Earth Defense Force 2017 review

A shooterrific attack of the sci-fi clichés that you won't want to miss

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Be warned: if you don't love sci-fi movies like Independence Day, Them!, and Godzilla, run away screaming. Because, there's actually plenty wrong with this game: the graphics often look more like a really good Xbox game than a 360 title, with objects sometimes popping into sight and movements that stutter on rare occasion. The voice work is shabby. Your little dude jumps funny, and the physics are wonky - once dead, the bodies of space tarantulas the size of a Winnebago can be pushed around with normal machine gun fire. Three of the four in-game vehicles - the speeder bike, gun copter, and mech - handle like crap, and the tank isn't much better. The health and armor pick-ups are 2D sprites. There's no online play - just split-screen co-op on the same system.

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GenreAction
DescriptionA glorious third-person shooter that blends campy sci-fi staples like monster ants and giant robots so enthusiastically - and with such huge bursts of gears and guts - that you won't mind if it doesn't look quite as amazing as other games.
Platform"Xbox 360"
US censor rating"Teen"
UK censor rating"12+"
Alternative names"EDF: 2017"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Eric Bratcher
Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.