Earth Defense Force – A Series Retrospective

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Earth Defense Force – A Series Retrospective “E-D-F! E-D-F!”“I forgot the bullets!”“Just to warn you, I taste like crap!”“Why did you get married?”

Earth Defense Force – A Series Retrospective

It’s July 2024 and Earth Defense Force 6 has finally been released! Some people might read the title “Earth Defense Force”, and think it sounds terribly generic. It is an awful title. And even though the series that’s the subject of this article started on the PlayStation 2, there was even a horizontal shmup for the Super Nintendo called “Earth Defense Force” with no connection. It’s just a generic North American action title. But the series it represents is a hilarious, creative spectacle that I recommend everyone try!

“Why the awful title?” you might ask. It’s partially because Earth Defense Force began as a part of the Simple Series in Japan. The Simple Series, for those who aren’t familiar, is a line of budget-priced games published by Bandai Namco. There are dozens of games in the series, but most have never been released outside of Japan. Two Simple Series titles have gained a cult following in North America, however: the sexy lady Devil May Cry rip-off OneChanbara, and the third-person shooter Earth Defense Force.

“E-D-F! E-D-F!”

The first two Earth Defense Force, or (lovingly abbreviated) EDF, games, weren’t released in North America. In Europe, they were titled Monster Attack and Global Defence Force. North America also didn’t get the turn-based strategy spin-off, Global Defence Force Tactics. The first EDF game to get a North American release was Earth Defense Force 2017 (released in 2006) for the Xbox 360. There was an Xbox 360/ PS3 sequel called Earth Defense Force 2025. It has since been remastered with extra content, and released for the PS4 and PC as Earth Defense Force 4.1: Shadow Of New Despair.

This is the game that I highly recommend players start with. Earth Defense Force 2017 and Earth Defense Force 4.1 are very similar experiences, so if you’re primarily an Xbox player, track down a 360 copy of EDF 2017 or 2025. Only those who solely rely on the Switch will be out of luck. These first North American entries have gained a significant cult following over the years, which was largely helped by the Happy Video Game Nerd’s coverage. The two aspects that make these games really special are their tone and their spectacle.

“I forgot the bullets!”

EDF 4.1 is a third-person shooter. The player’s point of view is that of a random human soldier in the fight against an alien invasion. The aliens appear as swarms of giant insects, kaiju-sized monsters and robots, and massive Independence Day-like spaceships. Regardless of the type of alien, the player’s goal is to eliminate all the enemies from an environment. Usually, this is in the middle of a city core, or on a coastline. The amount of aliens on screen can be staggering. Insect swarms can have hundreds of van-sized bugs on screen. Kaiju are so large that the player is ant-sized in comparison. Almost everything can be blown up, including buildings. And you’re just one little soldier trying to make a difference.

Have you ever played a Japanese game that has a hilariously insane, and exaggerated view of American culture? Metal Gear Rising? Metal Wolf Chaos maybe? Earth Defense Force is a campy Japanese view of the American military, that’s had me laugh so hard I’ve had to pause the game. The voice acting is so incredibly earnest! The player receives radio calls from other soldiers, doing things like cheering each other on or shouting how much they love their families. The cheese in the EDF games is so gloriously magnificent, that anyone at all curious has to give the series a try.

“Just to warn you, I taste like crap!”

One of the drawbacks of playing the EDF games is that they are definitely budget titles. Textures are bland. There are massive framerate drops all the time. The gameplay isn’t very complex and can get repetitive. These are the reasons the games don’t review well. But they do make up for these shortcomings with their epic size-scaling, long draw distances, and massive swarm numbers. There’s also a lot of content. Different soldier types play differently, with lots of levels, and lots of goals. If you’re the kind of player who likes to check things off lists, EDF has a lot to offer you.

Another problem with getting into the EDF series is that you might pick up the wrong game to start with. The second game released in North America, and first released on a PlayStation console, was Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. This game was a mainstay of video game bargain bins throughout the early-mid 2010s. It’s essentially an attempt to appeal to a North American audience. The gameplay and scope remain excellent, but Insect Armageddon trades in the series’ campy tone for a serious American military tone. This strips away a lot of the joy of the series. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon was also made by a different developer. It was made by Vicious Cycle Software, who is an American developer, different than Sandlot, who develops the main series.

“Why did you get married?”

A proper sequel to EDF 4.1, called Earth Defense Force 5, was released as a PS4 exclusive in late 2018. This is the best game in the series. It’s a story sequel to 4.1 and a decent gameplay upgrade. But again, it might not have been played by that many people, because 4 months later Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain was released. Just like Insect Armageddon, Iron Rain gets rid of the campy tone, in an attempt to appeal to North American audiences. This entry was developed by Yukes, and played great, but discarded the main series’ hilarious identity.

It’s been almost 6 years since the last main entry in the Earth Defense Force series. The only game since Iron Rain is a child-friendly spin-off called Earth Defense Force: World Brothers. If you’re in the mood for an arcade-y third-person shooter: easy to pick up and play, with tons of laughs, there’s never been a better time to check out this series. The story elements are light, so start with 4.1 or 5. Or get Earth Defense Force 6, as it’s brand new, and the latest upgrade.

Have you ever played an EDF game before? Where do you recommend people start? Let us know in the comments.

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