20 Great Video Game Franchises That Became UNPLAYABLE

Rather than imitating Resident Evil, Parasite Eve was among the few survivor horrors of the late nineties that did its own thing. 

Square's creepy title combined RPG progression with horror elements, creating a unique form of gameplay for its time. Mixing turn-based combat with real-time movement felt innovative, and Aya Brea quickly became one of the most compelling female protagonists in gaming.

Disappointingly, Parasite Eve II did the opposite of its predecessor, embracing Resident Evil's aesthetic and gameplay. This decision was to give the sequel more mainstream appeal, but made Parasite Eve II feel like every other scary title at the time.

The next instalment, The 3rd Birthday, discarded the original's identity even more, replacing the role-playing mechanics with a third-person shooter structure. The story became convoluted, leaning on time travel and shock value rather than coherent sci-fi horror. Aya Brea suffered from major character assassination, since the complex heroine was revised into a sexually objectified badass. Adding salt to the wounds, her voice-acting this time around was distractingly awful.

Instead of carving its own identity in the horror genre, Parasite Eve ended up getting lost in the shuffle by indulging in trends and dated ideas.