Earth Defence Force 2017.

I present to you my loyal readers a game that remembers what gaming is really about but has sadly come out in a time period where it'll be disliked for everything that made it good. Oh and also the first time LOVEFiLM has sent me anything good. Enjoy!

So if you haven't heard of this game, this is a Japanese port of what seems to be the Japanese attempt at the B movie (well I'd hope they weren't making this with a straight face), it's a budget title and does away with all the fancy trimmings we've come to accept as game breakers for modern games.

So what's it about? Well, I don't really know. Unlike most modern games which believe story is more important than anything (why don't you just read a book and leave the games to us?) this has a story but it's a story that always takes the bench and allows you to just play the game. But there's an alien invasion or something and you're part of an armed forces who exist to deal with it or something.

Hey you guys do remember gameplay, right? Well once upon a time gameplay mattered and it was the most important part of a game, the graphics or story didn't take precedence over it. It's all about unwinding with a mate or on your own after a stressful day, not that there isn't challenges along the way to be had in this game, mind you. But it provides raw escapism that you can just jump in and out of and have fun every time.

If the gameplay is so great, what does it consist of? I'm sure your cocky voice whines in your head, probably. Honestly? Explosions, giant insects/robots/monsters and destructible cities which no one cares if you destroy. Yup that's it, a range of wacky and overpowered weapons, giant oversized enemies and a fuck load of explosions. Even though it's a budget game, this is more like the Hollywood of gaming, yeah it's down right retarded but it's so mind numbingly fun, so insane in places and in others downright hilarious if you can push your modern belief about the alleged importance of graphics and story you can have a shit load of fun with this title.

Problems? There is always some, in this case...

A) The game lags (offline) when the action gets really intense and yeah I know that's awful, I've never played a game like that on the 360, but it doesn't happen long enough or frequently enough to ruin your experience.

B) Some levels are hard, really fucking hard, especially on your own. You may be able to take on hundreds of enemies at once, but when every one of those is firing a million rounds per second and all of them are aiming for you it gets just a little tricky.

C) I guess you could complain about the lack of variety but I'm glad they haven't split the action up with puzzle or platforming sections (which are always the worst part of action titles) or some other shitty filler thing like taking out other EDF members bowling or something...

So more about the weapons? Well I haven't finished the game with a 100% completion rate yet, but the weapons get pretty damn insane pretty early on. Ever fancied firing 12 rockets in one go in a huge spreading arc? How about firing a huge plasma beam that turns the horizon into one great towering inferno? Ever wondered what happens if you combine a machine gun with a homing rocket launcher? Or how about you sit back while your range of turrets take care of the enemies for you? Or would you instead prefer a sniper rifle which pings your enemies around like they are a ping ball? It's all here and more.

Yeah I know all the characters look exactly the same and there's about three voice actors in the game. But the game is all about no frills insane fun, you have to stop thinking the voice acting actually matters. If this was a movie and the acting was shit, fair enough, but this is a fucking game, if it's fun to play and isn't gamebreakingly buggy then you should enjoy it for what it is. Not cry about the lack of 'photorealistic graphics' or not 'having the choice to take different story directions depending or your actions'. Yeah that stuff is great but it should be considered a bonus, the desert, not the maincourse.

So should you buy it? You probably won't like it. You generation of gamers where gaming is no longer casual and more a way of life. You'll call it 'basic' or 'stupid' or something. But for everyone else who like me likes to have a casual experience, to use games to unwind (like a Hollywood movie say), you won't miss the frills and will instead have a truly fantastic experience, unlikely to be dampened with frustration like a lot of modern games.

Sorry this review has been so long coming, I happened to get Mass Effect 2 around the same time as this game was sent to me by LOVEFiLM. Need I say more?

Think about it!

-Locke