4. Parasite Eve
Developer: Square Counting Square (aka SquareSoft) among the ranks of "lost developers" may be pushing the interpretation of the phrase a bit, but let's not lie to ourselves: as a developer of video games, Square is no longer who they once were. Looking at the company that is Square Enix today, it can sometimes be difficult to remember that they were once one of the very best developers of video games that this industry has ever seen. Although Square made some fine early games for the NES and Famicom, it was during the 16 bit era when they began to demonstrate that they were the real deal. Many of the brightest luminaries in the Japanese video game industry made Square their home during this era, and the output they released for the SNES/Super Famicom reflected this. When Sony's deal with Nintendo to create a CD-ROM-based console backfired, resulting in Sony setting off on their own to make their own gaming console, one of their biggest coups was securing exclusive rights to Square's games. The Square/Sony partnership turned into one of the most fruitful that this industry has ever seen. Square became a famous name worldwide upon the release of Final Fantasy VII, a hugely successful game that created a generation of lifelong RPG lovers. Along with Final Fantasy, Square created some of the absolute best games of the era for Sony's PlayStation console, and one of the very best , and most under-appreciated, of the bunch is Parasite Eve. Parasite Eve was the result of a developer who was not only in a midst of a very fertile period of video game craftsmanship but also one who was willing to take chances. Parasite Eve's unique blend of strong narrative, action RPG mechanics, and sci fi/horror was a potent blend that hadn't been seen before. The player takes control of Aya, a police officer in New York City who witnesses a horrifying incident and works to uncover the seemingly supernatural mystery of why people have been spontaneously combusting. The increasingly creepy environments were striking, and the battling the horrifying enemies was incredibly fun with the game's real time combat that was fused with Square's token Active Time Battle system. Combined with fantastic music and excellent pacing, the game was smaller than many of the other epics being released by Square at the time, but Parasite Eve was easily in the same league with those heavy hitters when it came to quality. Parasite Eve represents the output of a major player in the video game industry who was not only making great game after great game, but also conveyed a sense of risk that is all too rare in today's AAA video game market. Not long after the game's sequel, Parasite Eve II, was released, Square's output became less prolific and arguably lower in quality, which many gamers coincide with the company's merger with Enix in 2003. SquareEnix remains a major player in the industry today, serving as a publisher for many fine games across several platforms, but few would argue that their in-house development studios have made anything in the last decade that even approaches the greatness of their output for Nintendo and Sony in the 1990's. As for Ava, she made a return in the form of The 3rd Birthday, a more shooter-centric action RPG for the PlayStation Portable in 2011 that received a mixed reception from gamers. Perhaps, one day, Square will rise from the ashes, return to game-making glory, and give her the true hero's welcome that she deserves.