Reviews

Bugging Out

Fans of cult video games will no doubt feel right at home in the Earth Defense Force universe - the Japanese bug-splattering classics have been keeping us entertained for years. But now the series is back, with an American setting and a ton of new weapons and enemies. Can you handle an insect invasion of this ferocity?

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon throws you and your squad of elite soldiers into the mean streets of New Detroit, a futuristic city that under attack from alien forces. A lot of these aliens take the form of bugs, so expect to fight off ants, wasps, and spiders and expect to fight off a lot of them! This is run-and-gun warfare on a scale that will dazzle and amaze you. It carnage so vast and relentless that we're still recovering from our playthrough! Gasp!

The best defence...

The game's premise couldn be simpler: your mission is to move through the alleyways of New Detroit, making the place safe for humans once more. With some fearsome weapons in your hands - and squad-mates watching your back - it's your job to take out the enemy as soon as they start erupting from the ground, or spewing down from floating drop ships. Boom.

Enemy waves come thick and fast, and as you progress through the levels youl find the threats you face getting bigger. After you've got used to the basic spiders and ants, you'll be up against mechanical spiders, giant walkers, massive, eight-storey robots, and even a few unforgettable bosses. They all go down the same way, too: fighting for every last breath as you pump missiles into them.

Insect Armageddon's pace is absolutely amazing - nothing can prepare you for the onslaught of the game missions, or the trauma you'll be putting your trigger finger through. Find a spot, line up a target, fire at will and then do it all over again. EDF may not have the blockbuster graphics of a Modern Warfare 2 but if you're after a weighty bang for your buck, there's no better game out there.

Kaboom!

There are plenty of options to get stuck into as well. As you progress through the missions, you'll power up new armour classes, switching between light recon suits and more heavy-duty wear, and you'll unlock new weapons for your team, starting with simple rocket launchers and assault rifles before scaling all the way up to massive homing-missiles and plasma shotguns.

You'll also get to try out a range of dangerous hardware. If fighting the invaders on foot is getting you down, why not climb into a turret, a giant mech, or best of all a massive tank to level the playing field a little? Just make sure you keep an eye on your vehicle health meter so you can get out before it takes too much damage and explodes.

Impressive though the player action is, what's really amazing about Insect Armageddon is the way in which New Detroit reacts to the battle. This is a city where you can bring down every skyscraper just by firing a few rockets, allowing you to distract enemies and clear some space for you to finish the fight.

By the end of each level, the place will be in ruins and you will have killed literally hundreds of outer-space meanies. It like being a super-weaponised fly swat - and the game won judge you for how much damage you inflict on the earth while you're supposed to be defending it. Sweet!

On top of that, you can also enjoy this crazy alien slaughterhouse by teaming up with your friends. Insect Armageddon supports split-screen co-op for two, online campaign play with two extra players, and up to five friends for a survival mode that sees you facing wave after wave of overgrown bugs.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon may not take itself too seriously and with its rough graphics and simple animations, it isn't the best-looking game youl have ever played, but if you're after a guilty pleasure to blast through with your pals, there's simply nothing quite like it out there. Shoot guns, splat bugs, drive tanks and save the human race - if you ask us, that's what video games are all about.

GAME's Verdict

The Good:

• Great weapons.
• Destructible environments.
• Online play.

The Bad:

• Basic graphics.
• Basic sound.
• Ants and wasps, but no beetles?!