Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair

The action is huge, the enemies gigantic and the firepower overwhelming. Earth Defense Force 4.1 is finally the game the series has always tried to be.

Killing giant insect scum was has never been as fun and addicting as it is now. The four different classes provide four different and fun ways to play the game and there is tons of replay value here to keep you killing incest for many months to come.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 isn't out to change the action genre, or win any technical awards for that matter. It simply provides a fun, over-the-top experience where you lay waste to aliens – and the city, oops. It's built pretty solidly, though, and is a sheer joy to play, whether alone or with friends. And when you hop into the helm of a mech, your heroic meter will definitely jump up a notch. Here's to you, EDF!

Earth Defense Force 4.1 provides portable pick-up and play pleasure on your PlayStation.

4.1 is a raucous and fun shooter with a different as well as more open ended approach compared to the more scripted movie wannabe type games out there. The dialogue is both silly and endearing and the combat is very satisfying.

Overall, despite scope for improvement in future installments, EDF 4.1 is an accessible, enjoyable and unique experience to any newcomer prepared to suspend triple-A gaming logic. For veterans, it’s the the best outing yet for this beloved oddity.

EDF delivers more fun, as strange as it gets. You know is going to be weak on the technical side, but it's really strong when it comes to entertain. If you're ok with its weaknesses, it's a game you should try.

There isn't much here for Earth Defense Force 2025 players, especially since it doesn't include the three previously released DLC packs, but new players will fall in love with this title almost immediately.

A fantastic game, one that’s criminally underrated and will go unnoticed or berated for its ‘awful’ visuals and gameplay. Whatever they may say, the game is a blast to play, and helped alleviate the tedium of the recent releases. Not every game has to have an amazing story, they just have to be a good and fun game.

If I were to stick with a single installment going forward, this would be the one. Some of the upgrades fall short of expectations, and a good deal of the content is overly familiar at this point, but The Shadow of New Despair still represents the series at its best.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is an improved version of Earth Defense Force 2025. A simple but fun shooter experience which is better if we share it with friends (local or online. But its improvements on PS4 don´t solve its poor graphics.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is a strange game that will likely get judged harshly from the outside, simply because it doesn’t look good. But, my word, does it ever play magically. Not only do I recommend it, I fully endorse it. Earth Defense Force 4.1 is the perfect B-movie video game, and essential to play for all who may be interested in such a thing.

A great shooter that offers a surprising amount of variety and content. The mechanics may be simple but EDF 4.1 showcases spectacle above all else and it always proves to be thrilling.

Just like Koei's musou games you’ll either love it or hate. I love it with all its shortcomings.

In a nutshell then, Earth Defense Force 4.1 may not look like a game that you bought a PS4 for, but it makes up for it by providing outrageously mindless fun that simply no other game can offer.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is quite a disappointment given it's a remaster. A full-price release is far from ideal for this game and things like the mediocre framerate and graphics don't work in its favour either. But if you make the step to play Earth Defense Force 4.1 co-op with your friends, it makes for a fun-level not many games have been able to reach.

A strange game that has the ability to engage the player despite its weaknesses.

There is a lot to EDF 4.1, but nothing about it is going to change players’ minds if they never enjoyed the series. The same rinse and repeat game play exists, the performance is still questionable, and the repetition is real.

From each individual line of dialogue to every jagged texture, Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is so bad that it's actually pretty bloody good.

Varied and fun to play, Shadow of New Despair captures the intensity and feel of 70's and 80's monster/sci-fi movies, though its difficulty curve is sometimes hard to swallow.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is a light remaster of Earth Defence Force 2025, if you've played the original one, it has no interest, if you've willing to discover the series it's a nice game albeit the dated technical side can be harsh to cope with.

Ultimately EDF4.1 ends up being an addictive game that is full of alien squishing fun on a huge scale, but as a last generation port to PlayStation 4, it ends up being far too expensive. I shall await with bated breath for a true sequel.

To enjoy EDF, you've always needed to be willing to compromise. Those days are gone. It's never felt so fluid. [Feb 2016, p.116]

Loud, dumb and more than a little buggy, The Shadow of New Despair may be average in single-player, but it's a rich source of co-operative comedy. [Feb 2016, p.89]

It’s gaming’s equivalent of the earnest-but-terrible B-movie; its manifold flaws made enjoyable and riotously funny by its good intentions. [February 2015, p75]

It doesn't ever completely shy away from using filler material after successfully building so much momentum.

I highly recommend playing Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair with a friend or three. And then, only if you're all fans of incredibly cheesy science fiction films. If you can get the right group together, the fact there are over 100 levels to play through means this will be a lot of long-lasting fun.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is the videogame equivalent of a ‘so-bad-it’s-good’ B-movie.

Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is amazingly dumb, which is exactly the reason the series became such a cult hit in the first place.

While Earth Defense Force will likely continue to have a strong cult following, at $49.99 it’s hard to recommend to anyone looking for a little more depth to their gameplay experience than just insect extermination. - See more at: http://cogconnected.com/review/earth-defense-force-4-1-the-shadow-of-new-despair-review/#sthash.1b3S1y1C.dpuf

A brainless shooter that manages to be fun despite poor aesthetics and a host of technical issues.

EDF4.1 won’t win any awards but, if you can look past its failures, it’s a pretty fun game.

I would recommend waiting for a digital or retail sale before taking on the hordes of insect invaders.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is a lesson in how endearment can turn into exasperation. Like the best magic tricks, it's astounding the first time you see it, but a waste of time when the performer can't figure out how to move on.

A remake of a rehash of a disappointing sequel… that only hints at what Earth Defense Force could be if the series would only show some forward momentum.

Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is not an enjoyable game thanks to the ugly graphics and repetitive nature of the gameplay. It does not help that enemy types and levels are reused over and over again too.

Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair has some good features. One amazing class, destructible environments, and tons of onscreen enemies sounds like the makings of something great. But the highly repetitive missions, dated graphics, forgettable story, and lack of anything worth sticking around for make the game a largely forgettable experience.

Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair still has all of the series' quirks which fans love and detractors dislike. It's a flawed experience, but it asks players to overlook its shortcomings in order to have a laugh.