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PSX  Parasite Eve II 4.0
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by GallantmonX
Mar 16, 2005
THE GOOD:
Great controls, nice story, fun to play and it also gets a bit addicting after a while, and awesome graphics.

THE BAD:
Some parts of it is slow, the graphics at times can be its downfall, and it’s a bit hard to control the main character at times-sorta like Dino Crisis.

SUMMARY:
Some parts of this game can really twist your mind about playing it, simply because of the horrendous gameplay. I admit that its not exactly horrendous, but still, it’s a bit on the “should I really play this game? I mean the graphics are so..” type of game. I think it is worth it though, because as soon as you ignore the graphics (sorta like how we all do for FFVII), then you’ll be surprised. The controls at time gets a bit tedious, but that doesn’t mean it takes away much from the gameplay. The story and the action within the regular shooting makes it all worthwhile.

I would have really liked to see a bit more of this game though. I mean, I like it a lot, but its not really anything that special. The story is kinda regular and a bit on the repetitive side, the graphics are… yeah, the shooting is okay, the music is just average, and everything else about it is just above average. That doesn’t mean that its not worth it or anything, because when you actually get your hands on it, then you’ll finally realize the true potential of it. I would recommend a rent though, don’t buy it just yet.

7 out of 11 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  PARASITE EVE2 5.0
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by OPTIMUS_PRIME
from , , 		Oct 6, 2004
THE GOOD:
I love everything in thsi game.The characters,the GUNNS & most emportant ALL THOSE CHANGES in CLIMAX & GUNS ARE COOL TOO>

THE BAD:
NO PART 3.

SUMMARY:
GAME IS ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE.all those guns which are featured in this game were COOOOOOOOOL,But what I like most is if you ignore some action the climax was all changed & I still didnt beat game in NIGHTMARE lavel.Go ahead all of you peop[le who want to SURVIVE MUST TRY THIS ONE.If you love playing RESIDENT EVIL or ONIMUSHA series on PSone/PS2 this game is a must try. I hope square soft bring another part of this game for PS2 or XBOX I dont care just bring another one.One more thing about this game is cool is its LEAD CHARECTER AYA BREW:so SEXY & LETHAL.JUST TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY................................................& you wont be desapointed.

5 out of 10 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  Reading this will make you want to buy the game 5.0
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by Amara
from Rivendell, , Middle Earth		Mar 17, 2004
Parasite Eve II is a consistently good-looking action-adventure game that adopts its predecessor's cinematic style to an even more impressive effect. In the original Parasite Eve, which is a role-playing game with action-adventure elements, a young New York cop named Aya Brea has to deal with an epidemic that causes people to either die or mutate as the mitochondria in their bloodstreams awaken with chaotic energy. The sequel takes place shortly thereafter and disowns most of the original's role-playing game elements in favor of action-adventure gameplay reminiscent of Capcom's Resident Evil series. And while Parasite Eve II is consequently a better, more suspenseful game, it still suffers from a few problems, including ill-conceived puzzles and a few RPG elements that shouldn't have remained.

As in the first game, Parasite Eve II initially looks just like the Resident Evil games, on account of its polygonal characters that move across static prerendered scenery depicted using unusual camera angles. However, the detail in Parasite Eve II's settings makes the static backgrounds look especially realistic; colored ambient lighting, reflective glossy floors and glass surfaces, skittering bugs and moths, and other such elements all contribute to the game's surprising visual quality. The game uses a great mix of both artistic and claustrophobic camera angles that make the scenery look good without making it difficult to navigate through, and because Aya moves forward whenever you push up on the directional pad, you can always naturally compensate for any abrupt camera-angle transitions. The scenery actually succeeds at delivering the cinematic appearance that its predecessor aimed for, and Parasite Eve II's evocative motion-captured 3D characters not only look good, but they also blend well with the settings. Yet while the characters were state of the art by PlayStation standards when the game was originally released close to one year ago in Japan, Squaresoft has since published several games in the US such as Vagrant Story and Chrono Cross, which feature 3D characters that are even more detailed.

Nevertheless, it's no simple feat to make a mutant hummingbird blend in with a run-down gas station. While Parasite Eve II's Southern California settings are readily recognizable, the various monsters that Aya will have to fight aren't the usual fodder. She'll battle against monstrous yet vaguely recognizable humans and animals whose fleshy, elongated limbs and hollow eyes make them look both creepy and dangerous. You'll have no reservations about filling such bizarre monstrosities full of lead the second you see them, and thanks to Parasite Eve II's totally overhauled combat system, it's easy to shoot first and ask questions later.

The original Parasite Eve adopted a tired role-playing game convention that forces you to defend yourself against near-constant and unavoidable monster encounters that come from out of nowhere. Parasite Eve II abandons most of its predecessor's RPG combat elements and instead makes you do battle completely in real time. You'll usually see your enemies onscreen before they attack, and if you manage to sneak up on them, you can actually initiate combat yourself and surprise them by taking the first shot. Aya is deadly accurate, and she quickly switches aim between nearby enemy targets each time you press the square button. She fires her equipped weapon using the right shoulder buttons, the second of which is used for an optional secondary mode of attack. For instance, a submachine gun can fire in burst- or single-fire modes, while an automatic rifle with a bayonet attachment can also be used as a deadly close-quarters combat weapon. Aya wields a wide assortment of real-world firearms over the course of the game, and most every weapon fires with its own distinctively satisfying, reverberating boom (accompanied by a Dual Shock thud), which makes it feel powerful.

The strongest weapons you'll use also tend to be the heaviest, which decreases their effectiveness by making them slower to draw and reload. Other weapons can be enhanced using attachments that increase ammo clip capacity or add new functionality, like the bayonet. Each time you hit your target, a number representing the damage you inflicted flashes onscreen (and tallies up if you're hitting the opponent in rapid succession), which at least gives you an idea of your weapons' relative effectiveness. Your enemies include a wide assortment of both the fast-and-nimble and the slow-and-powerful variety, and you'll have to dodge and weave or just keep shooting as necessary. Fortunately, most of your foes have exploitable weaknesses that make them easier to kill once you figure them out. For instance, some monsters might take more damage if you shoot them in the back, while others might charge straight into a wall or even careen off a cliff if you dodge their attack at the last moment.

Aya can also sway the course of a battle in her favor by using one of her parasite energy powers, which are the game's equivalent of magic spells. These are divided between three abilities in each of the four classical elements, and they let Aya scorch her enemies with flame, heal her wounds, increase her defenses, and more. Preparing to use parasite energies conveniently pauses the action as you decide which of your powers you want to unleash. However, the ability to willingly halt the combat and use an appropriate special ability lends the game a more deliberate tactical element that actually weakens the pacing of its action sequences. Frantically having to reload your gun as some mutant stumbles toward you helps make the game more exciting, but pausing the action as you decide whether you want to use pyrokinesis or energy shot almost seems like cheating.

Aya doesn't level up by defeating her foes as she did in the first game, although she still gets experience points. The experience points are instead used for unlocking Aya's parasite energy powers and for increasing their effectiveness - up to three times their original proficiency. Most of the powers are useful, and because eight of the 12 are accessible right away, you actually have the option to choose whether to have a variety of powers or a few especially powerful ones.

Aya also has to acquire the bulk of her weapons, armor, and ammunition by purchasing them using the game's "bounty points," which she earns by killing enemies. You're usually limited by your bounty points to buying a small selection of whatever's available; you'll get to buy the good gun or the good armor, but not both. While the ability to purchase whichever weapon you like seems helpful, the RPG-style item shop system should've been replaced just like most of the other RPG elements in the game. The necessity of having to buy new weapons and restock ammunition puts a lot of what should be the game designers' responsibility of creating a tightly paced, suspenseful action-adventure squarely in your hands. If you're low on ammo in Parasite Eve II, it's merely because you didn't buy enough. In addition, a lot of the puzzles in the game are insipid key hunts and brainteasers that just aren't as interesting as the combat and exploration. At least Parasite Eve II features a helpful mapping system that keeps you from getting lost as you run back and forth to unlock new doors.

The original Parasite Eve tried to unite the Final Fantasy-style RPG with the Resident Evil-style action-adventure. Unfortunately, the two genres didn't mix very well, which helps explain both why Parasite Eve II can't be called an RPG, and also why it's a better game than the first. However, the game still has the occasional residual role-playing convention that bogs down the gameplay. Using a healing spell whenever you're hurt and stocking up on ammunition from a shop, just in case you might need it, serve only to diminish whatever tension and suspense that the game might have otherwise evoked. Parasite Eve II does feature multiple endings and additional gameplay modes that become available once you play through it, and it is a great-looking, great-sounding game that's a marked improvement over the original. As such, it's a close contender with all the latest horror-themed action-adventure games for the PlayStation, even though it isn't as engaging or intense as it might have been.
9 out of 14 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  I liked it,...but 4.9
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by PEFan20
from Blue Springs, Mo, 		May 26, 2003
THE GOOD:
Very good graphics, nice layout, easy to navigate the menus

THE BAD:
Hard to control aya, dont get to change her name, not easy to shoot,aiming system is slow, have to press x to acend and decend stairs.

SUMMARY:
I really like the set up of the game, though i would have liked to see less text conversation and more voice convo. The graphics are amazing and i like the plot line, but i wish the creators would have stuck with the old way of controling aya she was so much easier to control now she likes to go in all directions! All in all i love the game, as i had the last one, i just wish they would not have changed it so much on the controls. I also find it harder to use the PE option you want when in battle. I like the fact that they made her look younger due to the mitochondira plot part. Another thing i noticed is in battle they put alot more obsticles in your way making it harder to manuver her along with the screwy controls in the first place! I just hope that if they come out with a three it has a better more user friendly so to speak, control interface. *jumps off soap box*

8 out of 12 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  another square master piece 3.0
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by yuna
from Stourbridge, , england		Dec 11, 2002
THE GOOD:
well the graphics and weapons were ace not to mention the monsters

THE BAD:
well the story was a bit weak but it worked (the ending was crap)

SUMMARY:
all over this game was worth every penny its a lot better that PE1 i can tell you that this game even better after you finshed becasue you get all the extra options which is ace also then fact that the monsters were once people gets you thinking i'm not going to tell you want about because that will ruin it but don't be to bothered about trying to finsh the game to see the ending becasue there was none

anyway thats all i'm going to tell you just one more thing you must buy this game

5 out of 9 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  Parasite Eve 2 Review 4.4
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by RPG_Master44
from Still drunk, , and stoned...		Sep 6, 2002
THE GOOD:
Good graphics, improved gameplay, more weapons, better story.

THE BAD:
A little boring and not many places to go.

SUMMARY:
Well I am a big fan of the first and after playing this I was satisfied. It did not have the same feeling as part 1 but a good feeling none the less. I think they improved many of the problems from the first one. I like the more weapons a lot. As well as the all around gameplay. This game does lack replay value so I suggest renting it first.

6 out of 10 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  Love this game.... 4.7
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by Josh Wickert
Jun 14, 2002
THE GOOD:
Nice guns.
Better setup than the first.

THE BAD:
Some of the best guns are hard to get....

SUMMARY:
I loved the first game, but that was mainly because of the fact that you could combine guns, and I loved the story line. So, it was natural to pick this up for $20(and get Street Fighter Alpha for free). I love the guns, the puzzles(although the one in the ARK with the sliding tiles took me awhile even with the guide). The graphics are awesome. My stepbrothers, who have been corrupted by the PS2 into thinking that all PSone games have bad graphics, even admitted that this game was awesome. I don't care that the gun modification feature was removed. The new guns with attachments are fine with me....

and turkagent, you are thinking of the first game, not this greater game....

6 out of 11 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  parasite eve 2 4.7
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by decro19
Sep 6, 2001
THE GOOD:
the story is square's best. Control is also nice but sometimes moving around to dodge attacks can get annoying. This proves you can have great eye candy and story all in the same game. Plus even with the R.E. controlle set up. Square gave us a preview of what they can do with cgi tech that was further pushed to new boundries with FF9 and FF the spirits within.

THE BAD:
The only complaint i have about PE2 is the story is too short even with two disks packed with the ever so lovely aya and crew. If they bring the series back onto ps2 or another system hopefully they'll work on a longer game. But it is sometimes good to have a game that is directed and to the point in it's story line.

SUMMARY:
Even with the new controlle system. the game continues the impressive story line of the series and also what makes suqare as a company a must have in the system wars.

9 out of 16 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  parasite eve 2 4.9
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by josh
from newfoundland		Aug 16, 2001
THE GOOD:
graphics,sound,weapons,video seqences,storyline,ect.

THE BAD:
the challenge,there is too much!

SUMMARY:
this game is awsome!it has great graphics a wide assortment of wepons and items and a great story. it has great sound.and some awsome scenes that keep the story going.

one thing i didnt like was the challenge, holy crap i had to read walk thrus like 100 times to figure out the puzzles but the worst thing is the last boss what a bitch. this thing is nearly impossible to beat.

but anyway this game does give you the right clues to solve these puzzles.the game also gives you cool magic and moves to beat the bosses and enemies.


overall this game is great for people who liked the resident evil series but also liked rpgs like final fantasy games becase of its rpg like gamplay. all and all this game is awsome and is has my vote.

17 out of 26 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


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PSX
Parasite Eve Series
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