‘Earth Defense Force 5’ Review: It Won’t Bug You

I consider the Earth Defense Force series to be the video game equivalent of junk food. These releases won’t necessarily win any end-of-year awards, but I just can’t turn them away. They’re on the same level of the Starship Troopers films (well, the first one at least), as you mow down waves of enemies with everything from pulse rifles to bazookas to impressively powerful vehicles, using every ounce of your energy to prevent them from taking over.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 for PlayStation 4 and PC has been the highlight of the series thus far, thanks to its zippy frame rate (when the screen isn’t bogged down with enemies) and its ridiculous action. Keep in mind it’s not often you fend off against large bugs, robots and dragons in one play session, unless you’re playing this. But Earth Defense Force 5 bumps things up a notch with even bigger challenges, as well as more robust loadout options and better multiplayer options. It makes each alien hunt even more worthwhile, especially for the holiday season. (That makes sense, right?)

The story in Earth Defense Force is on a similar level as a SyFy production. Aliens are invading our planet in many forms and it’s your job to send them packing however you can. That’s...about it. But that’s all that’s needed, as D3Publisher and Sandlot inject each of these games with cheesy spirit. Watching someone get blasted with a rocket, only to get back up ten seconds later and chant, “EDF! EDF!” or even lead a war singalong is the stuff of magic.