Every Extend
| Every Extend Extra | |
|---|---|
| File:EveryExtendExtra - PSPBOXARTJP.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Q Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai (Japan), Buena Vista Games (North America) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
| Release |  August 3, 2006
 November 7, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Action, Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Every Extend Extra (or E3 for short) is an "action shooting" game by Q Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). The game launched in Japan on August 3rd, 2006 with the strapline 'Music In Your Mind' and is due for release in the US on [[November 7], [[2006] and EU in Q4 2006.
E3 is a sequel to / re-imagining of the popular freeware shmup Every Extend, a personal project by a programmer named "Omega". As a 'boutique' developer, Q Entertainment have treated the source material and its associated genre with considerable respect and E3 does not stray far from its independent roots.
Gameplay
The main difference between E3 and the original game is the music variable. Much like director Tetsuya Mizuguchi's previous synesthesia titles, Lumines and Rez, E3's arcade mode sees the player advancing through stages (in this case named "drives"), with each progressive drive featuring different background and enemy designs, music, bosses and a varying pace of play.
As in the original game - and in a departure from the 'shmup template - the player is unable to shoot, their only defense being to detonate their ship in the vicinity of the enemy. Enemies appear in randomised patterns, and the aim is to position and detonate at the right moment, setting off a chain reaction of explosions and earning a combo (or "chain") bonus. Blowing oneself up takes away from your overall stock of lives (or "extends" in shmup parlance), with a new life being issued at set point goals throughout the level.
Earning a considerable combo is key to replenishing the stock of lives, and so gameplay revolves around striking the correct balance between risk and reward - when every "extend" is critical, the player is required to walk a fraut and complex path of timely sacrifice and prudent preservation.
E3 also adds varying explosion types to the Every Extend template, which can link chains in different ways, as well as a "charge" feature. By holding down the explosion button, the bomb is charged; the longer the button is held, the larger the blast radius, expanding the possibility for chaining explosions. Power-ups dropped by enemies, named "quickens", increase the speed of both the player and the enemy, as well as the bpm (beats per minute) of that drive's music.
Each skin is played out to a time limit, with a boss character appearing at a set point towards the end. Rather than attacking the boss directly, the player relies on destroying the required number of regular enemies near the boss to cause a 'hit.' With this in mind; the boss character may require a plentiful supply of stock to beat so it is unwise to run the initially allotted time down, avoiding too many enemies and missing the opportunity to build up a crucial reserve of "extends."
Critical Reception
Overall, the game has been well-received within the fairly niche shmup community. A confirmed release in both the US and EU hints at the publisher's confidence that potential mainstream success could follow. Buena Vista Games who is publishing the USA and European release is adding in an additional drive in the game exclusive for those regions[1].
Edge magazine awarded E3 8/10 in their October 2006 issue; citing an obtuse initial learning curve and a "defiant obscurity and the resulting barrier to entry" as its main hindrances, but concluding that, overall, the game is "an undeniably exhilarating dance."
Online review site NTSC-uk also gave it 8/10 calling it an "Addictive mixture of music and colours" and "dripping in 'just one more go' appeal".
External links
- Every Extend Extra Official Japan Site (Japan)
- Every Extend Extra PC Demo Download Info (Japan)
- Download Site (Japan)
- Every Extend Extra Playtest
- Every Extend Extra Reviews at Metacritic.com
- NTSC-uk's review of Every Extend Extra
Original implementation
- Every Extend - for Microsoft Windows.