Really fucking impressive for an early 3DS game. I think the plot pacing gets really silly in the back half but it's not in a way that negatively impacts my enjoyment. The finale rocked.

I do think there should have been more V.S. segments though, it feels like you get Gingira way too late in considering he's in the prologue.

Also side-nitpick, the FMVs, be it for this port or the fan translation, have some pretty nasty data artifacting at times. It's not really busted, just scuffed. I kinda wish it was in a better spot on RPCS3 (supposedly has softlocking issues).

E.X. Trooper is a 2012 3DS game by Capcom. The art has a stylish, poppy, and bright manga style which is eye catching and fun! The coolest part is most characters (main and secondary) are voiced in Japanese.

-The combat style is a real time FPS against alien-like creatures with the choice of numerous weapon types the further along you get into the game and can level up (get stronger, more ammo, etc.)

-The combat does get a tad repetitive but owe it to getting good. Also there is multiplayer and online options to play with friends and strangers but the 3ds online options will close April 8, 2024 for the 3ds.

-Story is nothing to write home about but its solid for its time period. Music is has a fun electronic feel that some songs i've had on repeat!

I am really enjoying how fun this game is and hope to experience more games like this in the future!

This game is neat, I like the presentation and I'm a fan of some of the designs, but it's bare. I feel characters weren't given enough time to cook. Like Chris is suppose to be your rival but it feels like they put in the bare minimum of a rival arc.

Combat bounces between tedious and complete jokes, and missions like defend the flag just straight up suck, I skipped the VR ones after a point.

I feel that I would have liked this more if I didn't play it on a 3DS.

Ultimately it's neat but kind of generic with barely serviceable combat.

i played for like 1-2 hours in march or so 2023

maybe actually starting it now oct 20 23

It is so fucking cool how this is actually a console quality action game on 3ds, which I longed for on the 3ds in general especially when the 3ds was out, and which even these days I desperately look for through the 3ds library, but surprisingly honestly hardly exists at all. Everything is a kinda smaller scale jrpg, puzzle game, or some sort of monster hunter-like. theres so little full 3d action games on here. This is one of the best ones!

Finished:

it was kinda repetitive, lot of bosses are reused and stuff, i kinda wish there was more emphasis on actually having to dodge or something. almost every single mission is especially piss easy because even if you mess up you get 2 extra lives, I think just adding no or only 1 extra life would've been perfect in making you kinda able to actually fail some of these.

I played a horrible google translate translation so I can't totally fairly judge it that, it seemed extremely typical from what I can see. Cringe anime bikini moment or whatever included

I wish there were more actual action games on 3ds, this kind of thing could've gone so much farther on 3ds if this was just a more popular IP or something (or just released in the US) and that would've been very cool to see

I IMPLORE anybody with a homebrewed 3DS or PlayStation 3 to get this game, because it is just so much genuine fun. A spin-off of the short lived Lost Planet franchise, it features series staples such as survival on a frozen planet and an endless onslaught of alien insects known as the Akrid, but the anime bullshit is cranked up to 500. As if the first two games weren't hammy enough, EX Troopers leaves them in the dust by codefiying itself in anime. The gameplay isn't the same as the first two Lost Planet games, due to the absence of actually piloting Vital Suits, as well as the lack of vertical mobility, but it makes up for it with snappy and satisfying arcade shooting with a simple to learn gameplay loop. The plot itself is also anime as fuck, even if it does play it safe compared to other anime games. The plot takes heavy cues from shonen heavyhitters such as Naruto, Soul Eater, and Bleach, as well as mecha such as Eureka Seven and Mobile Fighter G Gundam, where the main protagonist Bren Turner enters an academy dedicated to training soldiers to become part of NEVEC, the corporate conglomerate responsible for colonization on EDN III. As he enters the academy, he sets his sights on becoming the best at the academy, earning both the awe and ire of his peers, and causing friends of all kinds to surround him as he makes his way to the top, all the while uncovering a more sinister plot behind the events occurring at the academy. Despite its simplicity, it's very enjoyable to sit through and the Japanese voice acting does wonders to bring the vibrant characters alive. There's also a high quality fan localization out right now (available here: https://fantranslators.info/projects/e-x-troopers/) that translates everything into English from its original language in Japanese, and even if you can't go through the effort to patch a 3DS game cartridge or PS3 Blu-Ray disc, there is .cia files for Citra and a ROM for RPCS3 available so you can put the patch over it, and experience the game for yourself on PC. I highly recommend you do whatever it takes to play this game, because it was a sorely missed opportunity on Capcom's part, and it will be a missed opportunity on your part too if you don't.

Such a cool (if shallow) oddity! For some reason The Lost Planet franchise really fascinates and frustrates me; every now and again i find myself wanting to get absorbed in this series I perceive as a moody Japanese take on The Thing meets Monster Hunter meets Every Western 7th Generation Shooter Ever, but I keep bouncing off of the mainline games despite trying to approach them with genuine interest. I think there's just not too much substance to the series despite how much I want them to be these uncanny spacious zeitgeisty hybrids, and my imagination fills in a lot of blank spaces with an aura of not-actually-there intrigue whenever my memory dulls.

BUT ENOUGH about those! this is EX Troopers--a totally different stylistic approach to the Lost Planet universe that hardly feels related to the franchise at all! It's a giddy day-glo romp doused in Jet Set Radio cel-shading, with an uber exuberant j-electro soundtrack to match! some of these songs RULE and the OST is worth checking out alone: https://youtu.be/ggwJw3OqzjE

The gameplay itself is quite slight and perfunctory, but in a totally pleasurable arcade shooter sort of way. Tiny missions on tiny maps that get right to the point and have you make full use of your small arsenal of abilities. Must have felt perfect for bite-size sessions on the 3DS, but its narrowness definitely shows when played on a console. Still, this is a deliriously upbeat game that feels lighter than air: a hyper-saturated cotton candy action title made to be played in short bursts. Pretty fun for what it is, and very interesting as a complete 180 representation of the Lost Planet universe.

IMO this is a fairly friendly import game even if you can't read much or any Japanese--the mission goals are quite clearly delineated and it's simple enough to navigate the small hub world and figure out who to talk to/where to go. The story is also a very archetypal "i am a spunky upstart and want 2 be the hero" shonen type of situation and the comic book cutscenes convey a lot of personality through the visual presentation. Even if you can only read katakana you will be in great shape because so many of the integral keywords are communicated that way. Dont be too intimidated to give it a shot!

Played the PS3 HD port.