"Let's Play a Video Game!" - The 3rd Birthday

The 3rd Birthday. Man, what a weird game. I kinda wonder why I've been waiting for this game now.

Haven't played any of the Parasite Eve games before? Don't worry, this game makes perfect sense BECAUSE THERE'S REALLY NOTHING FROM PARASITE EVE IN IT. Besides protagonist Aya Brea and her 'sister' Eve Brea. Here's one way to think of the game: CLAMP's animes. Like Cardcaptor Sakura and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles. They share characters and whatnot, but they don't seem to be the characters from another series. You know what I mean. Alternate universe crap.

Much of the game revolves around Overdiving--an ability given mysteriously to Aya Brea--and the monsters that appeared mysteriously on December 24th, 2010 in Manhattan, New York, called the "Twisted." The Twisted seem to be utterly brainless monsters that kill people and make them explode into gore and whatnot when they kill them. It would appear that the Twisted kill the people to take them to their Queen for her to eat. Or something. The game's just stupid that way.

Overdiving is an ability given to Aya Brea after the December 24th incident. It's used to possess human bodies, to warp through time, and all this crazy nonsense. Just think Geist.

The High Ones are monsters that resemble the Twisted, but seem to have a mind of their own. In the game, it's revealed that the High Ones fought the Twisted. It's also revealed that defeating the High Ones have some sort of link with the growth of the Babels.

Eventually, it's found out that: The Twisted were created at Time Zero, which would be December 24th, 2010, when Aya was shot and Eve Overdived into Aya to save her. Basically, this entire time, in some sense, you were playing as Eve Brea, not Aya. And in order to prevent this from happening again (or rather, ever happening), Eve is forced to kill Aya to prevent the appearance of the Twisted and the High Ones.

Really, the game is what you can basically call Resident Final Evil Fantasy XIII-4. The plot is basically Lightning's story from Final Fantasy XIII and the Twisted are basically just brainless zombies that kidnap people. The only way they actually make the game interesting is through the costumes they give away and the 'secret' shower scene.

I give it a 5/10. From what I read about the Parasite Eve, this doesn't seem to be very fitting to it. Besides, it's a giant fanservice fest. *shrug*