I was 8 years old when this came out. I actively begged my uncle in the store to buy it for me because it included that legendary demo disc with the exclusive Final Fantasy VIII trailer and playable demo. (I still have it original w/ the demo disc) He actually bought it for me—shout out to my uncle! When I got home, I watched the FF8 video and jumped into Parasite Eve. It scared the absolute crap out of me! I loved it, but I was so terrified that I had to make my older cousin play the game while I just watched. I had recently played Final Fantasy VII and was completely drawn to the JRPG turn-based style for the first time in my life. Fast forward two years later to the Y2K era, and I threw it back into my PS1 (and later my brand-new PS2). I was completely hooked. If I recall correctly, this game brand new was not cheap. It felt way more expensive than the standard $49.99 price tag at the time—I swear it was around $60 to $80, maybe because of the multi-disc package and the bonus FF8 demo. I still don't know how I managed to convince my uncle to buy an 8-year-old a Mature-rated game that cost that much, lol! Parasite Eve quickly turned into one of my all-time favorite games, sitting comfortably in 2nd place right behind FF7. It is an absolute classic that needs to be immortalized on GOG. A modern Square Enix remake would be a dream, but getting a stable, preserved version here on GOG is exactly what this masterpiece deserves!
No one in my family gets my inside joke of, ah yes Christmas Eve of 97' what a tragic event.. Lmao