PLAYSTATION
Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C.
Reviewed by IceVic
on 8/23/00
Article
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First
Impressions:
Not
too long ago, I believed that PC was the ultimate gaming platform
and all console games were merely a "watered-down" type of entertainment
one can have. I used to think, "Come on; a little box that can compare
to the power of my PC?" Not only that, I also tended to think of
console characters as stereotypes; like damsel-in-stress for women,
and big, macho, silent samurai type of guys being heroes (Final
Fantasy VIII). All of that changed after WG member La Loba showed
me the light, and introduced me to a console game call Parasite
Eve and its main character, Aya Brea. I was soon sucked into the
world of Parasite Eve and became emotionally attached to Aya. Shortly
after, I was converted to playing console games and became a "multi-platform"
gamer, as you would say.
My first impression of this game is very good. Aya is a New York
City police officer and the story begins when she goes to an opera
performance with her date. During the height performance, most of
the audiences suddenly burst into flames, and Aya is the only person
who is not affected by the strange energy emitted from the lead
opera singer. Acting on her police instinct, Aya immediately goes
after Melissa, the singer…the story goes from there. The game's
real-time combat system is great and allows for many strategist
decisions in battle. Some weapons have limited range; you can initiate
an attack when the enemy is heading your way, then have your weapon
ready by time it enters your field of fire. Players can also use
the tranquilizer rounds to create roadblocks by stunning certain
creatures, thus blocking its friends from reaching you. The CG rendered
cut scenes all look very smooth, but my Bleem! ™ can't handle gamma
too well, and they ended up looking too bright. Maybe playing on
a true PlayStation can solve that problem.
Graphics:
Parasite
Eve's graphics are quite good. Even though I run the game at 1024x768
resolution on my PC, the original graphics are still quite efficient
at delivering what is happening to your eyes. Aya's animation
is very realistic and life-like, showing how much the graphic
engine used could do. She can jump, climb, bend slightly backward,
wave her hand, etc; the way she holds guns and clubs is very cop-like
and professional too. Overall, Parasite Eve's graphics are similar
to Resident Evil's, but the character animation and movement is
more fluid and life-like than the Capcom production.
Sound/Music:
I
have to complain about Parasite Eve's sound effects. The bass
is too weak and there is too little speech in the game. Aya doesn't
have a voice in the game, so I still don't know what she sounds
like. In some areas of the game there is no background music or
ambient noise other than Aya's footsteps. This is not acceptable.
One night after playing the game I watched "Tomorrow Never Dies"
on my PC, and the bass just blew me away. At that moment, I realized
that the sound effects in Parasite Eve are just too weak, and
that shouldn't happen.
Gameplay:
Gameplay
is the area in which Parasite Eve truly shines. All combat encounters
are fast paced, and each monster has a unique attack pattern.
Most of the combat encounters are random and happen when Aya walks
into a trigger point during the "adventure mode." (WG member La
Loba thinks that the lack of ability to see monsters in adventure-mode
is an unrealistic disappointment.) In combat, whenever Aya chooses
to attack, a dome-like half-sphere shows up with Aya in the middle.
That dome is the effective range of your weapon (can be tweaked
by spending Bonus Points earned by slaying baddies). If the target
is hit in the outer sphere, the weapon's damage decreases, but
it does bonus damage when fired up-close.
Different types of effects can be added from one weapon to another.
If you like the 'tranquilize" effect on a new grenade launcher
you've just found and want to have it on your favorite handgun,
just find a tool and add it to your favorite toy. Other than real-life
weaponry, Aya also has innate power that can be released as magic
attacks. She can heal herself, shoot energy, cure poison and other
undesirable effects, and even turn into a powerful angelic form
that can do tremendous damage to her enemy (the origin of her
power is related to the storyline). In adventure mode, Aya simply
walks around the area finding clues about the recent bizarre flame
attacks in New York City and why she is immune to the effects
that can kill a regular person easily.
Enjoyment:
Despite
the music hobbyist-like sound quality and the stereotyped New
Yorker image (especially in Aya's partner Daniel who is animated,
arms waving, rude, loud, impatient) and too many "Why did that
happen? What are you doing? What do you mean?" type of conversations,
Parasite Eve still delivers addictive game-play and lots of enjoyment.
Multiplayer:
N/A
There can be only one Aya Brea. : )
Overall
Impression:
The
storyline's concept is very original and has great potential,
but Square Soft over-powered the villain a little bit too much
(creatures that can shoot down jets, bounce off missiles, even
burn warships). A more believable villain is much better than
an egoistic one with too much power but still vulnerable to the
heroine. Other than that, I had a blast playing Parasite Eve,
and its combat system will keep me glued for weeks to come. Just
don't expect me to like the storyline very much.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
Square
EA has done a good job in marketing the game toward the female
audiences. Both the main character and the villain are female,
thus the game cover has only Aya and Eve's face shot. It is appropriately
done and the artwork is quite nice. Aya is quite likeable and
her body is very realistic with movements that emit power. She
can definitely take care of herself in any combat situation with
her special ability that can dish out about 1000 points of damage
near the end game (40 is enough to kill most of the small creatures).
Her action animations are very agile and looked quick-witted.
Not only known as a combatant, Aya is also a humane cop. Usually
she prefers to end things peacefully and she felt guilty and confused
about her own identity as she discovers she is the only person
that can survive that mysterious singer's energy attack without
burst into flames. She is a hero and also a survivor.
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