Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 36
  3. Negative: 7 out of 36

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  1. GRANIT_Salvo
    Jul 12, 2012
    8
    You have to enjoy B movies and over-the-top arcade action to love this game. They took the fun of the xbox 360 version and pushed it further in the right direction. Mindless bug-killing Co-op. Well Done.
  2. karmasleeper
    Mar 16, 2012
    8
    Loads of simple, replayable fun. The campaign is short, but the four classes and large variety of weapons and equipment to choose from makes missions a joy to revisit. The graphics are dated but perform well. Animations are smooth and the game hardly slows down with tons of crap on the screen. I recently purchased this game through Steam, and boy, online is dead. I haven't tried toLoads of simple, replayable fun. The campaign is short, but the four classes and large variety of weapons and equipment to choose from makes missions a joy to revisit. The graphics are dated but perform well. Animations are smooth and the game hardly slows down with tons of crap on the screen. I recently purchased this game through Steam, and boy, online is dead. I haven't tried to play the campaign co-op, but I could not find a single person to play survival. This is a shame because this is clearly a game designed around co-op play. Your AI squad mates in the campaign are competent, but things would go so much more smoothly if I had a human player or two. The survival mode is a wave defense game type that is also highly replayable. The downside here is, unlike the campaign where you have multiple classes, you can only choose one class for survival - the trooper. You can still equip him with the trooper specific unlocks you acquire for him during the campaign, but why the developers chose to limit class selection for this game type is beyond me. It severely detracts from the game's lifespan. Since this game has been out for a while, I'm beyond hoping they will patch it in. If you have some friends to play with or are simply dying for some chaotic old school shooter mayhem, pick this one up.… Expand
  3. Elysiume
    Jul 14, 2012
    10
    An over the top, incredibly satisfying shooter. It's not very complex or deep, but it certainly delivers on enjoyment. The armors provide a nice array of choices for players who want to be nimble or powerful, and they're balanced well enough for a PvE game. The weapon system is done well, with incentive to replay levels to unlock new gear. The story is nothing spectacular, but that doesn'tAn over the top, incredibly satisfying shooter. It's not very complex or deep, but it certainly delivers on enjoyment. The armors provide a nice array of choices for players who want to be nimble or powerful, and they're balanced well enough for a PvE game. The weapon system is done well, with incentive to replay levels to unlock new gear. The story is nothing spectacular, but that doesn't hold back the gameplay at all. Overall a great shooter well worth the cost--and I've bought it on two systems.… Expand
  4. murtle52
    Jul 5, 2012
    10
    Like watching an old fashioned monster movie.
    Great graphics , good engine and lots of colour.
    One of the best co-op games I've played yet.....just pure silly shoot em up fun!
  5. JohnR
    Jan 31, 2012
    8
    This is a fun, inoffensive, action shooter. The enemy are giant insects, there is no swearing, no blood and gore, and the bodies of downed insects just disappear. The graphics are a bit dated, the sound is OK, killing millions of giant bugs feels a bit repetitive, and the story is cheesy, but that's alright for a family game. Dads will enjoy playing on-line coop with their kids minus anyThis is a fun, inoffensive, action shooter. The enemy are giant insects, there is no swearing, no blood and gore, and the bodies of downed insects just disappear. The graphics are a bit dated, the sound is OK, killing millions of giant bugs feels a bit repetitive, and the story is cheesy, but that's alright for a family game. Dads will enjoy playing on-line coop with their kids minus any inappropriate content.… Expand
  6. Statictrip83
    Dec 15, 2011
    9
    I am pleasantly surprised by this game so far (5 hours of play). The missions are pretty basic: Go here, destroy that, have a stand off with swarms of giant bugs and alien robots, ect. Nothing complicated. You pick (or unlock) one of 4 slightly diversified classes. Trooper, Tactical, Jet, and the big nut buster brute. Each, of course, has it's pros and cons. Next, you have 2 weaponI am pleasantly surprised by this game so far (5 hours of play). The missions are pretty basic: Go here, destroy that, have a stand off with swarms of giant bugs and alien robots, ect. Nothing complicated. You pick (or unlock) one of 4 slightly diversified classes. Trooper, Tactical, Jet, and the big nut buster brute. Each, of course, has it's pros and cons. Next, you have 2 weapon slots to fill with about 6 classes of weapons, everything from SMG's and shotguns, to rocket launchers and sniper rifles. As you progress, you can unlock/buy/pick up new weapons for each class. The Tactical class gets to choose a third slot for turrets, mines, ect. Now, onto the fight! You have unlimited ammo....and for good reason. The bugs and alien robots don't stop coming. Swarms. Massive waves of pincers, mandibles, webs, acid, and plasma. You do, however, have to reload. It works almost like Gears of War, except when you hit the bonus section on the reload bar, the only bonus you get is a faster reload. That's good enough for me, because just a few more seconds of not squeezing that trigger could mean being overrun. Now, the baddies (well, not the ticks) can knock cars and such at you (much like the tank in L4D), but because the entire environment is destructible, and if you're quick, you can blow that Honda right out of the sky...or step aside. Buildings, including the skyscrapers, will come crashing down with the right amount of explosive firepower. Benefit? A clear line of grenade launcher fire at the next mass of ants. In addition to a deadly arsenal of bug busting guns, you may come upon a mech, tank, or turret every now and then. The tank even has two gunning positions for your buddies. Good stuff. I can't say it's hard to die (or at least lose the mission on Normal) because in the wake of insect guts left behind by your frantic firing, there might be health pickups. If you run out of health, a buddy has to defib you (which the trooper does fastest). Teamwork is key in this game, but not entirely required (such as L4D). It's hard to set a demo charge on an anthill when nobody is blasting the ants off your back.
    Bosses, or just 'the big guys', are rough. You have quite the variety, and in most cases, more than one to fight at once. Some can be hit anywhere, some have sweet spots, some have sweet spots that you have to wait for an opportunity to hit. All will try to make your life hell. Whether they shoot directly at you, or constantly drop lesser baddies to overwhelm you, they all have one thing in common: Squish the humans. Many of these big guys are HUGE! (think Painkiller) For instance, the sweet spot opens, you fire your missile, and you watch the rocket......and watch....and hope the spot doesn't close before your rocket gets WAAAY up there. Timing makes a big difference. Oh, and it sounds like they took audio from Cloverfield or something for the really big bosses...that low pitched groan or "wtf?! You shot me! That HURT!!' scream every now and then really adds to the anxiety of getting out of the way.
    My only real issues with EDF is that the dialog gets too repetitive. You know, the dialog that happens randomly just so it's not dead silence between fights? The rest of the dialog, like from OPS, or Intelligence is clean, slightly humorous, and kinda pokes fun at mission based games with commo links between operative and intelligence. I bought this on special for $15. It was worth it to me (I'm not very picky anyway). Regular price, I believe, is around $20. The trailer gives you a good idea of the action, but I would suggest trying this game out first before you drop $20 on it. I think this is one of those games where you either love or hate it. I love it, but I can see a lot of negative reviews coming from those that nit-pick about everything, hate themselves, and are never happy with anything unless it is perfect in every way and free. Enjoy :)    … Expand
  7. whitespider999
    Mar 12, 2012
    2
    Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon has very little to recommend. It's kind of like dynasty warriors without the strategy, or serious sam without the personality and level design. The pc version also has a 30fps cap. I played this game for as long as my sanity (And eyes at 30fps) could endure. Which was about 45 minutes. Out of all the games I have reviewed so far - this has been playedEarth Defense Force Insect Armageddon has very little to recommend. It's kind of like dynasty warriors without the strategy, or serious sam without the personality and level design. The pc version also has a 30fps cap. I played this game for as long as my sanity (And eyes at 30fps) could endure. Which was about 45 minutes. Out of all the games I have reviewed so far - this has been played for the shortest length. I understand this game is not being sold at a full retail price. However I find it hard recommending this game to anyone at any price. Even children deserve more credit than this.… Expand
  8. Dethstar
    Feb 20, 2012
    6
    I want to be charitable as this is an indie game and it isnt terrible and it didnt have any of the huge bugs many releases do these days. But personally, I found it extremely boring.
  9. paranoidcritic
    Mar 17, 2013
    7
    I can't give it any higher than 7, It is fun but lacks the level difference from the original. The story is crap. The fact that there are 4 classes and many weapons is a HUGE improvement. The frantic fighting is awesome. This is a friend game though, so don't play without friends
  10. SirRon777
    Jul 28, 2013
    9
    Fast......Fun........alot of Fighting......kind of part of a movie!! it has good grfx's and a very fast game play ,
    good choice of wepons..eighter youll like it or you wont...not much planing but alot of action...
  11. dandalis
    Jan 15, 2023
    4
    An EDF game without any of the charm and personality that can be found in the main series.

    Gunning down the ravagers has almost no weight and feel behind it, gameplay feels extremely basic even by the series standard. It gets worse with every weapon class using the same exact 3D model, even though the weapon selection icons show unique looking guns. Some weapon classes perform so poorly    An EDF game without any of the charm and personality that can be found in the main series.

    Gunning down the ravagers has almost no weight and feel behind it, gameplay feels extremely basic even by the series standard. It gets worse with every weapon class using the same exact 3D model, even though the weapon selection icons show unique looking guns. Some weapon classes perform so poorly that they felt redundant. All of the character classes have a severe lack of identity distinction. And to top it all off the game is offensively short. It's especially insulting how abruptly the game ends.

    As sub-par the game is, it atleast works and plays without major issues, but there isnt much else to commend it on. Some of the bigger ravager enemy types have decent and menacing designs. The environments are atleast destructable. I also liked the 'Ops' lady's delivery.

    Overall this game was a major disappointment.    … Expand
  12. kch3691
    Mar 22, 2018
    5
    Mindless shooting and over the top action is definitely something I can get into. However the movement and shooting just don't feel great.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Mar 1, 2012
    80
    The guiltiest of pleasures. Indulge yourself and a few friends, but go read a book afterwards or something. [March 2012, p.62]
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  2. PC Gamer
    Feb 14, 2012
    60
    A frenetic, old fashioned monster blaster best played with friends. Creepy-crawlyphobes, look elsewhere.
    Read full review
  3. DarkStation
    Feb 3, 2012
    70
    Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is an archaic, explosive and entertaining experience that deserves to be played. It's a great way to unwind after a long and tiresome day, and the co-op and character classes should appeal to whatever niche audience it may attract – while it's short and lacks variety in just about every department, it still deserves a few hours of your free time, provided you find yourself in the right mindset while playing it.
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