Parasite Eve 3 / The 3rd birthday

Yoshinori Kitase, Hajime Tabata, Motomu Toriyama and Iasmu Kamikokuryo are all featured in an interview at Famitsu.com. What are they talking about?

 

The 3rd Birthday, of course! These four serve respectively as the PSP title's producer, director, scenario writer and art director.

 

The long and the short is, there's some new info on the Parasite Eve followup at Famitsu.com, including an in-depth description of the Overdive system, details on the game's background story, and an explanation of why Aya's clothes tear apart. And what's this about some hints at a console followup?

 

Read on for a summary of the interview.

 

Concept and Switch to PSP

 

The concept of The 3rd Birthday, said Kitase, is to carry over the world view and taste of Parasite Eve, but create a completely original title featuring a greater emphasis on the Aya Brea character.

 

Square Enix originally announced the game as a cell phone title. According to Tabata, it was originally planned to be episodic, with each episode playing out like an overseas drama (this refers to stuff like 24, Lost and Heroes).

 

The reason it was changed to PSP, said Kitase, is because the quality of the gameplay and cut-in effects exceeded the framework of cell phones. Also, they wanted to push the game on a global scale.

 

The episodic nature of the story's construction is still in place, said Toriyama. They're currently doing voice recording, and the voice performances will apparently be like what you'd find in an overseas drama.

 

The Changing Main Visual

 

The change in platform resulted in a vastly different main visual. I thought this part of the interview was so neat that I wrote a separate story about it.

 

Action RPG

 

The 3rd Birthday has in the past been described as a TPS, or third person shooter. Asked if the game's genre is TPS, Tabata said it's an "action RPG." You use guns, but it's not something where you aim and fire at enemies. Instead, it's "lock-on action," where you use a lock-on button to lock on to enemies. To this, the game adds the the Overdive system and RPG growth elements.

 

Overdive

 

As previously detailed, Overdive is a skill Aya has that lets her consciousness take over the bodies of NPC soldiers who are spread out across Manhatten to fight the invading Twisted creatures. The skill is an integral part of both the storyline and gameplay.

 

Toriyama explained the story part. Aya is a former FBI agent and now a member of a federal organization called C.T.I, or Counter Twisted Investigation. She's the only person capable of using the Overdive skill, which is mankind's "trump card" in defeating the Twisted.

 

Aya is not particularly good in combat, but she doesn't actually enter combat. She remains in C.T.I headquarters and sends her consciousness out to the various battle fields via Overdive.

 

Tabata took up the gameplay part. Using Overdive, you can make Aya's consciousness jump instantly from one NPC soldier to another. You'll then be able to take control of the NPC.

 

You might have figured this out already from the screenshots, but the game changes the enemy's graphic into Aya. This, explained Tabata, is done in order to make the game easier to understand in terms of gameplay. Aya's body isn't actually there though -- just her consciousness.

 

For the most part, you can think of Aya's life as being one with the NPC into which she's dived. Tabata did note, however, that they're planning on adding a system where Aya's development will add some support to the life of the NPCs.

 

Due to the Overdive system, The 3rd Birthday has some peculiarities with how it handles death. Let's say an NPC is about to die. You can perform an Overdive, which puts the game into slow motion. As long as Aya is still conscious, she'll be able to jump over to another NPC, even if the NPC she's in has zero life. You can see this zero life Overdive happen in the E3 trailer.

 

There are multiple classes of NPC soldiers, but the standard type die off quickly. And violently too, it seems. When attacked by a Twisted, the NPCs experience a sharp pain and spurt out blood.

 

Although he questions the moral side, Tabata expects beginner players to make use of the zero life Overdives frequently -- that is, dive into a soldier and use it for direct attacks until it's about to die, then dive into another soldier.

 

Advanced players, however, will be able to play more strategically, diving into a soldier to position it on the battle field, then jumping to another soldier to position it in a separate point. You're controlling the battle field, in other words.

 

Tabata detailed some strategic possibilities here. You can, for instance, attempt to draw an enemy towards one soldier, then dive into a soldier behind the enemy and thus aim for the enemy's back. This is a basic strategy for the game. You can also position troops against special walls to make them perform group attacks.

 

The game isn't a strategy title, though. The pressure will gradually build up from the enemy. You'll have to decide when to combat enemies by strategic use of Overdiving, and when to make a soldier go into battle head-on.

 

Action appears to actually be the focus. To help get a sense the balance between action and strategy, Kitase explained that the staff is emphasizing the game's action tempo, and adding a strategic taste on top of that.

 

You'll usually find between three and four Overdive targets appearing at once on a field, said Tabata. This varies depending on the area. I'm not sure if Tabata is saying that there will be this many Overdive targets throughout the entirety of a stage, or if this is the number you'll have in your immediate vicinity at any given time.

 

The NPCs have a variety of weapons. As detailed earlier, you can see what weapons are available before deciding whom to dive into. You'll need to consider each weapon's special characteristics and how compatible they are with your current foes. Sample weapons mentioned by Tabata include a shot gun and a sniper rifle.

 

Even though you're using the NPCs' weapons, there's a customization component to the weapon system. Separate from the NPC weapons, you'll be able to bring your own customized weapons into the fight. While your customized weapons may be more powerful, they're limited in ammunition, so in general, you'll end up relying on the NPC weapons.

 

There seem to be some other customizations for Aya beyond the weapons. Tabata said that, similar to past entries in the series, you'll be able to make yourself stronger through customizations.

 

He also hinted at some sort of special new ability for Aya, of similar fashion to the Parasite Energy that appeared in past Parasite Eve games.

 

Nudity

 

Fitting the game's concept of "featuring" the Aya character, a large section of the interview is about the character.

 

One of the keywords for the game is "Lost Past," said Toriyama. Aya is not fighting for her friends. Instead, she's in a section of C.T.I, fighting with the thought that she has no place of her own except for the battle field.

 

It should be noted that when they mention "past," this doesn't mean you'll be seeing characters from past Parasite Eve games. In terms of story, The 3rd Birthday is completely new, explained Toriyama. The game features, for the most part, original characters.

 

The Aya character has "a secret." This secret plays into why the character has a different air about her when compared to the first two Parasite Eve games. Apparently, something happened in Aya's past, and she closed up her heart. She's become a character who feels weakness from that past happening.

 

I never played the older Parasite Eve games, but it appears there was a shower scene of some form involving Aya. Famitsu asked if there will be a shower scene in The 3rd Birthday. Tabata would only respond "We understand how great the expectations are."

 

While it's not clear that you'll see Aya in the shower, you will see lots and lots of flesh. Her clothes apparently tear apart during battle.

 

Tabata explained that the clothing is actually equipment. You can apparently send her out sleeveless, and this will end up showing off greater skin when her clothing tears during battle. However, she'll end up incurring more damage with this weaker clothing. The more resilient clothing, when damaged, won't show as much skin.

 

So how did this system come about? It looks like this is the handy work of Tetsuya Nomura.

 

According to Tabata, Kitase told the staff to not make the game in such a way that it would end with just one title. Additionally, the staff was hoping to potentially bring the series to a console if this first entry received support from players. This is where Nomura came into the picture. He had the idea that if the game were brought to a console, it would be interesting to have Aya's damage shown by her clothing being damaged. They ended up including the system in The 3rd Birthday as a test.

 

You might have noticed something totally incongruent about the tearing clothes. If Aya is only sending out her consciousness to the NPCs, and the game is only showing Aya's body for convenience, how can her clothes be tearing? Famitsu asked if the tearing clothes are meant to be Aya's own image. Responded Tabata, "No, it's probably just our image."

 

Outside of the tearing clothes, you'll also get to see Aya partially naked during the event scenes where she performs an Overdive. Said Toriyama, "While in overdive, she's just a consciousness, so the image is nudity. However, when she lands, she's clothed. It's pretty embarrassing."

 

Twisted

 

So what are the Twisted creatures against whom Aya wages battle? According to Toriyama, the FBI wasn't able to figure out their true form, but it's believed they've come from the future.

 

Famitsu asked what exactly their form is supposed to be, to which Kitase zinged, "They're twisted." Kamikokuryo joked that as part of the design, you're not supposed to understand what they are.

 

More seriously, Kamikokuryo said that the keyword for the design is indeed "twisted." This is how they're shaped, but the term "twisted" also applies to their related effects, the blood spray, and the space around them.

 

Outside of just the look, it's supposed to be difficult to anticipate where they're going to move or what they're going to do next.

 

All this is apparently meant to give a feeling of fear that you're being attacked by these strange creatures.

 

Wireless Functionality

 

There won't be any. Tabata said The 3rd Birthday is being made as a "top class single player game."

 

I'm not sure what this has to do with multiplayer play, but Tabata decided to use a car analogy here. "The battery consumption is also severe... it's like a Ferrari. The fuel economy is bad, but we have confidence in the content."

 

Okee...

 

Meaningless Numbers

 

So how far along is The 3rd Birthday? Tabata came up with an original response to this question: the game's quality is 70% while the game as a whole is 50%.

 

Kitase Gets His Hands Dirty

 

Kitase is the game's producer, but he also seems to have a hidden role on the game: stage creator.

 

He said in the interview that Tabata requested that he make the stage data himself for a section of the game just prior to the climax.

 

Tabata joked that Kitase would often say that he left his soul with Final Fantasy VII spinoff Dirge of Cerberus. Tabata asked for Kitase's help on The 3rd Birthday, another gun game, in order to help him get the soul back.

 

No, I don't know what they're talking about either.

 

Start of a new series

 

In closing comments, Toriyama chose some slightly odd wording to hype up the game. "Until Final Fantasy Agito XIII comes out, this will be tops on PSP." Sounds like he's also promoting Agito!

 

Toriyama also said, "A game and story that you won't believe are on PSP await, so look forward to it."

 

Adding to the talk of a console entry above, Kitase suggested that The 3rd Birthday could be the start of a series. "We ask for your support so that this title can be the starting point for a new series."

 

Hey, who let Tetsuya Nomura in here?

 

The site decided to include a comment from Tetsuya Nomura to close off the interview. This was also included in this week's print Famitsu.

 

Said Nomura, "There are many who call it Parasite Eve 3, but it's not a sequel in the Parasite Eve series but a new piece of content called The 3rd Birthday. The tense battles that have a horror-action style, the event scenes which aim to be the highest level on PSP, the cut-ins that are made with overseas movies in mind -- we believe you'll be able to enjoy a somewhat adult world."

tikra idomus laukia zaidimas.savo laiku PE2 buvo megiamiausias zaidimas,ir dabar ne kiek ne prastesnis.o CG in tarpai tai isvis ten ledas.

The 3rd Birthday details

- Aya Brea is the main chracter

- Aya is part of CTI (Counter Twisted Investigation) in New York, was previously an FBI agent

- Aya not very skilled in combat, but is the only capable person of using Overdive, needs to take out the Twisted

- Twisted are strange creatures in Manhatten

- With the Overdive, Aya turns herself into a spiritual existence that can board and take control of the bodies of other people, this is important for the story and battle system

- Use Overdive to fully take over the body of soldiers, which includes his life and weapons, but it still looks like you’re controlling Aya

- No limit for Overdive move

- Lock-on with one button

- Switch between weapons quickly

- “Libertation” and “Radio” systems

- Aya’s clothes tear as she takes damage

- Aya in this game is a bit different than the Parasite Eve Aya, will be explained in the story

- Releasing this winter in Japan

New Gameplay Images for The 3rd Birthday

taigi gan prastos kokybes nauji gamplay picai. na nzn gal ir nieko,neskaitant kad pats zaidimas pakeite zanra visiskai i kita puse.tapo action shooteriu. jei story bus pakenciamas ir tos kovos ne per daug sunkios tai visai nieko gal.jo geri laikai buvo ant psone tie prerendinti tobulo grazumo fonai kai budavo.galedavo parodyt ka tik noredavo ,nebudavo jokiu limitu tam.ant psp deja nieks nekuria ne vieno zaidimo jau su prerended stufu.viskas tui buti in game engine,todel grozio per didelio nelieka.idomu cia tas gerai kazin,kazkam labai reikia butinai visa zaidima paleisti ant in game engine? tipo 3D laisve judejimo turim turet. na kol kas nematau kad bent kiek butu geriau uz 2 dali,ir nebus geriau iki nepasirodys HD verija. kaip kurejai sake patys kad sekanti PE dalis bus HD.taciau idomu pazesim ir i sita aisku kas be ko.ten tei plystantys rubai po kovu...idomu dabar i kiekviena zaidima reikia deti japonu svajoniu virtualias merginas su kuo maziau rubu...

siek tiek gameplay

hmm visai idomu cia bus...ne rpg bet idomiai palosim.

cia dar apie tuos susidevincius rubus jos,po kovu kuo daugiau damage gausi tuo labiau rubai devesis real time.

dar ta galimybe kad i psp gali susimest dabar abu praeitus PE ir perlost juos dar karta tikrai gera. yapc antra dalis tikrai isskirtine.

Aya Brea kostiumas susideves iki tokio lygio

ar tai jau limitas ..kas zino..

idomu kiek laiko buvo skirta vien sitam dalykui ,ir kiek demesio paciam gameplay ten..Parasite eve nebuvo pigus maistas sunim.tai buvo vieni is isimintiniausiu zaidimu ,tiek story,tiek gameplay,garso, tiek grafikos prasme.o intarpai, PE2 isvis ner ka sneket. dabar aisku gaunam real time 3D grafika ir jokiu CG intarpu beveik. reikia gero storyline ,bei gero gameplay. o ne pornuhos. jau ir taip gaunam ne rpg o kazkoki action shooteri.

It's known that The 3rd Birthday main character Aya Brea will slowly lose her clothes as she gets beaten up on the battle field. You could say that the amount of skin showing is an indication of Aya's damage.

 

It's also known that Aya's HP is determined by the soldier she's currently possessing. If she's on the verge of death -- that is, her HP is about to reach 0 -- you'll be able to make her Overdive to another soldier. The current soldier will likely die, but you'll have a full HP meter to work with.

 

So what happens to Aya's clothes as you switch from soldier near death to soldier full of life? Director Hajime Tabata answered this at the game's Twitter recently.

 

And the answer is: nothing. It turns out that Aya's clothing state has nothing to do with her current level of HP.

 

 

Aya's clothes actually tear up more and more not with general damage, but when she's "downed." I'm not sure what exactly Tabata means by "downed" (it could either mean death or that she takes so much damage that she falls to the ground). Regardless, her clothing doesn't just tear off as her HP goes down. Tabata notes that this wouldn't make much sense considering that her HP will recover when she jumps to another soldier.

 

The clothing damage system will be in place in the game's Tokyo Game Show build, although you won't be able to go into the config menu to set the camera to the "behind" view that was shown in the screenshot Tabata shared last week (pictured to the right).

 

Wrote Tabata, "For those who plan on playing the game at TGS, it's a valuable demo opportunity, so please don't just play in order to make Aya's clothes get destroyed."

 

Despite this request, Tabata provided some hints for how to make her clothes come off quickly. The trick is to use Aya's grenades on herself multiple times. With five blasts, her clothing will drop down one level.

 

"However," continued Tabata, "please play normally."

 

Tabata also provided a more practical tip about the demo. The game provides a green indicator arrow in the upper right of the screen showing where you should go. The arrow serves as a guide for not getting lost in the stage.

 

Try keeping your eyes on the arrow instead of on Aya, even if her clothes have torn off a bit.

taigi TGS bus pristatoma demo kur bus galima numesti ant save 5 granatas ir dzinsai nusideves vienu lygiu. tai bent dzinsiukai.. net 5 granatau reikia kad biski apdiltu..

sexy

“liberation” technique. While your liberation gauge is filled up, you’ll be able to move faster as well as evade enemy attacks automatically. While in liberation mode, Aya will also fire energy shots instead of regular ammo

Another ability is called “crossfire.” This one allows you to synchronize your own gunfire with that of a comrade’s. Players have to wait for a linkage gauge to fill up before crossfire activates.

po kostiuma kas savaite..

In other The 3rd Birthday Twitter news, director Hajime Tabata answered a few questions today:

 

* The 3rd Birthday's data install feature will require 214MB of space.

* Tabata feels the best way to play the game is with data install and output to a television.

* Tabata reiterated that the download version of The 3rd Birthday will not include the download code for the Aya Brea costume in Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy. If you want this, you'll need to buy the UMD retail version.

* The upcoming Jump Festa demo will have two data saves allowing for play of episode 1 (easy) and episode 2 (normal). Equipment and other areas will be different from the TGS version.

* For an update on Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Tabata said to wait for the January event.

* The 3rd Birthday will have an unlockable "Video Log" mode which lets you view event scenes.

The 3rd Birthday sees release next week. Time for some hints at a sequel? You bet!

 

Key members of the game's development staff have been mentioning a possible sequel for some time now. In this week's Famitsu, Aya Brea character designer and The 3rd Birthday "Creative Producer" discussed the possibility in greater depth and even hinted at a possible direction for a followup.

 

Asked about the possibility of a sequel, Nomura told the magazine, "We're thinking about it, but it depends on the reception of this title. It's difficult for the shooting genre to become a big hit in Japan, but through the development of this title I've come to see a direction for the next title."

 

"In the event that we made a next title," continued Nomura, "it would be for a console. The story this time was like an overseas drama, but next time it would maybe be like a movie version. I'd like to develop this series into something that can compete on the world stage, which is the true battle ground for the shooting genre."

 

By "overseas drama," Nomura is presumably referring to something like CSI or 24.

 

Outside of the Nomura interview, The 3rd Birthday features heavily in Famitsu this week. The magazine reviewed the game, awarding it 10, 9, 8 and 9. Reviewers praised the story, the customization options and the difficulty.

muzonas biski pamixuotas is PE2 .. nostalgija...