Earth Defense Force 5

Easily the best in the series thus far and is something I can happily recommend for anyone that enjoys large explosions and destroying giant aliens en masse.

What makes Earth Defense Force work so well is its complete commitment to the lunacy, presenting its aliens and flying saucers in a completely bombastic fashion that never once admits its all tongue-in-cheek despite being completely obvious that everyone involved is having a blast stuffing as much cheesiness as possible into each level and plot twist.

As a game, EDF 5 is such a massive leap from the previous title in the series, in every way, that it feels like it belongs in a different series entirely. And yet, for all its nonsense, giant monsters, and ever-escalating explosions, there's also a sense that this EDF, moreso than its predecessors, has also remembered that something can be B-grade, and still convey some kind of message of worth.

Even with dated graphics, EDF 5 is an energetic essay on action game design that is way too much fun to miss – especially with friends.

If you’re into this type of game, EDF 5 is the absolute pinnacle of the franchise thanks to its absurd humour, an excellent online multiplayer, an insane amount of content and the overall madness of never ending onscreen chaos. It is a niche game however and many people won’t understand what the fuss is about. Poor graphics, poor physics, the eternal grind for better gear and old school gameplay are an acquired taste in the case of EDF 5. Tread with caution.

While some might look at EDF5 and point out the recycled levels and long-established gameplay mechanics, I see developers devoted to delivering the best possible version of a concept, and an unwillingness to settle for merely improving the graphics each console generation. This is a series that truly gets better with each iteration, and as such, this is the best EDF game yet.

Earth Defense Force 5 stands in the face of pretty much every game released these days. It’s the game that doesn’t bother trying to keep up with the Jones’ because it’s happy doing its own thing and being just what it wants to be. And that’s brilliant. And you know what else is brilliant? Shooting hundreds of enemies while listening to humorous quips. That never gets old. Never.

Earth Defense Force 5 is the best episode of the franchise. The game is always very fun, with a lot of monsters and spaceships to destroy, alone or with friends. There is a lot of content, and despite graphics that feels old, and a lot of repetition, it's still a very good and satisfying game.

Earth Defense Force 5 is as video gamey as they come. No frills, just kills. If you want to unwind after a long day and just blast some baddies and see explosions until your eyes go red, you can get no better than this game. The absurdity of the story and the increasingly opressive odds of the missions make this a hell of an experience solo, and one of the most silly and satisfying cooperative experiences I’ve come across. It’s a shame that a few nagging issues from old games continue to persist in this one, but despite those, this is still a fun, wacky, addictive video game.

Earth Defense Force 5 is a fantastic game for fans of the series and a great starting point for newcomers looking for a B movie like experience with addictive gameplay.

Earth Defense Force 5 is absolutely, thoroughly, another Earth Defense Force. If you know what that is, you know what you’re in for. It’s the first one built for modern hardware, which means more stuff happening on screen, but it’s not an upheaval of the formula, nor is it a magical facelift.

Earth Defense Force 5 mixes a compelling sense of power and powerlessness, creating chaotic, overwhelming battles filled with laughter and drama that make it hard to put down.

Despite the series' long-running nature, Earth Defense Force 5 is a standout action game, revelling in its own absurdity while crafting a brilliantly fun and lively action game around it. Its huge battles are a joy to watch play out both from up close and afar, and the wide variety of weapons and play styles with each player type offers plenty of reason to come back for more after the final bullet has been fired.

As campy and over-the-top as ever, Earth Defense Force 5 remains the best not-Starship Troopers shooter we'll see. EDF still remains a niche title without amazing production values, but there's a definite charm to hunting down thousands of insects with your friends.

Earth Defense Force 5 takes a small but significant step forward in terms of progression and multyplayer, masterfully combining furious action with grotesque scenery. The result, despite the graphic backwardness, proudly manages to keep up, giving us great old-school action.

If you’re looking for anything like logic in an Earth Defense Force game, you’re missing the point. These games are designed to allow you to blow up as much of the world around you as possible with a minimum of fuss, and, like I said, you get a rocket launcher in the very first level. Earth Defense Force 5 won’t win any awards, but if you want more of the same from this now-venerable series, it’ll deliver everything you could possibly be looking for.

Earth Defense Force 5 is the best title the franchise has seen. Minor improvements makes it worthwhile to spend another dozen of hours killing bugs. Especially when playing co-op the game will outshine it's bad to mediocre story and graphics.

EDF is what it is. Fans of the franchise and those who are looking for its weird take on fun will find a very unique game, very enjoyable even with all its flaws.

This series started as a budget title and still looks like a budget title when compared in both depth of gameplay and graphics to other full priced games. It’s hard to recommend this title at $60 to anyone but the hardest of hard core EDF fans.