My friends have been hounding me to play this game for years and after a bored couple of weeks I polled my friends on what game I should beat out of a screenshot of my Vita games and every one voted Parasite Eve. I'm asking for tips on a first time playthrough, not a walkthrough but maybe some stuff to look out for in the future, or help with the weapons system. I'm starting to grasp how upgrades, tools and mods work but he UI can be confusing at times. Thanks for the help.

Love Parasite Eve! Honestly the main game isn't too difficult to get through. Breaking down guns and building up different ones is something that should get a grip of early. You can get some pretty awesome combinations early on that give you a pretty big advantage.

Minor minor endgame stuff below. It'll make sense after you start modding weapons.

Not really a game-play tip, but try not to compare it to Resident Evil; you'll enjoy it much more if you take it on it's own merits.

Don't neglect the RPG aspects of the game. I was plowing through it on my first run and things started to get tough. Then my friends took over and did some side stuff to get better equipment. Turns out that it definitely helps towards the end of the game. Specifics on that? It's been a few years so I couldn't tell ya.

Parasite Eve is pretty great, I'm due for a playthrough myself.

I can't really think of anything specific to tell you that the game already doesn't lay out in front of you. Some of its systems can be kind of confusing, but as far as I remember it does a decent job of walking you through things. Just keep getting new weapons and upgrade them all the time. Make sure you scour every last inch of each level. Most chests have really useful items and weapons in them.

Parasite Eve is a hell of a game, though. Enjoy it! Hopefully you'll get around to PE2 eventually, which I personally adore.