I hope everyone had good holidays with your friends and families, but it’s time to kick-start your gaming new year. Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable will be available for $39.99 in North America as a digital PS Vita download when the PSN update goes live later today.

Earth Defense Force 2017 first landed on US soil in 2007. With its addictive and exhilarating bug-squashing gameplay, the Japanese developer Sandlot succeeded in catching the attention of gamers. Now, thanks to the high performance of PS Vita, we are able to bring the EDF world to the handheld console with many new additions including online co-op and versus modes, new missions, enemies and weapons, and a new playable character in Pale Wing.

The game has a total of 60 missions, including seven new missions. Each mission can be played on five difficulty levels; Easy, Normal, Hard, Hardest, and Inferno. Yes, you’re reading this right. “Inferno” is harder than the “hardest”! At first, you might feel “Inferno” is insanely difficult, but don’t worry. The more difficult levels you play, the stronger weapons you’ll get. By the time you collect tons of weapons and you reach “Inferno”, you’ll find that you’re a highly-trained EDF soldier. For the first time in the series, the game features multiplayer for up to four players, so play with your friends in North America and Europe in co-op or versus mode for EDF supremacy. With these new features, the game provides a whole new EDF experience, and you’ll be able to enjoy hundreds of hours of gameplay to collect all the weapons.

We also have a little bonus for you. If you purchase Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable through February 4th, you can get free downloadable content of the following four weapons.

The sequel, Earth Defense Force 2025 will also come out later this year, so I’m hoping EDF fans can refresh themselves on EDF’s over-the-top insect onslaught and explosions with 2017 on PS Vita. For those who are new to EDF, this version will be a good start to your EDF career.

This year, EDF will go full blast, so don’t be late to join EDF!

The Earth Defense Force is back, and I’m here to tell you what to expect when it lands on PS Vita this winter! Earth Defense Force 2017 (“EDF3” in Japan) launched in 2007 as a third-person shooter developed by Sandlot and published by D3Publisher.

In Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable for PS Vita, the core of the game (the 3D arcade action and the system features) remain the same as in EDF2017, but by adding many additional features the game feels completely transformed and remastered. These additions include an online co-op mode, new missions, enemies and weapons, and a new playable character in Pale Wing.

The story is set in the year 2017. The Ravagers — a vile alien race — are coming to Earth, and they have one thing on their minds: the complete destruction of mankind! In Earth Defense Force 2017, you are Earth’s last line of defense. You’ll be dropped into the shoes of a member of the Earth Defense Force. Your mission: stop the Ravagers from conquering Earth.

With the added online play, you can now play a co-op game with up to four players on your PS Vita, without giving up three quarters of your screen. New tactics and strategy are required when playing with friends, bringing a whole new experience to EDF2017 that I think players will love.

Every player can select their weapons, so the key to effective teamwork is to take advantage of each soldier’s attributes. There are also many new weapons that specialize in cooperative gameplay, including tools that assist and revive your fallen allies. You can chat with your friends in multiplayer, so it’s key to keep in contact and make a tactical battle plan. There is also a PvP multiplayer mode where you track your opponent on radar, then make the most of your weapons to go for the win.

You can also unlock Pale Wing, the flying female playable character, after certain conditions are met. Pale Wing did not exist in the world of EDF2017, but she came flying from EDF2 into EDF3 Portable to help the troops out against the new threat. This character requires you to play the game differently, with her flying ability and new gear, so be prepared! Pale Wing has her own set of gear, such as the rapier and laser rifle, adding even more variation to the game’s 150+ weapons. You can even have all four players play as Pale Wing in multiplayer to create a complete Pale Wing Unit.

Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable is packed with new features. I think fans will be most excited about being able to play online with their friends, as EDF has always been a game that players have enjoyed sharing with others. For those new to the EDF world, welcome! I think you will find an over-the-top action arcade experience that will keep you coming back to your PS Vita for more. We look forward to sharing more of the game with you in the future, as we prepare for a PS Vita-exclusive winter launch. Let us know if you’ve played EDF, and which new features you’re most looking forward to!