a challenge in the form of a randomly-generated, repetitively-designed, progressive endurance maze-like dungeon only then is this mode a worthwhile challenge. Parasite Eve might be a cinematic title, but it's a shame it ain't a great game.
Summary: Parasite Eve for PlayStation
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