All Articles: The 3rd Birthday

The 3rd Birthday Review: There Isn’t Even Any Cake

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Nicole Kline

The Parasite Eve franchise got another addition to it with The 3rd Birthday for the PlayStation Portable. This third-person shooter reunites players with fan-favorite Aya Brea, whose tough demeanor has been replaced with scant clothing and helplessness. Changed is the title, and gone are the meatier parts of Parasite Eve‘s RPG elements, replaced instead with tactical action elements that feel jammed in like a square peg in a round hole. Repetitious gameplay and a convoluted plot, not to mention a complete deviation from the spirit of the series, make this birthday a forgettable one. (more…)

Posted in PSP, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

New Releases: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12, 3rd Birthday, WWE All-Stars, More

Posted on March 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

While the impending release of the 3DS still dominates the coming soon lists, there will be plenty of new games available when the calendar skips to the week ahead.

Fresh off Tiger Woods’ victory on Morning Drive, his namesake game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters, will be available in stores this week for the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. It’ll be joined by Square Enix’s long-awaited PSP sequel to Parasite Eve, The 3rd Birthday.

More sports action dominates this week’s new releases including the arcade wrestling title WWE All-Stars (PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS2!) as well as a pair of racing games: Shift 2: Unleashed (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) and NASCAR 2011 (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).

Finally, everyone’s favorite hack and slash series returns for another round of ancient Chinese warfare. I refer, of course, to Koei’s Dynasty Warriors 7 (PS3, Xbox 360).

The full list of the rest of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , ,

Square Enix keeps it up, Parasite Eve likely joining PSOne Classics

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Square Enix has been on quite a roll lately. After reinstating digital PSP downloads on the PlayStation Store with Tactics Ogre and re-releasing the elusive and legendary Xenogears as a PSOne Classic, another masterpiece from Square’s golden age is joining Sony’s retro corner. Parasite Eve recently received an ESRB rating for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (the two platforms you can bring your PSOne Classics on), likely M for Mature as it was when it originally released on the PlayStation in 1998.

Parasite Eve followed in the footsteps of Final Fantasy VII, innovating the cinematic RPG sub genre, popularizing the use of FMV cutscenes and intense set pieces. A new entry in the series, The 3rd Birthday, is coming March 29 on the PSP.

Posted in News, PS3, PSP | Tagged , ,

Celebrate The 3rd Birthday on March 29, 2011

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

The long awaited third entry in the Parasite Eve franchise, The 3rd Birthday, will be coming to U.S. retailers on March 29, 2011 for the PlayStation Portable. Players will assume the role of series protagonists Aya Brea as she seeks to rid 2012 Manhattan of the hideous creatures known as the Twisted. Square Enix has also announced that Yvonne Strahovski of the NBC series “Chuck” will voice the heroine. And in other voice cast news, the mysterious Kyle Madigan will be played by Jensen Ackles of “Supernatural.”

“I was immediately interested when Square Enix approached me with the opportunity to play Aya Brea in The 3rd Birthday,” said Strahovski. “I love Aya – she’s strong, driven and ready to take on the world.”

Unfortunately, no mention of a downloadable version for the PlayStation Store has been announced, leaving PSP Go owners like myself out of luck. I have no idea why Square Enix, one of the biggest partners to PlayStation in the past, releases almost none of their PSP games digitally; I guess it’s just a sign of the times.

Posted in News, PSP | Tagged