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The 3rd Birthday

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The 3rd Birthday
The 3rd Birthday
Japanese Cover Art
Developer(s)Square Enix
HexaDrive[3]
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Hajime Tabata[4]
Producer(s)Yoshinori Kitase
Artist(s)Tetsuya Nomura
Isamu Kamikokuryo
Writer(s)Motomu Toriyama
Composer(s)Yoko Shimomura
Tsuyoshi Sekito
Mitsuto Suzuki[5]
SeriesParasite Eve
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
Genre(s)Action role-playing game[6], Third-person shooter, survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

The 3rd Birthday (ザ・サード バースデイ, Za Sādo Bāsudei) is a action role-playing game from Square Enix. The game was developed for the PlayStation Portable and marks the third entry in the Parasite Eve series after Parasite Eve 2, which was released in 2000. The game was released on December 22, 2010 in Japan[1] and will be released on Q1 2011 in North America and Europe.[2]

Gameplay

The game is an action role-playing game described by Square Enix as a "cinematic action RPG".[6] Director Hajime Tabata noted that the gameplay and plot are intertwined due to an ability called "Overdive," which is an ability that lets you switch bodies with one of your team members. Using the skill, you can freely control other people. Overdive also allows Aya to dive into the mind of the Twisted causing lethal damage. You can change your currently controlled character in real-time, intermixed with your combat actions.[4] The game will also have limited third person shooter elements, but will be different than Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.[4] Shown at a trailer at Tokyo Game Show, camera will be over the shoulder, such as in games like Resident Evil 5 and Dead Space. Other abilities such as liberation will also be available which provides Aya with a powerful surge of energy and supernatural speed in battle. Aya can also provide orders to her fellow soldiers to target specific enemies or to defend themselves. An array of different costumes will be available to Aya, a white jacket over her default clothes were the first to be shown, since then a business costume in which Aya dresses up as a secretary has been shown, Aya can also cosplay as Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII. Also available is an apron dress which is fashioned in the style of a maid's dress and a Knight costume.

Characters

Aya Brea

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (JP)

Despite being in her late thirties, Aya appears to be the age of 25 due to her advanced mitochondria. Because of this, she is also the only applicable candidate viable for the Overdive System. She has lost her memories as a result of unknown circumstances, which has led to a drastic change in personality since the first two Parasite Eve games: She is shown to be more vulnerable and fighting for unknown reasons. She has the ability to travel through time via the Overdive system, and also gained the new ability to body swap. She is the secret weapon for the human race in the fight against the Twisted. In certain trailers, she is shown wearing what might be a wedding ring.

Eve Brea

Voiced by: Rei Okamoto (JP)

Eve was adopted as Aya's sister after the Neo Ark incident in Parasite Eve 2, though she is actually a clone of Aya Brea. Before the events of The 3rd Birthday, it's said that she went missing along with Kyle Madigan, and due to Aya's missing memories it is unknown why. It is implied in the trailers that Eve has some kind of connection to the Twisted incidents.

Kyle Madigan

Voiced by: Kouichi Yamadera (JP)

The aftermath of the events in Parasite Eve 2 implied that Kyle started a relationship with Aya. He and Aya are shown to be married throughout the trailers However, he and Eve have gone missing for reasons unknown in The 3rd Birthday. Aya has been shown to see him in recent trailers, but doesn't know who he is. It is implied in the trailers that Kyle has some kind of connection to the Twisted incidents.

Kunihiko Maeda

Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata (JP)

Following the events of the New York Blockade Incident from the first Parasite Eve, he returned to Japan, but made the trip back to New York after the Twisted outbreak. In The 3rd Birthday, Maeda has a special shelter that he's converted out of an old storage house. A specialist in Mitochondria research and an old friend from her past, he has earned great trust from Aya.

Hyde Bohr

Voiced by: Takashi Taniguchi (JP)

Head of CTI's Overdive division. He's a pro when it comes to the technological side of the investigation and will give clear guidance to those he sends out to the battle field. His allies place trust in him, but he is easily misunderstood due to his cold composure and insistence on perfection.

Thelonious Cray

Voiced by: Hisao Egawa (JP)

A former army special forces agent and now a special investigator operating in CTI's Overdive investigation division. When CTI was formed, he was called upon due to his knowledge of combat strategy. He serves as Aya's trainer and will also apparently teach you the game's controls.

Dr. Blank

Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura (JP)

A researcher in CTI's Overdive division and head of computer systems for CTI as a whole. His true nature is surrounded in mystery, but he's called Dr. Blank because his computer handle means "empty".

Karud "Boss" Owen

Voiced by: Wataru Yokojima (JP)

Head of CTI. While he was originally on a path to head up the FBI, he was temporarily placed as CTI's head following the Twisted invasion. In the trailers, he is shown apparently attempting to kill Aya, calling her a monster that can't be trusted.

Gabrielle Monsigny

Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (JP)

A special investigator with CTI's Overdive Division. She's particularly skilled as a sniper, and trains Aya in this area. She is shown in past trailers lending her body to Aya three days prior for an Overdive operation.

Plot

File:The 3rd Birthday Bride.jpg
Aya Brea as she appears in the teaser trailer.

Hideous creatures descend on Manhattan. Ground reports from the squad tasked with containing the pandemonium refer to these life forms as the Twisted. An investigatory team known as the CTI (Counter Twisted Investigation) is formed within the year.

Aya is the main focus of this game. Due to her special powers, she still has the body of a woman in her 20s, although in terms of age she should actually be 39 years old. Motomu Toriyama, the scenario director, feels that it is rare to be able to focus on a woman in her 30s in a game and is taking the opportunity to properly depict the thinking and lifestyle of a cool woman.[7] Square Enix announced the title at their 2007 party in Japan for the gaming press. A promotional teaser has also been released which shows Aya in wedding garb.[8][9]

Development

The game was originally announced as a mobile phone title. However, at the private fan event DKΣ3713 in August 2008, it was announced that The 3rd Birthday was also being developed for the PSP[10] with no mention of the previously-announced mobile phone version. In the Tokyo Game Show presskits, it was confirmed that the game would be exclusive to the PSP.

A teaser trailer was shown at the Tokyo Game Show. The trailer recaps the events of Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2 before switching to the events of The 3rd Birthday. Aya is in a street with snow falling. She looks up, concerned, as a vortex opens. The trailer continues with a man offering Aya his hand. She flings it away and the camera focuses on Aya as she shoots him. While this is happening, a remix of the original theme can be heard. The trailer concludes with a creature emerging from the vortex into the street. Aya does battle with the creature and just as it attacks her, the camera pans into her eyes hinting at the possible return of parasite energy. The trailer ends with the logo of The 3rd Birthday and confirms that the game will be exclusive to the PSP.[11]

Another trailer was released, this time the same trailer that was presented in the DKΣ3713 event. After also recapping the events of Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve II, Aya Brea is seen walking down the aisle in an empty church. As she reaches the altar a shadowy figure is seen in the doorway behind her. As she starts to turn, the mystery person opens fire with a rifle. Aya takes out her handgun, and just as she is about to shoot the figure turns and appears to be carrying someone. A wedding ring falls to the floor on the steps nearby. Blood on the floor begins to swallow the ring and once it has, the camera zooms into the ring with the same effect as zooming into Aya's eye in the previous trailer. The lights turn yellow and change into "The 3rd Birthday" logo, again confirming that the 3rd Birthday will be exclusive to the PSP.[12]

Issue 6/5 of Famitsu has an interview of Tetsuya Nomura where he says that the first few stages of the game are already playable.[13]

At June E3 2010, another trailer was released. This trailer starts off by showing Aya sitting down in a city catching her breath while looking noticeably injured and fatigued from battle while snow falls around her. It then shows what appears to be giant roots coming up from the ground, which cause widespread destruction and attacks civilians. After that, a close-up of a police officer in SWAT gear is shown and a few seconds later red data circles appear around the officer which reveal the officer to be Aya. Afterward it shows some gameplay with Aya using an assault rifle to fight creatures and using her Overdive ability to switch bodies with a team member on a nearby rooftop. Afterward it shows Aya severely bleeding, noticeably injured and struggling to stand and hold her weapon while it appears she's about to engage in a battle right before the trailer ends and the 3rd Birthday logo appears. Immediately after the logo appears it shows that the game is coming soon and once again it will be for PSP as well as it being a downloadable title from the PlayStation Store.[14]

Japanese recording artist Superfly performs the game's theme song "Eyes On Me".[15]

Reception

Japanese magazine Famitsu gave the game a 36 out of 40, with the reviewers giving it 10, 9, 8 and 9.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b Johnny Cullen (August 25, 2010). "Kitase confirms winter 2010 Japanese release for 3rd Birthday, 2011 for Europe". VG247. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Johnny Cullen (October 20, 2010). "The 3rd Birthday slated for Q1 2011 in west". VG247. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  3. ^ http://www.siliconera.com/2008/10/09/guess-whos-making-the-3rd-birthday-its-not-just-square-enix/
  4. ^ a b c IGN staff (August 20, 2008). "Parasite Eve Sequel Detailed". IGN.com. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  5. ^ The 3rd Birthday オリジナル・サウンドトラック：スクウェア・エニックス e-STORE
  6. ^ a b http://www.square-enix.co.jp/3rd_birthday/
  7. ^ IGN: All-star Stafflist for Parasite Eve Sequel
  8. ^ 3rd Birthday magazine scan
  9. ^ 3rd Birthday magazine scan
  10. ^ PSP announcement
  11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCzoeRk8p4s
  12. ^ http://www.gametrailers.com/player/43747.html
  13. ^ http://www.psphyper.com/psp/square-birth-by-sleep-3rd-birthday-development-status/#comments
  14. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ3j-hxro_4&playnext_from=TL&videos=Q8o_qs_jhks
  15. ^ "Superfly | News |2010年第2弾シングル！「Eyes On Me」発売！". 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  16. ^ [1]
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