EDF World Brothers 2: It’s Just Up The Block A Bit

Posted on February 29, 2024 by geelw

Square Earth is Back! EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS 2 Set for September 26 Release Date

Back on the block!

Destroy a Horde of Voxel Space Monsters All Over Again When the Next Entry in the Pixelated Spin-off of the Hit Series from D3PUBLISHER Returns this Fall with Pre-orders Available Now on PlayStation

OAKLAND, CA – Feb. 29, 2024 – D3Publisher Inc., a leading Japanese games publisher, is excited to announce that EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS 2, the second installment in the voxel-spinoff of the popular third-person shooter series, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE, will release on Sept. 26, 2024, on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, for a MSRP of $49.99, €49.99, and ￡39.99 for the Standard Edition and $74.99, €74.99, and ￡64.99 for the Deluxe Edition. The title will also launch on the Nintendo Switch™ system at a MSRP of $39.99, €39.99, and ￡29.99 for the Standard Edition and $64.99, €64.99, ￡54.99 for the Deluxe Edition. EDF: WB2 is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB, PEGI 16, and USK 16. Pre-orders for the title are live now for PlayStation users in North America and Europe, with Nintendo Switch pre-orders in North America and Europe coming soon. PlayStation Plus subscribers who pre-order will also receive a 10% discount and several additional characters as an additional reward. EDF: WB2 builds upon its predecessor by introducing elements from Earth Defense Force 6 including the Wing Diver Shooter class, more than 100 unique characters, and over 100 missions!

EDF: WB2 tells the story of what happened to the voxel (cube) Earth after the events of the first installment. Brothers from across the world reunite to face an unprecedented threat brought about by an all-new enemy that threatens to tear the Earth apart all over again. To restore peace to the voxel Earth, the EDF has been dispatched for an emergency mission the likes of which no one has ever seen before! Featuring a unique voxel art style, epic 4-player team battles, and filled with more love for the EDF series than ever before, players must stand together to save the world once more. EDF move out!

Key Features:
The Voxel World of Square Earth: Unlike the original EDF series, which is portrayed in a photorealistic style, EDF: WB2 uses bold voxel graphics for a distinct look. Get ready to blast hordes of monsters into pixel oblivion!
Build Your Very Own EDF Squad: EDF members are struggling in isolated locations around the world. Rescue and assemble a unique Earth Defense Force team to save the cube Earth. Each mission is tackled by a 4-member team that players mix and match to maximize their abilities and lay waste to their enemies.
Legends Assemble: Classic soldiers, characters, and weapons from the first game, THE EARTH DEFENSE FORCE, up to Earth Defense Force 6, and various EDF series spin-offs return in voxelated form! Longtime fans of the series are in for a serious dose of nostalgia, while those who have never played an EDF game before can enjoy EDF: WB2 as an introduction to the series.
Enemies of Generations Past Reborn: The invaders who attacked Earth and caused mass destruction countless times before are returning in full (voxelated) force. Many enemies, giant weapons, and huge monsters from past EDF games are back and bigger than ever! What hell-spawn will show up next?
Fully Voiced in Multiple Languages: Like its predecessor, EDF: WB2 features English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean voiceovers, so an even greater audience can get in on the action!
For additional information on EDF: WB2, please visit the official website, follow the game on Twitter, and D3PUBLISHER Inc. to keep up with upcoming content and news.

Yes, it’s on the way in 2024, which means we get two Earth Defense Force titles this year, folks(https://fanboydestroy.com/2024/02/12/delay-of-game-edf6-becomes-a-summer-2024-baby/) Yep, It’s already been pre-ordered in this house (since last year!). Here’s a peek at the announcement trailer:

Looks fun, right? If the first game is any indication, this looks to be quite a bit of much needed goofiness in this year of seemingly non-stop bad news. Sandlot is on a roll with this series and I hope more will take the plunge into their voxel-packed world this September. Yes, it’s hip to be square again- just don’t fall off the edge of the planet (too much!)

-GW

Family Business 1

Posted on February 15, 2024 by geelw

When my father passed away (I think it was in 2007), there were only 13 people in attendance at his funeral. His four children and nine invited friends, a paltry amount of people considering all those he met and befriended in one way or another over seven decades. Memories of him being just Dad, or “Pop”, as we often called him, linger in my mind and can’t recall him being a poor parent or experiencing many hard times because of him. We had what I would call a “busy” relationship, in that as almost everyone was busy being a kid and got busy growing up while our parents both worked. There were good times and not so good times, but I can’t recall everything I’d like to at the moment, which is quite unfortunate, as I recall certain things, but pure memory tends to be quite an unreliable narrator if solely relied upon.

I recall hearing of his death from a relative who was “caring” for him and how disgustingly clinical the explanation was. I’ll admit my brain has since (more or less) blanked out almost every memory I had other that the time he took me to work (he was once a motorman for the MTA) and showed me how a subway train worked. Then, he let me take the train he was driving into the final stop on its route for about 25 feet or so (detailed here). Anyway, flash forward to now, that annoying relative has made a return at the very worst of times for everyone and I’m just not a happy camper as of this writing (to say the least). NO, I’m not planning anything drastic or dramatic at all. My life needs a lot less stress these days, period.

I do kind of need to borrow one of these, however:

Or, this guy…(just kidding!)

-GW

Delay Of Game: EDF6 Becomes a Summer 2024 Baby!

Posted on February 12, 2024 by geelw

Only a little bit longer until the end of the world…(almost).

The only other game I’ve preordered this year gets a slight shift in its release date window, as developer SANDLOT and D3Publisher’s upcoming title has moved from a Spring to Summer 2024 release.

“D3Publisher Inc., a leading Japanese games publisher, has announced that Earth Defense Force 6, the latest entry in the popular action-shooter series, will now be released for PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, and PC via Steam in summer 2024 for Western audiences. Previously announced for a spring launch window, developer SANDLOT and publisher D3PUBLISHER have decided to extend the launch window to add finishing touches and finalize preparations for its Western launch.“

As a long time fan of the series since 2003, I don’t mind the date shift at all if it gives the game a bit more of what it’s well-known for: chaotic solo or co-op action, mass destruction on a huge scale, the offbeat humor of the AI squadmates and the storyline that gets increasingly more dramatic and doom-filled as things get worse for humanity. It took me close to a year to complete the last installment, (EDF5), a game I still revisit every so often when I need that fix. The rather huge amount of weapons for each character makes for plenty of on the fly strategy as each level requires learning the ins and outs of your chosen loadouts.

This will be the first time I’m not picking up the import version first because the game’s DLC won’t be compatible on PS4 or PS5, but I love going into things cold.

YouTuber cenorexia even put together a really great English translation of the first mission/tutorial that’s well worth checking out:

I think the entire game is on that page, but, I’m a spoiler-free dude, so beware!

Bonus!

-GW

Review: Sydney Hunter and The Curse of the Mayan (PS4/PS5)

Posted on February 7, 2024 by geelw

“It belongs in a museum…”

From CollectorVision Games comes the latest in its series of the retro- inspired Sydney Hunter series, Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan, popping up on current generation consoles (it’s been on PC for a while as well. Let’s take a quick peek at the PS4/PS5 version.

Those were the days, I guess…

“Players take on the role of supreme adventurer Sydney Hunter, a deft explorer who by sheer luck finds himself trapped inside a massive Mayan pyramid. He soon discovers that the “Feathered Serpent” Kukulkan has broken up the sacred Haab calendar into seven individual pieces and scattered them throughout the pyramid. With the support of the local Mayan population, Sydney Hunter must put the calendar back together and defeat Kukulkan to return peace and balance to the world. Two unique endings await players, depending on the decisions they make in the game.“

That’s the plot in a nutshell, but the game goes straight for the retro gut with its 8-bit visuals, pinpoint precision platforming, excellent soundtrack and many hidden secrets right from the start. This challenging adventure/platformer may remind some players of games such as El Mulana 1 and 2, Montezuma’s Revenge, the Spelunky games and similar adventure titles. You know those easy to play, tough to master classics from the past that had a slight learning curve? Nope, this game gets straight to the backtracking, respawning enemies, tough boss fights and other trickiness after the first minute or so of gameplay, so buckle up. Early on, expect secrets galore to find as well as plenty of gold and treasure to farm dropping constantly as you make your way around with your trusty whip and other weapons acquired during your adventure. A hub world opens up once you play a bit longer, allowing for fast travel, and more collecting fun.

While I rather liked all the exploring and backtracking, even the easiest mode offers up a rather hefty level of challenge. The lack of a decent mini-map plus some iffy checkpoints keep things more flawed than they need to be (save every chance you get!). Overall, this is a rather nifty mix of challenge to check out, with a few warts in the way here and there. You rocking chair or recliner warriors can get the younger kids to play this (if you have them) so you can at least sit back and pontificate on the “good old days” while you watch them deal with the harder parts for you as you sip lemonade (or something like that). This one’s quite the throwback, but it’s a pretty darn good one. Recommended.

-GW

Pompous and Circumstances…(Part one)

Posted on February 2, 2024 by geelw

I guess it’s time…

It’s been a long ride…

I had a thought a while back (what else is new?) about the title of this blog, particularly as I’ve been moving away from a lot of my collecting chores and have been selling off a portion of my library over the last few years because it’s time, the old reflexes aren’t what they used to be and my tastes have just plain changed over the decades. Anyway, I haven’t yet decided what my next move will be, so we’ll keep that name for now, but some things are going to flip like a freshly caught fish around here. Stay tuned.

-GW