Much like Earth Defense Force itself, this trailer is cheesy and all the better for it.
To the right is the four-minute, live-action commercial for the upcoming Vita title, Earth Defense Force 3 Portable. The trailer is directed by famed Japanese B-movie director, Moniru Kawasaki. Executive Koala is Kawasaki’s most famous film, but his true magnum opus is Crab Goalkeeper, a film the director described as “like Forrest Gump, but with a crab.”
So, the trailer. I don’t speak a word of Japanese, but the short film, complete with its bad dubbing and cheesy special effects, is an obvious homage to the B-movies and tokusatsu (special-effects) flicks Japan was known for before the advent of CGI. It’s pretty much exactly the type of film that inspired Earth Defense Force in the first place.
See all those civilians fleeing the totally convincing giant ant at around the one minute mark? They’re all fans of the game who applied to be extras via the game’s official website. As if the sheer joy of playing a part in this masterpiece wasn’t enough, the extras were also paid in special gifts and the opportunity to play an early copy of the game.
Earth Defense Force 3 Portable is a Vita port of the game North American gamers know as EDF 2017. It adds four-player support and a host of new missions to an already astoundingly addictive budget title. It also marks the return of Palewing, a unit players haven’t seen since Earth Defense Force 2.
EDF 3 Portable launches on the 27th of September in Japan, but there’s no news of a western release as of yet. Given that EDF 2017 sold impressively well in the west given its budget, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an announcement about an English release sometime soon.
Source: YouTube
