Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon Review

The original EDF was a low budget game and unapologetically so, being a part of the “Simple” Japanese series Global Defense Force. The setup isn’t very complex or deep–insects are invading, take this big/bigger/biggest gun and kill them all– but like the name of its series, they were just that. Using a classic insect invasion setup everyone has heard of and sporting graphics that really weren’t anything to write home about, it would be easy to write off it’s “kill EVERYTHING” gameplay simply by reading about it on paper. Players who took the time to experience it however, were in for a treat, because despite its technical shortcomings, it actually turned out to be a pretty fun shooter, with a ton of weapons, hundreds of enemies to extinguish at any given time, and a sense of scale to rival its bigger budgeted brethren. Now, a few years later, we have an unexpected sequel, with a new developer at the helm. Can lightning strike in the same place twice?

Given the size of these things, I’d sure hope so.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (Review)
For: Xbox 360, PS3
Publisher: Capcom
Price: $39.99
Release: 7/02/2011 (North America)

The best thing about Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, is just how much the new developer, Vicious Cycle just gets it. They understand that EDF is about guns, bigger guns (occasionally mechs), and using them to lay an entire alien population to rest…along with half the city you’re supposed to be defending. That part was easy enough, but it’s the way they really nailed it that makes it something special. The graphics are improved, yet still somewhat behind. The dialogue is superbly acted, but intentionally terrible. It’s as if they knew the kind of game they were making and revel in it, even playing it up to great effect. By the time you’ve shot your first building covered in enemies and it comes down in a satisfying shower of debris and flailing insects, you can tell that they didn’t seek to overhaul, just strengthen what was already there, and it’s a move that makes for a shooter that’s just as much fun as the original.

This time however, instead of a rogue swiss army knife of a soldier, there are four classes at your disposal, all with their own unique abilities. The Trooper is your standard well rounded class with access to most light and heavy weapons. The Tactical soldier doesn’t have the most health or firepower, but has a number of autonomous weapons like turrets and mines that can be deployed at any time. The Battle class uses a mechanical suit that isn’t the fastest method of travel, but has access to the heaviest weapons and can absorb damage like no one’s business. The last and personal favorite of mine is the Jet, which sacrifices power and higher end equipment for a great deal of mobility and the ability to fly around the stage while shooting Gunvalkyrie style.

The most surprising thing about each class is the amount of variety it brings to the action. It doesn’t seem so starting out, but each class has their own unique feel, and combining their efforts is what keeps what would’ve been a repetitive endeavor interesting by suiting different play styles. Feel like being a one man army? Take the Battle armor and fire rockets at close range without a care. Feel like fortifying a solid offense and laying traps for the horde? Tactical is right up your alley. Would you rather weave in and out of the action and pepper the enemy from afar with some explosive weaponry? The Jet is your suit of choice. Best of all, each class has tiered upgrades and weapon drops unique to their style, and the arms are every bit as devastating and ridiculous as the original. This does mean that the RPG style looting of the original has been removed, but this little bit of structure helps the upgrades feel earned, rather than random.

The multiplayer options are surprisingly robust as well, in addition to being able to take a three man squad either offline or online, there’s two player splitscreen, and up to 6 players in a survival mode that’s exactly what it sounds like, increasing waves of insects until you finally expire. While the AI in offline mode is surprisingly better than expected, taking the time to cover and even revive you promptly, playing with other people is truly where it’s at, especially on the higher difficulties, where strategy is a must. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of online players at the time of this writing, making jumping into a match quick and easy.

I’ve spent this long without touching on the graphics, and the fact of the matter is, that yes, they’re dated. They’re also one of the game’s best strengths. Not only does the dated look contribute to the game’s B-movie like aspirations, but without a heavy focus on memory consuming high textures or computationally expensive rendering techniques to achieve psuedoreality, it freed up their recources to make the most destructive city playground and cram as many enemies into it as they possibly could, including some impressively sized bosses. Truly, these are the things scripted setpieces are made of, yet here, they’re all under your control. It’s one thing to render a massive boss to scale. How many games can boast throwing three massive bosses at you, with a sizeable hundred of their minions, all the while crushing buildings and being tagged with explosive weapons by a rebel force? Did I mention the civilians running in the street? That’s the secret sauce here.

But, all is not heaven here in charming low-budget land. While I’ve spent the vast majority of the review singing its praises, there are a few snags. The graphics may be intentionally bad, but it doesn’t excuse the instances of slowdown that can drag down the action when things get hectic. The missions can also tend to drag on, especially on higher difficulties where taking down waves can feel like a chore if you’re not equipped well enough. Also, the campaign can feel a bit short too at 15 stages, but when multiple playthroughs can change depending on the weapons you take or who you take with you, the complaint is moot. From the improvements to the core game with the addition of classes and tiered unlocks, the the improvements to the multiplayer with online, remixed and all new survival modes, if you’re looking for an experience that’s light on production values, but heavy on old-school fun, from a time where games just needed to be games without the burden of Hollywood breathing on it’s back, this is for you. at $39.99, it’s hard to say no.

Rating: 8.0