Chikyuu Boueigun 2
Encyclopedia
Global Defence Force also known as Earth Defense Force 2, is a PlayStation 2
third-person shooter video game
developed by Sandlot
. The game was originally published as Chikyū Bōeigun 2 in Japan by D3 Publisher
, as volume 81 of the Simple 2000 series
of budget games. It was later released in Europe by Essential Games, the brand created by D3 Publisher to publish Simple 2000 series games in Europe.
Players assume the role of a soldier and fight giant insects and robots amongst other enemies.
The game is a third-person shooter
featuring large play areas and waves of mecha
and giant insects. Players control either a foot soldier (Storm-1) who uses conventional weaponry such as assault and sniper rifle
s, shotgun
s, and rocket-propelled grenades or a jetpack-equipped soldier (Pale Wing) who uses energy-based weaponry. Most of the game's missions are cleared by eliminating all enemies present, starting with giant ants on earlier stages and eventually progressing to giant lizard enemies. A number of vehicles such as a tank, helicopter and a hover-bike are available in some missions for players to board and attack enemies with. However, only the Storm-1 unit can use the vehicles.
A total of 300 different weapons are available between the two characters, but players are limited to carrying two weapons during missions. Weapons are unlocked by picking up containers dropped by enemies. Every weapon picked up during play will add a random weapon of the character's to the selection, duplicate weapons are discarded. Armor chips and medical kits, also dropped by enemies, increase the character's maximum possible health and recover lost health respectively.
There are a total of 71 missions spread over 7 environments to play through, the first mission taking place in London
. Five difficulty level
s are available for each mission. Half-medals are awarded for completing a mission on a set difficulty with either character. Completing the same stage with the other character results in a complete medal. Once a player has collected all the medals for every mission, "Impossible" mode is unlocked.
Global Defence Force received little press attention in the West. The few reviews the game received were positive. Gamestyle
's reviewer Colin Whiteside stated "you will fall into one of two camps - those who have experienced the Chikyuu Boueigun ("Earth Defence Force") series, and those who should stop right now, and go buy one of these wonderful, wonderful games." Games Asylum's Matt Gander described it as "one of the PlayStation 2’s best budget buys".
During D3 Publisher's simple series awards 2007, the title received a platinum prize for selling more than 200,000 copies in Japan during the 2006 fiscal year. It was the only title in the range to reach this volume of sales.
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
third-person shooter video game
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
developed by Sandlot
Sandlot (video game developer)
Sandlot is a Japanese video game developer that is known for its very unusual and inventive control and gameplay mechanics. The company was founded in March of 2001 and is composed of former employees from Human Entertainment.-PlayStation 2:...
. The game was originally published as Chikyū Bōeigun 2 in Japan by D3 Publisher
D3 Publisher
D3Publisher is a Japanese video game publisher founded on February 5, 1992. Current CEO and president is Yuji Ito, and It is known for its Simple series of low-priced console games. Their games have been released for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2,...
, as volume 81 of the Simple 2000 series
Simple series
The Simple series are a number of series of budget-priced console games, published by Japanese company D3 Publisher and developed by a variety of companies, covering many systems...
of budget games. It was later released in Europe by Essential Games, the brand created by D3 Publisher to publish Simple 2000 series games in Europe.
Players assume the role of a soldier and fight giant insects and robots amongst other enemies.
Gameplay
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
featuring large play areas and waves of mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
and giant insects. Players control either a foot soldier (Storm-1) who uses conventional weaponry such as assault and sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
s, shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s, and rocket-propelled grenades or a jetpack-equipped soldier (Pale Wing) who uses energy-based weaponry. Most of the game's missions are cleared by eliminating all enemies present, starting with giant ants on earlier stages and eventually progressing to giant lizard enemies. A number of vehicles such as a tank, helicopter and a hover-bike are available in some missions for players to board and attack enemies with. However, only the Storm-1 unit can use the vehicles.
A total of 300 different weapons are available between the two characters, but players are limited to carrying two weapons during missions. Weapons are unlocked by picking up containers dropped by enemies. Every weapon picked up during play will add a random weapon of the character's to the selection, duplicate weapons are discarded. Armor chips and medical kits, also dropped by enemies, increase the character's maximum possible health and recover lost health respectively.
There are a total of 71 missions spread over 7 environments to play through, the first mission taking place in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Five difficulty level
Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
s are available for each mission. Half-medals are awarded for completing a mission on a set difficulty with either character. Completing the same stage with the other character results in a complete medal. Once a player has collected all the medals for every mission, "Impossible" mode is unlocked.
Reception
Gamestyle
Gamestyle is a UK-based independent computer and video gaming website that was launched in 1999 by Dean Swain, under the name Dreamers128.Gamestyle covers video game software reviews, previews, news, and other information. After starting out on its own, Gamestyle was linked with a small American...
's reviewer Colin Whiteside stated "you will fall into one of two camps - those who have experienced the Chikyuu Boueigun ("Earth Defence Force") series, and those who should stop right now, and go buy one of these wonderful, wonderful games." Games Asylum's Matt Gander described it as "one of the PlayStation 2’s best budget buys".
During D3 Publisher's simple series awards 2007, the title received a platinum prize for selling more than 200,000 copies in Japan during the 2006 fiscal year. It was the only title in the range to reach this volume of sales.
See also
- Earth Defense Force 2017Earth Defense Force 2017Earth Defense Force 2017, known in Japan as is a third-person shooter developed by Sandlot, and published by D3 Publisher, for the Xbox 360. It is the follow-up to Global Defence Force, and is the first game in the series to be released to North America...
- Global Defence Force TacticsGlobal Defence Force Tacticsis a PlayStation 2 turn-based strategy game developed by thinkArts.Known variously as: Earth Defense Force Tactics , Simple 2000 Series Vol. 103: The Chikyuu Boueigun Tactics , and Global Defense Force Tactics .-Gameplay:...
- Earth Defense Force: Insect ArmageddonEarth Defense Force: Insect ArmageddonEarth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a third-person shooter developed by Vicious Cycle Software, and published by D3 Publisher, for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to Earth Defense Force 2017.-Story:...
- Simple seriesSimple seriesThe Simple series are a number of series of budget-priced console games, published by Japanese company D3 Publisher and developed by a variety of companies, covering many systems...
External links
- D3's official site (Japanese language)