Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair Reviews
No polish or refinement, just lots of giant ants and plenty of ways to kill them. Ridiculously fun at its best, which it frequently is.
A remake of a rehash of a disappointing sequel… that only hints at what Earth Defense Force could be if the series would only show some forward momentum.
If I were to stick with a single installment going forward, this would be the one. Some of the upgrades fall short of expectations, and a good deal of the content is overly familiar at this point, but The Shadow of New Despair still represents the series at its best.
Ultimately EDF4.1 ends up being an addictive game that is full of alien squishing fun on a huge scale, but as a last generation port to PlayStation 4, it ends up being far too expensive. I shall await with bated breath for a true sequel.
Overall, 4.1 is a raucous and fun shooter with a different as well as more open ended approach compared to the more scripted movie wannabe type games out there.
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is not an enjoyable game thanks to the ugly graphics and repetitive nature of the gameplay. It does not help that enemy types and levels are reused over and over again too.
A brainless shooter that manages to be fun despite poor aesthetics and a host of technical issues.
This is not so bad it's good. It's just plain bad, and there aren't enough giant insects in the world to convince me otherwise.
There is a lot to EDF 4.1, but nothing about it is going to change players' minds if they never enjoyed the series. The same rinse and repeat game play exists, the performance is still questionable, and the repetition is real. Still for those that enjoy it, this is by far the best the series has been to date.
From each individual line of dialogue to every jagged texture, Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is so bad that it's actually pretty bloody good. A game that knows exactly what it's doing and sticks wholeheartedly to its stupidity, it's a refreshing experience that's bolstered by an admittedly addictive gameplay loop. Whether alone or with friends, it proves to be an accessible hoot that packs plenty of fun – provided that you leave your brains at the door.
Varied and fun to play, Shadow of New Despair captures the intensity and feel of 70's and 80's monster/sci-fi movies, though its difficulty curve is sometimes hard to swallow.
Each available class truly does provide a unique element to the gameplay, with completely different tactics and strengths. It's just a shame that the level design isn't as variable as the class system.
Killing giant insect scum was has never been as fun and addicting as it is now. The four different classes provide four different and fun ways to play the game and there is tons of replay value here to keep you killing incest for many months to come.
It may look rubbish but EDF 4.1 plays brilliantly. You just have to try this game, it's loads of goofy fun.
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is amazingly dumb, which is exactly the reason the series became such a cult hit in the first place. The dialogue and voice acting are awful, the sound mixing is abysmal, the graphics would have seemed dated two generations ago and the gameplay is a simple exercise in mindless destruction. But as with all glorious garbage of this nature, there's a certain je ne sais quoi about the way it comes together — or rather, fails to come together — that makes it perfect for multiplayer hilarity. Leave your brain at the door and you'll probably have a good time.
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair still has all of the series' quirks which fans love and detractors dislike. It's a flawed experience, but it asks players to overlook its shortcomings in order to have a laugh.
Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair has some good features. One amazing class, destructible environments, and tons of onscreen enemies sounds like the makings of something great. But the highly repetitive missions, dated graphics, forgettable story, and lack of anything worth sticking around for make the game a largely forgettable experience.
Earth Defense Force 4.1 isn't out to change the action genre, or win any technical awards for that matter. It simply provides a fun, over-the-top experience where you lay waste to aliens – and the city, oops. It's built pretty solidly, though, and is a sheer joy to play, whether alone or with friends. And when you hop into the helm of a mech, your heroic meter will definitely jump up a notch. Here's to you, EDF!
It doesn't ever completely shy away from using filler material after successfully building so much momentum.