Dante Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Cant find the old topic for this so i am making a new one. E3 2010 Trailer
Deathjam Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 THIS IS ON THE PSP?! Major disappointment. Feel like i have said this before....
Dante Posted June 16, 2010 Author Posted June 16, 2010 THIS IS ON THE PSP?! Major disappointment. Feel like i have said this before.... It was going to be for Japan phones afew years back.
Jon Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Epic fail that this is for the PSP. I loved the second one and could see this being awesome on the PEE ESS THREE.
Domstercool Posted June 22, 2010 Posted June 22, 2010 I love the series so I cannot wait to play this new release. I doesn't bother me that it's on PSP, what bothers me more is that it's a different style of game than the last two that I played all those years ago. Just hope it keeps the interesting story and puts a twist on the shooting. I love Aya
killer kirby Posted June 22, 2010 Posted June 22, 2010 I ENJOY it's on the PSP, handhelds >>>>>>>>>>>>>>Console systems. Truth be told the PSP needs some last bang from me since looking at the games I own....it's puny compared to the DS library I have. Last PSP game I played was Half Minute Hero. So all I can say is gimmie gimmie gimme
Dante Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 (edited) Scans: Aya Brea looks abit like Téa Leoni in the artwork. Edited June 25, 2010 by Dante
Dante Posted June 25, 2010 Author Posted June 25, 2010 (edited) Andriasang - Don't lose focus as Aya's clothes tear off off! Aya Brea, is the main character of The 3rd Birthday. She's a federal agent in New York. Once an FBI agent, she's now a part of CTI. That's Counter Twisted Investigation. Aya is not all that skilled in combat, but because she's the only person capable of using Overdive, she's been tasked with wiping out the Twisted, strange creatures who've invaded Manhatten. Using Overdive, Aya turns herself into a spiritual existence that can board and take control of the bodies of other people. This plays a major role both in the game's story and in its battle system. During battle, Aya uses Overdive to take over the bodies of the soldiers who have spread across Manhattan in the fight against the Twisted. Doing this gives you control of the soldier. You basically become the soldier, inheriting his life and weapons -- although it still looks like you're controlling Aya. There's no limit to how often you can execute your Overdive move. One suggested use for Overdive is to switch off from one soldier to another, positioning everyone in order to surround enemies. In one set of screens in the Famitsu.com story, you can see Aya, hidden behind a barrier, doing her Overdive move to take control of a soldier on a raised platform. When selecting targets for Overdive, you can see in advance the weapons you'll gain access to once you've jumped over. When actually blasting away at enemies, you have access to a lock-on button for locking on with a single button press. You can also switch off between weapons quickly, something that will be of importance given the variety you'll find in the Twisted foes. The game also includes systems such as "Libertation" and "Radio" which will be detailed later. You might have noticed that some CG scenes show Aya with her clothes torn. As you incur damage, Aya's clothes tear. This allows us to see more of the character, but it also means you'll take even more damage. Famitsu notes that The 3rd Birthday's Aya has a slightly different image from the Parasite Eve Aya. There's apparently a reason for this that will be cleared up as part of the game's story. More screenshots. Staff Interview 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 interview posted at Famitsu.com is actually a complete version of an interview that was posted in this week's print Famitsu. That was itself a more complete version of an interview that Famitsu.com posted during E3, which I summarized here. 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? 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." Edited June 25, 2010 by Dante Automerged Doublepost
Dante Posted August 11, 2010 Author Posted August 11, 2010 (edited) Videos: Gameplay 1 Gameplay 2 Wallpaper Edited August 11, 2010 by Dante
Sheikah Posted August 11, 2010 Posted August 11, 2010 They really need to stop making shit that people want for release on PSP. The PSP is essentially a portable PS2 that the vast majority of people probably end up using in their own homes most of the time anyway, thus could just as well play a PS3. I was literally crushed when Valkyria Chronicles' sequel was announced for PSP.
Dante Posted February 1, 2011 Author Posted February 1, 2011 The 3rd Birthday Twisted Edition & Voice Cast Revealed Square Enix Ltd. has today announced that The 3rd Birthday will be released as a special Twisted Edition retail pack featuring a number of exclusive items. The 3rd Birthday: Twisted Edition will be available across Europe and PAL territories exclusively for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) during spring 2011. In addition to the game, the The 3rd Birthday: Twisted Edition retail pack will include a copy of CTI Confidential – an exclusive 48 page hardback book packed with top secret artwork and concept illustrations; two deluxe Aya Brea Lithograph art prints and an exclusive Lightning in Aya Brea costume for use in the forthcoming PSP release Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy. Square Enix has also revealed details of the game’s celebrity voice cast including Yvonne Strahovski of TV series Chuck as the voice of Aya Brea. Yvonne Strahovski comments, “I was immediately interested when Square Enix approached me with the opportunity to play Aya Brea in The 3rd Birthday. I love Aya – she’s strong, driven and ready to take on the world. My goal was to bring all of her characteristics to life to really tell her story and create the best experience for all gamers.” Additionally, the game’s mysterious Kyle Madigan is voiced by Jensen Ackles of TV’s Supernatural series. “The 3rd Birthday will pull players in immediately with its incredible graphics and character driven story line. I felt like I was creating a movie.” Comments Jensen Ackles. The 3rd Birthday is an all-new chapter for Aya Brea, the main character in the hugely popular Parasite Eve series. The 3rd Birthday: Twisted Edition will be available throughout Europe this Spring, and Electronic Theatre will keep you updated with all the latest details.
Hero-of-Time Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 Beautiful! S-E sure does show the UK some love when it comes to these PSP special editions. I'm looking forward to this and i'm sure Domstercool will be all over it.
Domstercool Posted February 9, 2011 Posted February 9, 2011 Yep! Getting ready to play this game. I'm a little worried about the change of gameplay... but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure it will be a good game.
Ike Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Anyone else playing this? Quite enjoying it but I'm baffled by the story and some of these bosses insanely tough.
Hero-of-Time Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Anyone else playing this? Quite enjoying it but I'm baffled by the story and some of these bosses insanely tough. I haven't picked it up yet but i've been following the Gaf thread and Dom seems to have it. I watched the GT review and they slammed the game at every available oppertunity. From reading various forums it seems its very much a marmite game. I guess GT are in the hate it category then.
Ike Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 I haven't picked it up yet but i've been following the Gaf thread and Dom seems to have it. I watched the GT review and they slammed the game at every available oppertunity. From reading various forums it seems its very much a marmite game. I guess GT are in the hate it category then. Yeah, seems that way from the impressions I'm getting. It's certainly got it's flaws, but I like it :P
Recommended Posts