Parasite Eve II

The Good
The "Parasite Eve" universe and story line is very interesting. The plot, characters, locations, and music all make up an interactive experience that is, put simply, really cool. One needs only watch the introduction to the first "Parasite Eve" game to get hooked. And hooked was what many people were; naturally when "Parasite Eve 2" was released they bought it. It does continue the story line of the first game by bringing back some familiar characters, foremost the heroine of the adventure: Aya Brea. In addition, the game also delivers a familiar art style: the color pallet, camera set-ups, lighting, and special effects should all seem familiar to players of the first installment.

But that is all that will seem familiar because the gameplay was radically changed from the first game. Instead of an action-RPG, gamers get a more traditional action game with some very basic RPG-like elements. The action is much more like "Resident Evil", which may please some. The approach the developers of "Parasite Eve 2" took seemed to be to simplify and streamline everything in the game. Puzzles are still rather simple, weapon customization isn't quite as deep or necessary as before, and as just mentioned, the battle system is not nearly as complex. The story certainly doesn't weigh anything down.

The Bad
The changes made to "Parasite Eve 2" that some people may have liked will be changes that others despise. The battle system is nowhere near as much fun as in "Parasite Eve". Simplification could also be interpreted as "dumbed-down". The music, while deserving the description of "good" doesn't hold a flame to the original.

Character designs aren't bad, but monster designs, again compared with the original, just simply don't hold up. The first introduction of the monsters in "Parasite Eve" is the rat mutating into a monster. It is certainly startling but one must also appreciate the creativity. In "Parasite Eve 2", a lumbering camel/horse monster just doesn't do it.

Finally, the story, which lacks coherence and interest, serves as a platform to kill monsters, that's about it. For a good portion of the game you don't really know what your supposed to be doing. This doesn't bode well with gamers that require more than mediocre triggering.

The Bottom Line
"Parasite Eve 2" is fun if you have played the original. It is fun because you get to revisit the "Parasite Eve" universe and see some familiar faces. But that fun will probably not last through the duration of the game. The story isn't as good, there are fewer characters than before, the location, (the Mojave Desert or where ever), just isn't as attractive as a wintry New York City. It is a pity the franchise wasn't continued, but if another game meant more of the same than perhaps if it better that "Parasite Eve 3" sleeps a bit longer.