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Parasite Eve fans have nervously awaited The 3rd Birthday's arrival for quite some time now. Some of us were disappointed when it was announced for PSP,�coupled�with�a vaguely pessimistic outlook because the title, which dropped the Parasite Eve name entirely, suggested it wasn't a full sequel. Despite this, Aya Brea reprises her role as protagonist, and the action-RPG gameplay is mostly intact. It's definitely a different take on the series though, both in gameplay and story.
Above: The cutscenes are particularly pretty, but the in-game graphics are strong too
Here's the set-up: monsters called Twisted are taking over the world in present day, and humanity is on the verge of complete annihilation. Aya Brea has the unique power to use a device that sends her consciousness back in time, where she can "dive" into a nearby person and control his or her body. By going back to the time of the initial Twisted outbreak, Aya hopes to change the timeline by defeating the Twisted before they can spread.
The combat is similar to that of the first two Parasite Eves, in that it's an action shooter that mainly involves auto-targeting while dodging enemy attacks. Aya's powers have been substantially pared down compared to the first two games (her Parasite Energy powers have been completely removed), but she still has a few special moves, including a�brief but�intensely strong powerup called Liberation, as well�as the all-new Overdive ability, which is easily the most interesting thing the gameplay has going for it. During battle, Aya's consciousness can jump from soldier to soldier any time (you use the triangle button to select which soldier to transfer to), which can be exploited in several strategic ways.
For example, you can use Overdive to arrange the soldiers in advantageous formations across the field to minimize casualties and maximize efficiency. If your health is running low, you can switch to a soldier with more HP to save yourself from death, but conversely you can also switch to someone with low HP to allow recovery and preserve your squad's numbers (HP regenerates while Aya is standing still).� Aya can equip three guns of her own that travel with her as she dives from body to body, but each soldier has an additional fourth gun that differs from soldier to soldier that you can experiment with. All together, Overdive definitely adds a layer of depth that complements the gameplay well.
The combat is nicely varied in other ways, too. Aya's arsenal of guns all function distinctly, and you have good options not only for her trusty�handgun but for assault rifles, shotguns and the like. Some weapons, like sniper rifles, can't use auto-targeting, and the aiming mechanic works well to add a nice traditional shooter element to the gameplay. There are also a few sequences where you get to control heavy equipment like tanks and copters, which breaks up the regular 3rd person sections nicely so that the action never feels monotonous (it also helps that the game is fairly short ? I beat it in just under 10 hours).
The combat does suffer because of the limitations of the PSP controls though. Most annoyingly, since you move Aya with the nub and move the camera with the d-pad, it's impossible to control the camera while Aya is moving, which can obviously be extremely frustrating during battle. The L button re-centers the camera, but it's also used to auto-target the nearest enemy, so it isn't helpful for adjusting the camera during fights. To change targets you also have to use the d-pad, meaning that you can't switch targets while running and dodging either. Often it feels like a third hand is needed to properly use the controls.�
Aya's new Overdive ability might enhance the gameplay, but the concept of diving through time definitely hurts the story. Unlike the fairly straightforward (if somewhat bizarre) plots of the previous Parasite Eve games, The 3rd Birthday's story jumps all over the place and is often difficult to follow. The time discontinuities and alternate realities only further muddle a story that's already confusing and convoluted to begin with, and the story often makes huge leaps that you just have to shrug and go with. Yet despite the scattered confusion of the plot, the one thing that's glaringly obvious from the start is who the not-so-secret secretly�evil character is. There's something wrong when you can somehow see�the twist coming a mile away even though you�don't totally understand the story.
Above: Using Crossfire directs all soldiers on the field to attack the targeted enemy at once. Aya can also use an Overdive Kill on staggered enemies (shown by the yellow triangle) for massive damage
And while we're talking about story and characters, I would like to take a moment (or several paragraphs) to express my strong objection to what has become of protagonist Aya Brea. I'm a huge fan of the first Parasite Eve, and Aya is a major reason why it continues to rank highly in my favorite games of all time. She was one of the�few game heroines�who actually felt totally realistic. Everything about her seemed believable for her role as an NYPD detective, from her practical wardrobe to her dogged resolve and bravery. She was sexy too, and when Mitochondria Eve suddenly attacked the opera she was attending at Carnegie Hall, she was still able to drop enemies cold while wearing a dress and heels. But of course, she changed into jeans and a t-shirt/jacket as soon as she could afterwards, because that's the practical thing to do if you're heading into combat. In a game about sentient mitochondria trying to usurp the human race, Aya Brea was as down-to-earth as a character could get.
Needless to say, I was unhappy when Parasite Eve II portrayed her as a miniskirt-clad, machine-gun toting over-sexualized stereotypical caricature of a woman, complete with shower scene. The 3rd Birthday takes the ridiculousness to a new level though ? her destructible clothing is particularly cringe-worthy, with her left ass cheek completely exposed at all times unless you constantly pay to have her clothing repaired. Her character has been completely stripped not only of clothes but�of personality too, and she's portrayed as just a mindless yes-woman taking orders without question.
Above: It gets way worse than this - her pants almost completely disappear at full damage�
Don't get me wrong ? gratuitous over-sexualization certainly has its place if that's what the character/series is known for. If a game is initially�built upon the foundation of pillowy mounds of breasteses, that's one thing ? but it seems disrespectful and crass to change a pre-established character so dramatically in such an obvious boner-baiting ploy. Imagine if Mirror's Edge 2 restyled Faith as a busty bombshell parkouring around the city in a string bikini with boob and ass physics, for example. It feels wrong to those of us who knew Aya from the first Parasite Eve. It's as if Square-Enix got Aya Brea mixed up with Aya from Onechanbara.
Speaking of unfortunate recharacterizations, Dr. Maeda returns from the first Parasite Eve, but instead of the mild-mannered genius we were introduced to before, he's depicted as a lecherous creep ? with no explanation for the character change whatsoever. What the hell? He had a polite crush on Aya in the first game, but in The 3rd Birthday he grotesquely and vocally gets excited about the prospect of Aya's little sister being an underage, more "nubile" version of her. Why happen?!
The story may turn off fans of the first two Parasite Eve games, but if you can get past the inane plot and characterizations, there's still a solid action-RPG underneath. Even on the easiest difficulty it's quite challenging too, and there are lots of real incentives for playing through multiple times and leveling Aya's equipment and abilities (of course, upon completing your first playthrough the first item you unlock is a maid outfit? ugh). It's almost worth recommending more to people totally new to the series, because if you're not invested in the characters you'll have less issues with the direction The 3rd Birthday has taken.�Here's hoping Aya gets the respect she deserves if Parasite Eve ever gets a full sequel on consoles.
Mar 25, 2011
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You can?t argue with the appeal of cuteness, at least economically. Back in 2005 when the still new DS needed it most, the handheld received a killer-app with Nintendogs. People all over the world fell for the well-realized digital pups, making it instrumental in DS?s huge success. Of course it was also instrumental in the glut of Petz knock-offs DS owners had to sift through at the local game shop. Now Nintendo is putting out the game?s first actual sequel in the form of Nintendogs + Cats, and the results are a little too familiar.
As the game begins you head to the kennel and are introduced to all the breeds of dog to choose from. N+C launches with three different versions: Toy Poodle, Golden Retriever and French Bulldog, all with their own unique breeds. There are nine specific breeds in each game (the full list is here), and they all have the same three types of cats, which are Tabby, Siamese and Persian. There?s different coloring within the types of dogs, and enough variety to make the one you pick out feel special, though you?ll probably run into the occasional NPC with a similar looking dog.
Once your new fake dog is home, the process of getting to know the new furry friend is remarkably the same to the first game. You pet it with the stylus, feed it, take it for a walk, give it a bath, all the same stuff as before. Of course it looks better now on the new handheld, and spinning the camera around your newly acquired pedigree in 3D is a nice touch, but we found ourselves slipping back into our old routine all too quickly.
Just as before all the interactions are with the stylus, though now your dog is almost always in the wider top screen, leaving the touchscreen filled with silhouettes of what?s happening up above. Aside from than the graphical improvements, other 3DS tech makes this a step up from the original. The new mic is much better at picking up our commands than the one on our DS fat was, it?s a cute bonus seeing your Mii hang out with the pets, and the system?s camera is occasionally used to identify you to your pets. All these tricks are novel the first few times you turn on the game, but the magic eventually wears off.
Of course the biggest addition is right there in the title: cats. Once you take home your first dog, cats are available at the kennel, but they aren?t cheap. Once you take the feline home, you see that they have distinct personalities and behavior from the dogs, but that mostly holds them back from being fun in a gaming sense. You can pet and feed them, but they can be aloof and don?t listen most of the time. Plus you can?t really take them anywhere out of house for things like competitions, which makes sense when designing cats, but it also makes them superfluous to the canine stars.
You can dress both cats and dogs up with multiple cute accessories if that?s your thing, including some Nintendo related ones (Mario hats for example) using some of the AR Cards that come with the system. But for that you?re going to need money, which you earn primarily through talent contests. Improving you and your dog?s skills at events like Lure Coursing and Disc (meaning Frisbee) Competition isn?t easy and it was at this point the game started feeling more tedious than fun and relaxing. The challenges aren?t impossible to figure out, but as we practiced techniques, we began wondering what other games we could be playing instead.
Sometimes Nintendogs + Cats can feel like homework, and other times it can be a sweet little distraction where you spend time with adorably well-realized puppies and accurately uninterested cats. If you loved the first Nintendogs and are cool with an unambitious sequel, then this is a fine choice among the first batch of 3DS games. However, many players will be disappointed that Nintendo waited so long to make a follow-up and this was all the devs came up with.
Mar 26, 2011
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While it rules the console fighting game scene with an iron fist (sorry Tekken), Street Fighter?s handheld offerings have almost always had to make some kind of sacrifice. Early conversions to the Game Boy family had to deal with fewer buttons and hardware limitations, which meant console-level play was impossible. PSP?s Alpha 3 Max was a brilliant, functional port, but it came a whopping eight years after the arcade original ? hard to muster up excitement for something that old.
Super SFIV 3D suffers from neither of these issues, instead offering a playable, shockingly accurate representation of the 360/PS3 game�released less than one year ago. To say it?s impressive is an understatement; we expect new hardware to wow us on some level, but a nearly perfect, graphically intense console-quality fighter, all crammed onto one card? That?s a technical achievement to be proud of, even if the main point of the system (3D) isn?t harnessed particularly well.
Above: The gimmicky (and optional) over the shoulder view isn?t great, but the standard view is dead on
Between Vanilla and Super, I?ve spent more than 120 hours in the Street Fighter IV world. In that time I?d like to think I?ve learned a thing or two, so when I say this conversion is dead on, I really mean it. Any combo I can pull off on 360 or PS3, that same combo is possible on 3DS. The animations are correct, the timing feels right, the sound effects convey the same subtle information necessary to make split-second decisions? it?s all there. Capcom even included makeshift Achievement/Trophy medals to unlock, just in case you miss earning pointless awards while playing.
Taking the fight online is quick and easy, though the quality of each connection varied wildly. Many of my multiplayer battles (including local wireless matches) suffered from notable slowdown that drastically affected both players? performance. This issue could vary per player, per hotspot or per region, but in my experience the multiplayer was anything but smooth. The lag throws off any sense of timing or flow, which makes punishing whiffed moves a pain and usually leads to eating combos you?d otherwise block. Perhaps when more US-region players get their hands on the game this will ease up? The few matches I had that moved as smooth as the offline game were excellent, fast-flowing scuffles, so I?ve got my fingers crossed.
The stuttering nature of the multiplayer compounds the only other concern we had with Super SFIV 3D ? the button layout. As with the aforementioned PSP version of Alpha 3, there are enough buttons, but there?s the unavoidable issue of the shoulder buttons. In a game that (usually) moves as fast as Street Fighter IV, you need easy access to all inputs; the L and R buttons are out of the way, making certain characters excessively difficult to play, and even then the 3DS face buttons are tiny and easily stumbled over.
This isn?t equivalent to playing with a SNES or PS3 controller ? you?re holding an entire machine in your hands, which has its own weight and resistance. Is it possible to overcome these problems and go on an online winning streak? Sure, I saw no shortage of B and A-rank fighters who played as if they never left the arcade. But when you?re fighting lag and the button layout, the experience, while still technically accurate to the console version, starts to sag.
Fortunately, Capcom included a slight workaround for this?
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Not a lot of great trailers this week, but the one?s that were awesome were REALLY AWESOME. Most notably, the Crysis 2?s launch trailer, which is where we stole the song ?New York, New York? by B.o.B. Find all of the trailers showcased below in their entirety?
CRYSIS� 2 - Launch Trailer
MORTAL KOMBAT - Kratos Trailer
CAPTAIN AMERICA: SUPER SOLDIER - Reveal trailer
PORTAL 2 - Investment Opportunity: Panels Trailer
DISSIDIA 012 [DUODECIM] FINAL FANTASY - Launch Trailer
TRINE 2 - Gameplay trailer
RIDGE RACER 3D - Launch Trailer
GHOSTBUSTERS: SANCTUM OF SLIME - Launch trailer
WWE ALL-STARS - Honky Tonk Man trailer
Mar 25, 2011
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