Aya of Parasite Eve celebrates 3rd Birthday on PSP

We were all a little disappointed to hear that a title like Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday was being made for mobile phones way back when it was first announced. The third game in one of the best and most original series Squaresoft ever made (well okay Parasite Eve 2 was admittedly horrible) should not have been brought to such a non-traditional gaming machine. And even though it has taken Square Enix a very long time to finally realize this, the company is actually waking up and doing something about it.

News coming from the Square Enix party unveiled that the game will be heading to the PSP. It is currently unknown if the game is still in development for mobile phones or whether that's been scrapped in place of full-on PSP development. What is known, however, is that the title is scheduled for a 2009 release in Japan. A sateside release is still up in the air, but the fact that it's a PSP game now makes chances much better.

Oh HELL yes.

Late night on Christmas Eve, Aya and the other members of CTI: New York are called into headquarters in response to an outbreak of attacks in Manhattan by a creature called Twisted. These creatures emerged from a mysterious time contortion, details about which will be revealed later.

Also, apparently, The 3rd Birthday is really a spin-off of Parasite Eve, as opposed to an actual third installment in the storyline of the series.

as long as it is along the lines of the first game (action-rpg type game) as opposed to the horrid RE style shooter of the second game. [the second game was bad.], i'm game.

I don't mind either way as I enjoyed what little I played of Parasite Eve 2. I have never played the first, am I missing out?

The spin-off comment was based on what I saw on Wikipedia. The point of it was that it doesn't take place in the same timeline as the first two games.

And yes, both PE and PE2 are PSX/PS1 games.
I enjoyed both of them very much, but the first holds a special place in my heart. ^^ Not even just the battle system, but I considered almost everything in the original better. Just a really great game.

Judging by the latest trailer footage, Square Enix's The 3rd Birthday looked like it might be a Kill Bill simulation. Thankfully, the latest issue of Famitsu came through today with hints at the true nature of the title.

According to project director Hajime Tabata, this PSP Parasite Eve sequel is going to be a true 3D gun action game. Noting that it will differ from Final Fantasy VII Dirge of Cerberus, he described it as a "true third person shooter."

Square Enix is working with another development studio on the game, Tabata revealed, without naming names.

Tabata also revealed that wireless play is being considered. He didn't state if this would be 'net based or ad-hoc, although it's worth noting that the aim for Tabata's other directorial project, Final Fantasy Agito XIII, is online-based play.

Finally, Tabata shared a couple of bits about the game's storyline and gameplay systems. These two areas are intertwined thanks to something called "overdrive," an ability that crosses time. Aya, the hero, uses this ability to both look into the mysteries of the game's enemies, the Twisted, and to fight them.

While stopping short of sharing an actual release time frame, Tabata did state that the game's scenario and design are nearing completion.