Overview [JP]: E.X. Troopers (PS3)

Next up on my recent overview posts of Japanese PS3 games is a strange addition to the Lost Planet universe, but it still has a neat artstyle to it.

I picked this game up for a really cheap price over on Nippon Yasan and it's still available for a low price for many retailers.

E.X. Troopers is a spin-off to Lost Planet, developed and published by Capcom (with HexaDrive handling the PS3 version). It's got the same type of gameplay that the main series did but with a high school setting as well as a HUD location where you can walk around, talk to people and go on various missions. It's a different approach to the series especially with its cutscenes that are stylised like a manga. It's also less serious and more light-hearted in contrast to the main series.

I haven't finished the game yet but from what I've played it's a lot of fun (the controls may need to taking used to). Out of the 10 Japanese imports I own this is the least import friendly title but the gameplay is still easy to understand and there are guides online that can help you out. The game was also released on the Nintendo 3DS (and sold the most on that platform) but that version is region locked (because Nintendo logic). The PlayStation 3 version is region free not to worry.

The game is entirely in Japanese. Like I mentioned the main gameplay is okay to understand while the cutscenes and dialogue is text-heavy. The cutscenes do have characters move around and make expressions so you have some idea of what is really going on.

Format: PlayStation 3 (also available on Nintendo 3DS)

Version: Japan

Exclusive: No

Local Players: 1

Online Players: 2-6

Resolution: NTSC 480p, 720p [This is based on the video output, resolution in-game may be different]

HDD Space: 2768 KB (Save)

Trophies: Yes

E.X. Troopers has never been localised outside Japan and it's still Japan-exclusive. Capcom didn't think its special approach would sell so they never bothered to release it to the west. The game has gained some following after its release and I still think it's a pretty good instalment in the Lost Planet franchise.