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

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

Earth Defense Force 5 on Steam: Big Bugs You’ll Actually Want to Play With

Posted on July 14, 2019 by geelw

Get this game, please. Or: Go bug or go home.

BOOM. A guaranteed blast of a game if there ever was one, Earth Defense Force 5 finally lands on PC with a 20% launch discount ($47.99) and if you’re looking for a game that’s going to elbow itself into your every waking hour, this is one of those ridiculous and necessary time killers you’ll ever play. Four character classes, hundreds of weapons for each class, 110 levels and I haven’t even mentioned the co-op and online play that adds way too many hours to the overall experience. Check out my review of the PS4 version, then close your eyes and imagine an even speedier game with an extra layer of visual polish. Or just open your eyes and peek at this short teaser trailer:

Some nifty screens below, if you want total overkill, plus tax.

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-GW

Review: Earth Defense Force 5 (PS4)

Posted on May 3, 2019 by geelw

Well, that took a while, didn’t it?

There guys are new and quite a pain in the butt to fight. You’ll see (and how!)…

For me, an Earth Defense Force game is a particularly tricky review because despite the many similarities in each entry, the series has actually evolved over 16 years (yes, evolved!) into a game where you can choose a single character and dive in deep to uncover their rather massive set of weapons as you play through the different difficulties. While on the surface, Earth Defense Force 5 is a thrilling yet simplistic chunk of game to sink into, there’s a nice level of complexity in regards to how to approach missions in either single player, co-op, or online modes that makes if a fresh experience through multiple replays.

For many players, the easy to use all-rounder Ranger will be their initial pick, but I strongly suggest using Wing Diver for her air superiority and ability to snag more pickups than any other class. Or, you can play as each hero in any order, learning their unique skills (the Fencer and Air Raider require a bit of patience to master) as you challenge those aliens out to overrun the planet for the umpteenth time. It’s your call, and with 110 missions to tackle (not including DLC content), this isn’t a short game by any means.

Going in solo? Expect to learn a lot about how your chosen class plays and put it into practice, or you’ll be in for a world of hurt.

It’s also the first EDF game with a proper (albeit awkward) tutorial for all four classes. It’s unskippable on your first play with any character even if you’re an EDF veteran, but it’s nice to see developer Sandlot make the game a lot more welcoming to new EDF recruits. For those new players, I’d recommend playing through each character’s tutorial just to see which one fits your play style and mess with “farming” a few missions to increase your arsenal. Of course, you can swap between characters between missions if you like, or stick with one for the entire campaign. Couch co-op play is supported via split screen in case you have an extra controller and a pal willing to dive in and get some bug and ‘bot blasting on.

Here’s a look at the Wing Diver intro level (all the EDF 5 videos in this review save for the official trailer are of me playing and there are quite a lot more of them on my YouTube channel, if you’re interested).

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Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain – 13 Days ‘Til The Worldwide Airdrop

Posted on March 29, 2019 by geelw

This latest trailer for EDFIR is pretty goofball stuff, but definitely enjoy it for what it is. Of course, you can check out a more “serious” trailer and a nice set of screenshots on the PlayStation Store page (and pre-order the Standard or Ultimate digital edition of game if you like). Everything is shaping up to be the most epic entry in the long-running series to date and yes, that worldwide release insures EDF fans everywhere can play together or alone and not feel left out of the action.

Oh, for the record, I’m finally finishing up my Earth Defense Force 5 review (yeah, it took a while thanks to the ridiculous amount of content in the game, but that’s show biz, folks!) and should have it up over the weekend. Pop back in and see if it’s a total blast of a game more folks need to jump on (spoiler: it most certainly is).

-GW

Earth Defense Force Iron Rain Update: Getting Antsy (With Purpose)

Posted on February 1, 2019 by geelw

And you thought your last picnic got out of hand when the ants started trundling towards that basket…

D3 Publisher in Japan has been running a series of informative live play videos of the upcoming Earth Defense Force Iron Rain on its YouTube channel, and while all the dialog is in Japanese, once the gameplay kicks in after some lengthy chatter, all four episodes are quite fun to watch. While there seem to be no plans to do a western version of these videos, I’d be first in line to volunteer for a series here provided I get to wear an ant mask or some sort of other disguise. That or, I’d at least want to do an interview with some of the dev team at YUKE’s behind the game and/or some of the folks at Sandlot just to give readers an idea of what goes into making the EDF games so insanely fun when all is said and done.

Given that this is the first game in the series to get a simultaneous worldwide release and it’s a PS4 exclusive, there’s a lot (ant) riding on it being a smash out of the gate or at least becoming a game with long (spider) legs as well as an “evergreen” game that sells well on a regular basis. The best thing about every game in the series is fans of all skill levels truly get their money’s worth if they want to see everything thanks to the tremendous amount of weapons and gear for each character. “Bang for the buck” really holds true for this series and that’s a great thing to see as a hallmark for this somewhat niche franchise that really deserves a larger player base.

Remember:

-GW

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain Trailer 3 – April Showers, Ant-Ride Powers

Posted on January 28, 2019 by geelw

Well, I knew way back when it was announced that Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain (set for a worldwide April 11, 2019 release as a PS4 exclusive) was going to be a big departure from the Sandlot-developed games, but that new Ant riding class? Nice… and kind of really weird at the same time. Anyway, veteran developer YUKE’S is on the case with some gorgeous Unreal 4-powered visuals, character customization for a player’s chosen class and a few other features geared to a wider audience that may want all the series hard-core bug, beast and ‘bot battles with a more serious story. In other words, it looks as if the campy dialog is possibly getting put to the side for this new game. Even if this isn’t completely the case, this interview over on the official PlayStation blog with series producer Nobuyuki Okajima makes for an interesting read.

Oddly enough, while the Sandlot-developed games are well known known for their intense action and incessantly, intentionally inane dialog (delivered via some oddball voice acting), the games are all fiercely difficult as the missions throw hundreds of enemies at you and ask you to take care of the swarms as you see fit. There’s also a deadly serious undertone to the games as the Earth always seems to be at the end of its rope and your character(s) are the sole means of stopping the aliens from exterminating what’s left of humanity. Seriously, if it weren’t for the dopey commentary in the last few EDF games, you’d have a really dire story line where millions are annihilated around the world every few years and you and what’s left of the EDF are the world’s last best hope every single time.

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Earth Defense Force 5: Out Now, So Don’t Bug Me!

Posted on December 11, 2018 by geelw

It’s boom time for those pesky giant bugs and angry-ass aliens, finally!

Well, there goes the neighborhood as well as any free time I was thinking of dreaming about. Playing an Earth Defense Force game is a total commitment process if you’re a longtime fan. I actually didn’t import the Japanese version because I wanted to go in totally cold (other than watching a few gameplay videos to see how it ran and if some of the trademark wonkiness was still there), so I’d say after all this time, I’m ready to be overwhelmed by this latest alien invasion from developer Sandlot.

While this one’s a PS4 exclusive, I’d gather a PC version is in the works as Sandlot did a PC port of the last EDF game. Granted, the online mode was rife with cheaters and some players teaming up with them ended up with corrupted save files thanks to hacked weapons and other stuff that made for a less than stellar experience. Hopefully, PC fans will get this at some point, but me? I’ll be perfectly happy posting YouTube videos or doing a bit of rare live streaming just to show off my skills (or lack of them, as I’m betting myself a dollar I’ll be REALLY rusty at least for a quarter of Normal mode.

Back in a bit – I need to get a few other things posted today, so it’ll be sooner than later.

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-GW

Earth Defense Force 5 US Trailer #1: A Bit of Wait Gain

Posted on July 27, 2018 by geelw

(La la la, PlayStation!)

It’s about time, but there’s still no concrete release date for North America. To be fair, Sony has opened up pre-orders for the game’s standard digital and deluxe digital editions. But that 12/31/2018 release date is a bit questionable (games usually pop up on Tuesdays and I don’t think a New Year’s Day release date would be a thing). FYI, with no official launch date decided, pre-orders have to include a tentative date so potential buyers have a general idea of when a product will arrive as a download or at retail. I hope this game rolls in before the end of the year, as it’s a bit crazy-cakes that a worldwide release wasn’t in the cards from day one.

That said, I’m also surprised I didn’t snap up the import version at this point, but that was a mix of finances not being where they needed to be and not wanting to go to the hassle of creating a Japanese PSN account to get DLC. Well, that and I thought the game would have been out already, Ah well. I have plenty of games to wade through in the backlog, so at the end of the day, holding out for this one in English means I’m going to be going in totally cold and enjoying every minute.

-GW

EDF 5 + Starship Troopers = My Eyes Bouncing ‘Round The Room

Posted on March 9, 2018 by geelw

EDF_5_logo

While I still have NO idea who’s publishing Earth Defense Force 5 in the west and any news seems to be being kept way too quiet (grrr!), this trailer really set my “I need this NOW!” timer off. The funny thing is, I had NO interest in any other Starship Troopers films after Paul Verhoeven’s (it’s a great and intentionally ironic parody some still don’t fully grasp, by the way) and even dismissed last year’s Starship Troopers: Red Planet (or Traitor of Mars) as looking too much like a game for my snooty cinematic tastes. Well, look who’s a crow-chomping clown who wants to see, er, find out more about this one?

Thanks, EDF! Now, about that US release date and publisher? Those giant bug-sized beans need to be spilled, and fast.

-GW