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D3 Publisher and Sandlot announced it will be easier to take part in Earth Defense Force 6 multiplayer on PCs, as there’s now no Epic Games Store requirement tied to it. There was a new patch released on October 3, 2024, and it now allows PC owners to play with anyone others, regardless of the storefront, without needing to tie s to one another.

When Earth Defense Force 6 launched on PCs via Steam and Epic Games Store in July 2024, an Epic Games Store was mandatory for online multiplayer. This meant someone on Steam could play with others. However, they’d need to make an Epic , then connect it to their Steam one. Now just a Steam will suffice. 

D3 Publisher also went over how to disconnect a Steam from an Epic one, in case people want to do so now that it is no longer necessary for Earth Defense Force 6. Someone just needs to head to Epic, select their , go to Connections, and choose Apps. While there, pressing the Revoke Access button will do it.

This is one of the second pieces of major news relating to the game in the last few months. The other was the release of the Additional Mission Pack 1: Lost Days DLC. That $14.99 add-on acted as a prequel to the events of the game to explain what our avatar went through ahead of it. It added 15 more missions, including online co-op multiplayer, and 70 weapons.

Earth Defense Force 6 is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC worldwide.

The post Earth Defense Force 6 Multiplayer Doesn’t Require Epic Games appeared first on Siliconera.

Earth Defense Force is a series known for its campy, B-movie vibe. It’s known for being far from the greatest in its genre, but a perfect game for when you want to turn your brain off and blast some bugs. Earth Defense Force 6 is no different, but maybe we should be asking for more at this point.

Earth Defense Force 6 begins with you being brought in as a new recruit for the titular military group. However, you’re the hero of Earth Defense Force 5 who has somehow been mistaken for a rookie that now has to undergo basic training again. Along the way, you and your fellow new recruits take on a series of missions to eradicate the remaining alien threat that’s been wrecking Earth.

It’s a silly opening, and one that set a tone right out the gate. The story here is poorly written, melodramatic, B-movie grade schlock, by which I mean it’s amazing. Aside from heroes being somehow recruited for basic training, the opening missions feature a lot of ham-fisted dialogue clearly meant to impart an important message about humanity and war but stumbling over itself at every turn.

For instance, after fighting off your first batch of giant bipedal frog monsters who shoot you on sight, your squates will openly discuss the possibility of them simply being refugees from their home planet that we’re misunderstanding. This is naturally peppered with some awkward, entirely out-of-place “what if we’re the real monsters” comments while you’re being chased by giant ants that have no qualms about devouring you. This is then replaced in a later mission by every squad member reminding you that the aliens killed their entire family at every opportunity, completely ignoring the attempts to humanize them moments ago.

Every line of dialogue feels like something out of an Ed Wood movie or The Room. The clumsy attempts at gravitas. The characters who openly discuss their backstories in stilted, inhuman ways. And a story that often feels meandering and full of cliches. However, every part of it feels deliberate, as each terrible line is comedy genius. One exchange in a mission about the appearance of humanoid aliens legitimately caught me off guard in how silly it was, especially when the eventual punchline was revealed.

In of gameplay, this is a standard third-person shooter. You pick one of four classes of soldier, with different abilities and play styles. There’s the Ranger, a basic grunt with an assault rifle and various other weapons. The Wing Diver is a flying unit who swoops around with a jet pack. The Air Raider specializes in throwing drones and traps around for maximum damage. And finally, the Fencer is a big stompy suit of power armor that can tank through most trouble.

Or at least in theory, these are the things that differentiate them. However, one thing that becomes abundantly clear after a few hours of playing Earth Defense Force 6 is that none of them are particularly great to play. Each class has strengths and weaknesses, but at times the weaknesses can become such a hassle to deal with it can be frustrating. The Wing Diver is best swooping around in the air, and yet is given a ton of weapons that only work from short range. The Air Raider is capable of causing a ton of damage but is awkward to use. The Fencer is slow and unwieldy to control, and sometimes doesn't feel as resistent to damage as it should be. And the Ranger is just…kind of boring.

These problems are often exacerbated by the bland mission design. Every mission feels the same. You move to one portion of the city overrun by monsters that mostly resemble bugs, kill them all, then repeat the process roughly three or four times until the game feels you’ve had enough. Sometimes you might get to blow up a spaceship or some wasp nests, as a treat, but most of the time the level design repeats this same formula over and over.

Even the enemies begin to feel samey. Sure, they’re all different species of bug or weird alien beings and spacecrafts, but the attack patterns are consistent across the board. The only real changes are later missions when your alien foes get endlessly firing automatic weapons that are next to impossible to dodge. Usually while also gaining the ability to fly into a position you don’t see them. Which turns the tedium into frustration very quickly.

It doesn’t help that Earth Defence Force 6 is not a good-looking game. Every mission map feels like a bunch of ruined city assets thrown together without much rhyme or reason. There is some mild entertainment to be had from the generic ants and spiders being presented as horrific Eldritch beings, but the joke does wear out its welcome fast.

On top of this, the visuals have all the fidelity of a game from 2006. It certainly doesn’t try to make up for its dated, low budget visuals with a coherent art design either, as nothing was visually interesting enough to pay much attention to. There is a point where the visuals do get an upgrade, but even after this the game feels at least a decade out of date.

I get that this is part of the charm of this series. Earth Defense Force has always been intentionally bad. But while the b-movie grade writing feels purposeful and fun, the gameplay and visual design feels sloppy. It’s a tough tightrope to walk between making a game deliberately bad in a fun way and making a game that’s just bad. Unfortunately, EDF6 lands firmly in the latter category, as its tedious mechanics and limited strategy simply don’t feel good to play.

Fans of the Earth Defense Force series probably don’t care about any of this. If that’s you, you’re probably here for everything I just described. Feel free to add a couple of points to the score in your head if that’s the case. However, I did come into the game fully aware of its reputation and perfectly ready to mindlessly blast away some bugs, but even I felt disappointed with the end result.

Earth Defense Force 6 is a joke that outstays its welcome. The writing definitely has its moments of brilliance, but it tries so hard to be "so bad it’s good" that it just ends up bad.

Earth Defense Force 6 is out now for the PC, PS4 and PS5.

The post Review: Earth Defense Force 6 Is Funny, But Tedious appeared first on Siliconera.

A new trailer appeared for the Western release of Earth Defense Force 6, confirming a July release date and showcasing new DLC featuring Hololive Vtubers. Takanashi Kiara, Gawr Gura, and IRyS will be available as in-game equipment as part of the Early Purchase incentive. The game, which is already available in Japan and other Asian territories, will now launch on July 25, 2024, after the Spring launch window was delayed.

The Hololive Vtuber DLC will be available to those who purchase the game before December 24, 2024, while those who pre-order will also get 24-hour early access and a Wing Diver jetpack. The Japanese release previously had its own Hololive collaboration, featuring Japanese branch streamers Shirakami Fubuki, Nakiri Ayame, and long time series fan Ookami Mio.

You can get a look at the Hololive Vtuber DLC via the full EDF 6 Release Date trailer below:

After releasing in Japan back in 2022, EDF 6 ended up with a Western release window of Spring, 2024. This was later pushed back to Summer, 2024, while the English language PS4 and PS5 version launched as planned in Asian countries in March, 2024.

Earth Defense Force 6 release date for the PS4, PS5, and PC versions is July 25, 2024, with the Hololive Vtuber DLC available as part of the Early Purchase Bonus until December 24, 2024.

The post Earth Defense Force 6 Gets Release Date, Hololive DLC appeared first on Siliconera.

D3 Publisher announced that it has delayed the Western releases of Earth Defense Force 6 to Summer 2024. The game was originally slated for release in Spring 2024. That means people in the West will have to wait for an additional season until they can play the new mainline Earth Defense Force entry.

This delay also affects the Japanese PC release, as the platform will have a single universal build for all regions. But while the English announcement mentioned additional finishing touches as a reason for the delay, the Japanese press release instead noted a revision in the game's production schedule.

On a related note, Clouded Leopard Entertainment is separately handling the Asian PS5 and PS4 releases of Earth Defense Force 6, which includes an English language option for Southeast Asian countries. The Asian releases are slated to come out on March 14, 2024, and people who purchase the game early can also obtain the Hololive Vtuber DLC decoys.

Clouded Leopard has yet to confirm whether the Western release's delay is also affecting the Asian releases or not. However, D3 Publisher's Japanese press release noted that the delay specifically affects the "European and American versions" instead of "Overseas versions" that would have included Asia as well.

Earth Defense Force 6 is immediately available on PlayStation 5 and 4 in Japan. The now-delayed Western localized version and the global PC releases of Earth Defense Force 6 will appear in Summer 2024.

The post Earth Defense Force 6 Western Release Delayed to Summer 2024 appeared first on Siliconera.

Sandlot and D3 Publisher released a new trailer announcing that Earth Defense Force 6 will finally be making a worldwide debut sometime in Spring 2024. The game originally released in Japan back in 2022. At the time, it experienced a strong launch week. The companies also released DLC featuring Hololive Vtubers as deployable decoys.

The worldwide announcement trailer begins with a news broadcast before shifting to what appears to be an in-universe propaganda video filled with the series' trademark campy dialogue and numberless hordes of enemies. Gameplay footage in the latter half of the trailer shows off the game's more muted and gravelly color palette as soldiers fight amongst the ruins of a ravaged Earth.

You can watch the full trailer below:

Not including the Yuke's-developed spin off games Iron Rain and World Brothers, the last mainline EDF game to release in the West was Earth Defense Force 5. It debuted in 2019, also two years after the Japanese release.

The new game takes place three years after the events of Earth Defense Force 5 and will put players in the boots of soldiers defending the Earth from invading aliens and their swarms of mutant insects. Four classes will return from the previous games: the adaptable Ranger, the mobile Wing Diver, the heavily armored Fencer and reconfigured Air Raider.

Earth Defense Force 6 is scheduled for a Western release in Spring 2024 for the PC, PS4, and PS5. The game is already available in Japan.

The post Earth Defense Force 6 gets Western Release Window and New Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

D3 Publisher has announced the Japanese release date for Earth Defense Force 6 at the April 2022 live stream. The game will be available in Japan on August 25, 2022. The company also revealed new content designed after three Hololive VTubers. Ookami Mio, Shirakami Fubuki, and Nakiri Ayame will appear as promotional decoys in the post-apocalyptic third-person shooter game.

The Earth Defense Force producer Nobuyuki Okajima fulfilled his promise at Tokyo Game Show 2021 to feature Ookami Mio in the sequel. The long-time series fan was present at the event's stream and completed a challenge that rewarded her inclusion in the game. However, Mio will not become the only Hololive VTuber to appear in Earth Defense Force 6, as Shirakami Fubuki and Nakiri Ayame will her.

The Hololive VTubers will appear as promotional decoys intended to recruit new soldiers into the eponymous squad in the Earth Defense Force universe. The large chibi characters can dance and change facial expressions while standing on a pedestal shaped after Hololive's logo. People who purchase early copies of the game will obtain a DLC pack containing all three decoys.

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The entry into the Earth Defense Force series will occur a few years after the massive alien invasion depicted in Earth Defense Force 5. It will still have four playable characters: Ranger, Wing Diver, Fencer, and Air Raider. However, some of them will play differently from the prequel, following the Pyrrhic victory that ruined most of the squad's infrastructure and roster.

Earth Defense Force 6 will be available for PlayStation 5 and 4 in Japan on August 25, 2022.

The post Earth Defense Force 6 Release Date and Hololive Decoys Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

D3 Publisher will add Hololive VTuber Ookami Mio into Earth Defense Force 6 as a DLC character. The company plans to reveal more details about the Ookami Mio EDF 6 DLC at a later time.

Ookami Mio was present at the Earth Defense Force series' Tokyo Game Show stream held on October 2, 2021. She is a well-known fan of the EDF series. Series producer Nobuyuki Okajima challenged her to clear an online multiplayer stage in the currently available Earth Defense Force 5. After successfully clearing the mission, Okajima promised to have Ookami Mio DLC appear in the sequel.

D3 Publisher also let the VTuber try out a demo build of Earth Defense Force 6 at the stream. As her gameplay started, she immediately threw a grenade as friendly fire.

Earth Defense Force 6 will take place in a post-apocalyptic world, set a few years after the massive alien invasion in Earth Defense Force 5. The game will feature four playable characters with varied armaments. One of the available characters, the Air Raider, will have a different gameplay system. This class controls drones to attack enemies remotely. The Wing Diver class also makes its return. All classes will be able to place robots on trucks, though.

D3 Publisher will release Earth Defense Force 6 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2022 in Japan. The publisher has not yet announced release timing for the Ookami Mio EDF 6 DLC.

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Earth Defense Force 6 will appear on the PS4 and PS5. The latest issue of Famitsu confirmed the platforms for the sequel. Then, at TGS 2021, D3 Publisher confirmed it will appear in 2022 instead of 2021. [Thanks, Game'sTalk.net!]

The latest mainline EDF game will take place three years after the massive alien invasion depicted in Earth Defense Force 5. While most of the eponymous force fell in the previous war, this game will still let players choose from the four playable characters: Ranger, Wing Diver, Fencer, and Air Raider.

D3 Publisher recently ported previous EDF titles to Nintendo Switch. It started the series of ports with Earth Defense Force 2 on July 15, 2021. The third game, known outside Japan as Earth Defense Force 2017, will follow through on October 14, 2021. The Japanese game publisher plans to continue the ports with Earth Defense Force 4.1 in 2022.

Despite the recent Switch ports, the Earth Defense Force series has its roots on PlayStation platforms. Earth Defense Force 6 has also been frequently featured on the Japanese PlayStation.Blog and YouTube channel. However, D3 Publisher had still yet to confirm the platforms until now.

Earth Defense Force 6 will be available for the PS4 and PS5 in 2022 in Japan. D3 Publisher will reveal more information about the game in its Tokyo Game Show 2021 stream on September 30, 2021, at 21:00 JST (8 AM ET).

The post Earth Defense Force 6 Will Appear on PS4 and PS5 (Update) appeared first on Siliconera.

D3 Publisher revealed that Fencer and Air Raider will return in Earth Defense Force 6 as playable soldier classes. They will the previously-announced Ranger and Wing Diver in the roster. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

The Fencer is a fully packed class that comes with all kinds of heavy equipment. The specially-made exoskeleton named Powered Skeleton lets them carry a Gatling gun and a shield at the same time. They can also swap the weapon with the signature Blasthole Spear.

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The unique Air Raider will also be available in Earth Defense Force 6. In prior wars, the class had a perk that allowed them to coordinate airstrikes and artillery fire while walking with other soldiers. However, the massive war in the prequel Earth Defense Force 5 had depleted a huge majority of the force's combat assets.

The current screenshots show how the Air Raider can still move on the ground while carrying special luggage and fight enemies with the Limpet Gun. D3 Publisher will reveal the full extent of the class's capability at a later time.

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D3 Publisher will also start running monthly live streams to regularly deliver new information on Earth Defense Force 6. The inaugural stream is set to broadcast on June 25, 2021, at 21:00 JST (8 AM ET). It will also cover Earth Defense Force 2 for Nintendo Switch, which is slated for release in Japan on July 15, 2021.

D3 Publisher and Sandlot are currently working on Earth Defense Force 6, and it has a release window around the end of 2021.

The post Earth Defense Force 6 Will Add Playable Fencer and Air Raider appeared first on Siliconera.

D3 Publisher has released a new gameplay trailer for Earth Defense Force: World Brothers that focuses on team composition and character change features.

Check out the Earth Defense Force: World Brothers trailer on Team Composition and character change below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZZ_LAx67wA

The trailer starts with a look at the basics of party composition in Earth Defense Force: World Brothers. The first party features a balanced mix of an Infantry, Pale Wing, Air Raider, and Fencer. It's an orthodox party that has a good balance of attack and mobility. Next, we get a look at how the character change system comes into play. While it's always fair game to switch characters according to the situation, you can take advantage of it in different ways. For example, the Fencer can't fly to reach higher up areas, so you can switch to a Pale Wing and jump on top of a building before switching back to Fencer.

You can have all kinds of different parties, so it doesn't always have to be about balance; for example, a team consisting of nothing but flying classes. You can practically stay flying forever by simply switching characters with a party like that. Another option is to go with a full party of heavy soldier classes like the Fencer for high defense and firepower.

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers will deploy in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on December 24, 2020.  The game will release in the West in 2021. If you missed it, check out the previous trailer highlighting abilities and special attacks.

The post Earth Defense Force: World Brothers Trailer Focuses Making Teams and Switching Characters appeared first on Siliconera.

Simply explained, Zangeki no Reginleiv is Dynasty Warriors meets Dragon Quest Swords with giants and online play.

Before we get into Zangeki no Reginleiv I want to discuss Sandlot, the game’s developer. Sandlot makes games where tiny people battle giants like Robot Alchemic Drive and Earth Defense Force 2017. Part of what makes Earth Defense Force a “blast” is how ridiculous it is. Shooting overpowered weapons, watching buildings explode around you, and fighting through (but easily killing) waves of giant ants is like a guilty pleasure.

Zangeki no Reginleiv has a similar feel with the added thrill of slashing giants with Wii MotionPlus. When you swing the remote you can chop off a giant’s arm with a vertical slash. Freyr and Freyja, the two Norse gods you can play as, have a basic shake and slice combo that closes with a finishing move like a spinning slash.Before flickering out of existence monsters explode in a bloody mess with torsos and body parts flying in the air. It’s over the top. It’s Sandlot. Some giants will continue attacking after you cut off a limb or two or three. After the blood stops gushing, amputated giants retaliate by stepping on you or crawling on the ground while swinging their fists. You can block attacks by raising your shield with the Z button.

Zangeki no Reginleiv s a standard remote, but motion controlled slashing doesn’t work without MotionPlus. Now is a good time to mention that slashing is not the only way to kill giants and later robot-like things. You can fire arrows, an effective attack against flying enemies, by drawing the remote back like a bow. Pick Freyja (the female character) to cast magic too. When equipped with a wand, Freyja stands still and shoots what you point at. The controls feel similar to a light gun game, with limited bullets. Freyja has a magic meter that depletes a bit after each spell. Switching back to sword mode and slaying giants restores her magic power.

Being a pure melee character, Freyr starts the game with more life than his sister. He has a unique set of weapons that include spears and giant hammers. Enemies don’t drop weapons in Zangeki no Reginleiv. You unlock them by spending crystals, collected from fallen giants. All of the weapons are linked in a branching tree, similar to Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

Townsfolk actively defend their homes from the giant invasion. They fire arrows on their own if a giant is in range and love to scream over the background music. Computer controlled civilians can actually defeat giants, which still explode into a mess of body parts even when hit by arrows. One thing that surprised me in Zangeki no Reginleiv is how big the maps are… and how slow your character runs on them. During cutscenes Freyr and Freyja transform into birds. Their pace is more on par with a morning jog in battle. Sandlot made a dash move, but you have to shake the nunchuck forward to do a short sprint. Getting from one group of giants to the next takes a lot of nunchuck shaking, too much since the “dash” is really meant to be a dodge. Shake the nunchuck backwards to do a backflip and left or right to strafe. While the move usually gets you out of harms way, shaking the nunchuck doesn’t feel responsive. Sometimes you’ll shake left and Freyr will go right or backwards.

The online mode works better than the controls. Zangeki no Reginleiv has features most Wii games don’t have like lobbies where you can find players without using friend codes. Once in a room you can chat and outfit your character for battle. What happened to all of your weapons? Oh, those are gone. Your online character is separate from the story mode characters. Sorry, you have to level up and collect weapons all over again.

Cooperative missions up to four players and even though I’m playing an ocean away from Japan I haven’t experienced much lag. Each mission has the same goal, kill everything or die trying. You get one life per party member and these are shared with your party. So, it’s possible to fail a mission if one teammate keeps dying. Zangeki no Reginleiv only s text chat and preset phrases are selected with the d-pad. The system is cumbersome, especially when surrounded by enraged giants. Fortunately, you don’t need to call for help if you’re near death. The game automatically notifies all players that you’re in a pinch when your life meter is low. After completing the mission all players return to the lobby where the host can set up another mission.

The Monster Hunter-like online mode was an attempt to broaden the game’s base, but this is really a hack and slash game, not a loot collecting RPG. Zangeki no Reginleiv and all of its flying giant limbs is mindless fun with a little wrist strain from nunchuck dashing. However, Zangeki no Reginleiv is so mindless I imagine people are either going to love it or hate it.

The post Zangeki no Reginleiv: Norse Defense Force appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo started packaging Wii games rated CERO C (15+) and up in black boxes. Zangeki no Reginleiv being rated CERO D (17+) got the black box treatment. I expected that, but was surprised to see the shiny logo.

The cover is eye-catching, especially compared to past CERO C and D games like Ghost Squad.

The post Zangeki no Reginleiv Box Is Black And Shiny appeared first on Siliconera.

In an Iwata Asks interview, Hitoshi Yamagami explains Zangeki no Reginleiv was in development for over three years.

Sandlot’s first Wii game got approved between the summer and fall of 2006, even before the Wii was in stores. Zangeki no Reginleiv finally comes out in Japan next week on February 11.

The interview also mentions there was some debate about the level of violence. In the end, the development team came to a consensus that chopping limbs off was OK because it was against mythological giants and not people. Zangeki no Reginleiv is Nintendo’s first CERO D (think ESRB M) game in Japan. To prevent parents from picking up Zangeki no Reginleiv blindly, Nintendo decided to pack it in a different colored box. Now all Wii games rated CERO C and up are in black boxes.

The post Zangeki no Reginleiv Took Over Three Years To Make appeared first on Siliconera.

Starting this year, all Nintendo games rated CERO C and up (that’s 15+) will be packaged with black boxes.

Nintendo announced the change shortly before the release of Zangeki no Reginleiv, Nintendo’s first “M” rated (well, M equivalent) game in Japan. Previously, CERO C (15+), D (17+), and the rare Z (18+) used standard white covers. CERO C games include Ghost Squad, Disaster: Day of Crisis and WWE 2008 Smackdown vs. Raw. Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers, No More Heroes, and currently every Resident Evil game on the Wii are examples of CERO D titles. Madworld, which Spike is publishing in February, is the only CERO Z game.

The black boxes are meant to be another warning for parents, on top of the colorful CERO labels on the spine and the CERO stamp on the cover. This packaging may actually have a benefit too since these games will standout against the basic white box art.

So far, Nintendo is the only company to do this. CERO C and even heavily restricted CERO Z games are not required to have different boxes or covers in Japan.

The post Wii Games Aimed At Teens And Up Get Black Boxes appeared first on Siliconera.

The small giants in Zangeki no Reginleiv are around the size of an average giraffe at five meters. Large giants tower over Himeji Castle, one of Japan’s national treasures.

Nintendo’s second Zangeki no Reginleiv trailer has more comparisons like describing a stampede of giants like a group of gnus.

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