Parasite Eve Horror Games Review

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Title: Parasite Eve
Format: Video Game
Score:
Platform: PlayStation
Publisher: Bullfrog
Hits: 47

Review of Parasite Eve

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Comments for Parasite Eve

• Posted on 2009-10-04
  Still one of my favorite games to this day!
  
  Pros:
  
  It's been soooo long since I have played this game. The last time I played this game was about 5 years ago when I was 16 years old and borrowed it from a friend. I am now 21 years old and going to college (majoring in criminal justice, imagine that). I was bored and was thinking of buying a game and after looking through the games online I came across parasite eve! I really liked it when I was younger and decided to play it once again. I just recently finished beating it, and now that I'm older and being more mature I realized after playing it how realistic this game really is.
  
  My life partner, who is an expert in biology, watched me as I played and then explained to me all the scientific definitions of mitochondria and how Richard Dawkins discovered the selfish gene. Reading on what he discovered is quite amazing and very educational, btw.
  
  This is no ordinary game mind you, it's the kind of game that makes you think a lot deeper when it comes to human life and why we are here, and if we `humans' have a purpose for something much greater. This game teaches on things of that level and definitely doesn't make you lose brain cells.
  
  Sorry if I seem sexist but the game defiantly has one big difference that I have notice that makes it very unique from other games. The main character is a girl! And not just any girl, but a girl that can kick butt is very courageous, able to take care of herself, and not rely on others to do the work for her. Throughout the game I sometimes forget she's a girl because she doesn't portray as your typical woman, I have even looked up to her as a role model when I was younger.
  
  Cons:
  
  The only down side for this game is that it is, unfortunately, too short and because it has great story line it's so sad that it ends so quickly. It's about a 15 hour or less game.
  
  Over all:
  
  My honest advice to the people that are thinking of buying this game....GET IT! It is definitely worth every penny, in my opinion (if you like horror, solving puzzles, and mystery that is). Also, I am thinking of saving up for Parasite Eve II and let everyone know how that turns out as well, knowing that game is more expensive than the first one. Hope that you found this review helpful to you and let me know what you think. Thanks!
  
  
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• Posted on 2009-04-18
  parasite eve
  
  this game was fun to play. it was for my boyfriend's birthday and he was shocked i had found it. thanks
  
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• Posted on 2009-01-06
  Aya Kicks Butt!
  
  Parasite Eve is a game that blends both the survival-horror and RPG genres together, keeping the best of both worlds. Ultimately, this makes this a unique game the likes of which I've never seen successfully repeated (yes, the sequel is quite bad). That being said, I really enjoyed this game, and I'm sure you will too!
  
  Graphics (score 7/10): The graphics look a bit dated by today's standards, and weren't even the absolute best for their time. However, they look good enough, and are not too displeasing to the eye. The CG cutscenes still look excellent, in my opinion, and do a good job of showcasing the freaky creatures that the game features.
  
  Music (score 8/10): I really love the music for this game; I even went and got the soundtrack because I enjoyed it so much. My only complaint is that the opera scene in the game uses a synthesized vocal track which sounds absolutely hideous compared to the regular opera singer's voice on the soundtrack. Why they didn't just use the un-synthesized song is beyond me. Also of note is the excellent exploration-related sound effects. I don't think I've ever heard squeakier, creepier door sounds in my life. Yes, these sounds are a bit unnaturally loud, but they are well-suited to this type of game, and add to the creepiness factor. Unfortunately, in battle sounds like gunshots are oddly muted--eve the rocket launcher is quiet. One more thing--even though the music itself is great, there are times when it is strangely absent. At times I can tell that the silence is used for dramatic effect, at other times it just seems random. For instance, the Weapons Department of the police station (where I store my excess crap) almost always has no music, but the rest of the station does. This makes no sense at all. Oh well. Rest assured that the negative points to the music really don't detract much from the overall fine experience.
  
  Characters (score 8/10): Aya is the main character, and the only character which you will get to control. That being said, I really liked her and think she is more than capable of carrying the game alone. Being a survival-horror sort of game, only having one character helps add to the feeling of loneliness and fear since you are on your own. One thing I really like about Aya is that she is not treated like a stereotypical girly-girl nor as a blatant sex-object. This unfortunately seems to happen a lot in games where the main character is female. She is very much a believable no-nonsense cop. After seeing too many games where the female characters fight while wearing mini-skirts and heels (who fights monsters in a mini-skirt?!), I've really started to appreciate the fact that the designers opted for realism in Parasite Eve and put Aya in jeans, sneakers, and a jacket. It's really unusual to see such a believable female lead character, and I'm very pleased. As for the other, supporting characters (and even Aya herself), they do not get a lot of background information or dialogue, and do not really get a lot of character development. The other characters are really more archetypal characters, such as the workaholic cop who doesn't spend enough time with his family, or the nerdy, socially inept scientist. Even though their personalities aren't deeply developed, you can still understand and relate to them as characters because you're familiar with the archetypes. This lack of deeper characters normally wouldn't work in a traditional RPG, but the game pulls it off well because it is more story-driven.
  
  Story (score 9/10): The story takes place in a fairly short amount of time (6 days), but it's very engaging. True, the premise of sentient mitochondria is a bit far-fetched, but if you suspend your disbelief, the story is incredibly enjoyable. Square did a good job of crafting a creepy tale full of hideous monsters that'll keep you on the edge of your seat. The main storyline is great, but one thing I must point out (without spoiling anything) is that the bonus ending (for going through the Chrysler Building in the EX Game) is a real bust. I felt so cheated after seeing that ending--it is way not worth the effort to get. However if you stick to the main game, you're likely to have a great time.
  
  Battle System (score 10/10): The game designers did a great job of blending action elements and turn-based gameplay to give us an enjoyable hybrid. You can move Aya freely around during battle to dodge enemy attacks while waiting for your time bar to fill. Once it's full, you hit the X button to bring up an attack menu and a grid. The grid shows you the range of you're weapon. Simple, yes? Also, you can opt to open up your menu when you get your turn and use an item instead of attacking. The game features many guns and armor which can be customized by using a "tool" to add features from one weapon/armor onto another. You also get bonus points when you level up which can be used to increase your inventory size, the speed of your time bar, or weapon/armor stats. Overall, I found the customization feature to be very enjoyable.
  
  Gameplay (score 7/10): This is a bit of a catch-all category for me. One thing that I found annoying was Aya's running speed; it's like her feet are sticky or something because she runs really slowly. Another thing that was a bit annoying is that the game has random battles, but they aren't exactly random. There are "hot spots" on the floor that can trigger random battles if you happen to step in that area. Unfortunately, these are somewhat few and far between, and the more they are triggered, the lower your chances of getting that spot to trigger again. While this is good because you have fewer random battles than a normal RPG, it would've been easier to level-raise if the game featured just regular old random battles that trigger every few steps or so. Other than that, the gameplay is mostly positive. I really enjoy how you can return to previous locations to level-raise or get items (can't leave the final area at the end of the game, unfortunately). I also like the fact that they kept the survival-horror feel of having limited inventory space but also gave you a convenient place you can store extra items (in the Weapons Department of the Police Station). Overall, I think the game designers did a very good job of combining the best elements of survival-horror and RPG gameplay.
  
  Overall (score 8/10): NOTE this score is not an average; it's my subjective overall score. If you're a fan of RPG's and always wanted to play a survival-horror game but really hate the gameplay element of the latter, then Parasite Eve is for you! It's really quite sad that Parasite Eve is the only game I've found that successfully pulls off this blending of genres; I really wish there were some more (Parasite Eve 2, unfortunately, was quite awful). I strongly urge you to add this game to your collection; you won't be disappointed!
  
  
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• Posted on 2008-12-15
  plain old fun
  
  A fun game with only a few down points
  1. it's short, only 10 hours to beat and 2 disc's.
  2. Aya runs very slow and looks funny while running.
  but besides that a very enjoyable RPG with a differnt attitude. The story of mitochondria eve told by sqauresoft in this game is a fasinating one.
  
  People say it is Final Fantasy meet Resident Evil, I say its True Science meets Stephen King.
  
  
  
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• Posted on 2008-09-03
  "Pasrasite Eve is an awesome game"
  
  This a pretty good rpg for the ps1 which has a very in depth story line and has a nice fighting system. Overall I give this game five stars
  
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