When Parasite Eve was first released in 1998, it changed gamers' perspectives on what an RPG should be. Up until the time of its release, many had regarded Final Fantasy VII as the cornerstone of the RPG experience. But upon booting up Squaresoft’s cinematic RPG for the first time, and the exhilarating sounds of the series’ main theme Primal Eyes erupted from gamers' television sets, it was clear that the role-playing genre would never be the same again.  With a sequel released soon after, the Parasite Eve franchise would then enter a long period of silence and would never be heard from again for nearly 10 years. Now that the series has finally resurfaced, Square Enix is looking to assign protagonist Aya Brea on a more action-oriented mission. But is this an assignment that long time Eve fans are willing to accept?

Titled The 3rd Birthday, Aya Brea's third video game outing (which oddly enough began as a mobile phone game) is far from what fans remember since the series made its debut in the late 90’s. While the franchise's second installment deviated from its predecessor by removing the ATB in favor of a control scheme that was more akin to popular survival-horror titles such as Resident Evil, Parasite Eve 2 admittedly remained true to the original in terms of its pacing and use of a magic system.  So despite its redesigned gameplay, PE 2 still felt like a Parasite Eve game.  The 3rd Birthday on the other hand, is an entirely different beast altogether. From what little we've seen, Aya is shown as a gun-totting action star that moves at a much quicker pace and is able to take out advancing enemies within the blink of an eye.   From a cinematic RPG, to a survivor-horror title with role-playing elements, the series has now evolved into a full blown action title – complete with weapon mapping to the D-Pad and an evasive roll for good measure. There also doesn’t seem to be any sort of magic system in place as The 3rd Birthday’s other prominent gameplay feature is  Aya's ability to hijack enemy bodies and take control of them. Sounds like Creative Producer Tetsuya Nomura has been hanging around those MindJack meetings a bit too much if you ask me. And while the latest gameplay snippet revealed a Liberation Meter on the lower right-hand side of the screen (which immediately reminded me of Ms. Brea's Liberate Spell from the original Parasite Eve), I suspect that this meter has more to do with Aya's body-jacking than any kind of spell casting. Still, I remain hopeful.

In all honesty, I couldn’t be more thrilled by Square Enix's decision to bring Aya out of retirement after all of these years. Not only is the blonde bombshell back, her latest adventure also marks her return to New York City. But why would the development team decide to further remove the franchise from the mechanics that made it such a success in the first place – especially after the sequel wasn’t met with as much praise as the original? Couldn’t the ATB and combat flow have been rethought and redesigned as it was for Final Fantasy XIII? Parasite Eve's Dome System might not have been perfect but it certainly could have been improved upon instead of being outright abandoned.  Sure the game looks impressive from a graphical standpoint (those Square Enix boys sure know how to rock that PSP hardware) but I just don’t know how to feel about all of this action.

Square Enix has a chance to bring something truly unique to the PSP with the Parasite Eve franchise but as it stands, gamers will be getting nothing more than a generic shooter that is relying on nostalgia to capture their attention. The recent gameplay clip is a bitter sweet 45 seconds to watch as it not only invokes powerful memories of the video game heroine who took the RPG world by storm, it also reminds us of what the series has lost with its sequels.  But while the famed game developer remains super secretive on this anticipated PSP title, there is still hope for this birthday to be cause for celebration. At this point I remain cautiously optimistic. The first two installments of this franchise had some truly compelling writing and I can only hope that the story doesn't take a backseat to the action this time around. The gameplay trailers do show that Aya gains EXP Points as well BP (Battle Points, perhaps) so thankfully, there is a bit of RPG magic to look forward to.  I guess we'll find out if  'The worst foe lies within the self' when The 3rd Birthday is released in Japan this Winter. Oh and in case you didn't know, Aya’s clothes will tear and fall off as she takes damage. And a little bit of skin is always good in my book.

Post contributed by Andreas Asimakis. Questions for the author? Send an email to andreas@gamesabyss.com. Follow him on Twitter: @pantsguy.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Gamers are the most creative people on the planet. And in order to prove my point, we needn't look any further than Theater of the Arcade.

Theater of the Arcade is an Off-Off Broadway play which was being shown at the Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (okay, way-off Broadway) between July 13-25 during their Gameplay Festival. The play is broken up into five segments, each one being a stand-alone adaptation of a classic videogame.  As the show's run has since come to an end, I won't be skipping out any details just to avoid spoilers.  So sit back, relax, and read on for all the theater/gaming goodness.

The show begins with a lone figure under the spotlight.  His face overcome by sadness, he begins to discuss his limited movements of forward, backward, and sideways as he tries to make it to the green on the other side of the path before him.  Complete with videogame sound effects and an inspiring performance by Robert Pinnock, this Frogger adaptation was a remarkable way to set the tone for the show as its serious and often silly portrayal of a tortured character desperately trying to make it from one side of the road to another reminds us all of the genius that is Frogger's simplicity.

The next segment of the show is set in a dingy, broken down apartment in an Italian neighborhood.  A young woman dressed in ragged clothing hobbles across the stage and throws a quarter to an organ grinder and his monkey who is playing just outside of her window. It isn't long before her brutish husband comes home and reveals that he has been fired from his job at the barrel-making factory. It is at the exact moment when the couple is paid a visit by their superintendent, an Italian fellow a distinct accent who says he is there to fix a leaky pipe.  The husband flies into a fit of rage and grabs a wooden barrel he had been using as a makeshift nightstand and flings it out the door directly at their superintendent.  The woman then stares at her husband until the chaos subsides.  She tells him that he is her one true vestige of happiness in this crummy world they inhabit but would surely leave him if he ever again behaves the way he did.  The scene ends with the husband bringing his fists to his chest and falling, apologizing to his wife.  This adaptation of the arcade classic Donkey Kong was a startling portrayal of a low-income family just barely being able to survive.  The jabs and references of the arcade game were perfectly timed and never felt forced.  Shelley Ray and Kent Meister gave emotional performances that almost brought tears to my eyes.

Pac-Man was next on the videogame adaptation list and it was perhaps the most entertaining of the bunch. Set in Germany,  we open with a rotund business man feasting on a plate of giant sized fruits. As he continues to stuff his face, his assistant sees to his employees who have come to visit: a factory worker, a farmer, and even his sultry girlfriend.  The German tyrant swiftly relieves them of their duties, citing budget cuts for his greedy reasoning and unsurprisingly dumps his girlfriend for he has found someone younger and more attractive to entertain him.  After he has finished with them, he finally fires his assistant, blaming his interest in poetry as the reason.  The four eventually meet up on the street and device a logical plan of revenge: to dress up as ghosts and scare the crap out their former boss.  They lure him outside (wth a trail of fruit no less) and tell him how his actions has led to their inevitable demise.  But just as the their employer begins to see the error of his ways, the sun rises and the gang's plot is exposed for the farce it is.  The police shortly arrive to carry the four off to jail but not before they proclaim no matter how often they are locked up, they will always come back faster and stronger than before.  Stephen Heskett, Josh Mertz, Robert Pinnock, Hope Cartelli and the exceptional Fred Baukus (loved the German accent), all gave wonderful performances for this piece.

The next scene opens on a space station on Mars. Two pilots have been called in by their superior and are being informed that one of them is losing their job.  Given that the subject matter is the arcade title Asteroids, the story here relies a lot more on the pilots' personalities – how their 12 long years of employment have left them sexless and emotionally distraught. One the one hand you have Bill, a foul-mouthed straight shooter who isn't afraid to tell his superior off.  And on the other hand you have Murphy, a timid yet devoted pilot who is beginning to break down due to his years of service.  A one-on-one interview then takes place between the pilots and an evaluator (who happens to be a woman), where the two pilots describe their work and the hardships they face on a daily basis.  The writing here is exceptionally done as the cast is able to drop enough hints at the pilots' line of work without openly stating they are blowing up asteroids for living.  After a lot of profanity expertly delivered by the hilarious Fred Backus, the scene ends with Murphy losing his job and Bill insisting to his superior that he tell him that he is a champion.  Of all the adapted games, this was the only one I had I trouble identifying.  I had known by the actors' silver pilot wings pinned to their shirts that the game was either Space Invaders, Galaga or Asteroids.  But when the evaluator, played by the beautiful and talented Hope Cartelli, jokes about their performance and asks if they 'do more than just spin around in circles' when they are out on a job, I knew exactly which arcade game was being portrayed. Well done!

The final segment of the performance opens in the great outdoors with a pair of brothers who need no introduction. Estranged for roughly six years, brothers Marv and Lou have reunited to discuss Lou's recent divorce with his wife.  As their conversation becomes serious, Marv suggests that the two trip out on some mushrooms to lift their spirits.  After sharing a silly tale of a giant tortoise Marv once saw while under the influence, it isn't long before the mushrooms' effects kick in and dark truths are brought to the surface.  Lou sees a vision of his wife who says that she is in trouble. She also tells him that Marv and her were lovers before she was married but decided to keep it from Lou to spare his feelings.  When the vision disappears, Lou confronts Marv who admits that Lou's wife is the only woman he ever loved. After trading punches, the two share a vision of their deceased father who tells them to settle their differences and work together.  Marv and Lou make a promise to save the woman they love and to settle everything else once they know she is safe.  They rush out into the darkness and the scene ends.  Given the obvious adaptation, the writing was a lot more generous with the video game references (Marv's recount of chasing a shooting star in the distance which he says 'was unable to catch because it kept bouncing around' was a real treat). I especially adored Stephen Heskett's portrayal of Luigi as his speeches about spending his life in his brother's shadow were truly revealing.  He also makes some pretty wicked fireball sound effects.

One would think that adapting five classic arcade games as a play would be a bit of a challenge, but playwright Jeff Lewonczyk and his talented ensemble have managed to prove otherwise.  It was a delightful, entertaining, and thought provoking journey into the memories and themes of our most beloved and cherished arcade game characters.

For more information on the cast and crew be sure to check out the team's homepage.

Post contributed by Andreas Asimakis. Questions for the author? Send an email to andreas@gamesabyss.com. Follow him on Twitter: @pantsguy.

After a week of getting over my 4th of July Hangover/Sunburn, I awoke this morning to a short gameplay snippet of Ready at Dawn's upcoming PSP title, God of War: Ghost of Sparta.  This footage was first seen during Sony's E3 Press Conference and now is finally available for the world's viewing pleasure – about friggin' time if you ask me.  As excited as I am about Ghost of Sparta, (I mean honestly, it's a new God of War title for crying out loud), I'm here to talk about something a little more personal.

Now if there's one thing I love about the God of War franchise, it’s the fascinating effect it has on my fellow Greeks – especially the ones that have never picked up a controller in their lives, like my father.

To be fair, my father did pick up a controller once in his life.  I'm not quiet sure how old I was at the time, but what I do remember was that it was to play a round of Blades of Steel with my brother and me.  You see my father doesn't like video games all that much.  Growing up, he always insisted that we find something better to with our free time, like read a book or go out and play. Even now, when I have taken my love for gaming into the world of video game journalism, my Dad tells me that I am a grown man and that video games should be left to the children.  Never mind the fact that he's telling me this as I play Grand Theft Auto IV and I'm going postal inside of a hospital.

How we ever convinced him to play Konami’s classic hockey game still mystifies us till this day. We were young and he probably did it to humor us but whatever the reason, it was the only time my father spent in front of gaming console and wasn't completely dismissive about the whole thing. But despite all of this, his complete disdain for our electronic past-time, and unwavering belief that video games are childish and a complete waste of time, something special happens when God of War's Kratos appears on the screen.  Suddenly, video games aren’t so childish anymore.

Like my father, I too grew up with the stories of Ancient Greece and the Gods and Goddesses its people once worshipped. Having spent my early years as a student at Saint Demetrios Astoria School, Greek Mythology was just as much a part of my education as English, Math, Social Studies, and Science were.  So being tested on The Twelve Labors of Hercules was just as common as a pop quiz based on how well we knew our multiplication tables.

When God of War first came out, it was the Greek Mythology that attracted me to it the most.  It was dealing with the characters I had read about growing up.  The Gods of Mt. Olympus.  The Titans. Medusa. The Minotaur. And let's not forget that underneath it all there was an incredibly satisfying game just waiting to be played.  It was during those first few nights with God of War when my father spent a lot of time in our room after an exhaustive 12-hour shift at work.  He would pull up a chair and I would explain to him how the stories have changed to fit the introduction of Kratos.  He would lament on the stories the game had been influenced by, and would we remind me of things I had long forgotten since my elementary school days. He adored how the architecture of our ancient descendants was so masterfully recreated and how it made the game feel so authentic.  I found myself waiting for him to come home at nights just so he wouldn't miss a moment of the dramatic story that was unfolding before our eyes. He would even help me with some of the game's puzzles and advised me on how I should spend the red orbs I had collected – he was just as committed and emotionally invested in the experience as I was, just like any gamer would be.

Years later and with two sequels, a PSP release, and with Ghost of Sparta around the corner, God of War still remains a popular topic of discussion between my father and me.  While he still believes the original Ancient Greek stories are far more scandalous and cleverly written than Kratos' woes, his interest in the franchise is as strong as it ever was.  If he happens to find out I'm playing any other title, games go back to being a pointless and mindless activity.  But if I'm playing God of War, his focus never fails. Now if I could only get him to pick up that controller and bash a few Chimeras while I made myself a sandwich, I could die a happy gamer.

Let's face it: we all love free stuff – especially when it relates to games. Outspark's free-to-play MMORPG Fists of Fu Closed Beta begins today and to help kick things off, Games Abyss is giving away beta keys to all you MMORPG fanatics out there! Simply post a comment below and we'll email you a beta key so you can get in on this fantastic MMORPG. For those of you who aren't familiar with Outspark's Fists of Fu, check out the trailer below as well a brief description from the game's main page.

'Outspark’s new free-to-play, hilarious Arcade-Action MMORPG featuring a beat-em-up multiplayer storyline, anime style graphics, and an immersive 3-D environment. Join your friends to take on the evil Monster King and his armies. Master dozens of skills as you learn the martial arts of the Fighter, Magician, and Archer classers. Use your deadly combos and special moves to beat up your friends in awesome Player vs. Player battles, and challenge PKers for rare items. Follow your destiny…'

For more information on Fists of Fu, be sure to check out Outspark's homepage for the latest news and updates.

Fists of Fu Closed Beta Ending June 27th at 6PM PDT.

Once again, the team at Games Abyss will be covering E3 this year live from the  2010 Showroom. Be sure to stay tuned to this page for hourly updates as we will be streaming all the live footage right to your computer screen. You can also check out our editor Twitter accounts for split second updates and our witty commentary as we cover gaming's most anticipated event.

Managing Editor – Andreas Asimakis: twitter.com/pantsguy
Contributing Writer – Jayce Diaz: twitter.com/Jayce_Face
Video Editor – Ryan Farrenkopf: twitter.com/Rankopfpro

E3 photos can also be found by clicking here.

This year's E3 promises to be bigger, louder, and full of surprises. So join us and double check your internet connections,  It's going to be one wild week!

Coverage date and times are as follows:

Monday 6/14
Microsoft (1pm EDT / 10am PDT)
EA (5pm EDT / 2pm PDT)

Tuesday 6/15
Nintendo (12pm EDT / 9am PDT)
Sony 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT

Wednesday 6/16
Konami (4pm EDT / 1pm PDT)

While my journalist cohort Sinan enjoys reporting on the likes of Enough Plumbers, my interests lie elsewhere.

No longer a horror movie sensation (seriously if you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for?), The Human Centipede has hit Newgrounds.com in the form of flash-based video game.  For those of you who have seen the film, I will give you a few seconds to digest that statement.

Here is the game's basic premise: Your patients transformed human centipedes have turned against you. As the brilliant surgeon Dr. Heiter, it is up to you to squash their plans of rebellion and gun those multi-legged freaks down.  Apparently a life long sentence of being sewn ass-to-mouth to a complete stranger is something that might tick someone off. Who knew?

Armed with your trusty rifle, you must defend yourself from your ungodly creation while also dealing with a persistent police office who wants nothing more than to put the good doctor behind bars.  The games plays like a retro arcade game in the same vein as Space Invaders and is completely and utterly addicting.  For some bizarre reason I find myself playing over and over again as wave after wave of longer, more furious human centipedes make their tortured trip from the top of screen in hopes of biting my ankles and fulfilling their revenge fantasy.

What's so great about  this game is the graphics of the human centipede. Watching that hapless creature scurry around the screen is comic gold.  The way the simple sprite moves in unison is enough to make you giggle out of your chair.  It get's funnier when you sever the creature into smaller segments and watch them frantically move about. And could you imagine what this game would look like if a big name developer got a hold of the rights? The mere thought of  ass-to-mouth goodness in 1080p is enough to make this gamer swell with excitement. Come on, Capcom. You could do for centipedes what Dino Crisis did for dinosaurs. Make it happen.

I have to applaud Mockery for this wonderful little distraction. Here I was working on a review of Red Dead Redemption when out comes this hilarious tribute to the year's most sensational horror film to completely rob me of my focus. well played, sir. While you're at it, why don't you flash-up a I Spit On Your Grave game to insure that I never write again.

Those looking to waste a few hours can find the game here.  As for me, I really should get back to writing that review… after one more round.

Amongst a bevy of food, drink, and sweaty gamers, Playstation Blog kicked off PAX East 2010 a day early by hosting an event in the lovely Colonnade Hotel. The main attraction of the event was none other than Sony’s new motion controller, the Playstation Move.

We have to hand it to Sony. The Playstation Move is a sleek and well-designed peripheral which bests Nintendo's Wiimote in the comfort department. Who knew that a black stick with glowing balls could feel so comfortable in your hand.

First on the road of mini-games and tech demos was Slider. This ‘Extreme Office Chair Roller Coaster Ride’ takes the silliness of Crazy Taxi and combines it with the likes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The premise is simple: People are out to kill you. As you franticly flee for your life you come across an office chair in the middle of the road. Apparently out of options and with thugs breathing down your neck, you decide to use the office chair to make daring escape.

The controls were fairly simple to get the hang of and were responsive for most the demo. Swinging the controller up and down allows your character to move forward to gain momentum. Thrusting the controller upward will make you jump while thrusting it forward will boost your speed – granted you have filled a small amount of the boost meter which is located on the top-center of the screen. This meter can be filled by performing special moves like grinding on rails, roundhouse kicking enemies, or by even collecting items. You can also arch your character backwards to pass under incoming obstacles.

The game was a fun and a nice way to pop our Playstation Move cherry. The easy controls along with the often hilarious facial expressions your character makes as they zip down the road made for an entertaining gaming experience.

Up next was Sports. This combination of mini-games included the likes of Archery, Table Tennis, Gladiator Duel, and many others. Gladiator Duel was a fighting game where two Playstation Move controllers were utilized to simulate combat. Armed with a shield and sledgehammer of sorts, you use a pair of Playstation Move controllers to parry, attack, launch your opponent in the air, and perform special attacks. The controls took some getting used to with moves like jumping requiring you to raise both controllers over your head.

Table Tennis is just what you’d expect. You use the controller to whack the little ball, complete with backhand maneuvers to add to the fun.

The remaining demos consisted of gimmicky goodness, using the Playstation Move to do all sorts of things like shaving and spray painting the heads of bizarre looking animals, saving birds as they fell out of sky, and swatting flies into green globs of death.

All in all, the Playstation Move made a solid showing and could be a great asset to Sony – if handled properly. Project Managers for the Move mentioned strong 3rd Party support as well as the possibility of integrating the Move into the PS3’s current library via patches. While the sound of that does excite us, we couldn’t help but feel a bit wary of Sony’s motion device. With Nintendo ahead of Sony in the motion game, Sony will have to pull out all the stops of they want gamers to spend their money on this new peripheral. While the games were fun and the controls were responsive, the Playstation Move has a long way to go before it can prove itself to the gaming community.

Don't get me wrong – Final Fantasy XIII is an incredible title. Sure its a bit slow and chatty at the start but that doesn't mean that it isn't an RPG force to be reckoned with.

While there many things to praise this latest FF title for: the jaw-dropping cinematics, its stellar voice acting and lovable cast, its Paradigm and Crystalium systems, something is still lacking from Square Enix's latest RPG title.

Growing up with the Final Fantasy franchise, I looked forward more than anything to the new magic and summon spells, primarily the graphical effects and animation. There was a time when casting spells and summoning creatures would mean that the camera would focus on the caster and the targeted enemy, making these moments all the more memorable. With FFXIII, as it was with its predecessor FFXII, cinematic spell casting has taken a back seat to the fast-paced battle system, happening just as quickly as Attack commands and without the cinematic flair of FF titles like FFVII-X. Sure you can catch a glimpse of the cast spell, but it just isn't what it used to be. The same can be said about Final Fantasy XIII's summon effects. Lengthy intro scenes have replaced the majesty of a summon creature's ultimate attack, making their inclusion something of an afterthought. And do we really need to momentarily control these summoned creatures? This gimmick was okay in Final Fantasy X but it just doesn't feel right anymore.

To me, an FF Summon meant a small moment of wonder where a fantastical creature was called to the battlefield from some alternate plane of existence to deliver a devastating attack. With FFXIII, these attacks just aren't as cool as they used to be and aren't nearly as eye-appealing when compared to some of the Final Fantasy franchise's earlier summon effects and animations – with Final Fantasy VIII & IX having some of the most involved summon sequences ever crafted by Square Enix.

Maybe I'm just nitpicking here, but I miss the days where magic and summon effects took center stage in the battlefield. Sure the action happens really fast but there is a certain loss to be had with this seamless battle system. How do the rest of you Final Fantasy fans feel about this?