So here’s something new I’m working on: A Late to the Party Review. As my “gen” is not exactly “current,” I’ll probably be doing quite a few of these. This isn’t me looking back on some old game with rose-colored glasses; this is me reviewing an old game I recently played for the first time. I’ll try to put it into a modern context, but know that I don’t have any nostalgia for the game, so I might be a little harsh on your childhood. Flame Shields Activate!
Parasite Eve is an odd little game. It’s sort of like Square saw Resident Evil and said “Hey, we should totally do that, but with numbers.” So they got a license from a Japanese sci-fi / horror book and made a very loose sequel. Which, come to think of it, may be a first: a video game as a sequel to a novel.
The plot is ultimately a meaningless mess of genetic mutations and cellular rebellion. All you really need to know is that bad stuff is going down in the city and for some reason you — a spunky blond cop with a pistol and the world’s loudest shoes — are the only one who can stop it. Seriously, everyone else keeps catching fire or turning into orange ooze.
The action is pretty fun. Fights take place in real time using the good-ol’ “Active Battle” system. The twist is this game takes place in New York in the 90s, so instead of waiting to use your sword, you are waiting to shoot somebody in the face. Your primary weapons are all guns, though it wouldn’t be an RPG without some kind of magic system. Your Parasite abilities are mostly used for buffs and healing, though you do get a few offensive spells. The battles are random, but they are location triggered, so you get the feel for when they are coming and exploration doesn’t get interrupted as badly.
The visuals hold up well. Like most PS1 games, you move your character around on top of static prerendered backgrounds. The funny thing about going back and playing games from this era is that I find that I almost prefer the games in this style, while at the time I thought that the N64 and its fully 3D graphics were superior. Now I find that the 64’s flat polygons and overly stretched textures haven’t aged nearly as well as the detailed environs of Square’s post-Nintendo efforts.
Of course, the big flaw with the static backgrounds are the occasional pixel hunts. The makers of PE seem to have taken a bit of pleasure in this, hiding treasure chests containing the best loot in corners and behind foreground objects. You’re going to want hit every nook while tapping the check button
PE came out in an interesting time for Square. Final Fantasy VII had just made JRPGs cool in America (ironic since it’s the worst in the series), and this feels like a sort of side project. My used copy even came with a demo disc including a movie for Final Fantasy VIII. It’s interesting to see what kind of left-field projects Square could come up with before most of their output became a sequel or remake in its headliner series (and I guess Dragon Quest, too, but I still tend to think of Square and Enix as separate entities – a belief supported by the conflicting approaches to the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy remakes on the DS).
I like the idea of survival horror, but I’m pretty crap at it. PE gives you just enough of a creepy vibe, but with the ability to grind if you get stuck. It’s perfect for someone like me who can’t hack it in a Resident Evil. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes actiony RPGs, creepy hallways, and/or B-grade late-night sci-fi.
I give Parasite Eve 4.5 mutated rat carcasses.
Just wants to be loved.
Posted by McClain 
