Land Defense Forces
2013: Strange messages are picked up from deep space, we are not alone in the universe
2015: A technologically advanced special military unit known as the Earth Defense Force is created to combat the potential extraterrestrial threat
2017: They arrived, but not in peace
The incipit is that of the great classics of science fiction: as the last bastion of mankind, we defend the planet from swarms of spiders and ants, gigantic robots, UFOs and even dinosaurs; but EDF 2017 stands out for the huge amount of enemies to face, able to put even the most savvy player in difficulty.
A bit of history, the real one
Earth Defense Force 2017 is the third installment of the series "The Chikyuu Boueigunm" (original title), developed by the Japanese of Sandlot, a software house known for its original and unconventional games (Robot Alchemic Drive and Zangeki no Reginleiv, just for mention the two most famous).
The previous chapters, The Chikyuu Boueigunm and The Chikyuu Boueigunm 2, exclusive to PlayStation 2, are distributed in Japan through the series "Simple 2000" (a series of videogames for low-cost consoles, priced at around 2000 Yen) while we in Europe are known with different titles such as "Monster Attack" and "Global Defense Force"; to complete the picture are added the recent "Earth Defense Force 2 Portable" for Playstation Portable, and the already announced "Earth Defense Force: Insect Armaggedon" to be released in July 2011 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Action!
The game offers 52 missions for 5 difficulty levels, more than 150 weapons and 4 different vehicle types. Before starting the mission it is good to choose your arsenal; initially the choice is limited, but during the battle, by collecting the "Weapon" icons it is possible to unlock, once the mission is completed, flamethrowers, guided missile launchers, bazookas, hand grenades, turrets etc, the "Armor" icons will increase the total of health points , essential for facing the most complex levels.
On the battlefield, to give you a hand, there will be other EDF soldiers managed by the CPU and if this is not enough, located on the map we could find a helicopter, an exoskeleton, a motorcycle or a tank.
The in-game controls are easy to remember, few and essential, the response is good and the feeling is immediate; the character, although always "running", will not have enough speed to escape, in this case avoid the jump and learn the somersault quickly.
All that glitters is not gold
The care of the environments was certainly not among the priorities of the development team, aficionados of the series will notice great similarity between this title and the previous one for Playstation 2, which certainly does not sound like a compliment, given the performance gap between the two. The same goes for the sound effects and music, which seem to be taken from the soundtrack of a science fiction b-movie. The enemies, on the contrary, are rendered fairly well: the light effects, the explosions and in particular the metallic reflections are valuable. The game stands out also and above all for the large number of opponents present at the same time on the screen which, unfortunately, in the most excited phases of the action, leads to very conspicuous drops in framerate.
Finally, it must be said that, unique in its kind, EDF 2017 allows you to interact with the whole surrounding environment which, although bare and devoid of details, will inexorably collapse under the blows of the missiles becoming in a few minutes a desolate land made of rubble and debris.
EDF! EDF! EDF!
The game is, on balance, a simple "point and shoot" that does not offer variations on the gameplay theme. The environments are sufficiently varied, as are the types of enemies to face and consequently the type of weapon to use; you will hardly face a robot armed with a flamethrower, just as it is preferable to have wide-ranging weapons to counter the weak but numerous insects. Finally, it should be noted that access to the arsenal as much as you can is linked to the completion of the most difficult levels and that the preparations and the mission take a relatively short time, two factors that will push you to play and replay even in the clippings of time, as long as you are willing to make some technical compromise.
Concluding
A genuine and unpretentious game, which offers all players moments of "healthy" entertainment; Unfortunately, an online multiplayer mode is completely missing from the appeal, a gap that the co-op in 2 in shared screen cannot fill. Do not despair, if we talk to you today about EDF 2017 it is also to prepare for the imminent launch of Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon which, based on a next-gen graphics engine, on paper is committed to succeeding where its predecessor failed.
