The 3rd Birthday

 PSP
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 150 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 150
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 150
  3. Negative: 44 out of 150
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  1. explodr
    Nov 18, 2011
    8
    I can see why many people like this game, but for once I'm actually going to have to agree with the critics on this one. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay is okay, and the cinematics are mind-blowing. However, it's far from perfect. The mechanics are sort of "clicky" (your character Aya takes a weird step backward before running, and looks kind of awkward while moving in anyI can see why many people like this game, but for once I'm actually going to have to agree with the critics on this one. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay is okay, and the cinematics are mind-blowing. However, it's far from perfect. The mechanics are sort of "clicky" (your character Aya takes a weird step backward before running, and looks kind of awkward while moving in any direction), and the story line is a bit confusing if you haven't played the other Parasite Eve games (like me). As a side note, I played the game for about four hours total before coming to this conclusion, and I'm still not sure why it's rated M...… Expand
  2. webwizo
    Jun 8, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Aya Brea.. After a logn long time I played The 3rd Birthday and it refreshes my old memory when I used to play Parasite Eve =) Cool moves, very nice story, nice characters.. Full marks by my side and if they could create another game like 4rd birthday ;)

    Waiting.....    … Expand
  3. LWFYM
    Sep 1, 2013
    8
    The 3rd Birthday is a very enjoyable game, but there are some things holding it back. New York is once again attacked, this time, it's by grotesque characters called "The Twisted". The gameplay is straight forward, like holding L to aim and R to shoot and square to reload. You hold square to open your weapon inventory and navigate with the D-pad you can overdive with triangle(auto-aimThe 3rd Birthday is a very enjoyable game, but there are some things holding it back. New York is once again attacked, this time, it's by grotesque characters called "The Twisted". The gameplay is straight forward, like holding L to aim and R to shoot and square to reload. You hold square to open your weapon inventory and navigate with the D-pad you can overdive with triangle(auto-aim helps for overdive). You can change positions by overdiving into other people, but overdiving into an enemy does not change positions, but counts as an attack. Overdiving is a very helpful thing to have, but use it wisely, when in the heat of battle and trying to get away from an enemy quickly, you may overdive a lot so you can stay alive thus, losing your support team. The story is a good one, but it takes a lot of twists and turns and seems like it does not have the time to explain. I had to finish the game twice to know the story well. What I really don't like is how they portrayed Aya Brea. This game tries to make her some type of sex symbol or a(fan of the original game's) perverted dream and at some points make her seem under-powered and helpless. I hated, hated, HATED that. On the other hand, the graphics surpasses many games in the PS2's library and brings many environments to life. The sound design is also very good and the soundtrack seems like a redux of the original Parasite Eve and that's not a bad thing. Die Hard Parasite Eve fans may not like this game because of the the shooter gameplay or the new Aya Brea, but I think it's a good step up from PE2's Resident Evil-clone gameplay. It's well worth the money.… Expand
  4. elitefour
    Nov 3, 2013
    8
    the 3rd birthday is one the best psp exclusive
    it was a decent sequel of the 2nd game
    the gameplay was amazing,the story was a little bored
    but aya brea was so HOT!! I love it
    it was a fun game
  5. Leontorres7
    Nov 15, 2018
    10
    A Masterpiece, loved everything about this game, it is definitely a must play!
  6. ryuzaki57
    Oct 8, 2011
    8
    Now that was hell of a game! Action is immersive, varied and quite tactical as well, so you can hardly stop playing even if beaten up by the insane creatures and bosses. The 3rd Birthday is a tad difficult as well, which is not a bad thing those days. The scenario is extremely rich and I found myself spending a lot of time reading the reports. Character and weapon design is near perfectNow that was hell of a game! Action is immersive, varied and quite tactical as well, so you can hardly stop playing even if beaten up by the insane creatures and bosses. The 3rd Birthday is a tad difficult as well, which is not a bad thing those days. The scenario is extremely rich and I found myself spending a lot of time reading the reports. Character and weapon design is near perfect and the RPG part isn't just for show. Best TPS of 2011.… Expand
  7. infinityqs
    Oct 22, 2011
    8
    The 3rd Birthday is fun mash up of third person shooting and rpg stuff, which makes a really good combination (unlike Lord of Arcana.)

    The Story: Well the story is confusing, first of all it didn't explain why the FBI attacked the wedding of Aya and Kyle. Second is that to really understand the story behind the twisted and the high ones. Combine all to and you get a weird    The 3rd Birthday is fun mash up of third person shooting and rpg stuff, which makes a really good combination (unlike Lord of Arcana.)

    The Story:
    Well the story is confusing, first of all it didn't explain why the FBI attacked the wedding of Aya and Kyle. Second is that to really understand the story behind the twisted and the high ones. Combine all to and you get a weird Daytime-Soap-Opera Shows.

    Gameplay:
    Unlike the it's predecessor it's not a horror game, it's more of a Resident Evil except with out the horror or intense scenes. Instead it's an Awesome TPS where you can do this "Overdive" thing where you can take the place from one ally to another by using overdive. Weapons are good, changing DNA is cool and Getting to Have different costumes like Lighning's Costume is AWESOME!!!!

    Graphics:
    As usual the graphics are fantastic!!!!! If you say it sucks then go play your GBA, I bet it has lots of COOL games in it special the AWESOME graphics it has.

    Sound:
    Solid Voice Soundtrack but the voice acting is at the mercy of the script.

    Replay:
    If you wanna get everything then be my guest cause one of the main replay value is the story cause you won't get any thing out of the story if you just played it once.



    see the full review: http://asia.gamespot.com/psp/action/the-3rd-birthday/player_review.html?id=751144&tag=contributions%3Breview20    … Expand
  8. Zeag
    Aug 7, 2012
    9
    I am frankly surprised at the below average scores this game is getting. Sure it's not exactly like Parasite Eve 1 and 2, but the game truly makes the most out of the PSP and offers tight gameplay despite the lack of second analog stick. The story is serviceable, and there's a good resume of the previous games in the menu's notes if you're a newcomer.

    All in all, this game is one of the    I am frankly surprised at the below average scores this game is getting. Sure it's not exactly like Parasite Eve 1 and 2, but the game truly makes the most out of the PSP and offers tight gameplay despite the lack of second analog stick. The story is serviceable, and there's a good resume of the previous games in the menu's notes if you're a newcomer.

    All in all, this game is one of the swansongs of the PSP and I'm quite saddened it didn't get much love from the press. It feels like a blend of all the positive aspects of Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core mashed together, and the now-discounted price of $20, you have the best third person shooter on the platform. Not too bad!    … Expand
  9. murut87
    Jan 22, 2012
    9
    Even through some people who hate this game because of camera,or something,but my bro and i like this game,it was best and they trying to make this game as great as they do on PSP even through its limited.The Story is ok,just sometimes weird plot happens at anytime.The Graphics are the best on PSP,very great....The voice acting was awful,english voice actor seems annoying.The gameplay isEven through some people who hate this game because of camera,or something,but my bro and i like this game,it was best and they trying to make this game as great as they do on PSP even through its limited.The Story is ok,just sometimes weird plot happens at anytime.The Graphics are the best on PSP,very great....The voice acting was awful,english voice actor seems annoying.The gameplay is great,shoot to kill,overdrive to another ppl or corrupt monsters,ride helicopter and tanks,even through the controller feels bad till i forget those things.And last thing i gonna say about this game.....it was bloody fun but tough controller and awful voice actor.… Expand
  10. iamtrent424
    Apr 16, 2011
    8
    This game is really fun to play . A lot of action the story line to the movie was really good. Awesome graphics. I suggest this game to everyone. Its a very nice Action roleplaying game. This game isnt a horror game like the other two but its worth playing . One of psp best game of the year so far.
  11. JDnator
    Apr 2, 2011
    10
    refreshing, polished and i fancy Aya... seriously though its got a wicked style nice controls (for PSP) and the lv up system is very engaging. this game isn't about aiming, so what.. its about surviving and there are some quite deep tactics involved... very impressed and i HOPE there bringing Aya to the NGP!!.... oh, i forgot to mention the graphics are pretty spot on too.
  12. Nathaniel
    Apr 9, 2011
    8
    After an 11 year absence Aya Brea of the Playstationâ
  13. mikehettfield
    Apr 12, 2016
    9
    Simlpy beautiful, great mechanics, one of the best psp games and an example on how to make Shooting-RPG mixures, great story, great music, and a needed 3rd part for the franchise
  14. Lyserg1260
    Aug 23, 2015
    10
    Best one in series. It's not horror game anymore, but it's my favourite in PE series. It has really interesting plot and amazing gameplay with huge replay value. Bosses are very interesting, fights are dynamic, everything is just great in this game. Aya looks awesome. I didn't expected it to be horror game and i wasn't dissapointed. I still love PE1 and PE2, but i prefer this game.
  15. LuisBelly
    Nov 25, 2020
    10
    literally, the best game on psp. it have the best lore and the best plot. controls are simple, not hard or bad, you get used to it fast. the graphics are what you expect from a psp game. mechanics are what a TPS need. thanks HexaDrive and SquareEnix for making this mestrepeça.

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PSP Game of 2011
1
#1 Most Discussed PSP Game of 2011
3
#3 Most Shared PSP Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 56
  3. Negative: 3 out of 56
  1. ZTGD
    Mar 22, 2012
    80
    The 3rd Birthday is still one of my favorite PSP titles, and playing it again on the Vita just re-enforced my love of the series. Once PSOne titles start working on the Vita I can finally have my Aya Brea trilogy in one place to play at my leisure, and while this new game is a radical departure as far as gameplay is concerned, it still fits right in with the theme of the series as a whole.
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  2. Game Chronicles
    Jun 27, 2011
    87
    Expect 15-20 hours of gameplay just to get through the game and that's not including any replays for secrets, alternate paths, or checking out any of the secrets or unlocks. The 3rd Birthday rivals a lot of console action-RPG's these days, and while it probably would have played better and received a wider audience on the PS3, I have to commend Square Enix for publishing a fantastic sequel and an exceptional gameplay experience on the PSP that any fan of the genre or the series should definitely check out.
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  3. Worth Playing
    May 23, 2011
    80
    The combat seems deceptively simple, but it becomes pretty hectic and involved as you progress through the missions. The Overdive ability is pretty unique, and jumping from soldier to soldier to flank an enemy works really well. The controls are easy to use on the PSP, and like most Square Enix titles on PSP, the game looks amazing. It's definitely worth checking out for PSP owners who are hungry for new games on their handheld. I absolutely suggest checking it out, even if you have no prior experience with the Parasite Eve series. The gameplay is what really sells this game, though, so don't come into this title expecting to be wowed by the future exploits of Aya Brea.
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