I recently bought a PSP and I must say that I am very happy with the purchase. Even though the hardware is now over 3 years old, when holding one in your hands it still feels like a piece of next generation technology. One of the side benefits I was looking forward to is also the fact that, with a bit of tinkering, the PSP is able to emulate a variety of game systems, including the PS1. Because of that ability I got a chance to revisit a game which I had started playing almost 10 years ago but never finished. I finally played Parasite Eve all the way through while on the go and discovered that, for a 10 year old game, it's still a lot of fun.
Parasite Eve is the story of Aya Brea, an NYPD officer who is the sole survivor of a paranormal massacre in the middle of New York City. Aya finds herself tasked with stopping the monster responsible and along the way tries to discover why she's the only one apparently unaffected. The story unfolds in a very cinematic presentation both using the in-game engine and rather liberal FMV sequences that still hold up pretty well after so many years. One downside is there is no way of skipping the cinematic sections, so while they are pretty and effective, on a second run through it can be rather annoying.
Although most closely defined as an action RPG, Parasite Eve is actually somewhat an amalgamation of a few different genres. The character's leveling up, use of spells and items, and an active time battle system are all very traditional RPG elements. In addition, although the combat is action oriented in the sense that you run around your enemies avoiding attacks in combat when it is your turn to act the action button stops time, allowing you to select your target(s) for attack or the use of spells/items at your leisure. And finally, the music, environments, ammo conservation, and most of the enemy types are all quite reminiscent of a survival horror title. These elements all mesh quite well to make a game that while engrossing and somewhat action oriented, still allows plenty of time for strategy and isn't simply based on twitch reflexes and button mashing.
When it comes to the story, always an integral part of any RPG, Parasite Eve is a little hit and miss. It does a respectable job of explaining the magical/paranormal events which are occurring in a realistic modern day setting. However, some of the pseudo-scientific details can end up quite confusing and unnecessarily convoluted. Unfortunately, this game also falls into one of the most common pitfalls of Japanese RPG's from the late 90's - stereotyped characterization. Whether through translation or design, many of the character's are extremely clich
é (the big, gruff black guy; the timid, nerdy Asian scientist; the idiot kid). One saving grace is that the main character, being a female cop, is actually quite non-stereotypical. Aya is strong, confident, and decisive while still retaining a realistic level of femininity. This is a plus which makes it a little easier to overlook the shortcomings of the other characters.
The graphics used in the game allow it to still look quite good (especially on a small screen) 10 years after it's release. I was always a fan of Square's use of polygonal characters on a pre-rendered background in the PS1 days and that's used to full effect here. Since the backgrounds are all pre-drawn they look very nice and have aged quite well. One minor annoyance that results from the static backgrounds is that the running angles assigned to the d-pad are not always the same for each scene. It sometimes takes a moment to orient yourself on some screens but, thankfully, most scenes are pretty intuitive. The 3D characters are also very well done for the time, on par with Final Fantasy 8 or 9, and are acceptably easy on the eyes. The music in the game is excellent, with a nice orchestral score that does a good job of conveying the danger and horrific elements in the game.
Menu navigation is not too bad but there are a few minor annoyances. One is that to use magic (parasite energy) while in combat you must pull up the entire menu screen, select spells, and then select the spell you want to cast. It's the same for item use as well. While not detrimental to combat itself, as the action is stopped when you take your turn, it still seems like the process could have been streamlined more. Also, in between combat, Aya doesn't reload her gun automatically. If you want to be as fully prepared as possible for the next battle you have to access the menu, go to items, and reload your gun manually.
Parasite Eve offers a few additional gameplay elements to add to the fun. One of the most enjoyable is how you can customize your weapons and armor. During the game you will come across items called "tools". These allow you to take either the bonus stats, or one ability, from a weapon or armor and move it to another. The catch is that the equipment you are moving from is destroyed. For example you can move an ice bullet effect from one gun to another, but in doing so you lose any other bonuses that weapon had. It allows for you to have some fun building the kind of weapon you want with reasonable restrictions. Another fun feature is the distribution of bonus points. Whenever you level up, and after some battles, you will be awarded bonus points which can be spent in a few different ways. You can either raise the stats on a weapon or armor, or use them to speed up your active time gage or add to your item carrying capacity. Oh yes, you are limited to how many items you can carry, very limited. While this a definite annoyance, especially in the beginnings of the game, it does force you to prioritize the items you choose to hold on to. To make this aspect even more frustrating, throughout the game you end up getting non-droppable items given to you by one of the other characters which serve no apparent purpose other than taking up inventory slots.
Overall the game is quite fun, even 10 years after its original release. It's actually a bit disappointing that the completion time is only about 15 hours, making it a pretty short experience for an RPG. However, there is a "New Game +" option that allows you to play through again while retaining your abilities and one weapon and armor from a completed game. There is also a special location available during this mode that provides an additional challenge.
In Summary:
+ Beautiful cinematic presentation
+ Nice blend of action RPG, traditional RPG, and survival horror genres
+ Customizable weapons and armor
+ Repeat playthrough option with bonus challenge location
- Convoluted and sometimes confusing pseudo-science explanation in story
- Stereotyped supporting characters
- Only about 15 hours for first playthrough
I recommend giving Parasite Eve a try especially if you're able to play it on a PSP, as it not only looks great on the small screen but the pacing and length actually make for a good portable game. If you've never played it before you are in for a treat, and if you have, why not take another turn at protecting the Big Apple from the horrors of mitochondria run rampant - you'll be surprised how much fun it still is.
The next thing you are confronted with are the cutscenes which introduce you to the story. The game aims for something like a cheesy 50's era sci-fi feel but it just comes off very poorly. The voice acting used is terrible... really terrible. I have seen YouTube videos with better voice work. The cut scenes are also presented in a pseudo-comic book sort of way with animation separated by frames. While this can be an excellent method of storytelling (see Folklore) here it is just pointless. The frames and onomatopoeia emphasized sounds are simply frivolous additions. Finally, the cel-shaded graphics used to presumably help pull off the comic presentation are poorly done as well. I have seen much better on Dreamcast Jet Grind Radio than what's presented here.
Finally we come to the actual gameplay itself. Rocketmen is at its core a top down run-n-gun shooter presented in a sightly isometric view. There are a few problems with how this is handled though. The camera is zoomed in so far and you have to get so close to the edge of the screen to get it to move that often you find yourself jumped by enemies who were hiding just offscreen. There is a decent variety of weapons presented and some hints of more good ones be found. In addition the game presents a very promising amount of character leveling and customizability. In all, though, it's really just not enough to save the overall experience. After all, who wants to try and level their character further when the gameplay and presentation stink as bad as they do.
