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| Full Review- Earth Defense Force 2017 |
Gameplay- 7/10 The gameplay in Earth Defense Force 2017 is not exactly top notch. I often found that the game was sometimes glitchy and would occasionally not register when I had pressed certain buttons. Now this did not happen that often and did not truly hinder gameplay, but it was very noticable and quite annoying. There was also occassions where my weapon would not show me that I was out of ammunition, and I wound up suffering the consequences. Other than these few annoyances the gameplay is actually very fun. You play over 50 different missions fighting everything from giant ants, to robots that stand over twenty feet tall. The fighting can get extremely chaotic, as the map will soon fill up with hundreds of enemies. This is what makes the game extremely fun. You will find yourself using any means neccessary to destroy the creepy crawlies as they converge on your position. Another fun feature in Earth Defense Force 2017 is that every single structure in the game is destructible. I learned this the hard way as I attempted to get the high ground against my enemies and a building collapsed as I fell to my death. This feature is fun for when buildings begin to get covered with enemies, then you can just make the building collapse atop the enemies, crushing many of them in the process. There is not many other features in the game, the premise is pretty simple shoot and kill as many enemies as possible. Overall the gameplay is very fun, mainly due to the chaotic nature of the game. However the gameplay does have its issues, but once you start playing you soon forget about them, or simply just overlook them. That is how fun this game can be.
Story- 5/10 The story in Earth Defense Force 2017 is practically non-exsistent. You are a member of the Earth Defense Force (EDF) in the year 2017. Aliens have begun to invade planet earth, well actually more like giant insects and robots have invaded planet earth. The game never really explains where they came from and when the Earth Defense Force was formed. The story lacks any depth and is extremley dry. Of course the game is not about the story at all, it is all about the gameplay. However I feel like the creators could have put a little more umph into the story and really driven this game home. This in no way means you should not buy this game, because like I said it is all about chaotic gameplay and has no need for an amazing story.
Graphics- 7/10 You can easily see exactly what the graphics look like by these extremly large screenshots. As you can see these are not the prettiest graphics in the world. They get the job done though, and look dark and scary enough to resemble what it probably would look like if we ever did get invaded by enormous insects. There is not much to say about the games graphics, they stay the same throughout the game and never fluctuate in quality.
Multiplayer- 9/10 The game's bread and butter, the multiplayer. The multiplayer is only co-op and has its occasional lags and drops like any other game. However the multiplayer is one of the most fun experiences you will have with a friend on the Vita. Jumping into a match with a friend and blasting hundreds of enemies as they fill the map, there is just nothing like it. The game gets so chaotic and crazy, you and your friend must count on eachother just to stay alive. Every vita owner is looking for a completley different experience when it comes to multiplayer. I believe everyone is sick of fighters, so it is fun to have a third person shooter that is anything but orthdox. The multiplayer is the reason to but this game, every other issue and problem with earth defense force is easily overlooked when you jump into multiplayer
Controls- 8/10 Like I said earlier, the controls and gameplay are not perfect, but they are good enough to have an enjoyable experience. There are several occasions where input controls just did not register. It also felt like at times the controls were too sensitive and even though I would change the settings to make it less sensitive but it would wind up being set back to the old settings when I logged in next. Now this is quite annoying, so the best alternative is to just get used to the controls at their original settings. After you play for a while they become easier to use and the gameplay is enhanced. Overall the controls are good enough, the control schemes are fine and it is best just to adjust yourself to the control setup.
Extras/Dlc- 7/10 There are not many extras for this game, and that is fine. My problem is with the few extras that do exsist. There is a charge of 99 cents for DLC like extra weapons and such. This is not that big of a deal, but I feel like they could have been thrown in with the game at no extra charge. Of course most of them were offered as a pre-order deal, they just are not really worth the money for an extra gun.
Overall- 7/10
The best part of Earth Defense Force 2017 portable is the multiplayer. The multiplayer alone is absolutley worth the purchase. Which is good, because the rest of the game is fairly glitchy and has several issues. Many of the issues can be easily overlooked and many of them should be. This truly is somewhat of a hidden gem on the playstation vita.
Gameplay- 7/10
Story- 5/10
Graphics- 7/10
Multiplayer- 9/10
Controls- 8/10
Extras/DLC- 7/10
Reviewer-TheAuburnMan
Special Thanks to D3 Publishers of America for the review code and press assets.