I was raised to never judge a book by its cover. Just because something or someone may look a little off, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are. When it comes to games, I apply that same philosophy, but at the same time, I try to be a realist as a reviewer. So let’s be honest-- when you’re shopping your local game store shelves, and you see a game like Earth Defense Force 2017 sitting there with its budget price tag and god-awful box art, you say to yourself, "Ain’t no way in the world I’m touching this one."
Unless you’re me, who for some reason just loves to dive head-first into a potential buzzsaw of bad gaming. I’m that guy, so I bought EDF 2017. Let’s see if my life’s lesson pays off.
The story of Earth Defense Force 2017 is a beaten horse, something more to the effect of Starship Troopers. You are a soldier, code name Storm One of an elite futuristic fighting squadron known as the Earth Defense Force. You have gone through years of extensive and rigorous training in preparation for the seemingly unlikely event that Earth is attacked by hostile extraterrestrials. Of course, such a day occurs, and it is up to you and your loyal yet disposable EDF teammates to eliminate the alien threat and save the world from further destruction.
The overall gameplay mechanics of Earth Defense Force 2017 are dry and simplistic, which can either go as a plus or minus depending on the gamer. You’re working with the general control scheme for third-person shooters, using your R-trigger to fire your weapons and the left and right analogs for looking and player movement, so on the upside, EDF is very simple to pick up and play. The ease of use can rope you in, but when you get right down to the mechanics, you’ll see how watered-down your characters abilities are. For an elite soldier, all you can really do is run, jump, shoot, do the customary dive-roll, and operate a few vehicles.
The weapons collection system in Earth Defense Force 2017 is probably its best and most addictive feature. The player has the potential to unlock and use over 150 different weapons, such as a vast array of souped-up assault and sniper rifles, missile and grenade launchers, handheld explosives, and "special" weapons. Unlocking the weapons is easy; depending on the level of difficulty you’re playing on, just about every alien you slay drops a power-up, whether it's an armor upgrade, health, or the occasional weapon icon. Clearing the stage allows the player to keep everything they have collected during their battles and carry those additions into previously unlocked and future scenarios. You can also backtrack and play an unlocked mission on a harder difficulty and possibly acquire even stronger weapons to use in future excursions, and that in itself in a great step in the right direction.
The gimmicks of EDF don’t stop at the weapons. Waves of massive alien bugs and robots are tearing your world apart, something like in Starship Troopers. These alien units come in a few different forms, such as giant insects, walking and flying androids, ships that actually deploy the aliens, and so on. Each enemy type packs a unique punch and must be confronted and attacked using different strategies, and as with all mission, the weapons you roll with can make or break your chances of success.
Most missions place you and your comrades in and around Japanese cities that are being invaded by whatever enemies you are warned of. With all the weaponry you have acquired throughout playing, you are allowed the freedom to destroy any buildings and structures in your path to get to the enemy. Granted, this may be a nice ingredient to throw into the pot, and as cheesy as it was, it seemed to never get old. Putting a rocket into a skyscraper and watching it tumble like a house of playing cards wouldn’t win over a picky gamer, but if you’re about blowing stuff up, this is where it’s at.
As mentioned before, you can collect a plethora of weapons, each with its own ups and downs. As you battle, you don’t have to worry about conserving and finding ammo, for in this game, you can spray all the flak you want without worrying about depleting your supply. Again, having unlimited ammo at all times is another love-hate aspect that depends on the gamer. Yes, you will have to reload, but that too is automatic and is indicated by a reload meter that pops up once you run out. Speed of reloading depends on the weapon, so the player needs to factor that in before going into battle.
There are some inadequacies in gameplay that are unforgivable, such as its repetition and total lack of realism. Earth Defense Force 2017 wants you to believe that each mission you take on serves a separate purpose, but they all boil down to killing every on the map. There’s nothing to protect, so VIPs to escort, or anything like that—if it moves, kill it. If it weren’t for the weapons collection system and mixture of enemies, the repetition of the game could drive you nuts. And I don’t know who trained these EDF troops, but in a lot of ways, your character is seemingly indestructible. He can be harmed by physical attacks, but he can walk through a blazing explosion without breaking a sweat, fall off a fifty-story building and land without so much as a bend of the knees, and have that same building collapse on top of him without a scratch. It's one thing to go fantasy in this area of gameplay, but it’s a whole other animal to go Big Rigs with it.
Earth Defense Force 2017 doesn't exercise the full potential of the Xbox 360 in any one category, and overall presentation is the main place where you will see this. Graphically, this title isn’t a sight to behold, but the visuals are respectable in some areas of gameplay. The EDF character models, alien insects, and the stages themselves somewhat suffer in looks and animation. The alien horde looks decent from a distance, but the design flaws may show as they tower over you. The game’s animation wasn’t at all impressive, either, especially with your character. He controls fairly well, but his animations are rigid and uninventive, so not only doe he have limited abilities, he looks stiff executing them.
I was down-the-middle on the audio; I hated the soundtrack, but enjoyed the battle sounds. As far as in-game music goes, your best bet it to play your own soundtrack. You can probably block it out, but hearing the drums and trumpets of the overdramatic background music just reeks of that vintage B-movie flavor. The poorly scripted and repetitive voice-overs of your doomed teammates gets old quickly, but the sights and sounds of gunfire and explosions were pulled off nicely.
For its sheer destruction and discovery of new weapons, the replay value may be there for some gamers, but for others, if you play through it once, it may end up collecting dust. The absence of real multiplayer modes could be what steers gamers away, because anyone can tell just by looking at the box art that EDF 2017 is built for it. What you get alongside your standard one-player campaign are options to play split-screen co-op or battle mode, which in a game like this, is probably the sorriest cop-out for multiplayer play I’ve ever seen. For what this game lacks, it would have definitely made up for it if some co-op and versus modes existed.
Now, I know this review went up and down, but that is what you get when you play Earth Defense Force 2017. You are going to want to hate it, but the simplicity and mindless fun behind it will probably have you coming back. This game had generic graphics and animation, dry gameplay mechanics, and voiceovers that will make you want to yank an ear off, but the bottom line is, it was fun, and that is what gaming in general is all about, so I have to give it a better than mediocre score. I won’t say you should run out and snatch the first copy you see, but this is one of those games that would be great to have around if you’re looking for a quick fix; a filler game for those times when you’re not looking for the intricacy of Oblivion or the simplicity of Bankshot Billiards. The best thing you can do is give it rental and make your own assessment, but all in all, Earth Defense Force 2017 is a title you will either love for the fun it brings or hate for its surface.
