Parasite Eve 2 has all the ingredients I like in a game, but just like Waldorf Salad, somebody had to go and cover everything in mayonnaise and ruin it

I was surprised that I enjoyed the first entry as much as I did, so I was hoping that streak could continue with the sequel. There are plenty of features that I find impressive. PE2 has a very dynamic, cinematic feel to it that sets it apart as a PlayStation 1 game. Awesome FMV sequences, especially towards the end. I do like the variety of enemies, locales, and weapons and I found most of the characters likeable enough.

I hate that this feels like it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a full-on RPG or a survival horror game. I wish they had leaned all the way into one category or another, because all the blend does is hurt. I typically love fixed camera angles, inventory management, and ammo conservation, but the locations aren't static enough to justify such limited inventory space or non-linked item chests. You pick up WAY too many different kinds of ammo or one-time use items to make the shortage of space make sense. The boss fights and quantity of normal enemies are made much harder than they have to be by the camera perspective. And if they were going the other way, into survival horror, then it shouldn't be so easy to be stun-locked by bullet sponge enemies.

I had a reasonable amount of fun, but I do think my frustrations outweighed it. Between my disappointment to not have any side characters return from the first game, too much backtracking, and one constant irritant or another, I doubt I'll return.

Parasite Eve 2 has all the ingredients I like in a game, but just like Waldorf Salad, somebody had to go and cover everything in mayonnaise and ruin it

I was surprised that I enjoyed the first entry as much as I did, so I was hoping that streak could continue with the sequel. There are plenty of features that I find impressive. PE2 has a very dynamic, cinematic feel to it that sets it apart as a PlayStation 1 game. Awesome FMV sequences, especially towards the end. I do like the variety of enemies, locales, and weapons and I found most of the characters likeable enough.

I hate that this feels like it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a full-on RPG or a survival horror game. I wish they had leaned all the way into one category or another, because all the blend does is hurt. I typically love fixed camera angles, inventory management, and ammo conservation, but the locations aren't static enough to justify such limited inventory space or non-linked item chests. You pick up WAY too many different kinds of ammo or one-time use items to make the shortage of space make sense. The boss fights and quantity of normal enemies are made much harder than they have to be by the camera perspective. And if they were going the other way, into survival horror, then it shouldn't be so easy to be stun-locked by bullet sponge enemies.

I had a reasonable amount of fun, but I do think my frustrations outweighed it. Between my disappointment to not have any side characters return from the first game, too much backtracking, and one constant irritant or another, I doubt I'll return.