Parasite Eve

Parasite Eve is a 1998 survival horror action role-playing video game developed and published by Square. The game is a sequel to the novel Parasite Eve written by Hideaki Sena; it is also the first game in the Parasite Eve video game series.

Players are allowed to move freely around several open environments while utilizing a pausable real-time combat system along with several role-playing game elements.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) A unique story about an NYC police officer named Aya trying to stop an evolved mitochondrial creature called Eve who is set on destroying humanity, while also trying to survive Eve's horribly mutated abominations.
 * 2) The games mixes survival horror with Final Fantasy like RPG elements.
 * 3) Terrifying creature design.
 * 4) Awesome cutscenes for the time. The mutation cutscenes in particular are brutal and still hold up.
 * 5) Stellar soundtrack.
 * 6) The graphics and environment are well detailed for a PS1 game.
 * 7) Like Final Fantasy VIII, you have the ability to modify and upgrade your weapons and ammo.
 * 8) Beating the game unlocks the special mode "EX game", this allows the player to replay the game with a harder difficulty and also unlocks the Chrysler Building dungeon.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Long loading times.
 * 2) The music is reused often and can get annoying.
 * 3) The mitochondria sound effects are generic and sound like squirrel or chipmunk noises.
 * 4) It hasn't exactly aged well from low resolution, low quality character models, and the lack of voice acting except for grunts.
 * 5) During the game, Maeda gives Aya three "good luck" charms. Some players were annoyed by this, as the game never explicitly tells the player the use of the charms and they take up inventory space, and there is a debate whether or not they actually do anything (apart from the third being used to reserve one inventory slot for a story event). Due to the game's complicated code, no one has been able to datamine the game to see if they actually do anything, and there are rumors about the charms with some players saying it helps them get rare items and the like. Some players get rid of them as soon as possible, while others keep them just in case. It could be seen as a brilliant commentary on superstition, or a mean joke.
 * 6) Near the end of the game, Aya will gain the Parasite Energy "Liberate", which is known for being overpowered. Some have praised the ability for making the final bosses easy for those who just want to complete the game ASAP so they can move onto the next game, or for those who never got the game's weapon/armor customization system - others note it can make the final bosses easy and ruin any challenge the final bosses provide. Some claim that a "No Liberate" run is how Parasite Eve should be played, although it is up to each player whether or not they should use Liberate.

Reception
Parasite Eve received positive reviews from critics. Game Informer cited the games "exquisite" backdrops but bemoaned its long load times each time players enter a new environment or engage an enemy.

GameSpot said the game had a cinematic look, and had an "astounding" level of detail for real life locations in New York City. In 2000, the game was ranked number 16 by the readers of Famitsu magazine in its top 100 PlayStation games of all time. In 2010, GamesRadar chose it as one of the "Top 7... '90s games that need HD remakes".

Trivia

 * 1) Playthroughs of Parasite Eve become popular in December, due to the setting of the game. Usually, it becomes most popular on December 24 (as this is when Parasite Eve begins on Day 1) and ends on December 29 (Day 6), with the daily goal of playing each "day" in the game per day. Usually, Days 1 to 4 tend to be an hour or two long. Day 5 is typically the longest day, and is around three hours long, due to the long nature of the sewers and museum, so the player should find time on December 28. Day 6 is typically the shortest, and can be beaten in 40 minutes. Parasite Eve is also popular among New Yorkers, for obvious reasons.
 * 2) Subsequently, if a player wants to play the sequel Parasite Eve II, they could wait until the next September 4. However, Parasite Eve II is set over a span of four days and attempting to play Parasite Eve II in sync in real time is more difficult, as it could require three to five hours a day.
 * 3) For The 3rd Birthday, it would also begin on December 24 like Parasite Eve. The 3rd Birthday is also divided into six chapters and it is possible to play each chapter per day. However, the chapters are full of time travel, but The 3rd Birthday still ends in December.
 * 4) Parasite Eve was Square's first M-rated video game due to disturbing imagery, body horror, sexual themes, and violence.
 * 5) Parasite Eve was developed in California with Japanese collaboration.
 * 6) Parasite Eve is about a catastrophic event in New York City that will change the world and humanity forever. The game's intro movie depicts a scene of a plane crashing into a pair of two tall buildings (not the Twin Towers), causing an explosion. Considering how Parasite Eve was released a few years before 9/11, this makes an eerie coincidence - however, many people think humanity can receive messages from the future - others have found strange parallels over the years in media, such as in The Simpsons for example. Some artwork for the game includes Aya overlooking the Twin Towers. The first two games were released in September in North America. In the true ending of Parasite Eve II, the game skips ahead over a year and happens to end on September 1, 2001, a mere 10 days away.
 * 7) The game's save points are landline phones and payphones scattered throughout New York City. Aya calls the police to report her updates and progress. Oddly enough, Aya either doesn't use or have her own mobile phone as a police officer, as police officers in the late 1990s still used phones and radios to communicate, possibly because the developers didn't want an excuse to save anywhere.
 * 8) The dome displaying Aya's attack range during combat is a pentakis icosidodecahedron.

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