clear no matter if you are doing the grunt work at ground level or even flying high above all the action as a Wing Diver. The insects and spiders are almost lifelike to the point that my arachnophobia wife left the room while I played it.
One of the biggest draws of the EDF games is its social aspect. For years EDF gamers have been taking the fight online in co-op mode and Earth Defense Force 4.1 encourages you to do the same with its online four player co-op. The D-pad acts as the chat pad and it’s fun to watch and laugh as you get the entire group chanting “EDF! EDF! EDF!” or do an impromptu rendition of “To save Mother Earth.” The game also has a rather snazzy two-player split screen mode for some couch co-op action.
The trophy list for Earth Defense Force 4.1 is monumental. To pop the Platinum you are going to have to devote some serious hours to this game. You’ll need to do sixteen complete playthroughs, as the trophies for completing the missions with each soldier class on the different difficulty levels don’t stack. Then there are trophies for killing thousands upon thousands of bugs and hundreds of spaceships. To top it off there are trophies that require you to dip into co-op play; these are the easier trophies as you can obtain them either online or by playing split screen.
Conclusion
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair does what all previous EDF games have done so well. That is to provide an almost never-ending stream of mindless fun. Should you get this? Well, hell yeah, it looks fantastic, it plays great, it’s fun, it’s easy to pick up, and there are some great ragdoll physics on display. I mentioned the fun but I should mention it again because it is FUN! So it’s time to stop watching “Bug-ageddon” or “Mutant Shark-Ant Vs Mecha Diet Rola Cola” on the SyFy channel and instead buy this game. EDF! EDF! EDF!
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