First published: January 13, 2019
Written by: =420th= SemperFi

Ok turkeys, sit back and imagine if Starship Troopers (1997) met one of those old English dubbed Godzilla movies – and they had a baby. And then, meanwhile, Pacific Rim (2013) and Independence Day (1996) had a baby. And by some miracle, those two babies met and f*cked – this would be the sh*t that they birthed.

Now let’s just get something out of the way first. Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is a clunky console port with an awkward UI and matchmaking system, outdated graphics, and cheesy dialogue. But somehow, all of these things seem to oddly compliment the game’s almost comical theme and authentic Japanese flavor.

Yes, this game has been out on PC for quite some time now (released July 18, 2016), but it’s a game that often gets overlooked since it’s not a graphical masterpiece or even tries to be. But one thing it has in huge amounts is fun; we’re talking a-handle-of-rum-and-illegal-fireworks levels of fun here. Giant bugs, completely destructible buildings, insane weaponry, alien invasions, screaming women and children, hordes of more giant bugs, flying bugs, walking fortresses, skyscraper-sized monsters, vehicles, and gigantic spiders, jumping spiders, – oh God the spiders! It’s just a feverishly insane ride with 139 levels (including DLC), and just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s more.

Now enjoy some footage of me trying to repel an ant invasion on the beach, and failing miserably.

Some interesting trivia: A 1954 film called Them! about an atomic test that creates giant mutant man-eating ants was the inspiration for a quest in the game Fallout 3 (2008) titled “Those”, in which the player must eliminate a colony of giant fire ants. The film was also mentioned in Stephen King’s famous best-selling novel, “It.”

Now enjoy some more glorious EDF 4.1 footage.

A bit of a warning here. There are a few different “Earth Defense Force” titles out there available on PC, and we’ve had some members who inadvertently purchased the incorrect one. This review is for “Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair” available on Steam and other fine retailers.

NOW GET OUT THERE AND DO YOUR PART!