Super Earth Defense Force
Encyclopedia
Earth Defense Force is a horizontal shooter
game developed and published by Jaleco
for the SNES
. Originally an arcade game
, it featured a two player
cooperative gaming mode which was later removed during its port
to the SNES. In its SNES incarnation, graphical adjustments were made to some of the game's levels, and new selectable weapons were added. It was released on the Wii
Virtual Console
in the PAL region on October 29, 2010, January 11, 2011 in Japan, and July 14, 2011 in North America.
The Arcade original takes place in the equivocate future date of Earth, 20XX. The newly formed Azyma Empire dedicates itself to protecting the Earth from any possible threat. To do this, the empire constructs a massive computerized satellite called the Orbital Buster, and this satellite also serves as the Empire's flagship. Unfortunately, an error causes a malfunction in the Central Computer, causing the Orbital Buster to launch an attack on all surrounding satellites and to misidentify the human race as an enemy of the Azyma Empire. The Earth's only hope lies in the recently developed XA-1 and XA-2 spaceships held under the organization known as E.D.F: Earth Defense Force.
In the Super Nintendo version, an evil alien race has populated the dark side of The Moon. After initiating an attack on the Earth, it is revealed 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.
game in the US in January 1992, 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. 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 ovals 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. However, a player can acquire more than five shield points, but they can not 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 continue
s, and loss of all continues results in the player seeing the game over
screen.
subsystem to Japanese gamers under the title BS Super Earth Defense Force.
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
game developed and published by Jaleco
Jaleco
is a Japanese video game publisher and developer established in 2006.The original Jaleco Ltd was founded in 1974. In 2006, it decided to become a pure holding company by renaming itself Jaleco Holding and splitting its video game operations into a newly created subsdiary that took its former name...
for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. Originally an arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, it featured a two player
Multiplayer game
A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time. Unlike most other games, computer and video games are often single-player activities that put the player against preprogrammed challenges and/or AI-controlled opponents, which often...
cooperative gaming mode which was later removed during its port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to the SNES. In its SNES incarnation, graphical adjustments were made to some of the game's levels, and new selectable weapons were added. It was released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in the PAL region on October 29, 2010, January 11, 2011 in Japan, and July 14, 2011 in North America.
Story
The story varies between the different versions of the game.The Arcade original takes place in the equivocate future date of Earth, 20XX. The newly formed Azyma Empire dedicates itself to protecting the Earth from any possible threat. To do this, the empire constructs a massive computerized satellite called the Orbital Buster, and this satellite also serves as the Empire's flagship. Unfortunately, an error causes a malfunction in the Central Computer, causing the Orbital Buster to launch an attack on all surrounding satellites and to misidentify the human race as an enemy of the Azyma Empire. The Earth's only hope lies in the recently developed XA-1 and XA-2 spaceships held under the organization known as E.D.F: Earth Defense Force.
In the Super Nintendo version, an evil alien race has populated the dark side of The Moon. After initiating an attack on the Earth, it is revealed 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.
Gameplay
Released as a horizontal shooterShoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
game in the US in January 1992, 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. 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 ovals 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. However, a player can acquire more than five shield points, but they can not 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 continue
Continue
Continue may refer to:*Continue , an option to continue a video game after all the player's lives have been lost*Continue , a 2008 Cantopop album by Pakho Chau*Continue , a programming language keyword-See also:...
s, and loss of all continues results in the player seeing the game over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
screen.
Reception and legacy
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 SNES' SatellaviewSatellaview
The is a satellite modem add-on for Nintendo's Super Famicom system that was released in Japan in 1995. Available for pre-release orders as early as February 13, 1995, the Satellaview retailed for between ¥14,000 and 18,000 and came bundled with the BS-X Game Pak and an 8M Memory Pak.The...
subsystem to Japanese gamers under the title BS Super Earth Defense Force.