Parasite eve is it GOOD?

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Parasite Eve is superior to the Resident Evil series on the PS1 in every way. The only reason it didn't stand the test of time is that the company abandoned it moving almost the entire original staff to work on other games. The new ones tried to make a directly copy of Resident Evil, a cheap imitation of Resident Evil 2.

If only they had given it a chance, today we'd have both franchises fighting for the same player base.

Well they kinda lost the license for the IP that is parasite eve that's the original novel which the game is based in so

But yes it's a shame we lost the much more strategic combat in PE2 , hell even the story sucked badly in PE2 just compare the villains and you will see what i mean

Honestly a Remake for PE1 that goes above and beyond to expand the story and the gameplay will go extremely hard

It's a good game, but using mitochondria as enemies bothers me a lot (I'm glad the creative team tried to innovate with this choice, but they didn't explain this pseudoscience enough to suspend my disbelief).

Its an interesting choice for an enemy , also what do you mean they didn't explain the pseudoscience??? They tell you everything you need to know about the mitochondria lore in the game

 

[Majora Fi]

They tell you everything you need to know about the mitochondria lore in the game

But not enough for me to be able to say "That makes sense" (appealing to mysticism or cosmic would be better).

Perhaps if a scientist had increased the intelligence of mitochondria for medicinal purposes (and then lost control of them) it would have been more believable.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

But not enough for me to be able to say "That makes sense" (appealing to mysticism or cosmic would be better).

Well mutations just happen man you can't explain stuff always , also what sense is there in mitochondria gaining consciousness??? It's literally evolution taken to the next level and honestly the thought of your organs and cells gaining their own free well is a little creepy

 

[Majora Fi]

Well mutations just happen man you can't explain stuff always , also what sense is there in mitochondria gaining consciousness??? It's literally evolution taken to the next level and honestly the thought of your organs and cells gaining their own free well is a little creepy

Nah, the author is giving too much power to obstacle to be overcome (and making it difficult for protagonist to turn the tables in his favor without seeming deus ex machina).

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Nah, the author is giving too much power to obstacle to be overcome (and making it difficult for protagonist to turn the tables in his favor without seeming deus ex machina).

Aaaand how would you go about it?? Yeah i mean if shit evolves like it does in the game IT will be difficult overcome

 

[Majora Fi]

Aaaand how would you go about it?? Yeah i mean if shit evolves like it does in the game IT will be difficult overcome

Taking the mitochondria out of the story (the author is trying to scientificize something that would better fit into mysticism).

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Taking the mitochondria out of the story (the author is trying to scientificize something that would better fit into mysticism).

You do know that it's based on a Japanese novel by the same name right? That's the whole thing about Parasite Eve so i dunno what you're on about this

 

[Ikagura]

Parasite Eve is basically biopunk sci-fi: it extrapolates things about biology to build a story upon it.

It's as scientific as a zombie virus or Jurassic Park as neither are remotely realistic despite their basis on theories.

You do know that it's based on a Japanese novel by the same name right? That's the whole thing about Parasite Eve so i dunno what you're on about this

The novel is good but it's clear that knowledge of how cells actually worked is radically different from how they actually work in reality.

Like how Day of the Triffid imagined what if plants evolved to be able to move and hunt humans (which wouldn't happen in millennia of evolution and only if it's needed for their survival which isn't the case yet).

The mitochondria "rebelling" against the body is very unlikely to happen (at least not today).

 

[BrawlMan]

The mitochondria "rebelling" against the body is very unlikely to happen (at least not today).

Come on mitochondrias! RISE UP AND EVOLVE US TO FURTHER HEIGHTS! WE WILL DO SO ON OUR OWN TERMS AND NOT THOSE OF EVE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! PAY US OUR TRIBUTE!/sarcasm

 

[Kobu]

Have heard a lot great things about this one but I've never had the pleasure. I should get around to it someday. Did not know it was a JRPG type game for the longest time. I thought it was a Resident Evil clone with tank controls.

 

[BrawlMan]

I thought it was a Resident Evil clone with tank controls.

That would be the second game. Not the first game.

 

[Kobu]

That would be the second game. Not the first game.

What was the general consensus with that change? I feel like it would put off a lot of fans of the OG.

 

[UnDubious]

What was the general consensus with that change? I feel like it would put off a lot of fans of the OG.

Every Parasite Eve game is significantly different. The first wasn't really a standard RPG, it was an action-adventure game with some RPG systems. The second plays closer to a standard survival horror, though it still has some leftover RPG mechanics. And the third is a straight up third-person shooter, though, again, with mild RPG elements. All are sci-fi horror and connected to each other storywise. The consensus was mostly negative about 2's changes, and even more so with 3 (The 3rd Birthday). But all three are actually really good. I didn't like 2 when I first played it, and didn't finish it. Went back years later and thought it was pretty great. 3 is an awesome shooter, but the PSP controls supposedly hold it back. It's great on a computer with a controller, though.

 

[BrawlMan]

What was the general consensus with that change? I feel like it would put off a lot of fans of the OG.

1 is loved, noted for its flaws. 2 is loving or hated?But the game got some defenders during the late 2010s. Gameplay aside, everyone hates 3 for its story and characters.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

I think about PE2 from time to time and so far what i concluded was that the game had this going for it:

-superior graphics
-decent CGI (not that far from the first game though)
-a magic system with a tech tree
-ability to activate magic on the spot without having to open the menu
-Aya can walk with reasonable speed (this one is more personal because i prefer to walk most of the time)


What it doesn't have:

-gameplay that's at least of the same level of quality as PE1
-kickass soundtrack
-a world map where you can go back to the HQ and rest then continue your operations
-a good story


PE2 boss fights also aren't as memorable , Sheeva or the Lizard in the sewers or the earthworm fight in PE1 are just miles more entertaining than PE2 ones , i gotta say PE2 has puzzles that do require some thinking and time to solve so it has that going for it

I just wish if they kept the same or tried to make the fights require more dodging and moving because i beaten the game standing in place using the same weapon for most of the game

PE1 had that timed decision making in it where deciding to shoot an enemy can lock you in place and next thing you know a bat blinded your sorry cop ass

Also also on a side note i find having the protagonist on the game cover UNCONSCIOUS to be a weird decision like come on PE1 cover goes hard with the duo of Aya and Eve and that golden/pink split it's just good cover overall

PE2 made me think Aya is tired of this shit , midlife crisis is the best way i can describe PE2 cover honestly

 

[Michael Frank]

Parasite Eve 1 is like Die Hard, don't think it too much and enjoy shooting motherfuckers in the face.

Parasite Eve 2 is like those horror movies with more action in them, just blast more.

 

[CG4R12I4N]

I like PE2 gameplaywise even with the hateful tank controls and the final boss there is cool as hell, but I do agree that it should've been a spinoff instead of a proper sequel cause the plot is really thin and barely connected to PE1. Then again, the mitochondria plot already concluded without any holes to fix whatsoever before so maybe I judged it way too harsh.
Although, playing and 3rd Birthday back to back, now I understand what Nomura was thinking when he made the latter. With him losing the PE license from the author, he basically lost almost all the things that could make good, consistent connection between the games aside of Aya herself, that's why he degraded his creative writing and instead made Aya into both the hero and the villain inside the time-traveling fanfic plot.

 

[extermist]

I feel like I'm in the minority because I actually perfer PE2 over the first game.
My only complaint is that PE2 doesn't have a post game tower or dungeon like the Chrysler Building.

 

[AceWhatever]

What was the general consensus with that change? I feel like it would put off a lot of fans of the OG.

The common complaint in most magazine reviews was the loss of the extensive weapon customization, but the first game in general wasn't that much better received reviews-wise compared to the second.

 

[UnDubious]

The common complaint in most magazine reviews was the loss of the extensive weapon customization, but the first game in general wasn't that much better received reviews-wise compared to the second.

True, the magazines were somewhat mixed about it because it defied expectations itself. It was advertised as a "cinematic RPG", and came out a year after Final Fantasy VII, which the magazines were all about. Final Fantasy Tactics had been very well-received, too. So they expected something like that, and in the end they were critical of its much shorter length and scale, and didn't really know what to make of it - like I said, it's only kind-of an RPG. So the reviews were just somewhat positive.

Square always had this problem - they have a whole history of releasing really good games that aren't traditional RPGs, and those games never get the reception they deserve just because it's Square and people just want them to do that one thing forever. The irony is that they will hire people who specialize in those genres most of the time so it's not them trying to do something they don't know how, and people still don't care. At least in the West, I don't know how it is in Japan.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Square always had this problem - they have a whole history of releasing really good games that aren't traditional RPGs, and those games never get the reception they deserve just because it's Square and people just want them to do that one thing forever. The irony is that they will hire people who specialize in those genres most of the time so it's not them trying to do something they don't know how, and people still don't care. At least in the West, I don't know how it is in Japan.

I swear it must be a meme at this point , everytime square tries to tackle a genre that's not RPG they end up shoving RPG elements

And Parasite Eve is a perfect example of when a company that specializes in RPG games attempts to create a survival horror , and the result was fantastic

They just can't resist making an RPG

 

[sirxastro]

This game is badass I’m not against a remake but it’s gotta feel just as cool and have some cool music

 

[DiRtY-StEvE]

Me and a buddy of mine played this game back in the day when it first came out, so much fun and lots of post game grinding to be had. PE2 was fun too but a lot different. Both cool games that had an interesting story from that era. Theres a movie too its pretty wild.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Me and a buddy of mine played this game back in the day when it first came out, so much fun and lots of post game grinding to be had. PE2 was fun too but a lot different. Both cool games that had an interesting story from that era. Theres a movie too its pretty wild.

Yeah wanted to watch the movie , see if it's any good


From the looks of it , it seems the movie is about the incident in Japan aka the original Eve

 

[Macaulay Kong]

I played Parasite Eve 1 some years ago and really liked it. Lots of atmosphere and style, very cool ideas and a combat system that was a lot of fun and feels like Square really under-utilized. I mean, it was basically PE and Vagrant Story and then they never went back to anything similar to it, as far as I know.
I remember liking the game enough to actually buy a copy of the novel and reading it and it was also a lot of fun. The author had a background as a pharmacologist and held a job testing mitochondria before he wrote the book, he gets very technical about this stuff throughout. I don't feel it has a problem with realism, it's more a case of a person with some experience in the field taking inspiration from it and twisting the rules to make an interesting story and a "what-if" scenario. Lots of science-fiction is like that, I feel.
The second game I never got around to playing and The 3rd Birthday was...interesting. I remember the gameplay being solid enough to keep me entertained until I finished it and I do like the mechanic of jumping between bodies. But it does feel like a huge departure from the first game and certainly from the novel. I vaguely remember the story suffering from a certain "Nomura-ness" that started affecting Square's games after they became Square-enix where it started to feel like there was a need to over-complicate every storyline and a fascination with the emotionless character archetype.
I should get around to checking out the 2nd game one of these days. There's quite a few upcoming indie games that are trying to recapture Parasite Eve 1, as well, some of them very blatantly and others as more of a general homage or inspiration. Might be worth checking those out if anyone wants to scratch the PE itch, since it's unlikely Square will revisit the series, unfortunately