The 3rd Birthday Review

3rd Birthday is an odd game, it's certainly a solid PSP shooter and that is saying a lot considering the PSP didn't even a second analog stick, but the story in the game is certainly derserving of its bad reputation.

I'll start with the gameplay, the shooting feels solid and the overdive system surprisinginly works well here. Instead of refilling health through medkits or regen health, you will be diving into the bodies of various soldiers throughout the shootouts, if you are low on health, then switch bodies, and if a soldier dies, don't worry another one will eventually spawn into the battlefield, this does create for a unique feeling shooter, feeling like a cross between a 3rd person cover based shooter while sharing elements of tactical squad shooters, the crossfire ability really came in handy since it does a good job at widdling away at the enemy health bars. The controls work well and since I was playing on emulator, I got access to right stick controls and this might sound like this isn't in the game itself, I tried playing another PSP shooter Star Wars Elite Squadron on a controller and it still didn't control well, so the fact that this game plays rather smoothly with a 2nd stick is a testament to the controls to this game. Might as well talk about the stuff about the gameplay I didn't like, enemies are way too damage spongey, and even on easy mode, they will take multiple shotgun, pistol and assault rifle rounds to die, while I don't dislike on this on paper since it's supposed to promote the overdive and crossfire mechanics, it can feel jarring at first since enemies are damage sponge as soon as you load up the game and the tutorial explains so much to you at once and expects you to get it. I also wish overdiving into mosnters gave you some health back since it would give more options to regain health. The game also never outright explains to you how the gene evolution system works so I mostly never really bothered with it since I just kept scratching my head. The camera can also lead to awkward angles when dodging too much, I also wish I got access to some of the more powerful weapons since enemies in this game can spongey even on the lowest setting but I did enjoy this game's gameplay in spite of my complaining.

The music and remixes of the first Parasite Eve's OST is also fantastic and as someone who likes that game's OST, it was a blast to listen to them.

Now the story? This is where I am not so kind. I remember liking the first Parasite Eve and I liked Aya Brea as a character but this game's story is told very indirectly and cryptically. I am not 100% against this but the story is hard to follow and I would be more engaged but Aya's entire characterization in this game is breathing heavily like if she is getting asthma attacks or just act like a fragile scared child, while this does play a role in the game's ending twist, I found that twist to be an insult to the character and just a poor twist in general since it involves having a character show up at the end and then killing them off right after. As a guy who liked the first Parasite Eve, never played 2 and played this game, this game's entire story and ending feels on par with something like Highlander the Source. The fact you spend this whole game playing as Moe Brea just makes it feels like a creepy Parasite Eve fan fiction, Maeda's characterization in this game only confirms as such and he deserves his own part of this review for how much of a creep but I'll stop here. Do not play this game for the story Parasite Eve fan or not.

3rd Birthday, I would say is a solid game overall, but only when I am playing and not watching the cutscenes and enduring the awful writing.