Who it Caters to (Use ED #1)
Earth Defense Force fans, gather around! We have some good news to share with you all! Once more developer Sandlot and D3 Publisher has teamed up to bring yet another entry in the series stateside. Titled Earth Defense Force 5, this latest entry is chock full of new enemies to face down and new weapons to unleash upon them. Yet, will you still love this beloved franchise even now, or can a newcomer for that matter? We shall detail what to expect as long as you scroll on down and continue reading our review of Earth Defense Force 5 for the PS4.

Earth Defense Force 5 thrusts players into a giant battle with humanity's’ existence on the line. Players will need to unleash various weapons and vehicles—even mechs—on alien creatures to keep their planet safe. Earth Defense Force 5 features an abundance of new gear to try and allows players to go at this fight alone or with others via split screen or 4 player co-op online! With over 100+ missions and several difficulties settings, this Earth Defense Force title is easily one of the biggest of all time.

Humanity has lived quietly for some time but that is all about to change when monster suddenly appear from out of nowhere. Titled the Primer, these monstrous beings are clearly from an alien race and are now wreaking havoc on humanity all over the globe. Thankfully, citizens have one source they can rely on that will bring an end to the Primer. Known as the EDF—Earth Defense Force—these soldiers were trained to handle anything and they aren’t about to let monsters threaten Earth’s populous. You will soon be joining the EDF as a new recruit and it will fall upon your shoulders to stop the alien invasion before the world faces complete annihilation. Are you ready to become one of the best of the best?

Earth Defense Force 2017 was one of our first outings with a series we didn’t think would ever become as big as it did. When this little title came out by developer Sandlot and publisher D3, we were all on aboard to kill monsters—that look like giant insects—in what felt like a Japanese sci-fi movie turned video game. Earth Defense Force continued making new titles and adding upon its gameplay and each time we’ve entered the new entry with glee in our hearts. Earth Defense Force 5 is the latest entry in the franchise and we were lucky enough to get a copy a few weeks ahead of time. You know what that meant, right? We sat down, booted our PS4s up and went in ready for more monster mayhem! Should you join us and pick up Earth Defense Force 5 when it releases in December 11, 2018? We’re here to tell you just that in our review of Earth Defense Force 5 for the PS4!

As per usual, we’ll assume most of you know what Earth Defense Force is but in case you don’t we shall simplify what to expect in terms of gameplay. Earth Defense Force 5 follows the same theme as the previous titles with players taking control of an EDF unit and being tasked with defeating monsters and aliens alike. You accomplish this goal by simply arming yourself with guns and various tools and unleash mayhem by blasting anything that looks to be considered a threat. It’s a mindless fun type of concept, but it’s one element that we’re glad has never been removed from the Earth Defense Force franchise. With that being said, let’s now dive into what you can expect from Earth Defense Force 5 and where it succeeds and falls short.

The one element that will keep you hooked on Earth Defense Force 5 is the laundry list of missions to take on, weapons to unlock and the ability to play cooperatively. Just like the past titles, Earth Defense Force 5 is almost like the Diablo series where killing enemies and beating missions earns new gear that can be used by one of several classes you have in Earth Defense Force 5. Players can assume the role of Ranger, Wing Diver, Air Raider and Fencer. The Ranger class is a simple soldier class capable of using various guns and running around while doing so. The Wing Diver is a female only character who can fly—which is very helpful for some missions—unleashing her weapons on enemies on the ground or above. Air Raiders essentially are support classes that can place turrets down, use vehicles and can utilize special team orientated perks. Then lastly, we have the Fencer class which is a mini mech soldier who can use close range weapons and acts a literal tank. All four classes have their uses and are fun when you begin to learn them but it shows off one issue right away with Earth Defense Force 5.

While gaining loot in game is fun—and kind of addicting—it stops being fun when some of the loot you get is pretty horrendous. A lot of the weapons in Earth Defense Force 5 feel kind of strange with some being powerful and others being almost jokey. Take for example the burner which is a flamethrower that’s range is only a mere few feet away. It’s silly to kill an enemy with a gun like that but equally it just seems like wasted space to even have it included. Every class has weapons like this too where they could have been scrapped entirely and no one would be any wiser. It’s not a major gripe but it makes for a confusing concept when you have hundreds of weapons to obtain and a few dozen are kind of useless.

Thankfully though, you won’t often care about meh loot when you begin fighting in Earth Defense Force 5. Controls feel responsive and it’s always fun to lay waste to hundreds of monsters in one huge attack. We commend Sandlot for making Earth Defense Force 5 run so smoothly even when the chaos on screen becomes almost overwhelming, but equally wish they didn’t include the strange cinematic camera they added. During some of the bigger story moments, the camera will shift from your current view and focus on something larger but when you regain control it tends to make the camera slam into the ground or in the sky. On normal or hard, this isn’t too annoying but on higher difficulties, this can cause you to face a possible death and that is where it becomes irritating.

Now you can play Earth Defense Force 5 all by yourself, but we think this is where many will get bored. The best way to enjoy Earth Defense Force 5—as its always been with the series—is with friends either split screen or online. 2 Players can join forces and kick alien butt together or 4 players online can really bring the hurt to the enemy. For our review, we couldn’t gather 4 players unfortunately, but we were perfectly satisfied playing split screen and flying through missions on normal. Avoid playing alone for too long is our best advice though, Earth Defense Force 5 is fun, but it’s repetitive and we have to make that very apparent.

Earth Defense Force 5 isn’t radically different than the previous several entries in the series, but honestly, we’re okay with that. We still loved killing tons of monsters and using various weapons and gaining new ones through the insane drops enemies provide upon defeat. Our major gripes with Earth Defense Force 5 are the same as it’s always been in the past. Missions can still be quite repetitive and some weapons are truly horrible making them almost more akin to joke weapons than actual weapons to be used in combat. We also felt that the ranger class still reigns supreme despite it being the simplest one just because it doesn’t have any glaring flaws like the others do. Nonetheless, Earth Defense Force 5 is a blast to play and while the price might seem pretty steep for what seems like a budget game, there’s hundreds of hours of gameplay here for those who love the franchise and that makes the price of admission worth it for newcomers and fans alike.

Earth Defense Force 5 feels like it was made for fans more than to rope in newcomers if we’re being upfront. The gameplay still remains as solid as it was before and the sheer amount of missions means you won’t be running out of monsters to shoot and kill for some time. Earth Defense Force 5 isn’t meant to be a game of the year contender, but instead, it focuses on giving players a fun game that can be played by all alone or with a friend and that is one thing it exceeds on perfectly. Are you a longtime fan of Earth Defense Force and can’t wait to get your hands-on Earth Defense Force 5? Comment below to let us know! Remember to keep coming back to our hive for more gaming reviews and articles done by us here at Honey’s Anime!