Earth Defense Force (video game)

Last updated
Earth Defense Force
Earth Defense Force arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s) Jaleco [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Jaleco [lower-alpha 2]
Producer(s) Yuki Arai
Programmer(s) Yuji Takahashi
Artist(s) Nekomasa
Takeshi Shimizu
Composer(s) Tsukasa Tawada
Platform(s) Arcade, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console
Release
1991
  • Arcade
    Super NES
    • JP: October 25, 1991
    • NA: January 1992 [2]
    • EU: 1992
    Virtual Console
    Wii
    • EU: October 29, 2010
    • JP: January 11, 2011
    • NA: July 14, 2011
    Wii U
    • NA: May 22, 2015
    • JP: August 26, 2015
    iOS
    • WW: Jan 14, 2011
    Nintendo Switch
    • WW: September 17, 2020
    • AU: September 18, 2020
    PlayStation 4
    • JP: September 17, 2020
Genre(s) Horizontally scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Earth Defense Force is a 1991 horizontal scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Jaleco. [3] Originally an arcade game, the game was later released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Super Earth Defense Force, dropping the two-player cooperative gaming mode while adding graphics and selectable weapons. [4] The SNES version was released in Japan on October 25, 1991, and in North America in January 1992. The SNES version was eventually released on the Wii Virtual Console in Europe on October 29, 2010, and in 2011 for Japan on January 11, and North America on July 14. It is included in Nintendo Switch SNES Online as of September 2019.

Contents

Gameplay

Released as a horizontal shooter game in the US in 1991, the object of Earth Defense Force is based on survival of the game's levels, punctuated by the defeat of bosses at the end of each one. [5] It is a fixed-length game, with a proper ending at the completion of the last level.

The player normally begins each level with three "shield" points, each able to absorb one enemy attack. The shield points are represented in the upper right corner by green squares under the heading "Shield". Additional shield points can be earned once a predetermined game score is reached. Up to five shield points are represented on screen, but a player can acquire more than five shield points, but they cannot be seen. This is extremely rare though, due to the difficulty of the game and the score intervals at which additional shield points are acquired. Loss of all shields results in the loss of one of three credits, or continues, and loss of all continues results in the player seeing the game over screen.

The game uses a unique leveling system, in which the player gains experience from defeated enemies to gain newer, more powerful versions of the weapons the player has access to.

Plot

The story varies slightly between the two different versions of the game.

The arcade version takes place in the equivocate future date of Earth, 20XX. The Earth is unexpectedly attacked by the mysterious Azyma Empire: a space-bound monarchy currently dedicated to eradicating all life on the planet from its flagship the Orbital Satellite Buster. The Earth's only hope lies in the recently developed XA-1 and 2 space fighter ships used by the organization known as E.D.F: Earth Defense Force.

In the Super NES version, the Azyma Empire has established headquarters on the dark side of the Moon. After attacking the Earth, it is revealed that they have a secret weapon being developed on the Moon, one capable of destroying all life on Earth. The E.D.F. is ordered to send their XA-1 fighters in to drive out the invaders and destroy their ultimate weapon.

Development

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Earth Defense Force on their April 15, 1991 issue as being the eleventh most-successful table arcade unit of the month. [6]

Since its release, Earth Defense Force has met with moderate critical reviews, as evidenced by a three out of five star rating by Allgame. Subsequent to its release an enhanced version was broadcast via the Super Famicom's Satellaview subsystem to Japanese gamers under the title BS Super Earth Defense Force.

Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to iOS by Dotemu.
  2. ↑ iOS port was published by Dotemu, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 versions were published by Hamster Corporation.

Related Research Articles

<i>Yoshis Cookie</i> 1992 video game

Yoshi's Cookie is a 1992 tile-matching puzzle video game developed by Tose and published by Nintendo for the NES and Game Boy platforms in 1992. A Super NES version was released the following year, developed and published by Bullet-Proof Software.

<i>Rampart</i> (video game) 1990 video game

Rampart is a 1990 video game released by Atari Games and Midway Games that combines the shoot 'em up, strategy, and puzzle genres. It debuted as an arcade game with trackball controls, and was ported to home systems. It had a limited US release in October 1990, and a wide release in early 1991. It was distributed in Japan by Namco.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time</i> 1991 arcade game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, released as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles in Time in Europe, is a beat 'em up arcade video game produced by Konami and released in 1991. A sequel to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, it is a scrolling beat 'em up type game based mainly on the 1987 TMNT animated series. Originally an arcade game, Turtles in Time was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992 under the title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, continuing the numbering from the earlier Turtles games released on the original NES. That same year, a game that borrowed many elements, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, was released for the Sega Genesis.

<i>Cyberball</i> 1988 video game

Cyberball is a video game released in arcades in 1988 by Atari Games. The game is a 7-man American football using robotic avatars of different speeds, sizes, and skill sets set in the year 2022. Originally released for arcades, Cyberball was ported to several home consoles and computers.

<i>Bases Loaded</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Bases Loaded is a baseball video game by Jaleco that was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in 1987 in Japan and in 1988 in North America, and a Game Boy port was released in July of 1990. A mobile phone version exists as well. For the Virtual Console, Bases Loaded was released on September 11, 2007, in Japan and on April 7, 2008, in North America for the Wii, at the cost of 500 Wii Points and on May 15, 2013, in Japan and on July 10, 2014, in North America for Nintendo 3DS. The Wii U version in North America was also released at the same time as the Nintendo 3DS version. A port by Mebius and Clarice Games for the PlayStation 4 was released in Japan in 2015.

<i>U.N. Squadron</i> 1989 video game

U.N. Squadron is a 1989 side-scrolling shooting game released by Capcom for the CPS arcade hardware and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in Japan as Area 88, and is based on the manga series of the same name, featuring the same main characters. Their mission is to stop a terrorist group known as Project 4. It was followed by a spiritual successor Carrier Air Wing.

<i>Tuff E Nuff</i> 1993 video game

Tuff E Nuff, known in Japan as Dead Dance, is a 1993 fighting game developed and released by Jaleco for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

<i>Captain America and The Avengers</i> 1991 arcade game

Captain America and the Avengers is a beat 'em up arcade game developed and released by Data East in 1991. It features the Avengers team of Marvel Comics characters in a side-scrolling brawling and shooting adventure to defeat the evil Red Skull. The game received ports for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and Game Gear. A different Data East game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

<i>Super Ghouls n Ghosts</i> 1991 video game

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, known as Chou Makaimura in Japan, is a platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. As the third game in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series and the first not to be released for the arcade, it again depicts knight Arthur saving Princess Guinevere and the kingdom from Emperor Sardius, who has cast a spell that has revived the Ghoul Realm.

<i>Mighty Final Fight</i> 1993 video game

Mighty Final Fight is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up released by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It is a spinoff of Capcom's 1989 arcade game Final Fight, which was previously ported to the Super NES. Unlike the CP System arcade classic and its SNES ports, the characters in this edition are depicted in a comical childlike "super deformed" or "chibi" art style in the same spirit as Famicom games such as both Konami's Kid Dracula and Namco's Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti.

<i>Lethal Weapon</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Lethal Weapon is a video game based on the film series of the same name created by Shane Black. It was developed by Ocean Software and Eurocom and released in 1992 and 1993 by Ocean and Nintendo. It was released in conjunction with Lethal Weapon 3, the third installment of the series.

<i>Knights of the Round</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Knights of the Round is an arcade game released by Capcom in 1991. A side-scrolling beat 'em up based loosely on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, the game features an action role-playing video game-like level advancement system, with fighters automatically being upgraded to new weapons and armor as they advance through the game. In September 13, 2018, Capcom announced Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle with the arcade edition of Knights of the Round being one of seven titles and being released digitally for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on September 18, 2018.

<i>Operation Logic Bomb</i> 1993 video game

Operation Logic Bomb: The Ultimate Search & Destroy, known in Japan as Ikari no Yōsai is a 1993 overhead action video game developed and published by Jaleco for the Super NES/Famicom. It was first released in Japan on April 23, 1993, and later in North America in September 1993. It is the second sequel to the Game Boy game Fortified Zone, following the Japan-only Game Boy sequel Ikari no Yōsai 2. Although the Japanese version shares the same title as the original Game Boy game, it is not a remake. It was later re-released as BS Ikari no Yōsai on the Satellaview system. Operation Logic Bomb was added to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service in May 2020.

<i>The Astyanax</i> 1989 video game

The Astyanax, known in Japan as The Lord of King (ザ・ロード・オブ・キング), is a side-scrolling action game developed by Aicom released for the arcades by Jaleco. A home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System, simply titled Astyanax, was released shortly after the arcade version but the NES version is decidedly different from its arcade predecessor in terms of story.

<i>BlaZeon</i> 1992 video game

BlaZeon is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released by Atlus in 1992 and was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the same year. The game's most distinguishable feature is that players come equipped with a device that allows them to freeze and control certain robots.

<i>Darius Twin</i> 1991 video game

Darius Twin is a 1991 horizontal-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Taito for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is part of the Darius series. It was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in 2010 for Japan on April 13 and for North America on December 13.

<i>The King of Dragons</i> 1991 video game

The King of Dragons is a 1991 beat-'em-up video game by Capcom that follows players as they control characters through the kingdom of Malus to defeat monsters led by the dragon Gildiss. It features a level advancement system, allowing character attributes to be upgraded as players progress through the game. The game's music was composed by Yoko Shimomura.

<i>Strike Gunner S.T.G.</i> 1991 video game

Strike Gunner S.T.G (エス・ティー・ジー) is a vertically scrolling shooter video game released for arcades in 1991 by Tecmo. It was ported for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The Super NES version was released in Europe under the title Super Strike Gunner and was published by Activision.

<i>Goal! Two</i> 1992 video game

Goal! Two is a soccer (football) video game developed by Tose for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and published by Jaleco in 1992. Goal! Two is Tose's first sequel to the NES title Goal!. On 04/24/92, Tose's first soccer title for the Super Famicom, Super Cup Soccer (スーパーカップサッカー) was published by Jaleco. It was later ported to the Famicom on 09/25/92 as Goal!!. Jaleco localized the Famicom game for the NES as Goal! Two for North American markets, and Goal! 2 for European markets later that year. Finally, the Super Famicom version was brought to the Super NES (SNES) as Goal! for North America and Super Goal! for Europe in December 1992, shortly after Goal Two! for the NES. The cover model is John Brady, an amateur soccer player from London who was living in Chicago.

<i>Gradius III</i> 1989 video game

Gradius III is a 1989 scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami, originally released for the arcades in Japan and other parts of Asia on December 11, 1989. It is the third game in the Gradius series. The game was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan in 1990 and North America in 1991, and served as a launch title for the system in North America. The arcade version would never see the light of day in the West until it was included alongside Gradius IV in a two-in-one compilation for the PlayStation 2 and in the Gradius Collection for the PlayStation Portable.

References

  1. 1 2 Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). ジャレコ Jaleco; Jaleco USA; E (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency  [ ja ]. pp. 33, 121, 151. ISBN   978-4990251215.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ↑ "Super NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  3. ↑ "Earth Defense Force". MobyGames. Retrieved 9 Nov 2013.
  4. ↑ Weiss, Brett Alan. "Super Earth Defense Force". Allgame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2006-06-15.
  5. ↑ "Super NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  6. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 401. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 April 1991. p. 25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.