Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon

Thrilling, non-stop action for those who can overlook a few technical woes.

If you love those old 50's and 60's movies with aliens or giant insects then Earth Defense Force: Alien Armageddon has an endless supply of both, mixed with exciting gameplay, and even a bit of thoughtful strategy when it comes to choosing your class, customizing their weapons, and prioritizing your targets. Play it alone or play it with friends…just make sure you play it.

While it may be different from what series fans are used to, it is absolutely a game worthy of the Earth Defense Force title and lineage.

There are some slight issues here that weigh the game down, and, let's face it, D3 Publisher wasn't looking to dethrone any kings. Now, that said, it's a romp and a half, a bug-killing fest that has plenty of destructive flair to spare.

All cake and no icing. As long you're prepared to handle that, this could be the best $40 you'll ever spend.

It's a refreshing and fun experience throughout that offers significant challenge with a ton of heart.

Tweaks and changes have successfully fixed most of EDF 2017's problems without damaging any of the dodgy aspects that made it so wonderfully wonky. If you're in the market for some mindless co-op nonsense, Insect Armageddon's comes highly recommended.

It's basic stuff, its frame-rate can stutter, and it's got a handful of minor - ha! - bugs, but if you're looking for a source of guilt-free insect murder over the next few weeks, this is the best show in town. Just ask the ants.

Insect Armageddon lacks the clueless earnestness of the last entry and carries over some dated concepts, but it fully captures the same breed of unapologetic run-and-gun action. Ultimately, that's what kept me playing EDF 2017 for dozens of hours, and that's why I've got dozens more in front of me with Insect Armageddon.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a fun game, especially with the armor system they implemented.

Despite lacking the scripted set-pieces of a so-called 'AAA' game, Insect Armageddon does a remarkable job of showing what a focused team can produce on a minimal budget.

Even though, at it's core, the game is just about killing bugs, saying so doesn't quite do it justice.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon isn't some fancy-ass, top-of-the-line flea bomb, but an inexpensive can of Raid that gets the job done.

It isn't the best at anything, but it's got a flair for the ridiculous that makes it unique in a genre that often takes itself a little too seriously.

In short bursts it's about as fun as games can possibly get. [Issue#74, p.88]

Insect Armageddon is a fun little game that has a lot of gameplay variation. However all that variation won't stop you from getting bored with the game after a short while. If you don't want to get bored, try the co-op mode with a friend and you'll have a ton of fun.

An enjoyable, recklessly fun game. [Issue#111, p.111]

It looks like a budget game, feels like a budget game and is a ton of fun for the price. Stupid, campy and one of my guilty pleasures for the year.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon pays homage to days spent in smoky arcades with friends, pumping quarter after quarter into a fruitless gaming machine. It's a simple game that is stupid fun.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon has lots of explosions and destruction, but not quite enough variety to keep things moving.

This isn't a game that demands your undivided attention, though; it can be played sporadically, either on your own or with a few friends and some beers. It can become monotonous – mindless even, if you let it – but with the right frame of mind, there's a remarkable amount of fun to be had here.

Ugly as sin, but funny, especially when played with other humans. Earth Defence Force: Insect Armageddon is and old school shooter in third person, with a ton of weapons and a well devised upgrade system.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is simultaneously better and worse than its predecessor. While the core shooting gameplay against hordes of bugs and robots has never been better, Insect Armageddon lacks the humour and charm that made the original such a cult hit in the first place.

Not a game for everyone, which bets all in pure destructive action and online co-op, sacrificing graphics and story.

Insect Armageddon is missing the magic B-movie sensibility of its predecessor -- Insect Armageddon looks too sophisticated! -- but it's still an okay action game to play with friends and strangers who would rather blast giant monsters than serve as cannon fodder in Call of Duty or Battlefield.

If you're looking for tactical depth, environmental variety, or anything resembling a story, you'll be left wanting. But if you're in the mood for a blissfully mindless fire-and-forget shooting gallery, you could do a whole lot worse.

As usual, EDF is charming and terribly fun in co-op, but lacking and even boring as a solo game. The simple and arcade nature of the game can't hide the fact it lacks better production values and needs more interesting mechanics to hold a candle against better action-focused alternatives.

Unquestionably a fun game, but it's the same fun we had with its PS2 and Xbox 360 predecessors. The latest game offers very little that it can call its own, has a severe lack of memorable moments and is often incredibly dull and repetitive.

Old hands will still find much of the personality and singular vision of the franchise intact, but it's the newcomers, ironically, who might find Insect Armageddon a jarring mix of old-fashioned thrills and modern gameplay trends.

Earth Defence Force 2017 is a strange drug. You hate yourself while you are playing it, but you can't quit the game. It's boring and dull, but... fun and addictive at the same time. If you like B-Movies, this is your game.

Ultimately it all comes down to this: There's an achievement for killing 100 ants, and you'll get that before completing the first level. Does that get your blood pumping "EDF! EDF!"?

I'm honestly astounded as to how any game can be so good and so bad at the same time.

As much as we love EDF's template, the sequel needed to impress more than this. [Oct 2011, p.88]

Insect Armageddon can be enjoyed in short intervals with friends, but don't expect anything more than a B-list multiplayer rental. It's a generic shooter that brings nothing new to the table, and there are far better options in the backlog to cure your summer boredom.

Fair is fair, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a game of below average quality. But because it doesn't pretend to be anything more than that, we'll let that slide. But even for a game in which simplism is the main attraction, it still does too many things wrong. That makes EDF: Insect Armageddon entertaining for an hour or two (possibly longer in coöp), but the lack of any variation makes you want to put it down rather sooner than later.

It's a perfect bargain bin timesink, maybe.

Earth Defense Force 2017 wasn't very good, but you couldn't help enjoying it. Insect Armageddon, on the other hand, just isn't good.

The fundamental flaw with Insect Armageddon is that is simply doesn't capture the sheer scale and explosive chaos that made its Japanese predecessor so memorable. Couple that with a shooter backbone that's too simple and too repetitive to rope in fans of the genre and you're left with Insect Armageddon, a game that will fail to entice either fans of the genre or the series.