Aya, Where Have You Been All My Life...

If you tuned in to last nights podcast then you may have noticed that Brad recommended that I play through Parasite Eve for the PS1. For some strange reason, this title has definitely eluded me since it was released in the PS1 days despite the fact that I have always been interested in seeing what all the hubbub was about. So naturally, I borrowed the game from Brad with the intention of at least trying it out. Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to venture back to old titles, especially PS1 games, because of the huge gap between then and now in terms of graphics and presentation. Brad did warn me that I would probably be appalled at the shitty graphics and would probably give up on the game if I played it for less than an hour. So today, I popped the game in and played for an hour and was pleasantly surprised by what I witnessed.

I remember this game being beautiful for its time which is one of the reasons I am so shocked that I didn't pick it up. The in game graphics are a little better than FFVII and remind me a lot of the graphics in FFVIII and somehow, i'm really ok with that. It's amazing to see this game because outside of FMV's, it is impossible to see a characters actual face! Character animations are very strange especially when they are running and every other aspect of the games presentation is really showing its age. Luckily, the gameplay is relatively simple by RPG standards and the story is definitely intriguing. Battles use a ATB system much like Final Fantasy but still allow the character to move around freely and dodge attacks the old fashion way. Items, Magic, and Leveling are handled in a pretty traditional way but feel kind of refreshing when presented in the form of a semi "survival horror" game.

So far, there is not much to complain about and I definitely anticipate myself playing through the game in its entirety. I'm sorry Brad, but I am also going to play through Parasite Eve II so that I can be fully prepared for the release of "The 3rd Birthday" sometime next year. I'll bring more in depth impressions to this weeks podcast so be sure to tune in.

Did, I mention that Aya is a total hottie!?

-Nick