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  • Parasite Eve II (PlayStation)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/706066439799488512/asobi-station-parasite-eve-ii-ps1-1999-square

    Parasite Eve II is an action RPG / survival horror game produce by Squaresoft for the PlayStation. It was released in 1999 and is of course the sequel to parasite Eve. While it still has some role playing elements, Parasite Eve II has less of those than the original and is more like traditional survival horror games like Resident Evil.

    The control system is typical of such games, at least early on, using tank controls which presents movement from a player perspective rather than a camera perspective. Speaking of which, the player doesn’t really have any control over the camera in this game. The player does have more freedom of movement in this game vs. its predecessor creating a little more of an open world feel, however you are normally only seeing one room at a time so action generally takes place in a confined area. Another difference from the original is that combat is in real-time. In the original there was a time bar that dictated order of actions.

    Parasite Eve II is set three years after the events of the first game. The main character and your avatar, Aya Brea, now works for the FBI as part of something called the Mitochondrial Investigation and Suppression Team. Anyway, the plot involves more Neo-Mitochondrial Creatures, cyborgs, corruption in the FBI and so-forth. Aya has special abilities governed by “parasite energy”. However, these abilities were locked and now she has to rediscover them in Parasite Eve II.

    Parasite Eve II was worked on by the same developers as the original so there is some continuity there. The story was directed and written by the same person that wrote and directed Resident Evil (Kenichi Iwano). This game generally got positive reviews and if you are a fan of survival horror then I would say it is definitely one you should try. You can always track down an original copy and it was also released as part of the Square Millennium Collection in 2000 and as part of the PSone Books line (Japan only) in 2002. Parasite Eve II was also released on the North American PlayStation Network in 2011. Emulation is always an option as well. Personally, I still like my games in physical form.


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  • Spyro the Dragon (PlayStation

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/706126837387018240/playstationpark-train-crashing-spyro-the

    Spyro the Dragon is a 3D platform game released for the PlayStation in 1998. You play the role of a small purple dragon named Spyro and must travel through various worlds in order to save other dragons. You must also save your home from the main antagonist of the game, Gnasty Gnorc.

    Spyro had a number of abilities that gave the game a lot of variety, including breathing fire, flying, charging and more. Besides, who doesn’t want to control a dragon? The levels were large and added an open world feel to the game. In addition to the primary goals of saving your home and rescuing dragons, there were a variety of other challenges as well.

    This game got almost universally positive reviews. The graphics were excellent for the time as were the sound and music. The level/world design was excellent as well. Not only were they large as mentioned above but each world was also quite unique. The most important aspect, the game play itself, was on point as well and even the character design was very good.

    I was never a huge fan of the 3D platformer genre and I would prefer a more serious game. By that I don’t mean harder or more complex, just something with more “realism” that felt more like a Dungeons and Dragons game. Still, it was an excellent game and if you like cutesy 3D platformer type games then this is definitely the game for you.

    Spyro the Dragon was hugely successful, ultimately selling over 5 million copies worldwide. A number of sequels were produced, including two more games for the PlayStation including Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Afterwards, the series continued on other platforms with different developers. These games include Spyro: Season of Ice (Game Boy Advance), Spyro 2: Season of Flame (Game Boy Advance), Spyro: Enter the Dragon (PlayStation 2, GameCube), Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs (Game Boy Advance), Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage and Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy (Game Boy Advance), Spyro: A Hero’s Tail (GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox), and Spyro: Shadow Legacy (Nintendo DS). After this, the original trilogy was rebooted on a variety of platforms including the Xbox, Nintendo DS, GameCube, Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox, and Xbox 360. However, these games, while not bad, were not really as good as the originals. Finally, there was the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. This was a remaster of the original trilogy for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Windows.

    Most of these games are at least ok but some are better than others. The original trilogy is by far the best and the remastered trilogy is a good substitute, especially if you are looking for upgraded graphics. In general, the originals are not hard to find or too expensive and Spyro Reignited is even easier to find, especially since it includes all three games. All of them can be picked up pretty easily and reasonable prices on eBay for example. The originals can of course be emulated as well. In any case, any 3D platform fan should give the original Spyro a try as it is one of the best.


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  • Ape Escape (PlayStation)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/706459046212993024/retrogeekgamer-which-playstation-1-title-you

    Ape Escape is a 3D platform game for the PlayStation that was released in 1999. This style of game was popularized by Mario 64 and the Tomb Raider series. I remember when I first saw this game I thought it was a new game in the Donkey Kong franchise but it turns out not to be the case. Besides, that would make more sense on a Nintendo system.

    In any case, Ape Escape is the first game in a whole new franchise and is widely considered to be one of the best games on the PlayStation and perhaps THE best 3D platform game on that system. Like most 3D platform games, this one is played form the third person. The plot is pretty simple and straightforward which is really best for this type of game. You play the roll of a boy capturing escaped apes across time, preventing them from doing things that rewrite history. The control system at the time was considered fairly unique. It made use of both analog sticks with one controlling movement and the other controlling the various objects that you could use. The various objects, vehicles and time periods make for a fairly diverse game.

    Reviews were almost entirely positive. The graphics and sound are excellent for the time, the control scheme, as mentioned above, was unique but intuitive and easy to use, and there was tons of variety. The only real complaint was minor criticism of some of the voice acting which is hardly worth mentioning. The game would be just as good without any voice acting at all. I was never big on 3D platform games like this but if you are, then this is definitely one to play.

    There have been tons of sequels, spin-offs, re-releases and related games up until today. While there are party games and other spin-offs, the best games are probably the main series that continued tih Ape Escape 2 for the PS2 in 2001 and Ape Escape 3 for the PS2 in 2005. The original Ape Escape was originally released only for the PlayStation (PS1) but it is available with some enhancements for the PS4 and PS5 via PlayStation Plus. Otherwise, if you are looking for an original copy, it shouldn’t be too hard to find one as this was a big selling game. Emulation is also always an option.


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