Parasite Eve 3 revealed as cell phone title

by Ross Miller { May 12th 2007 at 1:15PM }

The above picture (digitally modified to add internal monologue text, alter perspective; here is the original image), taken at this weekend's Square Enix Party 2007 by Impress Watch, is the first indication that the developer has intentions of reviving Parasite Eve.

But if PE 3 is a work in progress for NTT DoCoMo FOMA cell phones, then it looks like this franchise has made the jump to mobile. Though Japanese mobile technology is admittedly more advanced than what we usually see in North America, it appears that Aya Brea and company will not be seen in lush cinematic sequences for which the series was once praised.

[Via NeoGAF]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Cyy @ May 12th 2007 1:19PM

No dammit. I've been waiting for a PE sequel for so long and it's a cell phone title?

chenry @ May 12th 2007 1:20PM

:/ That's pretty lame. Look, even Aya thinks it sucks she's about to put that gun in her mouth.

Phil @ May 12th 2007 1:21PM

I'd wager that people aren't as upset about the graphics as much as they are about not being able to play it outside of Japan.

Demaar @ May 12th 2007 1:23PM

Exactly. Screw the graphics, being on a celly means we just aren't going to see the game at all. Ever.

Dave @ May 12th 2007 1:31PM

So Square finally decides to continue one of the most under appreciated franchises in their history...

AND IT'S ON A CELLPHONE?!

God. I want to jump off a bridge.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ May 12th 2007 1:35PM

Who gets credit for the improvised blurb on the ad?

*Thumbs up*

I thought the first game was fun (until the Chrysler Building) and the second was decent, so it's sad to see Aya reduced to Mobile Phone-ness.

This would make a nice PSP title...why not take that route, Tai-Squarenix?

Jerk Face @ May 12th 2007 1:41PM

Ick. How the mighty hath fallen. F*ck cell phone games.

Xanto @ May 12th 2007 1:42PM

sigh...I love this game and always wondered if they would do another one, but this just ruins everything.

Gouki4u @ May 12th 2007 1:44PM

I hear the gameplay consists of trying to console Aya about being in a cell phone game, and if you fail she shoots herself.

mushiking @ May 12th 2007 1:49PM

blame the Japanese, they're fine with this stuff. they are content with sticking with ancient graphics, instead of making games better. come on, how many next gen games have we seen from them? i still like anime, but other than that screw this country.

rom @ May 12th 2007 2:05PM

Damnit!!!

ferrarimanf355 @ May 12th 2007 2:05PM

Again with the NeoGAF sources! Please stop giving that leper colony any sense of credibility. Find another source next time, FFS.

Viridium @ May 12th 2007 2:12PM

Parasite Eve was one of the only reasons I ever owned my PS1.

synce @ May 12th 2007 2:22PM

Oh my god, my stomach turned when I read it's only for mobile phones. PE2 is my all-time favorite game and I've always dreamed of a next-gen sequel. Fuck Square.

Joshua @ May 12th 2007 2:26PM

Where's all the other SE news I was expecting from their party?

Phil @ May 12th 2007 2:28PM

"Again with the NeoGAF sources! Please stop giving that leper colony any sense of credibility. Find another source next time, FFS."

I reckon that poster on Impress Game Watch thar is pretty credible. And if I recall correctly from my journalism class, you're technically supposed to credit places that direct you towards other places that have the actual goods.

Mr Khan @ May 12th 2007 2:31PM

Lol at that picture

really says it all...

David @ May 12th 2007 3:04PM

Hey maybe we will also see Vagrant Story 2 and Legend of the Draggon 2 on mobile as well......won't that suck.

bootsielon @ May 12th 2007 3:14PM

This is probably the dawn of mankind... Oops, wrong thread XD

This is probably the beginning dawn of the golden age of hardcore gaming.

I hate casual gaming. PS1 and PS2 reached such huge install bases because hardcore gamers kept gaming, and the casuals joined in (way more than before). Now it seems that 360, PSP and PS3 might not get the attention that DS and Wii are getting. DS is still somewhat hardcore, but Wii is almost purely casual (I'm disregarding Zelda because it's on gamecube). Next come cellphones, no investment needed for getting an install base.

Hardcore gamers like us are being screwed. Oh well, I guess hardcore games will be eventually sold as relics and since there are so many, I'll have to play the ones I never played the rest of my life.

Allister Howe @ May 12th 2007 3:28PM

"Wii is almost purely casual"

I don't think the 3+ hours of Super Paper Mario my girlfriend and I have been playing every night is very "casual". Trust me, once Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros Brawl, Metroid Prime 3, plus all the other announced games come out, you won't be calling the Wii casual anymore.

Anyway, I'm also posting to express my discontent with PE3 being a cell phone game. The first game was amazing, and the second one a worthy successor (Even though they made the controls more RE like and less actiony).

I've been looking forward to a PE3 ever since I first bought my PS2. I thought it would stupid for Square to not do a sequel.

...Please let this be just a side story, and that the true PE3 will be out on PS3/X360...

bootsielon @ May 12th 2007 3:44PM

Oh, sorry Howe. I forgot about "crappy online" and "kiddy" too. Don't mean to sound insulting or like a fanboy (because I'm not; I love the DS), it's simply the truth for now. I don't really think of the new Paper Mario as hardcore (the Paper Mario RPGs were). The new one just seems inviting for everyone, which is nintendo's strategy. I don't really have much hopes for Smash Brawl; I thought it was gonna be Nintendo's chance to demonstrate how fighting games work on Wii too, but they chose to use the Gamecube controller. And Metroid Prime 3? I don't really think it'll be better than Halo 2, Online, Gameplay, and Graphicswise. Perhaps on the storyline it will.

I miss the old hardcore mario where he had truly Epic adventures. Let's see if Mario Galaxy is actually better than Sunshine, which was kinda kiddier than Mario 64. Let's hope it is as revolutionary as Mario 64, or better, and as Epic as every mario that came out for SNES and NES or more.

bootsielon @ May 12th 2007 3:45PM

And by the way, I hope these cell phone games are worth a release on PSN and XBLA (and Wii VC, if the prices come down).

pandafresh @ May 12th 2007 3:49PM

"God, first my new jeans get all ripped, and now i'm a cellphone game!? Goodbye cruel world!" I like how the artist drew her with a "sexy" face rather than a desperate looking one, you know you figure she'd be kinda tense looking considering shes got about to blow her brains out. maybe theres a future console/handheld version coming?

Allister Howe @ May 12th 2007 4:01PM

bootsielon: So what if the Wii is "kiddy". That never stopped gamers from enjoying games before. The NES and SNES Marios that you hold in such high regard (As do I) were "kiddy". They weren't some mystical cartirdges that only "hardcore gamers" could play, they were designed for families. My mom used to stay up all night playing Mario Bros 3, screaming at the top of her lungs when she got the Tanooki suit... Does that make her a hardcore gamer?

A lot of people nowadays who grew up playing Mario on NES don't even play video games anymore. My girlfriend loves to bust out SMW on SNES, but doesn't pay attention if I'm playing Mario 64... Does this mean she's more "hardcore" a gamer than me?

Besides, when I listed those Wii games, I wasn't trying to talk about their image, or how good they would be compared to the almighty Halo (Which is vastly overated in my opinion). I was just giving examples of upcoming Wii games that are not "casual", that will require lots of time put into them to get the most enjoyment.

And speaking about "online capabilities", I personally don't care that the Wii doesn't go online. I hate online gaming, because it's all 14 year olds who'll kill you then call you every racial slur they learned on the internet. If you like arguing with 14 year olds while playing video games (Which, in my opinion, seems kinda kiddy), be my guest, but I'll always prefer multiplayer meaning the person you're playing against or with is right beside you.

Sure casual games are much more popular these days, but why not? The more video games out there, the better. There will always be "hardcore" games out there, and you can make your choice which type of game you want to play.

...Sorry for the off topicness... Back to Parasite Eve, I'm interested to see what kind of game it'll end up being. A cell phone seems kinda hard to pull of an action/survival horror/rpg hybrid like the first two games were... I'm guessing the RPG and Survival Horror aspects will be ditched for a more straight action orientated gameplay.

Mr Khan @ May 12th 2007 4:02PM

I'd disagree about Super Paper Mario, the early levels are inviting for everyone, but that just symbolizes an appropriate difficulty curve (the kind i prefer, easy to learn, difficult to master)

That's usually how Nintendo's games work, its easy to figure out, but if you want to master it you have to put a helluva lot of effort into the game (although its mostly mental effort)

wait 2 weeks in Europe, and the Wii will have its second exclusive and purely hardcore title (Strikers: anyone who says that game is easy has never actually tried it)

Extinction @ May 12th 2007 4:02PM

I agree with bootsielon completely, and I too fear the downfall of hardcore gaming brought on by wii

bootsielon @ May 12th 2007 4:31PM

Allister Howe:

I agree that Halo is overrated in most aspects. But the point I'm trying to make, is that it has garnered a lot of online gaming attention. Will metroid surpass that? I don't think so, but let's hope so for our gaming sake (and for our drinking Sake during midnight gaming hours too).

I have no problem with "non-gamers" or "former gamers" returning to game. My only problem is that it seems that Nintendo lately wants to turn every game into a party game. I feel like production values are going down the drain; hell, Zelda TP was criticized for having MIDI when we're on an age of DVD or at least CD quality music (And that's Nintendo's game of highest production values!).

I loved Paper Mario RPGs, Zeldas, old mario games. I also loved when there were interesting third and second parties producing eternal darkness, golden eye, Rogue Squadron, Killer Instinct, Street Fighter and so on.

The Wii would be having Too Human today if Nintendo's orientation hadn't changed (which is the reason Denis Dyack changed platforms), and that is pretty much one of the reasons I'm starting to dislike Nintendo. Especially since they are segregating gamers; or worse, forcing the hardcore to come in later in the cycle while the casuals come in first, when it was usually the other way around. I guess that's the power of disruptive tech.

I hope Sony and Microsoft hurry their asses in turning the tides by price dropping. I do know Sony is developing some pretty innovative games. Microsoft should be doing the same. Otherwise Wii might end up becoming the "first" instead of the "second" console for many of us, and I wouldn't like that.

Nintendo is disrupting the market, as they intended. And that's cool for them and the casuals (and the fanboys). But they are fucking us, hardcore gamers, hard and in the ass, with no vaseline.

shase @ May 12th 2007 4:47PM

damn aya still looks hot after all those years hiding :). Anyway, it's dissapointing that the series has to go on cell phones. Well the bad thing is if it does well on cell phone they might continue to put it on cellphone but if it does horrible they might get rid of it entirely...

Napalm510 @ May 12th 2007 5:19PM

Video Game Industy to hardcore gamers:

We hate you. You buy 4 games a year. Mom will buy a game for her 6 kids every birthday, christmas, allowance, etc. but she's not into good games, she's into crap. We know where the money is at.

poor cow @ May 12th 2007 5:32PM

And Halo3 has been cancelled for the 360- it's coming out exclusively for the microwave oven instead.

This is bad news. I love Parasite Eve but I cant see it working on my cheapo motorola. Phones are for phoning people and texts not playing top franchises on. Curses. Oh Aya Brea! where did it all go wrong for you. The mitochindria / mobile phone radiation must be addling their stupid brains.

John @ May 12th 2007 8:05PM

won't people learn cell phone games aren't real games?

pandafresh @ May 12th 2007 10:02PM

well if im not mistaken Crisis Core came out on cellphones and now its comin out for PSP, so maybe this'll do the same. have faith!

Phil @ May 12th 2007 10:13PM

You're thinking of Before Crisis.

oandafresh @ May 12th 2007 10:33PM

damn you're right... i guess that means we are screwed huh?

Jeff @ May 13th 2007 1:17AM

34 comments in and nobody has yet commented on the obvious camel toe. Just a lot of whining about cell phones.

You guys need to get your priorities straight!

bootsielon @ May 13th 2007 2:21AM

Jeff, we're gamers. We live for that. Screw the war, hunger or sickness ;)

For real though, Napalm510 is right, and I hate to say it :(. Sure hardcore gaming will not die. But it won't be supported as much as it has been the last 10 years or so.

Well, at least the quote "Maybe there'll be better graphics for cellphones AND a console release" still makes it viable. Perhaps that would be a good way to market all console titles. Release the mobile version first (as it happened with splinter cell), rake in a lot of cash to offset the risk of producing a console only title, and then release the console title with a lot of content and more gamers willing to play it since marketing it on a cell phone grew the hype up. That makes business sense.

mike @ May 13th 2007 2:32AM

I find it more fun to do nothing then play a cell phone game. I wouldent download any to my phone even if they were free (and they are because I unlocked the java uploader). Games on cell phones just suck. Even that zelda game, as good as it looked, I just couldent play because it was on my cell phone. Bah. I watch movies on my tv, I listen to music on my mp3 player and play games on my ds/other consoles. STOP MAKING MY PHONE MORE EXPENSIVE BY PUTTING ALL THAT CRAP ONTO IT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE AND RECIEVE PHONE CALLS.

Napalm510 @ May 13th 2007 2:36AM

Seriously though, I would murder Aya with my penis. Cartoon or not.

Michael Kingston @ May 13th 2007 10:08AM

Lame, I liked PE2 but never finished it because it got too hard for me.

Jamar @ May 13th 2007 11:22AM

Hello- this is coming out on Japanese cellphones! I have one (Toshiba 904T from Softbank)- it's capable of 3D graphics with a QVGA screen. Some newer ones have VGA (640x480) screens or better and TV output if that's not good enough! Is that good enough for you?

ericainsworth @ May 13th 2007 3:03PM

"Hello- this is coming out on Japanese cellphones! I have one (Toshiba 904T from Softbank)- it's capable of 3D graphics with a QVGA screen. Some newer ones have VGA (640x480) screens or better and TV output if that's not good enough! Is that good enough for you?"

Ahem... no.

serotoninzero @ May 13th 2007 11:56PM

What a waste.

I still remember the creepiness I felt from the opening scene in Parasite Eve. Those were some great games.

Mitochondria Eve @ May 14th 2007 12:47PM

CELL PHONE!? My god. My PE fanbase and I have been speculating over the remake of PE or PE3 for MANY MANY years now and to find square-enix using it as a way to jump on the cell phone bandwagon absolutely breaks my heart. BREAKS. MY. HEART.

I'd be willing to go work for square myself and help them come out with a title for the PS3 if need be. I'd drop the $600 if they came out with a Parasite Eve three for the PS3. Maybe that's what sony needs anyway. Use PE to boost up PS3 sales or something.

To put it on a cell phone is to blatently slap all of the remaining PE fans in the face. I hope they reconcider.

Mr. Zombie (russian PE lover) @ May 15th 2007 6:00AM

I have no words... they had spit into my soul... What's next? Vagrant Story 2 for calculators? Dumbfucks! Why put such a good franchise to japanese cellphones? I simply can't see the point of doing this. If they unleashed it at least on PSP or DS then they could use a world market instead of japan market only...
p.s. sorry for my english ^_^

Wendell Gomes @ Jun 1st 2007 10:40AM

I want parasite eve 3 to PlayStation 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want parasite eve 3 to PlayStation 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want parasite eve 3 to PlayStation 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want parasite eve 3 to PlayStation 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want parasite eve 3 to PlayStation 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want parasite eve 3 to PlayStation 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want parasite eve 3 to PlayStation 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike @ Jun 13th 2007 11:18AM

This does suck. I've been a huge fan of the PE series and I've been waiting very patiently for a Parasite Eve III release and now they're releasing it for a cell phone??!! I just hope they're joking with us and later announce a PS3 release or something.

MADMAN-X @ Jun 14th 2007 9:25AM

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY PLEASURE OF LIFE ON CELL PHONES?!?! OOHHHHH WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jenna @ Jun 19th 2007 7:04AM

...I always felt that the only game series that get cellphone sequels/spinoffs were either...
A. Immensely successful in Japan (Which most likely means that they'll STAY in Japan)
or...
B. Just hanging on by a limb to still be considered an exsisting series.
Parasite Eve goes into the latter category, unfortunately.
Addressing one issue, even if it did get localized to the States, the only people who have phones capable of playing 3-D games are spoiled rich kids and their parents.
I truly doubt (yet don't want to) that this will get ported to the PSP. I can't say if Parasite Eve was a popular series when the first two games came out because they scared the living Bejesus out of me when they were released (I was 3 or 4 when PE came out.