I absolutely adore PE2. It was one of the few games I competed 100%...every difficulty, upgrade, extra, hidden item, etc. I love the atmosphere and still think it's one of the games that made me the most uneasy because of the thought of being stranded in the desert alone. It's rad.
Avalanche Reviews it's honestly not worth 100%ing lol nightmare mode is awful. I'm stoked that you and I share similar tastes in games, hard to find a TH-camr that fits the bill. New sub here, for sure.
I never played the first but this is mega surprising, you never mentioned the crazy amount of weapons in the game, alt routes and story changes and different endings you can take and affect or the amount of unlockables and modes like gun blades and special hunt modes. This game was amazing.
I agree, it was great. I very rarely played with anything other than the m4, so I didn't have footage of the other weapons, and mentioning new game+ content took a lower priority, when it came to describing the game to people who hadn't played it. I think I was trying to warn fans of part 1, that they may not like it for the same reasons they like 1, but that survival horror fans will probably like it.
Avalanche Reviews Didnt expect a reply seeing how the videos is old lol. I felt PE2 was one of the few games with a ton of reply value that even games of today lack, there was always something new to be found like coming back to the Gun guy near the end of the game and getting special weapons or finding hidden bosses and different ways of beating a boss.
I try to respond to all my comments. That's most of the reason why I do this, because I like interacting with people about these games I love. I agree with you though, there was a lot of hidden content (maybe more than the old RE games, now that I think about it)
I enjoyed both games, but I preferred PE2 over PE1. I loved this game! Played it over and over. I loved the locations and the feeling of them so much. I plan to play again and see if I still love it.
I had a completely different experience as a kid. Having already beaten PE, I got PE2 as soon as it came out. I thought it, especially Dryfield, was absolutely magnificent. I had no issues with the controls/the lock on system or anything like that. Maybe because I'd already played every other survival-horror game that was out at the time, I took to it more easily. Well, at least we agree it was a good game.
This is an old video... But fun fact. Avalanche mentions PE2 trying to copy off of what's popular (aka RE) but at the time Square "poached" a Capcom dev that worked on RE and was put in charge of the project to make it a bit more survivor horror. Unfortunately, his choices were just to make the same game he already worked on in capcom instead of keeping it Square style. So, it's not that square was trying to imitate but just that the new person they put in charge just made it in a way he knew.
+Jimin Park There's something you don't hear every day. Don't get me wrong, I love 2, but it's rare to hear someone prefer it over 1. I think most people (understandably) were expecting a game just like the first one, but some of us were just stoked to be playing another PE game.
Avalanche Reviews I understand why everyone prefer the first one, it's a really really good game. But for me personally I like the second one a little bit better especially the atmosphere i played the game a very long time ago maybe when I was 10 years old the first was really fun, but the second felt very creepy for me i was so scared to play alone especially when the people turned in front of you in a short cut scene like the one in the restaurant, and the graphics and camera angles looked much more believable and realistic to my eyes when I was younger, and wish that the third birthday continued what PE2 did. In the end of the day everybody has their own opinions, right? Hhhh
I was the same way back in the day because it was so similar to resident evil (in game play) and being a huge RE fan, i loved that. Over the years once i played more of the first PE and came to understand the mechanics more (including the addictive weapon customization) it soon became the preferable game. Love the original.
Everything you say indicates you like games like resident evil or silent hill. Parasite eve wasn't supposed to be that. Square got greedy and messed up a good thing they had because they wanted to cash in on the success of other games. It's fine to like the second one better, but you need to understand it's part of a series and it can't be judged on its own exclusively, it has to be reviewed as part of a whole too. As such, it fails.
This is one of my favorite games from the ps1. I actually prefer this one over the first one, but i still play both games regularly ( i actually just beat the first game a couple weeks ago for the first time, i was never able to get past the final boss before lol). I don't really have any issues with this game's controls either.
It's not so much the controls that were an issue for me, but the environments not being built to support the controls. I love tank controls, but having to maneuver in a real time fight, in narrow hallways, with enemies that have projectile attacks, is a pain. This doesn't really kick in till the underground bunker, but it was still annoying. I agree though, they're both incredible games.
My absolute favorite parts of this game were indeed the prerendered backgrounds and all the flavor text that came along with them! I loved exploring every little nook and cranny just to see how Aya would comment about it- I feel like those little details really fleshed out her character
I agree about PE2 not being a good sequel, but I still prefer this one over the first game, because of its atmosphere and ANMC's design. I LOVE how "militaristic" it feels (for the lack of a better word). The shelter lab was done FAR better than in Resident Evil games in my opinion. It really felt to me like I'm in a place I shouldn't visit, like I'm seeing stuff I shouldn't be seeing. And Neo-Ark is so beautiful and evil at the same time, the organs playing when you first enter this location is still to this day one of the most memorable moments I experienced in gaming.
I've wouldn't say it's my favorite, because I kind of see it as separate from the first, I did love it. It was one of the most interesting games I had ever played at that point in my life.
God I miss this game I can't tell you how many times I've played it one and two. I really wish they would revisit it. I won't say my age but let's say I'm old enough to have actually gone to the store when this was initially released great memories
I date myself every time I mention something about renting a game. I imagine there are people who watch my videos that are so young, they have no idea what the hell that even means. HA!
Just played through this game. I avoided the problems you had with targeting by just deselecting the target whenever I needed to focus on avoiding. You just press circle after you're done shooting and she wont auto-rotate anymore. Besides that cool video & overall retrospective. The Parasite Eve games are very under-appreciated.
..............wait..........are you serious!!!??! Fuck! I didn't even know I could do that. I was just playing exactly how I did when i was a teenager. Honestly, I might replay the damn game now. That would get rid of a large portion of what bothered me.
lol yeah you can. I can tell from that alone my experience was way less frustrating. Just started playing through the PE series this month for the first time ever. So it was cool getting the perspective of a lifetime fan. Loved them both. (3rd birthday looks like trash tho. Just saw your 3rd part... wtf did they do to Maeda?) A not-as-severe-but-still-similar thing happened with me and RE3. The first time I played it I didn't know there was a separate button to target explosives. Way less frustrating playing it again after I found out.
That's awesome! I love it when people get into the PE series. Yeah, targeting the barrels with L, is a game changer in RE3. As for 3rd birthday...............yeah.............it's total garbage.
D'OH! I think they even point out deselecting in the shooting range tutorial...which then gets promptly and completely forgotten...I never really got the hang of the "shift target" mechanics in any case.
awesome part 2! back when it came out I was so disappointed about this being so different that I hard quit out. I actually didn't play it until several years after, around 2013, and by then I had grown to be a huge RE fan so in that second try I actually ended up loving the game since I had a chance to dive into the PE universe again and really enjoyed the gameplay. Thank goodness for it being released digitally so I could give it a chance again on the PSP
I've heard a lot of other people who had a similar experience, but for some reason, I loved it right from the start. I can understand how jarring it can be, coming straight from 1 to 2 though.
It looks as if they lifted some of resident evil 2'S backgrounds sprite for sprite... The parking lot wall from the police station for example is identical. (1:22) They use assets that look exactly like the interior of the umbrella labs.
somehow managed to play this game at age 5. i only remembered playing it till the first cutscene with the "civilian" in the cafeteria and the pure fear i had trying to run away from it and quiting after i arrived in the town. i found it 17 years later in an old box. time to defeat my childhood nightmares
customization in the first one were a joke. Stats increase or ''oh looky now my handgun now has elemental bullets''. I dont get why its a downgrade and a bummer its a feature they removed. I mean, there is what, 4-5 diffrent guns max in the first one. only stats and combination of effect made a diffrence. In 2, you just have a huge choice of arsenal and less BS pseudo crafting.
Finally someones speaks the truth. PE1 to me looked like a cartoon game, and the BIG customization? I don't see it. You get the "tool" thing, and thats all. Remove this, add that, makes no sense (at least to me.) I don't understand why everyone compares it saying its BETTER when it looks like a cartoon game (similar to the FFVII art.) To me the only good thing about PE1 is the story. From there on, even the sound effects were bad. Don't get me wrong, PE1 is a good game but PE2 is superior in everything else. Ok some people dislike the tank controls but me being a Resident Evil fan, it's one of the things I love about it.
PE1 customization wasn't realistic, but it was FUN. The PE2 arsenal isn't "huge", unless you have the patience to seek out every single possible opponent and grind for BP. And/or replay the game 2-3x. As much as I liked the game (despite not finishing the final boss battle on the first try) I don't have that much patience. Now, as far as PE abilities go, I did like PE2 set better than the original.
Personally i love PE2. Hell i prefer it over PE1. I like it with less RPG and the graphics are much better and beautiful. Enemies and bosses are also more interesting and creepy.
I once went to a game store and saw the Japanese version. I bought it. What's cool is that they said if I came back, they'd print me a walkthrough. I did, and they did.
The best thing about this one is the unlockable gun blade that you can actually FIRE (suck it Squall). And its very satisfying when you one hit kill your enemy with it.
To be honest I like this more than the first game. Don't get me wrong I'm an RPG fan during that time but playing mostly RPGs this game's gameplay gave me a breath of fresh air.
The targeting is frustrating, but I learned to adjust so I wouldn't take so much damage. I discovered that on subsequent playthroughs, I relied too much on unlocked weapons like Mongoose and AS12. So to challenge myself I play a "new game" every now and then.
Sorry, dude, but this game is a worthy successor to the first game. You make it sound like it's cool and then shit all over it, because it doesn't do exactly what you want. Faults aside, this game has a great story, great atmosphere, and a decent soundtrack. It's a lot of fun, so what more do you want? A good follow up, if you ask me.
"Faults aside, this game has a great story, great atmosphere, and a decent soundtrack" Your comment is almost exactly what I said about the game in this video. The tank controls are not implemented well. That's coming from a guy loves tank controls. Since a large portion of the game is combat, not being able to move around very well, is a big deal. Like I said in the video, I love the game, but it's not what fans of part 1 may be looking for, since the first game was a turn based rpg, and this is a full on survival horror game.
They had a pretty much perfect formula and shat all over it to imitate resident evil and get some of that sweet sweet money. Great story, great atmosphere and good music do not a game make. The cornerstone of a game is its gameplay, and this game did that poorly in an attempt to be something it wasn't, which makes it a bad parasite eve.
Only just discovering your channel. I grew up on PS1 RPG's, started playing games originally on the Atari 2600 lol. But PS1 RPG, racing games and fighting games is where my real time was.
Good review! 👏 BTW that auto aim that makes movement super annoying in battle, can be canceled by pressing Circle,and you can move and dodge just fine 😂 04:30
PE 2 is better game than PE 1. There, I said it. Story-wise they are both good, with 1 being better. But the fights were awesome in 2. There was just much more depth to PE2 as a whole.
Just picked up the first one based on your recommendation. I need some free time to start it. Btw your voice is perfect for vids. So many tubers have lisps and impediments,etc.
That's awesome! Let me know if you end up liking it I actually watch a youtuber with a lisp, and to be honest, it distracts the hell out of me, so I'm glad I can be a little easy to listen to.
Avalanche Reviews I stick to a lot of Twitch streaming, but I have quite a few followers that want me to do more things online with my voice; I don't have any motivation to do anything other than the live dialogue I have with viewers. I come to you for game reviews and solid game knowledge. You've helped me keep my persistence in the Stalker games.
Avalanche Reviews holy crap I was just wanting you to do a video over this!...did I already comment that and give you this suggestion to make a video like this or was it just a coincidence?
Can't remember if you've ever suggested it to be honest, but if you did, it worked. Ha! I've been wanting to do a full series retrospective for a while, and now that I have an hdmi capture device, you can expect a lot more like this.
Very accurate retrospective. PE2 was good too, but it lacked the overall feel of the original and it didn’t present a Chrysler Building type game-or have the wide range of weapons and true customizable options....but I still liked it.
I really liked that the first was a RPG inspired by survival horor and the second being a Survival Horror with RPG elements. Like the flipped the concept around. Wouldve liked to see what else they did with the series... i mean... Third Birthday was a thing...
I have played this game just over 100 times now and still love it. I picked it up as a used game knowing nothing about the original. I too had issues with the "lock on" aiming feature until I found the by pressing the O button the lock releases. The fact it only took me 15 years to figure it out is slightly embarrassing though lol. For a PS 1 game the look of the game is mind blowing. For anyone who enjoyed Resident Evil (1,2,3 and Veronica) and the original Dino Crisis this game will not disappoint. The only people who do not like it are those who liked the original PE. After loving PE 2 so much I went out and got the original expecting something similar. After playing for about 30 minutes my only reaction was "Oh no, and paid money for this." The games are totally different. Comparing them is like comparing Resident Evil to Silent Hill.
If I do not say too much stupidity this episode has been more or less developed from the old members of the project RE1.5 from Capcom who migrated to Square. In any case I love this episode, more action than survival, more simplistic in its inventory management but a treat for those who love pre-rendered background, and tank control.
Huh, never played this one, had no idea it was so different. Need to get both of them again at some point. Also, there was a point where you said the 3D modelling at Square got better, and I just wanted to mention that this is very often more attributable to programmers finding/inventing better optimisation techniques as they gain more experience with the hardware and/or software.
Love that game, never felt that gameplay controls were bad, just demand good knowledge of the enemy, avoiding enemies on a fight is always a thing on that game, and their patern are just right to let you do so, still challenging as a survival and strategic as an rpg. The lock is a specific thing which separate pe2 from every games because for the first another game use those controls " vagrant story " and those controls even if they are cool introduce weird thing that pe2 in comparison seems much natural, enemies are not suppose to wait while you attack them, combat without taking damage can take very long but definitevely possible Just think that pe2 is challenging not bad in its controls, in that game moving / timing / position are keys! The upgrades in that game are much realistic
I got the buy this game as a present for one of my birthday so long ago. While I don't think it's as good as the first game, I ended up enjoying it more since it was easier to pick up and play after having not played it for a while. Diablo 2 was the first game I ever purchased with my own money.
I just picked up PE2 as well. Lucky to have a ma and pop retro store a few miles away. Im not gunna try it out til I finish PE1. The PE1 battle system is working for me better than I thought it would, I really dig it. Kinda pissed I missed out all these years. Id hear of PE just never looked at it too hard
i must be the only person who didn't get stuck in corners or have Aya misbehave when dodging enemies. The last time i played, i almost always managed not to take damage.
at least you can see the enemies in the second game and not have a damn random encounter every 10 seconds like in the first one anyway great retrospective videos and you should totally do a series on Dino Crisis
dont even dare to touch Aya ! part 2 was the best ! God damn it, why nobody creating static background those days. It was so fun ! Drifield`s atmosphere was magical ! Someone please tell CAPCOM to make remake of squaresofts Parasite Eve lol :)))
I remember Derek Alexander's review of this one was pretty much in line with this. Those tight corridors are rough to deal with. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the character models in this one. They look better, totally agreed, but they also look different than the original. Aya doesn't look like the same person, at all.
LULZ, normally I'm very ok with more junk in the trunk. But, no, her face and features look totally different. She also looks less athletic and more like she should be wearing uggs and drinking pumpkin spice lattes.
I've played this game with my best friend when were kids, taking naps in between, I have so many good memories of this. I think I actually enjoyed it more than the original PE (Not saying it's better, just that I've enjoyed it more)
The controls were difficult as swapping between enemies you aimed your gun at was far too slow and running was slooow also, but that was my only gameplay issue. This is still a game which all these years after I can still come back to and enjoy. Like the classic Resident Evils I find Parasite Eve 2 is a game that’s aged pretty well.
It was my first PE game, I test the first one once but, never finish it. PE2 is one of the best surivor horror games I ever play, no doubt it have a place in my heart. Funny thing is, this game is pretty much hated around the world specially because the changes you said, Jared, but is very loved in my country (Brazil).
+Igo Dreamer I never knew it was such a hit over there. That's awesome. At the time, a survival horror rpg was still a really crazy idea, so I get why people like it. Hell, I still like it.
Believe! And, about a survivor horror RPG being a crazy idea, I still like to play Koldeka. Looks like a interesting game very much! What you thinking?
So glad to see someone cover the PSOne Parasite Eve games! They are some of my favourites ever! I think you did a good job of covering PE1 in such a short video. It is incredibly complicated and unique and I srtuggle when trying to explain it to friends. That said its flaws (which you mentioned) seem to bother me more than you. In terms of gameplay I feel everything other than the weapon customisation system is really subpar. The magic powers are useless for anything outside a few key spells (haste/healing/barrier) and moving around the environment is agonising due to the slow movement speed. The script is pretty poorly written or localised even for the time and the game just doesn't look very good. You can tell it was an early attempt at making 3D games. I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone who didn't love that type of story. Parasite Eve 2 on the other hand is one of my all time favourites. I've played it over twenty times lol. I love the critcisms you made about the tank controls being clumsily implemented. I've never really thought about it but I can immidiately see it's true. It takes A LOT of practice to use them to maneuver effectively, even if you've played other tank control games. But I feel the magic system is way better (so many great abilities for support or attack) and the defined weapons are far more interesting. PE1 is about creating the best generic stat stick (which is objectively a machine gun from the Chrysler Building the MP5SD6) whereas every gun in PE2 has a unique personality and role. Plus the extra difficulties added in New Game Plus add totally new ways to play. Bounty Mode ups the challenge of combat to 11 annd Scavenger turns the game from your own personal slaughterhouse to an actual survival horror game. Plus the presentation is just better. The game looks better, is written better, the UI is better etc etc. It is a better game even if it could have been improved by retaining the movement control from the first game to better complement the targeting system. Anyway thanks for covering these old classics, even if our opinions on the game are totally reversed. :)
Happy to share some nostalgia with a fellow fan! I know it came off negative, but I love pe2.i most have put more than 80 hours into it over the years, but going back and playing it, I struggled with mechanics that u had got used to, but I assumed most before wouldn't enjoy. That's the problem with reviewing games. Sometimes I have to say, "I loved this game, but most people probably won't"
Avalanche Reviews Yeah I understand. A review has to be objective, to some extent at least. I don't know if I could be properly neutral about PE2 though!
I also saved up for this game with my own money and bought it day one. When I put the game in the ps1 I was completely taking aback. Honestly, as being a die hard fan of the series, I feel like Parasite Eve 2 created an happy medium for me. It's one of my top games of all time. However, the sound track wasn't as great this time around. Fortunately, i'm a fan of the composer himself and he did an awesome job for his style of music compositions. PE2 takes you on a trip you wasn't expecting to experience like Parasite Eve did the first time. Overall, it's a solid game.
I agree. Oddly enough, the switch to survival horror never even phased me. For some reason, I just picked up the controller and played it. Even though it's a poorly designed survival horror game, I still love it to death.
I actually prefer this one over the original, but Im also Resident Evil fan too. Also, is it possible to have a 100% clear in the game? Ive replayed it many times over, and that last 1% keeps eluding me..
in my opinion one should not compare the games side by side, since they are different genres. PE1 is more of an action rpg, where PE2 is more of an action adventure with mild rpg elements. Both games are games respectively as I think.
I actually prefer this than the first, back when its release, i still crazy about RE2, so i see this game as a nice variation at first, but damn this hooked me up The graphics are beautiful, the ost was nice, Aya has way more personality than Claire, the guns has a real feeling and the "mods" really done well, and replay value is amazing My biggest gripe with this game is its runtime, Aya's adventure this time really feels short, i think one more disc wouldnt hurt the experience
I was a huge fan of PE1 back in the day and I thought PE2 was an abomination. I'm actually pretty surprised to see so many people defending it in the comments as when it came out it was pretty unanimously regarded as inferior. It dropped the slick visual style of the first, lost the iconic music, and traded in its engaging gameplay systems for a clunky generic imitation of survival horror to cash in. I wasn't a fan of the direction they decided to take the series, but I guess everyone has their own taste.
I loved survival horror to begin with, so this was a good fit for me. I just wish it would have been a better attempt at the genre. i still love it for what it is, but I can't say it's anywhere near as good as part 1.
Ahhhhh we got another Quasi! lol awesome video as always. I pretty much agree with everything you said but I still had lots of fun with the game even though I got frustrated 75% of the way and hard quit. I probably just like it because I'm still hungry for these kind of games so it's always a treat to play one you haven't yet played. Keep up the awesome work!
HAAAA! I was hoping you would catch that. Not sure if I use quasi in the third video, but I might just add it in for consistency. HA! No joke, that's exactly how I am with it. I'm glad I was able to get the point across though. I was a little worried it would come off too negative. Thanks for the love
I don't know if there even is a best game in the series. They're all so different, I can;t even compare them. I think the first has the best overall feel, but I can't deny that part 2 is fucking awesome.
this aint survival horror tho. u cant really run out of ammo and its not intendet to dodge enemys. its more like an fixed-cameras-shooter-rpg and i fucking love it.
Here in England we didnt get a PAL release of PE1. We only had PE2 and I utterly adore it I didnt play the first until this year. Made a faux US account on PSN and bought DC1 and 2 along with PE1. It's alright, but I much prefer PE2.
Yea, as a sequel to such a unique title like Parasite Eve, it was a serious misstep. But as its own game, PE2 was still pretty fun for what it was, and certainly better than what would come after it.
huh, this looked more like Dino Crisis in combat pacing but slightly worse in the control department in my humble opinion at least. And i did finish Dino Crisis Series (except the xbox version) and i can say Square just needed to tweak the movement a teeny tiny bit on the fast side and also make turning at the enemy a little faster and BAM! Buttery smooth for a survival horror for that time
I really enjoyed your review of this but I really do feel like the second game is better overall. The combat is different but overall I liked it way better than I did PE1. I feel like it did tank controls and aiming better than RE at the time. As I still have bad memories of having to "aim upwards" at things in RE only to still miss, while in PE2 I could lock on and actually hit what I was aiming at. Though I will agree that a lot of the environments were very tight, though I think this is more of a point in favor because the series made the shift over to more Suvival Horror than RPG.
+Cris Moreno in my opinion, you can't go wrong with either. It's like square made two games that both covered my two favorite genres, but in completely different ways.
Parasite Eve and PE2 have very little in common. The first game had a source material for starters, then again in that sense PE1 was a spin-off of that material in the same sense PE2 is a spin-off too PE1, so I guess it kind of make sense. In PE1 the main protagonist (and one of the hottest female characters in videogames [I am totally not biased or in love with Aya Brea... You are!]), had much more development, and characterization, in PE2 she's sadly kind of generic though female secret agent super woman. One of the most driving forces of her character in PE1 was her humanity, her dealing with these powers, and her questioning herself and her own abilities. There are simply put, none of that in PE2. With perhaps a brief exception, Maya. (I'm not going to spoil, and those of you who played PE1 and 2 know whom I'm referring to.) Other than that Aya stays the same throughout the entirety of PE2. Tl:dr; PE1 ans PE2 share name only and are in essence not sequels. Thanks for reading this far, and have a nice day/evening/night.
I always felt that PE2 was the "Resident Evil 4" of the PE series despite only have 3 titles. Like RE4 or even SH3 in a sense, it is still a great game but was the turning point in the series from neglecting it's roots. I also felt that it was a lot more action oriented rather than sticking to PE's survival horror/RPG mechanic hence why I compare it to RE4. Makes me wonder what PE would've been like if SE further kept the series going after 3rd bday. Also it would've been nice if we weren't restricted to the Dryfield area too.
I would have loved to see PE continue with the formula in 2. All of my problems with the game were clearly issues that stemmed from square not knowing how to make a resident evil game. I think they could have nailed it, with a few more tries.
I agree. The action was really fun. But as you said, Square was struggling around wrestling the Survival horror concept. With that, I especially enjoyed the post game and replayable content like with Bounty mode. Made it so much fun looking to earn the Squall's Gunblade from FF8
I dont think that this game even comes close to the word "failure". I am a huge survival horror and ofc a Resident Evil fan (first experience: RE3). And I played Parasite Eve 2 after my RE impressions. A couple of years ago I even revisited the whole classic franchise in the RE department and played PE2 afterwards. I got everything unlocked while playing all the difficulties in order to get the core expirience, perhaps like these games were intented to play. That being said, IMO this game is an absolute masterpiece and did nearly everything better and more interesting then the actual (classic) RE-Franchise. The presentation was pretty much the pinnacle of the PS1-Era (talking about folks behind Final Fantasy, you guys! ;D). The Soundtrack alone is absolutely insane (try "Nightmare in the Battlefield" and then while gameplay ;)). The Atmosphere is somewhere in between RE and SH. The game has a very cool and fresh battlesystem as well as a atypical approach with items in general and a rpg-element that wasnt too demanding. All in all an interesting progression with a lot of replay value. About the whole controls and targeting issue: its not depressing and bad at all - you just had to get used to it. Think about all the ppl that complain about Tank-Controlls - the once who learned to appreciate it, understand the intention behind it and how (while being outdated by today's standards) it has its place aaaand works very well after you actually get used to it. It was very much the same experience for me with PE2 - once I got the hang of it, it became a pretty unique feature. The enemy-targeting is a lot more three-dimensional then ppl were used to back in the day, and again: it works well. Dont get me wrong, I get your perspective and Im probably "fanboying" the hell out of this topic to some extent. But this game deserves a LOT of credit. A Remaster for sure, aaah what am I saying... - WE NEED A DAMN REMAKE BY SQUARE!!! They absolutely have to redeem themselves, after the Abomination that is called "3rd Birthday". Or at least I will keep dreaming until some Indie-Developer with the same love and passion for that game, will recreate its potential in a modern setting. Btw even though I disagree with some of your points, you still did a very professional retrospective and I like what you do and how you do it. I subscribed - keep it on ;).
That's fine if you feel that way, but it sold less than the first game and was never followed up, unless you count the 3rd person shooter on the psp an actual follow up. I wasn't saying it was a failure in terms of gameplay. It failed because it sold terribly.
@@AvalancheReviews Yeah, sadly it wasnt a finacial success. I think it was propably too complicated for the gaming market at the time. PE2 does require some adjustment and maybe a little dedication. But the patience is worth it ;) Sidenote: To this day Aya Brea is still the hotest protagonist in all of the Survival Horror genre xP. Thx for your response. Have a good one, mate!
This is the one I didn't finish I'm sorry to say. I did finish one and three but not two. but this is a good game and I didn't have much of a problem with this one. At lease Aya isn't slow movie like in one. Great video though I'm wondering what you have to say about three.
It might be because I played this game first (Europe didn't get the first game unfortunately, so I couldn't play the first game until much later when I got it for 200 yen in Japan), but I liked it over PE1, and I actually thik PE1 is a great game. I found myself pretty comfortable with its controls, and felt Aya controlled fine. It's not as good nor accessible in this department compared to Dino Crisis 2 (another one of my favourite PS1 games), but once you know how to approach it, it feels fairly great. Every enemy has so much thought in it, and it's actually pretty funny to learn their patterns and weaknesses. Their setting make them such nightmare fuel... Even though there is no more weapon customization (except for attachments on a few of them), the sheer variety of weapons is vastly superior to its predecesor, and even the weapons of the same type feel very different from each other, (P8 with its high critical rate is one of my favourite weapons in this game) giving you a lot of options to explore to decide what works better against the different enemies. On the other hand, PE (a.k.a the magic in this game) adds a lot in terms of strategy and makes this game fairly unique compared to other games in the genre. I can see why this game isn't very appreciated by fans of its precursor, but I still love to play it every once and then. Sorry for such a long comment but yeah, I kinda could keep talking a lot about this game.
I get that a lot from people who lived in Europe. I can understand it though. This was a really good game, and I have a lot of fond memories with it, but coming back to it, I was really surprised at how poorly the controls worked. I mean, I've been playing survival horror games since the genre started, but for some reason, PE2 just does not play well for me.
It's kinda strange how Parasite Eve II was released here in the PAL region but not the first one. Even now you can't get the original game on PSN, what gives?
I played this game a few years back, and I absolutely loved it. I miss this era of games so, so badly.
Absolutely! Devs really pushed the envelope back in the ps1 days.
Avalanche Reviews It'd be really interesting to see what a dev team could come up with using a PS1 dev kit today.
I have thought that same thing so many times! I'd love to see people work with those constraints nowadays.
love the desolated and quiet night feeling at the motel~
wish to lives there forever, of course, with internet lol
The audio really helped out with that. It was quiet and that let little ambient noises shine.
well I am a bit of lone wolf, so I will like those man-made but uninhabited environment
Yeah, they were really interesting.
a great part of the game is that atmospher you menthion, so confy and weird at tge same time
I'm a desert rat, so I enjoyed the environment, but you can keep those creepy little babies lol
Parasite Eve 2 is my second favourite game ever. 👍🏻😊
I’m praying for a HD remake 😃
I absolutely adore PE2. It was one of the few games I competed 100%...every difficulty, upgrade, extra, hidden item, etc. I love the atmosphere and still think it's one of the games that made me the most uneasy because of the thought of being stranded in the desert alone. It's rad.
It's so damn atmospheric, it's crazy! I never 100%ed the game, but I've always loved it.
Avalanche Reviews it's honestly not worth 100%ing lol nightmare mode is awful. I'm stoked that you and I share similar tastes in games, hard to find a TH-camr that fits the bill. New sub here, for sure.
Good to hear! Welcome aboard
waooo...es tambien mi juego favorito de todos tiempos!..
This is one of the best games I've ever played.
I never played the first but this is mega surprising, you never mentioned the crazy amount of weapons in the game, alt routes and story changes and different endings you can take and affect or the amount of unlockables and modes like gun blades and special hunt modes.
This game was amazing.
I agree, it was great. I very rarely played with anything other than the m4, so I didn't have footage of the other weapons, and mentioning new game+ content took a lower priority, when it came to describing the game to people who hadn't played it. I think I was trying to warn fans of part 1, that they may not like it for the same reasons they like 1, but that survival horror fans will probably like it.
Avalanche Reviews Didnt expect a reply seeing how the videos is old lol.
I felt PE2 was one of the few games with a ton of reply value that even games of today lack, there was always something new to be found like coming back to the Gun guy near the end of the game and getting special weapons or finding hidden bosses and different ways of beating a boss.
I try to respond to all my comments. That's most of the reason why I do this, because I like interacting with people about these games I love. I agree with you though, there was a lot of hidden content (maybe more than the old RE games, now that I think about it)
Yeah seeing him run around with the M4 was pretty amusing. I remember using the magnum with the anti-NMC rounds that just savaged everything.
I enjoyed both games, but I preferred PE2 over PE1. I loved this game! Played it over and over. I loved the locations and the feeling of them so much. I plan to play again and see if I still love it.
I had a completely different experience as a kid. Having already beaten PE, I got PE2 as soon as it came out. I thought it, especially Dryfield, was absolutely magnificent. I had no issues with the controls/the lock on system or anything like that. Maybe because I'd already played every other survival-horror game that was out at the time, I took to it more easily. Well, at least we agree it was a good game.
still better than third birthday
+cyrus649 that's true.............but maybe I should save my comments on that, for next week. Ha
"better than 3rd Barfday" is a low bar to clear.
The combats the only annoying part.
This is an old video... But fun fact. Avalanche mentions PE2 trying to copy off of what's popular (aka RE) but at the time Square "poached" a Capcom dev that worked on RE and was put in charge of the project to make it a bit more survivor horror. Unfortunately, his choices were just to make the same game he already worked on in capcom instead of keeping it Square style. So, it's not that square was trying to imitate but just that the new person they put in charge just made it in a way he knew.
PE2 is my second favourite game ever. Love it to bits. Tank controls rule also. 👍🏻
I actually prefer the second one i feel it's more refined except for the music
+Jimin Park There's something you don't hear every day. Don't get me wrong, I love 2, but it's rare to hear someone prefer it over 1. I think most people (understandably) were expecting a game just like the first one, but some of us were just stoked to be playing another PE game.
Avalanche Reviews I understand why everyone prefer the first one, it's a really really good game. But for me personally I like the second one a little bit better especially the atmosphere i played the game a very long time ago maybe when I was 10 years old the first was really fun, but the second felt very creepy for me i was so scared to play alone especially when the people turned in front of you in a short cut scene like the one in the restaurant, and the graphics and camera angles looked much more believable and realistic to my eyes when I was younger, and wish that the third birthday continued what PE2 did. In the end of the day everybody has their own opinions, right? Hhhh
Definitely nothing wrong with that. I appreciated all those same things about it when I first played it. I still love the atmosphere.
I was the same way back in the day because it was so similar to resident evil (in game play) and being a huge RE fan, i loved that. Over the years once i played more of the first PE and came to understand the mechanics more (including the addictive weapon customization) it soon became the preferable game. Love the original.
Everything you say indicates you like games like resident evil or silent hill. Parasite eve wasn't supposed to be that. Square got greedy and messed up a good thing they had because they wanted to cash in on the success of other games. It's fine to like the second one better, but you need to understand it's part of a series and it can't be judged on its own exclusively, it has to be reviewed as part of a whole too. As such, it fails.
PE2 has become one of my favorite games to play. It has that perfect nostalgic feel of the 90s games and it mimics RE so well.
Love this game! Man, that unconventionaly immersive atmosphere, I wish I could live in a place like Dryfield!
A lot of people complained about spending so much time in Dryfield, but I loved it as a location.
@@AvalancheReviews same!
This is one of my favorite games from the ps1. I actually prefer this one over the first one, but i still play both games regularly ( i actually just beat the first game a couple weeks ago for the first time, i was never able to get past the final boss before lol). I don't really have any issues with this game's controls either.
It's not so much the controls that were an issue for me, but the environments not being built to support the controls. I love tank controls, but having to maneuver in a real time fight, in narrow hallways, with enemies that have projectile attacks, is a pain. This doesn't really kick in till the underground bunker, but it was still annoying. I agree though, they're both incredible games.
My absolute favorite parts of this game were indeed the prerendered backgrounds and all the flavor text that came along with them! I loved exploring every little nook and cranny just to see how Aya would comment about it- I feel like those little details really fleshed out her character
That's always one of the more enjoyable parts of these type of games.
I agree about PE2 not being a good sequel, but I still prefer this one over the first game, because of its atmosphere and ANMC's design. I LOVE how "militaristic" it feels (for the lack of a better word). The shelter lab was done FAR better than in Resident Evil games in my opinion. It really felt to me like I'm in a place I shouldn't visit, like I'm seeing stuff I shouldn't be seeing. And Neo-Ark is so beautiful and evil at the same time, the organs playing when you first enter this location is still to this day one of the most memorable moments I experienced in gaming.
Parasite Eve 2 was my favorite out of the 3. I play it at least once a year.
I've wouldn't say it's my favorite, because I kind of see it as separate from the first, I did love it. It was one of the most interesting games I had ever played at that point in my life.
God I miss this game I can't tell you how many times I've played it one and two. I really wish they would revisit it. I won't say my age but let's say I'm old enough to have actually gone to the store when this was initially released great memories
I date myself every time I mention something about renting a game. I imagine there are people who watch my videos that are so young, they have no idea what the hell that even means. HA!
Just played through this game. I avoided the problems you had with targeting by just deselecting the target whenever I needed to focus on avoiding. You just press circle after you're done shooting and she wont auto-rotate anymore.
Besides that cool video & overall retrospective. The Parasite Eve games are very under-appreciated.
..............wait..........are you serious!!!??! Fuck! I didn't even know I could do that. I was just playing exactly how I did when i was a teenager. Honestly, I might replay the damn game now. That would get rid of a large portion of what bothered me.
lol yeah you can. I can tell from that alone my experience was way less frustrating. Just started playing through the PE series this month for the first time ever. So it was cool getting the perspective of a lifetime fan. Loved them both. (3rd birthday looks like trash tho. Just saw your 3rd part... wtf did they do to Maeda?)
A not-as-severe-but-still-similar thing happened with me and RE3. The first time I played it I didn't know there was a separate button to target explosives. Way less frustrating playing it again after I found out.
That's awesome! I love it when people get into the PE series. Yeah, targeting the barrels with L, is a game changer in RE3. As for 3rd birthday...............yeah.............it's total garbage.
Whoa, caught out!
D'OH! I think they even point out deselecting in the shooting range tutorial...which then gets promptly and completely forgotten...I never really got the hang of the "shift target" mechanics in any case.
Im glad there are others who love this game because the haters are really starting to piss me the hell off
awesome part 2! back when it came out I was so disappointed about this being so different that I hard quit out. I actually didn't play it until several years after, around 2013, and by then I had grown to be a huge RE fan so in that second try I actually ended up loving the game since I had a chance to dive into the PE universe again and really enjoyed the gameplay. Thank goodness for it being released digitally so I could give it a chance again on the PSP
I've heard a lot of other people who had a similar experience, but for some reason, I loved it right from the start. I can understand how jarring it can be, coming straight from 1 to 2 though.
I.have it on my PS3 and PS Vita.
I love PE 2! It's one of my favorite games!
It looks as if they lifted some of resident evil 2'S backgrounds sprite for sprite... The parking lot wall from the police station for example is identical. (1:22)
They use assets that look exactly like the interior of the umbrella labs.
I prefer this one over the first TBH. Played many many times! Good review 👌
somehow managed to play this game at age 5. i only remembered playing it till the first cutscene with the "civilian" in the cafeteria and the pure fear i had trying to run away from it and quiting after i arrived in the town. i found it 17 years later in an old box. time to defeat my childhood nightmares
One of my favourite PS1 games
This may be my favorite entry in the series, but that may be due to me being such a huge Resident Evil fan
I can't blame you. I love the game.
customization in the first one were a joke. Stats increase or ''oh looky now my handgun now has elemental bullets''. I dont get why its a downgrade and a bummer its a feature they removed. I mean, there is what, 4-5 diffrent guns max in the first one. only stats and combination of effect made a diffrence. In 2, you just have a huge choice of arsenal and less BS pseudo crafting.
Finally someones speaks the truth. PE1 to me looked like a cartoon game, and the BIG customization? I don't see it. You get the "tool" thing, and thats all. Remove this, add that, makes no sense (at least to me.) I don't understand why everyone compares it saying its BETTER when it looks like a cartoon game (similar to the FFVII art.) To me the only good thing about PE1 is the story. From there on, even the sound effects were bad. Don't get me wrong, PE1 is a good game but PE2 is superior in everything else. Ok some people dislike the tank controls but me being a Resident Evil fan, it's one of the things I love about it.
PE1 customization wasn't realistic, but it was FUN. The PE2 arsenal isn't "huge", unless you have the patience to seek out every single possible opponent and grind for BP. And/or replay the game 2-3x. As much as I liked the game (despite not finishing the final boss battle on the first try) I don't have that much patience. Now, as far as PE abilities go, I did like PE2 set better than the original.
PE2 was overall a better RE than any PSX RE. It's a shame we didn't get more
absolutely love prerendered backgrounds in games or (at least) fixed camera angles. so sad that games dont ever use them no more 😥
+Cheappy V Me too. You just can't go wrong with a good pre rendered background.
Personally i love PE2. Hell i prefer it over PE1. I like it with less RPG and the graphics are much better and beautiful. Enemies and bosses are also more interesting and creepy.
I once went to a game store and saw the Japanese version. I bought it. What's cool is that they said if I came back, they'd print me a walkthrough. I did, and they did.
The first one was superior
But i started with PE2 so i fully enjoyed both
The best thing about this one is the unlockable gun blade that you can actually FIRE (suck it Squall). And its very satisfying when you one hit kill your enemy with it.
To be honest I like this more than the first game. Don't get me wrong I'm an RPG fan during that time but playing mostly RPGs this game's gameplay gave me a breath of fresh air.
Wow I forgot about PE1 and PE2 thanks for taking me back to my teen years, I never finished them I know what I'm doing this weekend
That's a damn fine weekend plan!
Going into part 2 strong, and definitely pointing out the weird changes from game to game
The targeting is frustrating, but I learned to adjust so I wouldn't take so much damage. I discovered that on subsequent playthroughs, I relied too much on unlocked weapons like Mongoose and AS12. So to challenge myself I play a "new game" every now and then.
I liked it more than the first.
Sorry, dude, but this game is a worthy successor to the first game. You make it sound like it's cool and then shit all over it, because it doesn't do exactly what you want. Faults aside, this game has a great story, great atmosphere, and a decent soundtrack. It's a lot of fun, so what more do you want? A good follow up, if you ask me.
"Faults aside, this game has a great story, great atmosphere, and a decent soundtrack"
Your comment is almost exactly what I said about the game in this video. The tank controls are not implemented well. That's coming from a guy loves tank controls. Since a large portion of the game is combat, not being able to move around very well, is a big deal. Like I said in the video, I love the game, but it's not what fans of part 1 may be looking for, since the first game was a turn based rpg, and this is a full on survival horror game.
Sam Clegg I agree completely
They had a pretty much perfect formula and shat all over it to imitate resident evil and get some of that sweet sweet money. Great story, great atmosphere and good music do not a game make. The cornerstone of a game is its gameplay, and this game did that poorly in an attempt to be something it wasn't, which makes it a bad parasite eve.
Only just discovering your channel. I grew up on PS1 RPG's, started playing games originally on the Atari 2600 lol.
But PS1 RPG, racing games and fighting games is where my real time was.
It was an amazing console and and amazing time to play games. Don't get me wrong, I love the rpgs on the snes, but the ps1 blows it out of the water.
Good review! 👏 BTW that auto aim that makes movement super annoying in battle, can be canceled by pressing Circle,and you can move and dodge just fine 😂 04:30
PE 2 is better game than PE 1. There, I said it.
Story-wise they are both good, with 1 being better. But the fights were awesome in 2. There was just much more depth to PE2 as a whole.
Just picked up the first one based on your recommendation. I need some free time to start it. Btw your voice is perfect for vids. So many tubers have lisps and impediments,etc.
That's awesome! Let me know if you end up liking it I actually watch a youtuber with a lisp, and to be honest, it distracts the hell out of me, so I'm glad I can be a little easy to listen to.
Avalanche Reviews I stick to a lot of Twitch streaming, but I have quite a few followers that want me to do more things online with my voice; I don't have any motivation to do anything other than the live dialogue I have with viewers. I come to you for game reviews and solid game knowledge. You've helped me keep my persistence in the Stalker games.
Avalanche Reviews holy crap I was just wanting you to do a video over this!...did I already comment that and give you this suggestion to make a video like this or was it just a coincidence?
i absolutely love getting comments like this! Glad to be of service.
Can't remember if you've ever suggested it to be honest, but if you did, it worked. Ha! I've been wanting to do a full series retrospective for a while, and now that I have an hdmi capture device, you can expect a lot more like this.
Clicked faster than flash! :P keep up the great work man!
I absolutely will!
first one is a masterpiece but the whole series is great cus each is different
Very accurate retrospective. PE2 was good too, but it lacked the overall feel of the original and it didn’t present a Chrysler Building type game-or have the wide range of weapons and true customizable options....but I still liked it.
I really liked that the first was a RPG inspired by survival horor and the second being a Survival Horror with RPG elements. Like the flipped the concept around. Wouldve liked to see what else they did with the series... i mean... Third Birthday was a thing...
I have played this game just over 100 times now and still love it. I picked it up as a used game knowing nothing about the original. I too had issues with the "lock on" aiming feature until I found the by pressing the O button the lock releases. The fact it only took me 15 years to figure it out is slightly embarrassing though lol. For a PS 1 game the look of the game is mind blowing. For anyone who enjoyed Resident Evil (1,2,3 and Veronica) and the original Dino Crisis this game will not disappoint. The only people who do not like it are those who liked the original PE. After loving PE 2 so much I went out and got the original expecting something similar. After playing for about 30 minutes my only reaction was "Oh no, and paid money for this." The games are totally different. Comparing them is like comparing Resident Evil to Silent Hill.
If I do not say too much stupidity this episode has been more or less developed from the old members of the project RE1.5 from Capcom who migrated to Square.
In any case I love this episode, more action than survival, more simplistic in its inventory management but a treat for those who love pre-rendered background, and tank control.
This game is awesome. Haters can suck it
Seriously, Aya makes the game enjoyable to play, love both Parasite eve but my favorite is the second one ❤
Huh, never played this one, had no idea it was so different. Need to get both of them again at some point. Also, there was a point where you said the 3D modelling at Square got better, and I just wanted to mention that this is very often more attributable to programmers finding/inventing better optimisation techniques as they gain more experience with the hardware and/or software.
Again, I play this in that time I was really looking for some Resident Evil games without be CAPCOM's franchise. And I love it!
+Igo Dreamer same here. I like seeing survival horror through the lens of another company.
I replay this game every year or 2 that makes it a very good game
I love it
Love that game, never felt that gameplay controls were bad, just demand good knowledge of the enemy, avoiding enemies on a fight is always a thing on that game, and their patern are just right to let you do so, still challenging as a survival and strategic as an rpg.
The lock is a specific thing which separate pe2 from every games because for the first another game use those controls " vagrant story " and those controls even if they are cool introduce weird thing that pe2 in comparison seems much natural, enemies are not suppose to wait while you attack them, combat without taking damage can take very long but definitevely possible
Just think that pe2 is challenging not bad in its controls, in that game moving / timing / position are keys! The upgrades in that game are much realistic
I liked this one more than PE1. Seemed smoother, like playing Mass Effect 2 after finishing ME1.
I got the buy this game as a present for one of my birthday so long ago. While I don't think it's as good as the first game, I ended up enjoying it more since it was easier to pick up and play after having not played it for a while. Diablo 2 was the first game I ever purchased with my own money.
I just picked up PE2 as well. Lucky to have a ma and pop retro store a few miles away. Im not gunna try it out til I finish PE1. The PE1 battle system is working for me better than I thought it would, I really dig it. Kinda pissed I missed out all these years. Id hear of PE just never looked at it too hard
Nothing wrong with getting a late start. Definitely better late, than never.
I think Happy Videogame Nerd said it best.
i must be the only person who didn't get stuck in corners or have Aya misbehave when dodging enemies. The last time i played, i almost always managed not to take damage.
at least you can see the enemies in the second game and not have a damn random encounter every 10 seconds like in the first one
anyway great retrospective videos and you should totally do a series on Dino Crisis
+Yugoslavian Alien Thanks! I would love to cover the Dino Crisis games! I'll definitely be looking at them, later on down the line.
dont even dare to touch Aya ! part 2 was the best ! God damn it, why nobody creating static background those days. It was so fun !
Drifield`s atmosphere was magical !
Someone please tell CAPCOM to make remake of squaresofts Parasite Eve lol :)))
I hope you give pe2 some justice. I prefer p2 more than pe.
I remember Derek Alexander's review of this one was pretty much in line with this. Those tight corridors are rough to deal with. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the character models in this one. They look better, totally agreed, but they also look different than the original. Aya doesn't look like the same person, at all.
That's true. She looks pretty different. If you as me, they made her more..........uh....bottom heavy. HA
LULZ, normally I'm very ok with more junk in the trunk. But, no, her face and features look totally different. She also looks less athletic and more like she should be wearing uggs and drinking pumpkin spice lattes.
I've played this game with my best friend when were kids, taking naps in between, I have so many good memories of this.
I think I actually enjoyed it more than the original PE (Not saying it's better, just that I've enjoyed it more)
The controls were difficult as swapping between enemies you aimed your gun at was far too slow and running was slooow also, but that was my only gameplay issue.
This is still a game which all these years after I can still come back to and enjoy. Like the classic Resident Evils I find Parasite Eve 2 is a game that’s aged pretty well.
It was my first PE game, I test the first one once but, never finish it. PE2 is one of the best surivor horror games I ever play, no doubt it have a place in my heart. Funny thing is, this game is pretty much hated around the world specially because the changes you said, Jared, but is very loved in my country (Brazil).
+Igo Dreamer I never knew it was such a hit over there. That's awesome. At the time, a survival horror rpg was still a really crazy idea, so I get why people like it. Hell, I still like it.
Believe! And, about a survivor horror RPG being a crazy idea, I still like to play Koldeka. Looks like a interesting game very much! What you thinking?
I actually made a video about it. It was the second video I ever made, so it's pretty crappy. Thinking about revisiting it someday.
So glad to see someone cover the PSOne Parasite Eve games! They are some of my favourites ever!
I think you did a good job of covering PE1 in such a short video. It is incredibly complicated and unique and I srtuggle when trying to explain it to friends. That said its flaws (which you mentioned) seem to bother me more than you. In terms of gameplay I feel everything other than the weapon customisation system is really subpar. The magic powers are useless for anything outside a few key spells (haste/healing/barrier) and moving around the environment is agonising due to the slow movement speed. The script is pretty poorly written or localised even for the time and the game just doesn't look very good. You can tell it was an early attempt at making 3D games. I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone who didn't love that type of story.
Parasite Eve 2 on the other hand is one of my all time favourites. I've played it over twenty times lol. I love the critcisms you made about the tank controls being clumsily implemented. I've never really thought about it but I can immidiately see it's true. It takes A LOT of practice to use them to maneuver effectively, even if you've played other tank control games. But I feel the magic system is way better (so many great abilities for support or attack) and the defined weapons are far more interesting. PE1 is about creating the best generic stat stick (which is objectively a machine gun from the Chrysler Building the MP5SD6) whereas every gun in PE2 has a unique personality and role. Plus the extra difficulties added in New Game Plus add totally new ways to play. Bounty Mode ups the challenge of combat to 11 annd Scavenger turns the game from your own personal slaughterhouse to an actual survival horror game. Plus the presentation is just better. The game looks better, is written better, the UI is better etc etc. It is a better game even if it could have been improved by retaining the movement control from the first game to better complement the targeting system.
Anyway thanks for covering these old classics, even if our opinions on the game are totally reversed. :)
Happy to share some nostalgia with a fellow fan! I know it came off negative, but I love pe2.i most have put more than 80 hours into it over the years, but going back and playing it, I struggled with mechanics that u had got used to, but I assumed most before wouldn't enjoy. That's the problem with reviewing games. Sometimes I have to say, "I loved this game, but most people probably won't"
Avalanche Reviews Yeah I understand. A review has to be objective, to some extent at least. I don't know if I could be properly neutral about PE2 though!
I have that same problem with a lot of games.
I also saved up for this game with my own money and bought it day one. When I put the game in the ps1 I was completely taking aback. Honestly, as being a die hard fan of the series, I feel like Parasite Eve 2 created an happy medium for me. It's one of my top games of all time. However, the sound track wasn't as great this time around. Fortunately, i'm a fan of the composer himself and he did an awesome job for his style of music compositions. PE2 takes you on a trip you wasn't expecting to experience like Parasite Eve did the first time. Overall, it's a solid game.
I agree. Oddly enough, the switch to survival horror never even phased me. For some reason, I just picked up the controller and played it. Even though it's a poorly designed survival horror game, I still love it to death.
I actually prefer this one over the original, but Im also Resident Evil fan too. Also, is it possible to have a 100% clear in the game? Ive replayed it many times over, and that last 1% keeps eluding me..
I've never even got 99%, so I have no idea. I can understand why you like this one so much. It is really special, but the first is still my fav.
in my opinion one should not compare the games side by side, since they are different genres. PE1 is more of an action rpg, where PE2 is more of an action adventure with mild rpg elements. Both games are games respectively as I think.
I actually prefer this than the first, back when its release, i still crazy about RE2, so i see this game as a nice variation at first, but damn this hooked me up
The graphics are beautiful, the ost was nice, Aya has way more personality than Claire, the guns has a real feeling and the "mods" really done well, and replay value is amazing
My biggest gripe with this game is its runtime, Aya's adventure this time really feels short, i think one more disc wouldnt hurt the experience
I was a huge fan of PE1 back in the day and I thought PE2 was an abomination. I'm actually pretty surprised to see so many people defending it in the comments as when it came out it was pretty unanimously regarded as inferior. It dropped the slick visual style of the first, lost the iconic music, and traded in its engaging gameplay systems for a clunky generic imitation of survival horror to cash in. I wasn't a fan of the direction they decided to take the series, but I guess everyone has their own taste.
I loved survival horror to begin with, so this was a good fit for me. I just wish it would have been a better attempt at the genre. i still love it for what it is, but I can't say it's anywhere near as good as part 1.
Ahhhhh we got another Quasi! lol awesome video as always. I pretty much agree with everything you said but I still had lots of fun with the game even though I got frustrated 75% of the way and hard quit. I probably just like it because I'm still hungry for these kind of games so it's always a treat to play one you haven't yet played. Keep up the awesome work!
HAAAA! I was hoping you would catch that. Not sure if I use quasi in the third video, but I might just add it in for consistency. HA! No joke, that's exactly how I am with it. I'm glad I was able to get the point across though. I was a little worried it would come off too negative. Thanks for the love
Parasite Eve 2 is a cut above the first game to be honest. Very underappreciated Gem.
I will agree that it is very underrated, but I think part one is the best for sure.
If the controls were better, I'd give it a chance but i ditched it immediately after trying to figure out how to walk
best game in the series (as is very often with trilogies)
I don't know if there even is a best game in the series. They're all so different, I can;t even compare them. I think the first has the best overall feel, but I can't deny that part 2 is fucking awesome.
this aint survival horror tho. u cant really run out of ammo and its not intendet to dodge enemys. its more like an fixed-cameras-shooter-rpg and i fucking love it.
Here in England we didnt get a PAL release of PE1. We only had PE2 and I utterly adore it
I didnt play the first until this year. Made a faux US account on PSN and bought DC1 and 2 along with PE1.
It's alright, but I much prefer PE2.
I remember this being for PS2 the graphics were so good
Love this game!! I Had it on japanese so i made it into half of the game without knowing about magic
Yea, as a sequel to such a unique title like Parasite Eve, it was a serious misstep. But as its own game, PE2 was still pretty fun for what it was, and certainly better than what would come after it.
I like the second one a lot.
Me too!
I was actually scared playing the second one. Both games to me are classic.
I would not disagree with you at all
huh, this looked more like Dino Crisis in combat pacing but slightly worse in the control department in my humble opinion at least. And i did finish Dino Crisis Series (except the xbox version) and i can say Square just needed to tweak the movement a teeny tiny bit on the fast side and also make turning at the enemy a little faster and BAM! Buttery smooth for a survival horror for that time
I agree completely! If they gave it another shot, it would have made for a great game.
I really enjoyed your review of this but I really do feel like the second game is better overall. The combat is different but overall I liked it way better than I did PE1. I feel like it did tank controls and aiming better than RE at the time. As I still have bad memories of having to "aim upwards" at things in RE only to still miss, while in PE2 I could lock on and actually hit what I was aiming at. Though I will agree that a lot of the environments were very tight, though I think this is more of a point in favor because the series made the shift over to more Suvival Horror than RPG.
+Cris Moreno in my opinion, you can't go wrong with either. It's like square made two games that both covered my two favorite genres, but in completely different ways.
Parasite Eve and PE2 have very little in common. The first game had a source material for starters, then again in that sense PE1 was a spin-off of that material in the same sense PE2 is a spin-off too PE1, so I guess it kind of make sense.
In PE1 the main protagonist (and one of the hottest female characters in videogames [I am totally not biased or in love with Aya Brea... You are!]), had much more development, and characterization, in PE2 she's sadly kind of generic though female secret agent super woman.
One of the most driving forces of her character in PE1 was her humanity, her dealing with these powers, and her questioning herself and her own abilities.
There are simply put, none of that in PE2. With perhaps a brief exception, Maya. (I'm not going to spoil, and those of you who played PE1 and 2 know whom I'm referring to.) Other than that Aya stays the same throughout the entirety of PE2.
Tl:dr; PE1 ans PE2 share name only and are in essence not sequels.
Thanks for reading this far, and have a nice day/evening/night.
Needs a remake for the modern era but needs to keep tank controls.
I always felt that PE2 was the "Resident Evil 4" of the PE series despite only have 3 titles.
Like RE4 or even SH3 in a sense, it is still a great game but was the turning point in the series from neglecting it's roots. I also felt that it was a lot more action oriented rather than sticking to PE's survival horror/RPG mechanic hence why I compare it to RE4.
Makes me wonder what PE would've been like if SE further kept the series going after 3rd bday.
Also it would've been nice if we weren't restricted to the Dryfield area too.
I would have loved to see PE continue with the formula in 2. All of my problems with the game were clearly issues that stemmed from square not knowing how to make a resident evil game. I think they could have nailed it, with a few more tries.
I agree. The action was really fun. But as you said, Square was struggling around wrestling the Survival horror concept.
With that, I especially enjoyed the post game and replayable content like with Bounty mode. Made it so much fun looking to earn the Squall's Gunblade from FF8
Exactly my thoughts. They had a good thing and crapped all over it out of greed.
I dont think that this game even comes close to the word "failure".
I am a huge survival horror and ofc a Resident Evil fan (first experience: RE3). And I played Parasite Eve 2 after my RE impressions. A couple of years ago I even revisited the whole classic franchise in the RE department and played PE2 afterwards. I got everything unlocked while playing all the difficulties in order to get the core expirience, perhaps like these games were intented to play.
That being said, IMO this game is an absolute masterpiece and did nearly everything better and more interesting then the actual (classic) RE-Franchise.
The presentation was pretty much the pinnacle of the PS1-Era (talking about folks behind Final Fantasy, you guys! ;D).
The Soundtrack alone is absolutely insane (try "Nightmare in the Battlefield" and then while gameplay ;)). The Atmosphere is somewhere in between RE and SH. The game has a very cool and fresh battlesystem as well as a atypical approach with items in general and a rpg-element that wasnt too demanding. All in all an interesting progression with a lot of replay value.
About the whole controls and targeting issue: its not depressing and bad at all - you just had to get used to it. Think about all the ppl that complain about Tank-Controlls - the once who learned to appreciate it, understand the intention behind it and how (while being outdated by today's standards) it has its place aaaand works very well after you actually get used to it.
It was very much the same experience for me with PE2 - once I got the hang of it, it became a pretty unique feature. The enemy-targeting is a lot more three-dimensional then ppl were used to back in the day, and again: it works well.
Dont get me wrong, I get your perspective and Im probably "fanboying" the hell out of this topic to some extent. But this game deserves a LOT of credit. A Remaster for sure, aaah what am I saying... - WE NEED A DAMN REMAKE BY SQUARE!!! They absolutely have to redeem themselves, after the Abomination that is called "3rd Birthday".
Or at least I will keep dreaming until some Indie-Developer with the same love and passion for that game, will recreate its potential in a modern setting.
Btw even though I disagree with some of your points, you still did a very professional retrospective and I like what you do and how you do it. I subscribed - keep it on ;).
That's fine if you feel that way, but it sold less than the first game and was never followed up, unless you count the 3rd person shooter on the psp an actual follow up. I wasn't saying it was a failure in terms of gameplay. It failed because it sold terribly.
@@AvalancheReviews Yeah, sadly it wasnt a finacial success. I think it was propably too complicated for the gaming market at the time. PE2 does require some adjustment and maybe a little dedication. But the patience is worth it ;)
Sidenote: To this day Aya Brea is still the hotest protagonist in all of the Survival Horror genre xP.
Thx for your response. Have a good one, mate!
I'm surprised Coca Cola didn't sponsor this retrospective.
For real, Squaresoft? Fucking Coca-Cola?
excelent game, deserves a remake in ps4
This is the one I didn't finish I'm sorry to say. I did finish one and three but not two. but this is a good game and I didn't have much of a problem with this one. At lease Aya isn't slow movie like in one. Great video though I'm wondering what you have to say about three.
+Leon0000 I feel like this is one of those games that you don't really have to finish. The experience is the important part.
best game
You sound like the voice actor for Sly Cooper. Nice channel you got a subscribe 👍
Thank you! Glad to have ya aboard.
It might be because I played this game first (Europe didn't get the first game unfortunately, so I couldn't play the first game until much later when I got it for 200 yen in Japan), but I liked it over PE1, and I actually thik PE1 is a great game.
I found myself pretty comfortable with its controls, and felt Aya controlled fine. It's not as good nor accessible in this department compared to Dino Crisis 2 (another one of my favourite PS1 games), but once you know how to approach it, it feels fairly great.
Every enemy has so much thought in it, and it's actually pretty funny to learn their patterns and weaknesses. Their setting make them such nightmare fuel...
Even though there is no more weapon customization (except for attachments on a few of them), the sheer variety of weapons is vastly superior to its predecesor, and even the weapons of the same type feel very different from each other, (P8 with its high critical rate is one of my favourite weapons in this game) giving you a lot of options to explore to decide what works better against the different enemies. On the other hand, PE (a.k.a the magic in this game) adds a lot in terms of strategy and makes this game fairly unique compared to other games in the genre.
I can see why this game isn't very appreciated by fans of its precursor, but I still love to play it every once and then. Sorry for such a long comment but yeah, I kinda could keep talking a lot about this game.
I get that a lot from people who lived in Europe. I can understand it though. This was a really good game, and I have a lot of fond memories with it, but coming back to it, I was really surprised at how poorly the controls worked. I mean, I've been playing survival horror games since the genre started, but for some reason, PE2 just does not play well for me.
You're really good.
Thanks! You're not too bad yourself
It's kinda strange how Parasite Eve II was released here in the PAL region but not the first one. Even now you can't get the original game on PSN, what gives?
It makes no damn sense to me, why they just wouldn't make both available from the beginning. What possible reason could they have had??