Super special treat for today. We play the first Earth Defense Force game! Released in Europe as Monster Attack, it's abundantly clear from the first moment you start up the game that Sandlot got the foundation rock solid from the very beginning. It's a little rough, sure, but the basics are here and they're still super fun. Goddamn do I love Earth Defense Force! Read more and watch gameplay here.
I always knew that EDF 2017 wasn't the first EDF game, but I just assumed the originals were going to be Japanese-only and didn't think I'd ever be able to play them. Then I discovered the wonders of emulation. And then I found out that tons of the Japanese Simple 2000 games got released in Europe. So here we are with an EDF 1, er, Monster Attack video.
The formula is extremely familiar here for Monster Attack with lots of big creepy bugs that you have to shoot and loads of weapons to unlock. The sound effects are even the same. Surprisingly, the series hadn't quite embraced its light-hearted and campy side yet, so the first couple of EDF games are more straightforward and serious than how it was from EDF 2017 and onward. The gameplay is a little stiff and clunky, yes, even stiffer and clunkier than in EDF 4 and 5 which are still pretty darn stiff and clunky, but it's a lot of fun.
The presentation is also pretty simple in this first EDF game, but you have to expect that considering it is a PS2 title. You don't really appreciate how much they cleaned up the visuals and made EDF 2017 look better until you see these games side-by-side.
As I implied above, I played Monster Attack via emulation. It isn't hard to track down a ROM from any of several reputable sites, so check it out if you're an EDF fan.
