Earth Defense Force 2025

Earth Defense Force 2025
PS3 Japanese game cover
Developer(s)	Sandlot
Publisher(s)	D3 Publisher
Director(s)	Toshio Noguchi Takehiro Homma
Composer(s)	Masafumi Takada Jun Fukuda
Series	Earth Defense Force
Platforms	Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Release date(s)	Earth Defense Force 2025 Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Earth Defense Force 2025, known in Japan as Chikyū Bōeigun 4 (地球防衛軍４, lit. "Earth Defense Forces 4"), is a third-person shooter developed by Sandlot, and published by D3 Publisher, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is the follow-up to Earth Defense Force 2017.

Gameplay

The player takes control of an EDF soldier from one of four soldier classes. To fight these alien forces the player can access several weapons in the game, ranging from assault rifles and sniper rifles to rocket launchers, grenades, and laser weapons. Only two weapons may be selected for each mission with the exception of the Fencer, who can have four weapons, and the Air Raider, which can have three. The game has more than seven hundred weapons; roughly 175 weapons per soldier class. This the highest weapon count of any EDF. Some levels also contain vehicles which can be operated. The game takes place across levels featuring destructible environments, taking place in settings such as cities, beaches, hills, underground tunnels and more. There is no penalty for collateral damage that is inflicted on the environment by the player, for instance when buildings crumble after sustaining a few hits from a rocket launcher or grenade. Other EDF soldiers can be recruited or followed, and attack enemies on sight, as well as provide radio chatter. You can also customize the color of your soldier.

There are several difficulty levels. More effective weapons are dropped by the enemies in the game at the higher difficulty levels, encouraging players to repeat the missions. In addition to weapons, armor enhancements which function as permanent maximum health bonuses are dropped along with healing items.

Story

The Earth Defense Force, a unified multinational military sponsored by nearly every country, is founded after detecting an impending alien visit in case the aliens prove to be hostile. In the year 2017, that proved to be true and the EDF fought against the Ravagers, an alien race that attacked Earth with giant insect-like creatures, UFOs, robots and gigantic, 120-foot-tall lizard-like creatures. Eight years after defeating the last Ravager in Arizona, they attack again with new creatures, evolved from their underground nest. Among them is the Retiarius, a spider-like creature which makes gigantic spider-webs, and giant bees. In the year 2025, the EDF must protect the Earth again from the alien invaders.

Downloadable content

D3 has released several addons for this game. They were originally announced as bonuses for pre-orders of the Japanese version, including exclusive content for purchasing the game at some web retailers. The following content is also available for free on PlayStation Store and Xbox Marketplace as of 2015 in a special bundle named "Unstoppable Shooter Satisfaction Pack" (in Europe) or as four separate bundles, one for each class (in the United States).

• BM03 Vegalta Gold (for Air Raiders) – A limited edition, gold-coated model that will reflect radar waves and has a combat burner to throw flames. Players will also be able to take flight for short periods of time with it equipped.
• Reflectron Laser (for Wing Divers) - A special laser that fires in two directions and can even shoot through narrow passageways. It’s an effective weapon with giant insects, as it can maximize range without obstruction.
• Mian Pure Decoy Launcher (for Air Raiders) – A weapon that distracts the enemy by discharging a large balloon that takes the shape of an attractive female, but the enemies will meet their fate when the balloon unexpectedly self-destructs, destroying everything in its vicinity. The weapon is themed after a Dream C Club character.
• Setsu Pure Decoy Launcher (for Rangers) – A weapon that distracts the enemy by discharging a large balloon that takes the shape of an attractive female, but the enemies will meet their fate when the balloon unexpectedly self-destructs, destroying everything in its vicinity. The weapon is themed after a Dream C Club character.
• Gleipnir (for Wing Divers) - A super weapon that silently discharges balls of energy with the ability to launch continuous attacks.
• Volatile Napalm (for Rangers) - A military grade discharge device that sets everything ablaze and damages the target and surrounding areas.
• Ifrit (for Fencers) - A cannon that launches rockets that will separate and disperse over the sea. Each rocket is equipped with multiple incendiary bombs that will ignite upon contact, causing massive damage.
• Blood Storm (for Fencers) - A powerful cannon that will separate midair and rain down on the enemy’s head and inflict damage on an entire area.

D3 has also released three supplemental DLC mission packs. The mission packs are:

• "Special Ops", or "Mission Pack 1" features five additional missions.
• "Mutant Rampage", or "Mission Pack 2" adds 20 new missions.
• "Beyond Despair", or "Mission Pack 3" adds 20 new missions.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic (PS3) 69/100 (X360) 68/100 (PS4) 64/100 Review score Publication Score Hardcore Gamer 4.5/5

James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4.5/5, calling it "a fantastic example of everything that makes pure action gaming so much fun, packed with replay value and over the top set pieces, and a more than worthy sequel that tops its predecessor in every way."

External links

• Earth Defense Forces 4 website (Japanese)
• Earth Defense Forces 4 website (English)