Earth Defense Force: 2017 Review (7 out of 10) ...

March 8 , 2008 ... Review by Chad

This review is based upon a two-player experience. If you plan on playing this game by yourself, don’t even bother reading this review.

Earth Defense Force 2017 (hereafter referred to as EDF) is a game that I had never even heard of until I started playing it. Just the title alone sounded cheesy, but I tried to go into the game without prejudging it. I soon found out that the game had a two-player co-op mode, so I played with a friend of mine, and I’m really glad that I did. The game is more or less a 3D version of Robotron, with a Starship Troopers theme. The voice acting is about as good as Starship Troopers’ as well.

Your goal in almost all 53 missions is to simply kill all of the giant bugs, or whatever is trying to destroy the town and kill the civilians. The game play isn’t any deeper than that. That’s not altogether bad though, as some games rely too much on trying to mess with game formulas that we know already work. This usually involves you escorting people from point A to point B, at the cost of your tolerance, a controller, and a window. It’s actually nice that EDF is so easy to get into and doesn’t feel the need to complicate things.

The controls in the game are pretty tight, unless you’re attempting to control one of the vehicles in the game. Nearly all of the vehicles in the game are worthless, as they control like a baked potato with a steering wheel. The only thing they’re occasionally useful for is getting somewhere faster than on foot, or shooting a cannon directly in front of you. Speaking of, the combat controls in the game are simple. In this case, simple is nice.

EDF’s graphics are relatively bland. There’s not a whole lot going on with each character, but that allows for loads of baddies to appear on-screen without destroying the 360’s hardware… in most cases. There are times in the later stages when the 360 will more or less be chugging along. The graphics are best described as hi-res versions of what you’d expect of a regular X-Box game.

The game boasts 150 different weapons, which is only half-true. There really are that many different weapons, but the variations between some of them are almost negligible. After all is said and done, only about twenty or so weapons are actually worth considering. The most fun of all of them is definitely the rocket launcher. Watching bugs fly here and there after you land a perfect shot is more gratifying than a headshot in Halo.

I could go on about more of what the game does right or wrong, but I don’t feel it’s necessary. If you’ve got two 360 controllers and you have friends that play games, EDF isa no-brainer. It’s fun, and that’s all that matters. It’s also a budget title, so you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank on the purchase either. If you’re a social gamer, this game is for you.

Best Qualities – You kill bugs. Costs less than your haircut. Simplistic controls. Loads of fun for two players. Tons of weapon variations. Hilarious voice acting. 53 missions in all.

Worst Qualities – Graphics are plain. You either fight bugs or robots. Controlling the vehicles makes the Mako from Mass Effect seem like a Mercedes-Benz. No X-Box Live support whatsoever.

Achievement Information – The achievements are very tough to get. There are only six, and four of them are amazingly hard to get, not to mention they take far too much time.

Completion Time – 15 hours. After that, the game ends when you decide to quit. You could play this game for even 30 hours.

EDF: 2017 At A Glance
	7.0	The Good	You kill bugs. Costs less than your haircut. Simplistic controls. Loads of fun for two players. Tons of weapon variations. Hilarious voice acting. 53 missions in all.
		The Bad	Graphics are plain. You either fight bugs or robots. Controlling the vehicles makes the Mako from Mass Effect seem like a Mercedes-Benz. No X-Box Live support whatsoever.
	Grood	The Verdict	If you’re a social gamer, this game is for you.

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