This is not a full review, but since I cannot see myself finishing this game right now, I really just want a space to share my thoughts.
First, the positives. This is a very technically impressive game; the action is silky smooth and the models are all great quality for the PSP. The menus and UI have a very clean and well designed look to them. However it really doesn't feel like there's a whole lot of originality to the visuals, the monster designs just kind of a gnarled mess and the character designs aren't anything to write home about. Even Aya herself has been downgraded from her older design, I feel.
And then the gameplay is... frustrating. I like the concept of it's core mechanic, the Overdive system. You have the ability to switch between the bodies of nearby allies to give yourself an advantage over enemies. Sometimes, it does offer a bit of strategic thinking. But I just, don't think it really works in practice?
The other mechanics are all really just, not enjoyable. Sometimes you just have to, target an enemy without shooting it and wait for a bar to fill, then you can order your squad to shoot it all at the same time. It feels weird to just, have to stop what you're doing, stop shooting, and wait.
And the cover system is just so awful. The little blocks you hide behind break all the time, and thing is, when you're reloading, you don't duck behind cover like you think you would. That would make too much sense. You just, stand up, out of cover, and the enemy can just, go to town on you. And levels last way too long, even at the beginning. And when you keep dying because the enemies have way too big of an advantage over you, it just makes it go on even longer.
Not knowing the whole story, I can't comment on all of it, but I can tell it's probably not going to be a winning narrative, when the game expects you to do read files just to learn about what is actually happening in the story. I'm not saying the game should tell you, but it should s h o w you and give you bits and pieces through the cutscenes. But after two levels I honestly just, didn't really have much interest in seeing where things would go.
There's just no soul to the story so far, and you're told things that were probably supposed to have some sort of emotional weight, but I just don't really feel anything because the story so poorly sets up who it's characters are, what they're like and what is even going on. If you didn't read the in-game lore encyclopedia, then you wouldn't have a single clue. A fucking codex shouldn't be required reading for the basic understanding of a story.
I haven't played the original Parasite Eve, or it's sequel, yet. But after giving this a try, I feel like my time would be much better invested in those games, instead of this.
First, the positives. This is a very technically impressive game; the action is silky smooth and the models are all great quality for the PSP. The menus and UI have a very clean and well designed look to them. However it really doesn't feel like there's a whole lot of originality to the visuals, the monster designs just kind of a gnarled mess and the character designs aren't anything to write home about. Even Aya herself has been downgraded from her older design, I feel.
And then the gameplay is... frustrating. I like the concept of it's core mechanic, the Overdive system. You have the ability to switch between the bodies of nearby allies to give yourself an advantage over enemies. Sometimes, it does offer a bit of strategic thinking. But I just, don't think it really works in practice?
The other mechanics are all really just, not enjoyable. Sometimes you just have to, target an enemy without shooting it and wait for a bar to fill, then you can order your squad to shoot it all at the same time. It feels weird to just, have to stop what you're doing, stop shooting, and wait.
And the cover system is just so awful. The little blocks you hide behind break all the time, and thing is, when you're reloading, you don't duck behind cover like you think you would. That would make too much sense. You just, stand up, out of cover, and the enemy can just, go to town on you. And levels last way too long, even at the beginning. And when you keep dying because the enemies have way too big of an advantage over you, it just makes it go on even longer.
Not knowing the whole story, I can't comment on all of it, but I can tell it's probably not going to be a winning narrative, when the game expects you to do read files just to learn about what is actually happening in the story. I'm not saying the game should tell you, but it should s h o w you and give you bits and pieces through the cutscenes. But after two levels I honestly just, didn't really have much interest in seeing where things would go.
There's just no soul to the story so far, and you're told things that were probably supposed to have some sort of emotional weight, but I just don't really feel anything because the story so poorly sets up who it's characters are, what they're like and what is even going on. If you didn't read the in-game lore encyclopedia, then you wouldn't have a single clue. A fucking codex shouldn't be required reading for the basic understanding of a story.
I haven't played the original Parasite Eve, or it's sequel, yet. But after giving this a try, I feel like my time would be much better invested in those games, instead of this.