The 3rd Birthday

The 3rd Birthday (ザ・サード バースデイ) is a horror third-person shooter action role-playing game from Square Enix.
The game was developed for the PlayStation Portable and marks the third entry in the Parasite Eve series after Parasite Eve II, which was released in 2000. The game was released on December 22, 2010 in Japan and was released on March 29, 2011 in North America. It will be released on April 1, 2011 in Europe.



::Gameplay::
The game is an action role-playing game described by Square Enix as a "cinematic action RPG".
Director Hajime Tabata noted that the gameplay and plot are intertwined due to a newly introduced ability called "Overdive," an ability that lets you switch bodies with one of your team members, allowing the player to control friendly NPCs.
Teammates can be ordered either to target specific enemies or to defend themselves in combat. The player is able change their controlled character in real-time, intermixed with their combat actions.
The game has third person shooter elements both in and out of combat. The game is played over-the-shoulder, comparable to games such as Dead Space and Resident Evil 5. An array of different costumes will be available to Aya to choose from throughout the game.



::Plot::
Hideous creatures descend on Manhattan. Ground reports from the squad tasked with containing the pandemonium refer to these life forms as the Twisted. An investigatory team known as the CTI (Counter Twisted Investigation) is formed within the year.

Aya Brea is the main focus of this game. Due to her special powers, she still has the body of a woman in her 20s, although in terms of age she should actually be 39 years old.



::Development::
The game was originally announced as a mobile phone title. However, at the private party DKΣ3713 in August 2008, it was announced that The 3rd Birthday was being developed for the PSP instead with no mention of the previously-announced mobile phone version. In the Tokyo Game Show presskits, it was confirmed that the game would be exclusive to the PSP.

Issue 6/5 of Famitsu has an interview of Tetsuya Nomura where he says that the first few stages of the game are already playable.
Japanese recording artist Superfly performs the game's theme song "Eyes On Me".

Square Enix will release the Twisted Edition of the game exclusively in Europe and PAL territories. This version will include a red PSP game case along with a 48-page hardbook featuring artwork and concept illustrations, two lithograph art prints, and an exclusive code to Aya's costume for Lightning to wear in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. In North America, the code to unlock the costume for Lightning is included within the first run copies of all the games.



::Trailer & Gameplay::