Parasite Eve 2 Part #25 - Episode 25: Motel Poetry

Part 25: Episode 25: Motel Poetry

IronSaber posted:

I shudder to think how many LP's will grind to a halt when Skyrim comes out.

Now THAT'S a time sink.

There may or may not be a hiatus after the 15th while I play Saints Row the 3rd for 72 hours straight.

Speaking of updates...

Previously, Aya and Kyle decided to drive out to this mysterious fallout shelter and try to find the source of this whole NMC infestation. Unfortunately, Aya's car was trashed by hooligan jackrabbits, and Kyle is useless, so now we need to go see if we can bum a ride from Mr. Douglas.

Also, there was a vote, as I recall.

Aya can now bring the thunder in two different ways! You guys have seen Plasma plenty of times by now, but sadly most the enemies lurking around are too small and low to the ground to be hit by Necrosis. So, we'll have to wait on showing that off for a little bit.

Also, there are tons of new Hot Zones! Yay BP!

So, let's go do some stuff!

These little bastards always reminded me of the titular monsters from Critters. Remember that movie? Remember the one where they went to space?!

Anyway, Plasma owns and always will.

As an aside, there's explosive fetuses clinging to the roof of the Men's Room. Just felt like I should point that out.

The G&R Saloon is still trashed.

We get a new brand of MPBoost for killing some Blood Sucklers in the toilet though. What is with those things and bathrooms?

oh no a swarm of bats, whatever will I do

Here we are a Douglas' backdoor again. I'm feeling lazy, so let's just buzz him from the intercom.

Or not. Admit it, Aya, you just want an excuse to see the doggy again.

Scavengers are lurking in Doug's garage. Although I notice they didn't trash HIS car, the fuckers.

It doesn't translate too well in screenshots, but basically an invisible thing leaps down and becomes visible, introducing us to a new and annoying enemy type.

These guys, called Zebra Stalkers are basically the little babby versions of that horrible Grey Stalker mini-boss from earlier. They can climb on walls and ceilings, and turn invisible just like big brother. The upside is they're weaker, have less HP, and spend most of their invisible time standing completely still. So, if you can remember where they were when they disappeared, you can probably still hit them.

There's actually two in this fight, but one is shy

I prefer the M4A1 for fighting these guys, because Aya can't aim up or down if she's not locked on. The bayonet's vertical slash can still hit them easily when they cloak, and does loads of damage. Also, Plasma, but that kinda goes without saying at this point.

This particular encounter drops Fireflies, which are incendiary rounds for the shotgun! Pretty swank, even though we don't have a shotgun worth mentioning at this point.

We should probably go tell Douglas about the invisible spider people hanging out in his front yard.

People Pointing Guns At Each Other: The Game

: I fought the love child of Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees, saw visions of a small girl in the shortest skirt ever made, then took a nap.

: Oh.

: Also, I set some guy on fire, but it's cool, we're pals now.

: Uh-huh. Well...

Actually, yes, yes we do.

Asking about the Shelter doesn't get us any new info, and asking about a car progresses the plot. But there's something I've been meaning to buy.

Yup. The HP boost is nice, and so is continued resistance to Poison, but the HP recovery is the real draw. It restores a small amount of health after each battle, like MP. It's not that much, but a couple of easy fights and fill you back up after a particularly nasty one, saving Healing Items for bosses and MP for more Plasma.

I also use a Belt Pouch to up the number of attachment slots, since I'll need at least one more open spot pretty soon.

Okay, now we're set to move on.

: I have a favor to ask...

: Oh, for God's sakes, just take the damn wrench!

: Uh, no, not that.

: You goin' to the shelter?

: Yes...

lookit dat fukkin dog

: Well, 'bout the only one still moving's my old truck. And it just started leakin' oil like there was no tomorrow.

: Can it be fixed?

: Hunh, well... it'll take me a little while. Aya...

I'm not sure why'd there be one in the hotel and not, say, the gas station, but okay.

: Thank you so much!

Douglas is gruff but has a heart of gold. And a peg leg.

also, he gives us this, allowing us entry to the hotel's lobby.

Let's go explore what remains of Dryfield!

Sadly, nothing too interesting happens on the way there.

Well, there are these guys.

Thanks to Plasma, bats are now my favorite enemy.

Here's a better in-game shot of a Zebra Stalker. I really wish I could track down the concept art for PE2's monsters. Probably some cool shit in there.

Anyway, a brief Hot Zone detour later, we arrive at the hotel lobby.

Nice joint. They have a phone, too, so let's give HQ a ring.

Dial down the center, Aya.

If you save too frequently during a given section of the game, they run out of unique conversations, so you get brief generic ones like this. No new info, Hal's still off somewhere, probably drinking heavily and tipping strippers, Pierce is mercifully absent, and Jodie continues to be bubbly as fuck.

Hey, a picture!

: Two gunslingers walking down a street in a Wild West town... It's labeled... "1881, Tombstone." The shootout at the O.K. Corral... Doc Holliday's on the left. On the right is Sheriff Wyatt Earp.

Neat.

Let's poke around behind the counter and try to find that master key, shall we?

: "When death came to Tombstone, (#)Holliday was 30 and Earp was..."

: "The secret to long life: good friends and good luck."

Well, that sure sounds like a puzzle, doesn't it?

Let's take a look at this before we deal with that, though.

: Lots of white spaces. Hmm, I guess this is the middle of desert... Probably get a lot of tired, long distance truckers. Some hitchhikers heading west...

: January, 1998...

: No... It must be a coincidence!

Yeah, I'm sure that's all it is. Time to move on.

This is instructions for working the cash register. Since there's no master key anywhere else, we may as well look in there.

But what is the code? Well, you remember that little blurb about the "secret to a long life"? It said Doc Holliday was 30 at the O.K. Corral, but Wyatt Earp's age was left blank. So, how old was Earp at that famous shoot out?

In one of the rooms on the hotel's first floor, there's a portrait of the famous sheriff, complete with his date of birth (or you could just Wiki it). Earp was born in 1848, while the shootout in Tombstone happened in 1881.

1881 - 1848 = 33. Therefore...

The code is 3033! Just remember to hit # first and then hit "Total" when you're done. I like this puzzle, because even though you can find the answer within the game itself, it's based on a simple piece of trivial that you could also find elsewhere. Hell, if you're a big American history buff, you may even know the answer off the top of your head!

I'm sorry, that is far too logical a place to hide a key. Parasite Eve 2, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take your Survival Horror license.

Grabbing the key triggers a few more Hot Zones, but more importantly allows us access to the the remaining locked hotel rooms, meaning we can now fully explore everything Dryfield has to offer.