Parasite Eve

"Perhaps, Square's Greatest Underrated Game."

Parasite Eve.

I just want to start off by saying that this game was a masterpiece. The storyline was confusing at first for the hardcore gamer, but once you were able to take it all in, you began to truly understand it.

It was Christmas '98. I went rabid on my presents. Wrapping paper covered the floor. Then a shrill cry echoed throughout the house. Zelda 64, the Collector's Addition with bonus strategy guide had arrived. Wait, I mean. .after that I got Parasite Eve x.o;. I had a fun time with it for the 1.5 years I had it. Unfortunately, one day, while in need of cash I decided to sell some PSX games (Tomb Raider III, Rogue Trip, Vigilante 8, etc.) and didn't bother checking the contents of the cases. Parasite Eve happened to be in the Vigilante 8 case because when I came home, I could not find it anywhere. Guess what game was in the PE case? Vigilante 8 and the Bonus Demo CD. I went into depression for about two hours and decided it was for the best, for to truly love something, you must be able to let it go. Okay, well.. now that you know the history of my game, now onto the good stuff.

Graphics: Set the mood, nicely. From the run down Soho district to the beautiful, yet tedious Chrysler Building. The FMVs were very detailed and a great bonus to such a great game. I might also note that the bosses looked spectacular. I remember when the screen flashed and the mutant Crocodile appeared on screen. I was horrified by how much space it took up in such a narrow tunnel and how it basically kicked my ass all over the floor. And I could never forget the F-16s vs. the huge Mitochondria blob. I had that warm feeling inside of excitement and my eyes were lit up to a visual treat. Now, on to the most important category in any game-- Sound.

Sound: JEEZUS. Now this is what I come to ANY Square game for. Each track either was soft, or high tempo. When they were mixed, is where it truly shined. For example, ''M.I.S.T.''. This track, blew my ears away. I just wanted to stay in the Prescient all day listening to this. I can't really describe it's sound, it's just.. soothing. Then we have the intro theme, ''Primal Eyes''. Think of the first 20 seconds of ''Liberi Fatali'' then just completely ripping your heart out of your body and pumping up the entire theme. It goes by so fast, then slows down only to build up again, and quite excellently(?!). Another I'd like to mention are the battle track ''Force Trail'', the boss music ''Plosive Attack'' and the ''overworld'' theme ''Urban Noise.'' Hmm, now ''Force Trail'' seems like a theme for running.. if you listen to it without the action happening on screen. Now, when you DO run into an enemy and hear this playing, it just.. fits. It falls into that ''high tempo'' category I was explaining earlier and the piano in the background is a nice touch. Now what more can I say about ''Plosive Attack'' other than it rocks, literally. Let me explain how well this is as a boss theme. Imagine fighting just a regular monster, then right after.. a boss.. now as soon as ''Force Trail'' finishes, ''Plosive Attack'' picks up right where it left off and ups the ante. They blend in together seamlessly. Is very fast paced and it keeps you on your toes more than the huge creature you're facing. Finally, there's ''Urban Noise.'' The hybrid, once again. You'd think it would be a techno track by the way it sounds, but it's going along slower than what you'd think. It's not a ''Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII,'' by no means because of how much it repeats within 45 seconds, but still makes you feel as if you were really looking over Manhattan in the evening. The sound effects came to a surprise to me. Not many, except the gun shots, footsteps, etc. I thought every gun would just be a generic *bang*, but they're not. Depending on what customizations you do to the gun, it'll sound different, but nothing to have a heat stroke over. Now.. the story.

Story: Do a mutated T-Rex, rats, polar bears, giant worms and a woman bent on destroying all life sound interesting enough to you?

Gameplay: I love this part. I will attempt keep it short and simple. Now, it feels like any prerendered RPG game (ff7, ff8, etc. ). When you ran into an enemy, it was random, just like in FF7, BUT.. they appeared right where you were and you would have to either get out of your constrained position or take him out as quickly as possible. The thing that really made the battle system unique was your ability to move while fighting. Some guns were better at close range, and others you could use long range. When you selected the enemy, a big sphere would surround you showing, your range.. you would select the enemy, IN REAL TIME, and attack him. Stuff like billy clubs were fun to use, but the customized handguns with three shots were a blast. Leveling was fun and the skills you received weren't many, but enough to hold your interest until you finished the game. There's was also upgrading your weapon in the game. If you found cards and returned them to an officer in the weapons armory at the station, he would put a slot into your gun of choice and then let you take a feature from one gun and put it into another, like higher attack or better accuracy and such. Armor was also fun to customize. Having a poison resistant, auto-potion, high defense piece of kevlar made you one thing not to mess with. The only complaint I have is the game was too short(although you'll be spending a great deal of time getting all the special items for the Chrysler Building), the last boss was too predictable and it just left you with that feeling that the sequel would be twenty times it's size and make for an even better game. Unfortunately, PEII wasn't a good as I initially thought and I await PEIII, where they'll hopefully try and do something right. After all, Dino Crisis was complete richness, number II stunk and they're making ANOTHER one in attempt to revitalize the series. Don't you think a unique game like this deserves that treatment?

Control: Simply fluid.

I suggest you buy this game now (it's about $20 US).

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/18/02, Updated 08/18/02