Earth Defense Force 6 [PS4/5]

[fuse]

All of the die hard fans of the series are probably already pre-judging, and you're right - even if I played this one a lot, I did not play enough of 5 or 4 to really draw big comparisons between them and this. Stuck this on today for a bit though, and figured we'll need a thread for it sooner or later!

First mission is basic tutorial stuff - lots of talking, follow me to a waypoint, shoot some targets - but from that point, missions get to the point pretty quick. The first monsters you see are the big frog gits! I'm only about 8 missions deep but already there's been some fun set pieces with assault vehicles being mobilised by NPCs and a few different enemy types, although we have remained very much in typical 'ravaged city' environments for now. I'm hoping that all of the previews staying true to this was just a case of keeping cards close to the chest.

I'm playing on PS5, and based very much on memories and feeling rather than any side by side comparisons - it looks and feels like a real step forward for the series. I feel like we're finally at a point where even bumping up the visuals a bit, and still keeping true to the volumes of enemies that the series is known for, the hardware's there to power all of this and keep the frame rate in a good spot. It's not a solid 60fps by any stretch, but it just... feels good, you know?

If the above has unsettled you in any way, rest assured that there's still tonnes of assets that remain exactly the same. Those menu and pickup sound effects will never leave me.

[fuse]

This isn't a spoiler for anything significant but I wanted to at least give folks the option to opt out of seeing it. It's relatively early on but it made me laugh and I had to share somewhere

->Open Spoiler<-

I've not been able to keep up with the story at all, but about 12 missions in there's a very big, dramatic spaceship looming overhead. Bear in mind this is a good couple of hours' worth of play time already, but after taking out all of the smaller ships that come down and fight you, the big boy is still not doing anything but is the only red marker left on my radar, so I tried shooting its shiny parts. Upon eventually blowing it up, it the screen goes white, and then possibly the first bit of English I've seen all game appears.

[Golgo]

No Prinny. No Chimp. Their generations-old reputation as frontline defenders against the alien menace is in serious jeopardy...

[QualityChimp]

No Prinny. No Chimp. Their generations-old reputation as frontline defenders against the alien menace is in serious jeopardy...

You know I'm going to play it, but I prefer it in English.
There is so much text with the zillion weapons and the right loadout is the difference between life and death.
Even with translation on via phone, part of the charm is the hokey commentary and the janky soldiers talking to each other.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing! We're all going to die!"
"OK"

It was over a year from JP to UK release with 5, sadly.

I also feel I have unfinished business with 5, too.

[Colin]

I didn't even know 6 was out! Off to Amazon.jp I go.

[fuse]

I'm into the 40-ish mission range now and I think it's safe to say I'm having more fun with it than I've had with EDF in the last few years. There's a pretty steady pace of new things being introduced, and there's already been lots of moments where I'm muttering to myself about how ridiculous things have gotten so soon.

Oh - I can't remember if this was the case before, but clears now stack (beating Normal marks an Easy clear too) and it seems progress carries between single and multiplayer. I've been playing by myself so far but I feel at some point it's going to be easier to start working with others.

Also, my usual weed brownies just don't feel so potent any more. I'm trying something new.

[QualityChimp]

I'm into the 40-ish mission range now and I think it's safe to say I'm having more fun with it than I've had with EDF in the last few years. There's a pretty steady pace of new things being introduced, and there's already been lots of moments where I'm muttering to myself about how ridiculous things have gotten so soon.

Oh - I can't remember if this was the case before, but clears now stack (beating Normal marks an Easy clear too) and it seems progress carries between single and multiplayer. I've been playing by myself so far but I feel at some point it's going to be easier to start working with others.

Also, my usual weed brownies just don't feel so potent any more. I'm trying something new.

Glad you're enjoying it! Them frogs are basts.
I love that whole section in 5 where there are a couple of levels where the story comms are saying you're going to fight humanoid aliens, two arms, two legs and a head - humanoid. They really labour it and when you see them, they're frogs. Clearly frogs, but at no point does anyone say they are frogs, even to the point where one soldier is genuinely surprised when it starts raining and they're not bothered about getting wet.

Even the ants, spiders and wasps are never described thus, just Type A or Flying Type.

few times in 5 I've had a look at the lovely shops (just before they're invariably destroyed).

As for the difficulty levels, on 5, if you do Hard difficulty, it unlocks Easy, Normal and Hard, but you then have to go through all of Hardest and then Inferno, so there's a minimum of 3 playthroughs for all 4 characters on all 100+ levels!
If you do a level on Inferno, I suspect all 4 lower tiers won't be unlocked.

[kryss]

The progress carrying, is that offline and online? That didn't carry before.

[QualityChimp]

I don't play offline, so I can't tell you.

Completing Hard difficulty to get the lower ones automatically was new to EDF5, though.

That's what I was working my way through a couple of months back.
I'd mainly been ignoring Fencer, so playing through got me up to over 50% finally.

[prinnysquad]

No Prinny. No Chimp. Their generations-old reputation as frontline defenders against the alien menace is in serious jeopardy...

I’ll be getting this when it’s got a PAL release! 100% EDF 5, I hope I’m still frontline!

[Colin]

At almost 120 stages in this for me has been the toughest EDF I’ve played to date, and I’m still on the normal play through with regular drops to easy! When I get through this, I think the following runs on hard+ might break me. Some of the stages are incredibly lengthy and you just hope you’re going to make it. Normally I find that once you have a weapon load out you like, you can pretty much just bludgeon your way through the games on normal setting, but not this time around. On level 113 I got my arse handed to me so many times I thought it was time to pack in out of frustration, but eventually one weapon switch saved the day. Well, after ten variations that is!

Great stuff as always though.

[prinnysquad]

Class. EDF5 was vicious on inferno, even with 4 players and top rank weapons unlocked via the DLC. This sounds like it will push people to their limits.

Game with no tactics, though, innit?

[Colin]

Going to try and finish the initial run through today, but the final mission is a toughie. I'm dreading the hard play through, never mind inferno!

[Colin]

First play though finally complete and Hardest & Inferno unlocked. Man, there were some TOUGH stages in this one! I think I’ll try and get through everything again on hard setting before stepping up to what is going to be the absolute insanity of trying to take on the most difficult settings.

[Anpanman]

I might get one in June, do you play online or single player.

I found EDF5 hard enough, think just one level I couldn't work out on Inferno single player.