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.
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.
4 Comments
I've never actually finished LP2 so that's really cool to hear! My third person shooter tolerance is pitifully low so I always bounce off these games at the first brush of vibe letdown. Next time I get the inexplicable semi-annual itch I will make sure to complete that one!
you're right about it feeling perfect for bite-sized sessions on 3DS, what a game to play on the toilet
you can even get 60fps with a hacked New 3DS and a code (you need N3DS for the extra processor clock speed)
it has a "fan translation" on 3DS, but I use those words loosely because it's machine-translated and reads like Pokemon Vietnamese Crystal, but I'm glad that it exists at all
you can even get 60fps with a hacked New 3DS and a code (you need N3DS for the extra processor clock speed)
it has a "fan translation" on 3DS, but I use those words loosely because it's machine-translated and reads like Pokemon Vietnamese Crystal, but I'm glad that it exists at all
There’s a much better fan translation out now for it. Very excited to play this game
@PZT
@PZT
BeachEpisode
3 years ago
Anyway, I fished out my copy of EX Troopers a few days ago, you've made me bump it up on my priority list.