only took two and a half years, but through my innovative technique of playing a handful of missions every four months I have finally taken down this beast. absurd how structurally lazy this game is: 89 single-player missions, all back-to-back with no side quests or key quest system or any sort of progression/organization beyond "play a mission and then unlock the next one." it should be obvious that most of these missions bear more than a small resemblance to one another due to the comparative dearth of maps and enemy types, so throwing the player into this many mandatory missions just exacerbates the repetition. sure, this is a game oriented around an endless grind for weapon and armor drops, but evidently the game's bounty of missions vastly exceed the bounds of the game's weapon pools given that identical pools appear in many of the missions on a given difficulty and rarely give new items. the weapon level drop curve is such that even running the first couple of missions on inferno, the highest difficulty, primarily gave me weapons I already had from midgame on normal, three difficulties below it. this would be more bearable if at least the weapon pools between all four classes were shared... but they aren't, so good luck if you played through the campaign with one class and would like to switch on the next difficulty up, because you won't have shit to work with. the developers recognized these unforced errors because edf5 rectified a fair number of them (primarily shared weapon pools and an upgrade system when you pick up a dupe), but it stings a bit that this entry completely fumbles these elements here.
I'm dedicated to fencer (the armored suit class) through and through, and in this particular entry fencer gets an essential (if perhaps not intended) dash cancel that lifts the weight of the rest of the game on its back. by firing the otherwise mediocre javelin catapult directly after executing a side dash, the ending lag of the dash will get overwritten with extremely fast javelin recovery frames, enabling quick dash spam across the battlefield. a couple weapon types possess the side dash as an auxillary ability, with perhaps no one more busted than the blasthole spear lineage, which provide rapid-fire, high-DPS shots at close range. the synergy is quickly clear: hit-and-run tactics with the spears and the dash cancel can easily depose even spongier enemies as long as one manages their cooldowns. of course, if this was the whole gameplan, the game would stale over such a long campaign, but luckily the fencer uniquely possesses switchable item sets. I kept a mid-range cannon and long-range mortars on deck in the other set for most of the ride as heavy artillery to deal the majority of my long-range damage, and since these remove the incredible mobility of the javelin/spear combo, you have a comfortable role trade-off to deal with in each fight. switching sets can't be done willy-nilly, and outside of wakeup animations most recovery lag will keep you from swapping, preserving the commitment of the most truly heinous fencer weaponry. the sluggish movement of the fencer normally would not necessarily be fun to use, as it would submerge the game into wading through enemies and tanking shot after shot, but this particular dash-cancel wrinkle helps sell a hot-and-cold playstyle that one rarely finds in a third-person shooter.
scenario-wise, probably one of the best examples I can think of where simply mass-spawning identical enemies makes for very solid encounters. although my brain would like to call it a TPS musou, it really hews closer to a wave shooter or arena shooter due to the centralization of the battle around the player character. you may enter with allies to assist you, but they rarely last past the first wave, and thus the game devolves into controlling the mass of enemies following you and you alone around the map. at its worst, it's a lot of kiting, either soothed by the need to stop to unleash your best weapons or agitated by the need to build up a healthy distance from the enemies before you unleash your best weapons, depending on how you look at it. only the cheap fodder succumb to pure tracking tactics, however, and with enough alternate opponents that lockdown certain parts of the map, roam, or patrol, you can find yourself properly flanked in a way the fodder can't do alone. of these the most fundamental are the hectors: large bipedal robots with an assortment of heavy weaponry and shields. getting in one's sights can subject the player to anything from full-map range plasma shots to short-range sheets of sparks, the latter of which portends poorly for any fencer player clamped to the ground by it. the variety of these and the use of different AI routines for each make hectors an essential flavor for any environment, especially maps with lots of enemy spawn points. other large enemies are equally fascinating (the segmented quadruped deroys and their long-range leg melee are rather fierce), yet the bosses tend to make clear how much of the game relies on hundreds of adds running around the screen at once due to their gigantic hurtboxes and rudimentary behavior. perhaps this is why the final boss opts for a much smarter strategy of smothering the earth with artificial ceiling of weaponry, with the top hurtbox only accessible when openings in the ceiling plates have been cracked open.
I'm dedicated to fencer (the armored suit class) through and through, and in this particular entry fencer gets an essential (if perhaps not intended) dash cancel that lifts the weight of the rest of the game on its back. by firing the otherwise mediocre javelin catapult directly after executing a side dash, the ending lag of the dash will get overwritten with extremely fast javelin recovery frames, enabling quick dash spam across the battlefield. a couple weapon types possess the side dash as an auxillary ability, with perhaps no one more busted than the blasthole spear lineage, which provide rapid-fire, high-DPS shots at close range. the synergy is quickly clear: hit-and-run tactics with the spears and the dash cancel can easily depose even spongier enemies as long as one manages their cooldowns. of course, if this was the whole gameplan, the game would stale over such a long campaign, but luckily the fencer uniquely possesses switchable item sets. I kept a mid-range cannon and long-range mortars on deck in the other set for most of the ride as heavy artillery to deal the majority of my long-range damage, and since these remove the incredible mobility of the javelin/spear combo, you have a comfortable role trade-off to deal with in each fight. switching sets can't be done willy-nilly, and outside of wakeup animations most recovery lag will keep you from swapping, preserving the commitment of the most truly heinous fencer weaponry. the sluggish movement of the fencer normally would not necessarily be fun to use, as it would submerge the game into wading through enemies and tanking shot after shot, but this particular dash-cancel wrinkle helps sell a hot-and-cold playstyle that one rarely finds in a third-person shooter.
scenario-wise, probably one of the best examples I can think of where simply mass-spawning identical enemies makes for very solid encounters. although my brain would like to call it a TPS musou, it really hews closer to a wave shooter or arena shooter due to the centralization of the battle around the player character. you may enter with allies to assist you, but they rarely last past the first wave, and thus the game devolves into controlling the mass of enemies following you and you alone around the map. at its worst, it's a lot of kiting, either soothed by the need to stop to unleash your best weapons or agitated by the need to build up a healthy distance from the enemies before you unleash your best weapons, depending on how you look at it. only the cheap fodder succumb to pure tracking tactics, however, and with enough alternate opponents that lockdown certain parts of the map, roam, or patrol, you can find yourself properly flanked in a way the fodder can't do alone. of these the most fundamental are the hectors: large bipedal robots with an assortment of heavy weaponry and shields. getting in one's sights can subject the player to anything from full-map range plasma shots to short-range sheets of sparks, the latter of which portends poorly for any fencer player clamped to the ground by it. the variety of these and the use of different AI routines for each make hectors an essential flavor for any environment, especially maps with lots of enemy spawn points. other large enemies are equally fascinating (the segmented quadruped deroys and their long-range leg melee are rather fierce), yet the bosses tend to make clear how much of the game relies on hundreds of adds running around the screen at once due to their gigantic hurtboxes and rudimentary behavior. perhaps this is why the final boss opts for a much smarter strategy of smothering the earth with artificial ceiling of weaponry, with the top hurtbox only accessible when openings in the ceiling plates have been cracked open.
If edf has millions of fans i am one of them . if edf has ten fans i am one of them. if edf has only one fan then that is me . if edf has no fans, that means i am no longer on this earth . if the world is against edf then i am against the world.
All difficulties. All weapons. 999 hours.
This is the best co-op shooter on the market.
Playing on the two highest difficulties with minimum AP and a maxed out arsenal is fan-fucking-tastic.
Just be sure to bring your own soundtrack.
(Absolutely do not drown out the NPC dialogue though, it's a necessary part of the experience.)
This is the best co-op shooter on the market.
Playing on the two highest difficulties with minimum AP and a maxed out arsenal is fan-fucking-tastic.
Just be sure to bring your own soundtrack.
(Absolutely do not drown out the NPC dialogue though, it's a necessary part of the experience.)
Sometimes I foolishly forget the perfect video game has been by my side for years.
you should be thrown in prison if you call one of these games 'turn your brain off fun'
To save our mother Earth from any alien attack
From vicious giant insects who have once again come back
We'll unleash all our forces, we won't cut them any slack
The EDF deploys!
This is a great game in the EDF series.
It’s simplistically is what makes this a go to game that you can come back to at anytime. Hundreds of weapons to choose from divided by the four unique classes that feel very different from each other. As someone who hates bugs, it’s so satisfying to watch them explode into smithereens. It’s great if you also like large hoard battles.
The online works fantastic with little to no lag on anyone’s end. My friends and I have a great time on this game whenever we’re on.
The only thing I don’t like is the random weapon drop system and locking the cost of some weapons in some difficulties in the online mode. Other than that, this is a game I’m glad I picked up.
From vicious giant insects who have once again come back
We'll unleash all our forces, we won't cut them any slack
The EDF deploys!
This is a great game in the EDF series.
It’s simplistically is what makes this a go to game that you can come back to at anytime. Hundreds of weapons to choose from divided by the four unique classes that feel very different from each other. As someone who hates bugs, it’s so satisfying to watch them explode into smithereens. It’s great if you also like large hoard battles.
The online works fantastic with little to no lag on anyone’s end. My friends and I have a great time on this game whenever we’re on.
The only thing I don’t like is the random weapon drop system and locking the cost of some weapons in some difficulties in the online mode. Other than that, this is a game I’m glad I picked up.
I heard a lot of takes, that the best EDF is the latest one. I understand that now, these takes make a lot of sense. It is still mostly fun game with classes, which offer different experience. But I always feel that without additions from EDF 5 it does not feels as satisfying.
You only receive weapons for your class, and there are mostly duplicates by the end of the game without any upgrades. Wing Diver without her dash has still solid mobility, but as not enjoyable as in the next game. But the worst thing is that the game is way more frustrating at times. Placement of tons of enemies and spawners is ridiculous (like in mission 96). Also thanks Sandlot for getting rid of dragons in the next game. Regular dragons are not that bad, although they are a menace for sure. But boss dragon with his damage over time flame, which still gives damage after fading is not something that I would like to see in a game. Also some of the missions with water segments feel unnecessary too.
I still do not regret completing 4.1, but it only makes me interested to get back to EDF5 more. At least OST sounds cooler and unintentional Fencer's dash cancel is bonkers.
You only receive weapons for your class, and there are mostly duplicates by the end of the game without any upgrades. Wing Diver without her dash has still solid mobility, but as not enjoyable as in the next game. But the worst thing is that the game is way more frustrating at times. Placement of tons of enemies and spawners is ridiculous (like in mission 96). Also thanks Sandlot for getting rid of dragons in the next game. Regular dragons are not that bad, although they are a menace for sure. But boss dragon with his damage over time flame, which still gives damage after fading is not something that I would like to see in a game. Also some of the missions with water segments feel unnecessary too.
I still do not regret completing 4.1, but it only makes me interested to get back to EDF5 more. At least OST sounds cooler and unintentional Fencer's dash cancel is bonkers.
AMO MATAR INSECTOS GIGANTES
Fun game, but suffers from just bland story missions.
I'm from Buenos Aires and I say kill 'em all!
TO SAVE OUR MOTHER EARTH FROM ANY ALIEN ATTACK
To save our mother Earth from any alien attack
From vicious giant insects who have once again come back
We'll unleash all our forces
We won't cut them any slack
The E.D.F deploys!
Oh wait. Did I like this game? I guess? Mmm...no. Not really.
From vicious giant insects who have once again come back
We'll unleash all our forces
We won't cut them any slack
The E.D.F deploys!
Oh wait. Did I like this game? I guess? Mmm...no. Not really.
EDF is the perfect C-List game, it doesn't hide anything about itself.
you shoot bugs and robots and shit, get random upgrades, repeat. good times.
you shoot bugs and robots and shit, get random upgrades, repeat. good times.
4th Finished Game of 2023
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair (2016) (Steam)
Fourth game in the Earth Defense Force franchise, I took advantage of the franchise marathon to play again the Steam version, The Shadow of New Despair is the definitive version of Earth Defense Force 2025 originally released for Xbox 360 and PS3.
EDF 4.1 is a remaster of the EDF 2 remake, officially considered the 4th game in the main franchise and second game post-reboot.
Particularly I would opt for the graphics of the Switch version of EDF 3, here they put a lot of reflection and more realistic textures that the game looks like a 'Ultra Realistic Shader' Minecraft.
Other than that, this version surpasses everything done so far, with 4 different classes, 2 totally new classes: Air Raider, support class that can summon aerial bombardment and support vehicles for the team and the Fencer class which is nothing more than a 'Tank' that can use 2 weapons simultaneously. Game has the absurdity of 825 weapons and 147 missions combining online mode and DLCs (89 in the main campaign).
Best entry point for those who want to start with the EDF franchise which, by the way, is where I started, game currently has versions for PS4,Steam and Switch.
Difficulty: 07/10
Total game time: 18h36
Score: 09/10
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair (2016) (Steam)
Fourth game in the Earth Defense Force franchise, I took advantage of the franchise marathon to play again the Steam version, The Shadow of New Despair is the definitive version of Earth Defense Force 2025 originally released for Xbox 360 and PS3.
EDF 4.1 is a remaster of the EDF 2 remake, officially considered the 4th game in the main franchise and second game post-reboot.
Particularly I would opt for the graphics of the Switch version of EDF 3, here they put a lot of reflection and more realistic textures that the game looks like a 'Ultra Realistic Shader' Minecraft.
Other than that, this version surpasses everything done so far, with 4 different classes, 2 totally new classes: Air Raider, support class that can summon aerial bombardment and support vehicles for the team and the Fencer class which is nothing more than a 'Tank' that can use 2 weapons simultaneously. Game has the absurdity of 825 weapons and 147 missions combining online mode and DLCs (89 in the main campaign).
Best entry point for those who want to start with the EDF franchise which, by the way, is where I started, game currently has versions for PS4,Steam and Switch.
Difficulty: 07/10
Total game time: 18h36
Score: 09/10
This game is dumb, in a good way. Play it with friends.
Sci-fi B-movie, the game!
Been a fan of the series since playing EDF 2017 as the premise was so dumb but the games, despite being repetitive, are silly fun and that applies to EDF 4.1.
This is a port of EDF 2025 on the PS3 with some of the DLC missions included and a few slight changes. The basic principle though is the same; pick one of four classes and use daft weapons to kill giant insects, retro looking robots and spaceships while destroying half the city as B-Movie dialogue and voice acting spur the missions on.
The four classes all play slightly differently depending on what you choose. Ranger is an all around class with strong weapons, Wing Diver can fly and has great speed and mobility but the lowest health gain, Air Raider can summon artillery, air strikes and usable vehicles and the Fencer is basically a walking tank with highest health and canons. Each class can gain new weapons and extra health to slowly increase their total from killed enemies.
The game has a huge 98 missions and 5 difficulties which are really quite hard (I'm still trying to beat hardest or Inferno without success, need to level up more) and supports 2 player split screen or 4 player online. The lobbies now days are pretty quiet but I still manage to play 4 player pretty often.
If I had to complain i'd say the grind is insane to get the armour required to try the harder difficulties, the game doesn't respect your time at all. Also the user interface is horrible, trying to set up an online game or invite people takes a while to get used to.
Otherwise this is chewing gum for the brain fun. It's on sale constantly, I picked it up for just over £3 so you've got nothing to lose trying it.
+ Mindless fun.
+ A lot of content.
+ B-Movie feeling is great.
+ EDF!
- Grinding is ridiculous.
- User interface for menus is hideous
Been a fan of the series since playing EDF 2017 as the premise was so dumb but the games, despite being repetitive, are silly fun and that applies to EDF 4.1.
This is a port of EDF 2025 on the PS3 with some of the DLC missions included and a few slight changes. The basic principle though is the same; pick one of four classes and use daft weapons to kill giant insects, retro looking robots and spaceships while destroying half the city as B-Movie dialogue and voice acting spur the missions on.
The four classes all play slightly differently depending on what you choose. Ranger is an all around class with strong weapons, Wing Diver can fly and has great speed and mobility but the lowest health gain, Air Raider can summon artillery, air strikes and usable vehicles and the Fencer is basically a walking tank with highest health and canons. Each class can gain new weapons and extra health to slowly increase their total from killed enemies.
The game has a huge 98 missions and 5 difficulties which are really quite hard (I'm still trying to beat hardest or Inferno without success, need to level up more) and supports 2 player split screen or 4 player online. The lobbies now days are pretty quiet but I still manage to play 4 player pretty often.
If I had to complain i'd say the grind is insane to get the armour required to try the harder difficulties, the game doesn't respect your time at all. Also the user interface is horrible, trying to set up an online game or invite people takes a while to get used to.
Otherwise this is chewing gum for the brain fun. It's on sale constantly, I picked it up for just over £3 so you've got nothing to lose trying it.
+ Mindless fun.
+ A lot of content.
+ B-Movie feeling is great.
+ EDF!
- Grinding is ridiculous.
- User interface for menus is hideous
Olha, é um jogo mal polido sim. Mas puta que pariu, a quantidade de conteúdo disso é absurda, não fica muito repetitivo e sempre, toda missão, me surpreende com os inimigos absurdos. Compensa sua falta de gráficos com mapas quase 100% destrutíveis e um arsenal de armas que destrói prédios. Incrível, joguem agora!
This is the greatest game of all time. EDF!! EDF!!
this game sets out to do its thing (big fuck ass waves of big fuck ass enemies vs a couple of wife guys/gals with guns) and does it so well, genuinely incredible fun, moments of genuine "what the actual fuck" all over the place, and it sometimes actually made me feel the dread of the absolutely awful situation this game actually is about lmao
so glad i finally was able to play it after almost 10 years of wishing to do so (i unfortunately didnt play it online at all)
so glad i finally was able to play it after almost 10 years of wishing to do so (i unfortunately didnt play it online at all)
Purely fun-oriented alien wave shooter that uses spectacle and scale to make up for what it lacks in depth.
+ endearingly stupid dialogue with iconic voice acting (special shoutout to all the incompetent army command transmissions)
+ constant escalating battles giving a rather authentic war impression
+ excellent mindless multiplayer experience
+ hundreds of distinct and powerful weapons
+ fittingly grand soundtrack
- barely passable graphics
- pathetic mobility for three out of four classes
- no progression sync between local and online modes
- no weapon drops for other classes preventing spontaneous switching
- significant mission bloat with repetitive enemies and forgettable objectives
+ endearingly stupid dialogue with iconic voice acting (special shoutout to all the incompetent army command transmissions)
+ constant escalating battles giving a rather authentic war impression
+ excellent mindless multiplayer experience
+ hundreds of distinct and powerful weapons
+ fittingly grand soundtrack
- barely passable graphics
- pathetic mobility for three out of four classes
- no progression sync between local and online modes
- no weapon drops for other classes preventing spontaneous switching
- significant mission bloat with repetitive enemies and forgettable objectives
TO SAVE OUR MOTHER EARTH FROM ANY ALIEN ATTACK.
TO SAVE OUR MOTHER EARTH FROM ANY ALIEN ATTACK
FROM VICIOUS GIANT INSECTS WHO HAVE ONCE AGAIN COME BACK
WE'LL UNLEASH ALL OUR FORCED WE WON'T CUT THEM ANY SLACK
THE E.D.F DEPLOYS
FROM VICIOUS GIANT INSECTS WHO HAVE ONCE AGAIN COME BACK
WE'LL UNLEASH ALL OUR FORCED WE WON'T CUT THEM ANY SLACK
THE E.D.F DEPLOYS
Lots of fun, sometimes you wanna just shoot big bugs with big guns. The dialogue carries this game so hard
Well it's EDF.
If you're on PC, get EDF5, the port is kinda shit.
If you're on PC, get EDF5, the port is kinda shit.
Absolute blast. So much content.
Takes all the best ideas from weaker western entry Insect Armageddon and masters them.
Accept nothing but Japanese entries. The moment to moment gameplay still cannot be topped.
For me, still the height of the series. 5 is a neat update, but it really needs a 4.1-esque rebalancing. Any game without hectors is madness.
Takes all the best ideas from weaker western entry Insect Armageddon and masters them.
Accept nothing but Japanese entries. The moment to moment gameplay still cannot be topped.
For me, still the height of the series. 5 is a neat update, but it really needs a 4.1-esque rebalancing. Any game without hectors is madness.
it has a lot of bugs but other than that it's pretty good
Earth Defense Force was a series I played some games and have a lot fun but 4.1 made me fall in love. The level desing and the balance of the gameplay is top tier, the challenge is amazing, the co-op is my favorite in shooter games, OST is great. Is such a good game and with so much love in begin himself that made me smile just seeing my ranger dudes singing with me. This game is pure fun and heart with a silly but charming history. Serious, give a try.
To protect our mother earth from any alien attack!
To protect our mother earth from any alien attack!
I just can't stop playing this game man. Some of the balance in this game is stupid as hell especially online but getting over that challenge is very satisfying
It's about as fun as the company you keep. The fencer has interesting movement, but that doesn't hold my attention long. It's kind of unreviewable, at least in my opinion. Leaving a rating off.
An extremely pure and beautiful game