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

Yep, Here’s Another GTA VI Opinion For The Dumpster Fire…

Posted on December 6, 2023 by geelw

So, the that thing that millions wanted to see dropped the other day and of course, it was thanks to being (surprise!) leaked a day early. Hold on to your hats, please:

Butt, that’s not all, folks…

Looks good, doesn’t it? Anyway, let the shutdown fully commence here until the game ships, simply for sanity’s sake. I managed to miss out on that OLD leaked in-progress progress game footage, the only reason I’m posting this trailer is for the news value and yes, the fact that Rockstar Games continues to produce some incredible looking titles despite an increasingly jaded fan base that will pore over every millisecond of official footage just to nitpick on what they didn’t see and/or just guesstimate on every aspect and end up being 1000% WRONG when the game does finally ship (again, as usual). Already, some sites are turning GLORIOUSLY into self- parody as they pixel and polygon count, wonder if every map has been properly mipped and examine this brief trailer more than the Zapruder film a few million times over, so expect to see this nonsense continue with each new trailer released (le sigh). Warning, this won’t be pretty, but that’s the Internet today for you (if you still haven’t realized).

Yes, I’ll gladly accept a review copy IF I get one, but life won’t stop if that doesn’t happen and I need to (gasp) actually pay to secure a copy. For now, I’m sitting back and waiting this thing out for at least a year, unless Rockstar has an actual hands-on at their NYC offices and I get an invite (like the good old days.) Eh, we’ll see…

-GW

Evan’s Remains: Logic Dictates This Will Be a Nifty Puzzle/Adventure

Posted on June 11, 2020 by geelw

If you’re into some games that don’t rely on pure horsepower or an overdose of visual flashiness that shows off every graphical trick in the book, don’t let games like this get buried under big console announcements. Whitehorn Digital has what looks like a sleeper hit in Evan’s Remains, a game that’s also on PC, Xbox One, and Switch. I’m in the process of playing and so far, it’s quite a lovely experience with some stellar hand-drawn pixel art and a relaxing soundtrack. I won’t go into details about the story, as I’m not far along and there seems to be a few surprises I won’t spoil, but I’m truly enjoying the game so far. I’m going to shut up here and try to get more time in before the PS5 reveal, but yeah – go check this one out as soon as you can.

-GW

Pathfinder: Kingmaker on Consoles – Everything and The Kitchen Sink, Plus

Posted on June 11, 2020 by geelw

((Thanks, Deep Silver!)

If you’re a PS$ or Xbox owner into deep and somewhat complex role-playing games with a bit of town building on the side, but haven’t yet tried Owlcat’s Pathfinder: Kingmaker in its PC form yet, well you’re in luck. Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Definitive Edition is coming from publisher Deep Silver on August 18, 2020. Packing in all six DLC and a new optional turn-based mode that makes the game feel more like the tabletop version, this looks like it’ll keep some of us indoors even longer (which might be a good thing). PC players on STEAM and GOG will be getting that turn-based update as well as a free download in case they want to give the game’s real-time pause-based play a rest for a spell.

A bit of brief official news below the jump. Read on.

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Review: TT Isle of Man – Ride On the Edge 2 (Switch)

Posted on May 14, 2020 by geelw

KT Racing has clearly put a Kylotonn of work into bringing TT Isle of Man – Ride On the Edge 2 ($59.99) to the Nintendo Switch and it’s truly an impressive effort on the hybrid console. The developer has recreated the recent PC and console experience perfectly in terms of complete content on the Switch with a few very obvious concessions to the lower-powered hardware. On Switch, there’s a tiny bit of texture draw-in plus some low resolution textures such as bike shadows, some of the signage, plus logos on your rider’s gear, which can all be a bit fuzzy in static shots. Despite these flaws and some long loading times, the game completely soars when in motion, particularly in docked mode. In handheld mode, the game is fine, but as a simulation that requires zen-like focus (there’s no in-race music for a reason!), every little detail needs to be seen at the best resolution available.

Where TT2 impresses constantly is in the excellent bike detail and its thrilling overall sense of speed thanks to excellent visual representation in the various camera modes and some tremendous sound design. The sheer intensity when you get to flying down a course and don’t go flying off your bike is nothing but a pure adrenaline rush, and the game will make you appreciate the art of the learning process. That said, it feels like a bit of understeer is in play on corners and you’ll crash a lot as a beginner and a great deal less (or not at all when you get better) as you get accustomed to the controls, which can by fully customized and come in a few styles from amateur to professional. Got a first or third party Switch compatible controller with a Rumble feature? DO please use that over the handheld’s Joy-Cons. The game goes from trickier to control and a bit too shaky to one where analog controls make things more manageable. The game is playable with Joy-Cons, mind you – it’s just more difficult if you stick to the standard control scheme and/or if you have the dreaded left Joy-Con drift issues some users have experienced with the handheld.

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HUNTDOWN: It’s Been A Long Time Coming, But It’s Been Worth The Wait

Posted on May 11, 2020 by geelw

Here comes trouble, and there goes your free time!

Way back in 2016, I saw a trailer for a wild little 2D game from an independent developer and I was pretty excited because it captured a few nostalgic vibes from both some older games and plenty of crazy action flicks:

(Thanks, Easy Trigger!)

Skip ahead to the next year, and the game went through some changes that made it look even better. I was able to sign up and test out an in-progress version on Steam, and it was pretty great even though some parts were in need of a little refining (as any work in progress would – a demo of a game is NOT a full game experience). Even with the parts that needed work, what was there was such a huge improvement that it was clearer this was going to be even more amazing when it was completed:

(Thanks, Coffee Stain!)

Now (well, tomorrow), the final game is ready for its closeup and wow, does it look too nuts or what? “Hold on to your butts!”, as the saying goes:

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Book of Demons: A Fun Pain & Paper Game That Needs To Be Played

Posted on May 11, 2020 by geelw

Fire usually burns paper, so this big guy is in for a surprise… or maybe those three heroes are?

A few years ago, I got an email from Thing Trunk Studios about a game they were working on called Book of Demons, which at the time was still in progress as a PC title. I got to try it out in Early Access form and found it to be quite well done, an amusing, challenging and well-made take on Blizzard’s classic Diablo, but with a paper crafted pop-up book aesthetic. I really liked what I played, but was hoping it would eventually make its way to consoles.

Flash forward a few years and here it is courtesy the developer who have teamed up with publisher 505 Games:

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State(s) of Emergency

Posted on May 9, 2020 by geelw

Ah, memories…

Since 2002, whenever I read or hear the words ‘State of Emergency’, my brain automatically triggers a little earworm of a title tune from the game of the same name released back then. It can’t be helped either, and goodness knows, I’ve tried hard not to get this song starting up in my head when those words come into eye or ear reach (I guess this video may trigger some out there? Or at least get them a case of earworms):

(Thanks, PAL!)

Timely, I guess?

Back at that time, I worked in a small independent game shop here in NYC and that game was one we ran as a demo for a few weeks on and off.That attract mode is what, two minutes and nine seconds long? Imagine what that does to one if you’re watching that intro a few hours a day. Would anyone like a slice of baked earworm? It’s quite tasty and there’s more than enough to go around.

Rockstar Games (which was about a 10-15 minute walk away from the store) was coming off a rather massive 2001 with the release of DMA Designs’ popular and controversial multi-million selling Grand Theft Auto 3 and many gamers were expecting State of Emergency (and there goes that tune again in my head) to be the next big thing from the studio. It both was and wasn’t, but an explanation is in order here. By the way, I liked the game overall, warts and all.

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Review: OVERPASS (PS4)

Posted on March 26, 2020 by geelw

Grandma needs to move to a place less hard to get to…

There are a couple of ways to play Zordix Racing’s super challenging and very (very) methodical off-road game OVERPASS ($59.99). You can go into all the tutorials and learn the ropes, failing and retrying as you go, then hit the Career Mode’s many racing events in a few ways, earning sponsors, a team to manage along with race-earned cash to repair rides and purchase plenty of gear and upgrades. You can just hop into Quick Race, Custom Race, or hotseat-based Multiplayer and play on an assortment of tracks with any ride, learning as you play. Or, you can just mix in all the game modes and get an extreme and extremely lengthy experience that’s part driving sim and part puzzle game where you’ll need to successfully navigate some deviously designed courses that will test your skills and patience.

The game could use some patching to fix a few bugs with the physics and free up camera control (holding R3 down to look around is a pain), but even still, a warning comes for casual players: it’s definitely not for everyone, especially those expecting something purely arcade-like. This definitely isn’t a Motorstorm or Baja: Edge of Control despite its announcer’s twangy voice and a bit of genetic soundtrack action. When you approach the game from a simulation aspect, it’s a lot more enjoyable, although as they say, your mileage may vary when all is said and done. There’s definitely a LOT of game here for that money, although the day one DLC might be a bit of a pesky bit of business for some players resistant to that sort of thing.

“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!”

Of the two disciplines, the assorted buggies are the most fun to drive here, especially once you get a few upgrades and start fiddling with crafting the fastest and better handling rides. You’ll need to try and damage your rides as little as possible in Career, as repairs stack up and get costly, affecting performance to often great degrees if you don’t repair. Quads are a totally difficult thing to get used to throughout as you need to control the driver as much as the vehicle here, adjusting his or her body on the fly lest you go tumbling down a slope or over a steep hill. The unforgiving nature of the physics here means you’ll feel as if a stiff wind could send your driver flying off that ride, but they’ll fall off before the wind starts blowing anyway. This is clearly NOT a game about stunts and flashy moves and it doesn’t pretend to be. Add in the manual transmission options if you like, and parts of the game get really teeth-gnashing even when you get better at them.

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Elevator (In)Action

Posted on March 18, 2020 by geelw

(Thanks, HAMSTER Corporation!)

A few days ago, I got stuck in the elevator here with another guy who, after we let Security know of the issue via intercom and they said they were on it, started asking me about sports. Well, that was a dull, but enlightening (for him, I think) mercifully brief conversation. I told him I didn’t really watch sports except when I popped by a friend’s place and a sport of choice was on TV. If I’m asked who I like, I almost always counter ask “which team is winning?”, which by the way, has gotten me a few mean looks over the years, but quite a few more laughs. Like a perfect pitch, it’s all in the delivery, I guess. Well, and it depends on a good mix of catchers and not some folks who want to hit you hard with bats, as well.

It’s a mugging, I say!

Anyway, I think the guy looked at me as if I was a space alien visiting from somewhere, but my joke about the elevator being a busted TARDIS went a few feet above his head. It’s a good thing I made no jokes about needing a new companion in my travels, as if you don’t get one Doctor Who joke, you certainly won’t get a second one. I did mention that I have played some sports-themed video games and still do from time to time, so at least he was looking at me a lot less suspiciously after that information.

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