This will sound like a backhanded compliment but it almost cozy-ifies the classic survival horror. All the basics of the genre are there - the specific suite of weapons (handgun/shotgun/magnum/flamethrower), the UI aesthetics, save rooms, post-game unlocks etc. Yet both tonally and formally it is much less oppressive. Enemies and traps are plentiful but so are resources. The nasties themselves are gruesome and the environments dingy but the writing is frequently leaning towards the humorous and compassionate. The PS1-style, avowedly FF7-evoking graphics/framing of scenes, an OST that's low-key even when dissonant and lumpy character models imbue a sense of nostalgic warmth into things.

The game still carries an unnerving air as the walls groan and creak but it isn't 'scary' or tense in any real sense, more so a rather pleasant jaunt through a singular, heavily interconnected level. The satisfaction comes from the expected gameplay facets: uncovering new areas, becoming familiar with the various paths, solving the kinds of puzzles you've seen in RE/SH (with some charming mixups and occasionally multiple solutions/even multiple ways to find those solutions), finding keys, reading notes - you know the deal but it's all very well-crafted. Progression hits a sweet spot of not so taxing that you'll get stuck for ages yet sprinkles in enough moments where you have to actually stop and think or carefully observe your surroundings, with enemies more of a bit of light friction on top instead of a proper threat. There's a suprising flexibility to the order in which you can do things or when events play out to be discovered on multiple playthroughs. And, as is standard, with the genre replays are heavily incentivized via a nice compact runtime alongside getting higher completion ranks.

It's a strange experience, in a positive sense. A game that is recognisably 'survival horror' in all respects but ends up being comforting to play. Genuinely quite a feat to create something that replicates influences closely yet feels different due to just a few smart changes. The presentation is the big star of that. Every room is gorgeous and rich with atmosphere. Leverages an older style but adds to it using modern lighting techniques and grater detail, losing not an ounce of character in the process. Love some fixed camera angles but having control over the camera along only the horizontal axis is nice, it allows them to hide little things for you to find by rotating it, an almost diorama feel when combined with how the assets are constructed. Builds to a nice little mystery near the end of its story too. Strong, confident work! There's a hard mode coming in a future update for something a little spicier.

I must have written a dozen drafts for this review. It's good and I like it but I don't LOVE it. The game has a lot of excellent qualities of which I'll get to in just a bit. There are also a lot of frustrating gameplay elements, some which were admittedly mitigated through the use of an emulator. I used save states for things like instant death or hard bosses because the cutscenes are unskippable and it's a pain to sit through them again and again. Fast forward also helped. It's of course to be expected, it's a product of its time but it is nonetheless frustrating.

Ask anyone on the street and they'll tell you that Parasite Eve is Square Enix's unholy love child of an RPG mixed with Resident Evil. To be honest, the game has nothing to do with Resident Evil save for the horror theme. Just throw that idea out the window. Ammo is plentiful, there are no zombies, the puzzles are serviceable at best. Parasite Eve shines in a lot of other departments.

The story is loosely based on the book by the same name written by Hideaki Sena. The game kinda serves as the book's sequel but Sena had no involvement in the story of the game.
We play as Aya Brea, a NYPD cop with a mysterious past. While attending the opera, Aya witnesses a cast member transform into a monster called Eve. The monster burns the entire crowd to a crisp and Aya pursues Eve into the sewers. Eve eventually escapes and we spend the bulk of the game pursuing Eve.
The story as is, is surprisingly entertaining. Believe me, without spoiling the plot, the story definitely goes places. It can get pretty bizarre and wacky and it's something that you'll have to experience for yourself.

The graphics are great even for today thanks to the use of detailed pre-rendered backgrounds and Square's staple CG cutscenes. I especially love the aforementioned backgrounds. I've always loved this technique because it allows developers to cram much needed fine details into the background. Traversing the world feels like traversing a painting at times and Parasite Eve's version of New York City is no exception. For example, your main base of operations is the police station and it looks like its design is based from cop shows from the 90's like NYPD Blue. The desks are littered with folders and papers, there are phones and dimly lit computer monitors on each desk. It is fantastically designed.

The game has a fantastic eerie and atmospheric soundtrack courtesy of Yoko Shimomura, one of the greatest composers the game industry has and will ever see. The soundtrack and the game's story complement each other beautifully. There's something alien and foreboding about all the tracks and the music really enhances the body horror imagery.

As for the gameplay, I feel that that's the part that can be frustrating at times. I love the overall aesthetics of the game but the gameplay can be kinda hit or miss. Especially when we're talking about combat.

Right off the bat, I like the overworld sections best. You traverse through certain parts of NYC like Central Park, the Natural History Museum and the police station. There are multiple and varied areas in the game. For the most part they don't really overstay their welcome. There are some frustrating parts though. It is not always clear what is interactable in the environment and what is not. Certain crucial key items are hidden in obscure places and these items are necessary for you to progress.
Some areas can get confusing to navigate and the game as a whole would have benefitted from a map system of some sort.

The game uses Final Fantasy's well known ATB-system where you can perform an action once a bar has been completely filled over a certain amount of time. The difference between Parasite Eve and Final Fantasy is that in Parasite Eve, you can move around during battles, potentially dodging enemy attacks. But it doesn't always work. Arenas are cramped, limiting your freedom to move and some attacks from some enemies seem impossible to dodge. This gets extra frustrating late in the game when enemies can annoy you endlessly with adverse status effects like poison, stun and mirroring the controls.

You'll primarily fight with guns: handguns, SMG's, rifles etc. You can use items to patch yourself up and there's a sort of 'magic' system where Aya can use her mitochondria powers to heal or buff herself. There are a few offensive powers but for a JRPG especially they're rather scare, only two. Nonetheless they are rather powerful but the biggest downsize is that they'll drain most of not all of your MP. The result of this is that combat isn't all that varied. There are no enemy weaknesses and almost every battle boils down to shooting your enemies to hell and back. Honestly if this game was any longer I would complain more about this but Parasite Eve is rather short for a JRPG, around ten hours long. For me personally, this isn't a bad thing. I love JRPG'S but the sad thing is that I don't have a lot of time anymore to spend it on these games.

I recommend playing it if you like JRPG's and body horror. Even in this day and age, Parasite Eve has a lot to offer. It has an entertaining story with a great cast of characters, an incredible soundtrack and the overall look and feel is still incredible

It's a game that accomplishes most of what it's trying to do but it never reaches its full potential. The gameplay has its annoyances, admittedly they are products of their time. But if you stick with it and learn to work with the game's quirks, I'm sure you'll have a good time.

For the most concise review of all time: If you liked Max Payne, you’ll like Max Payne 2.

That might seem like a redundant thing to say for a sequel, I mean that it almost feels like DLC for the original game. You will probably feel exactly the same about both of them. I read a review that called this game just as much an epilogue as it is a sequel. I agree with this is a few ways:
One, the first game was already short, but this one is even shorter, to the point you can beat it in one sitting if you’re motivated enough. It feels more like more like wrapping up loose ends rather than branching out into new territory.
Secondly, it looks and feels almost identical to the first game, but more polished. It is similar enough that you might as well read my Max Payne review to get my opinion on gameplay and presentation.

The main gameplay difference is that instead of shitty platforming sections in the nightmare sequences, we get a couple escort missions. Said nightmare sections stand out a bit less (it’s hard to top the “funny as hell” part of the first game) but I’m still glad they kept them. They feel just as much of the series’ identity as the graphic novel cutscenes. Sadly, Sam Lake’s beautiful face has been replaced in the gameplay and graphic novel sections, but it makes sense since they were able to get animated face models. Locales are a bit more varied than the first game. I could actually understand what Payne was saying during gameplay because they added subtitles. Story was less distinctive than the first but still pretty solid. The TV shows you can catch are a nice bonus and are actually pretty detailed.

I really like the concept of this game. The execution on console however leaves much to be desired. navigating dungeons is a bit unintuitive and its just clear this was made with PC in mind first. That said, the ideas are implemented solidly to really enjoy yourself. and if you're a masochist this is a game where you can really indulge because its STRESSFUL AF. The compete opposite of...lets say, a cozy game. I don't know why I like it so much. I honestly just like the marriage of Psychosis, exploration and turn based combat. I wish there was more customization but at the same time its not that kind of game

PLEASE just let this man run his orphanage in peace!!! Stop making him save his stupid fucking clan every six months!!! He's had enough!!!

By far my greatest complaint about the writing in the Yakuza games so far is that I do not give a single shit about the Tojo clan. In fact I am actively rooting for it to fail so Kiryu can have some fucking peace for five minutes. 90% of the members of this clan that we see are either scumbags or traitors, so why should I give a shit about saving it? I care more about the small time Yakuza family in Okinawa that is only introduced in this game than the Tojo clan.

A game made with much love in RPG-maker, I had a great time with Felvidek. The humor is top notch, and the graphics are absolutely gorgeous, especially during the cutscenes. I loved the environment and the fight style, and really loved having an RPG party with a 15th-century priest helping you fight. There was lots of humor involving the time period, including jokes at the past's expense, that I felt played pretty well. 15th-century Slovakia is interesting because well, there was no Slovakia! The area was probably under Hungarian rule at this point (...maybe German, who knows), with threat from the Ottoman's eventually taking over as well. It's a topic brought up often in the game, and I feel it makes Felvidek even cooler! Not only does it focus on an uncommon setting for a video game, but it focuses on a precise group within the time-period on top of it all.

The music is great, the art is gorgeous, and the gameplay is fun! Check Felvidek out if you can, it's a very strong game released into the 2024 pool that's worth checking out if you're interested in playing some indie goodies from this year.

3.5/5