| Super Earth Defense Force | |
|---|---|
Box art |
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| Developer(s) | Jaleco |
| Publisher(s) | Jaleco |
| Composer(s) | Tsukasa Tawada Yasuhiko Takashiba |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, SNES, Virtual Console |
| Release date(s) | SNES
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| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | 8-megabit cartridge |
Earth Defense Force (also called Super Earth Defense Force E.D.F. in-game and Super E.D.F. in Japan) 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.[1] 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.
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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.
Released as a horizontal shooter 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.[2] 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 continues, and loss of all continues results in the player seeing the game over screen.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Allgame | [3] |
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' Satellaview subsystem to Japanese gamers under the title BS Super Earth Defense Force.