Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Violent sci-fi action exterminates lots of alien bugs.
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Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair
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What’s It About?
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1: THE SHADOW OF NEW DESPAIR is a PlayStation 4 remaster of the PS3/Xbox 360 cult hit Earth Defense Force 2025. It's been eight years since the Earth was first invaded by Ravagers, an alien force that attacked the planet with everything from spaceships to robots to giant insects. After defending against the initial invasion, the nations of the world created the Earth Defense Force (EDF) as the first and last line of defense in case the invaders decided to return. After successfully driving back previous incursions, the EDF faces its toughest battle yet, as the Ravagers have returned from hiding once again. The bugs are bigger. The aliens are meaner. And once again, it's up to the soldiers of the EDF to save the planet.
Is It Any Good?
It's usually considered bad to play a game with lots of bugs in it, but that's far from the case with this remastered release from the cult-classic franchise. The Shadow of New Despair takes everything that was fun in the Earth Defense Force 2025 game for the PS3 and Xbox 360, and cranks it up to eleven. The best way to describe the experience is to imagine Michael Bay directing a Starship Troopers movie ... then adding more explosions for good measure. It's nonstop action from start to finish.
One thing the EDF games have always been known for is pitting the player against overwhelming numbers of oversize baddies. Unfortunately, this could usually lead to some slowdown and glitchy performance. None of that is the case here, though. The game runs great and rarely skips a beat, regardless of how much is happening on-screen. The controls can take a little getting used to, particularly with certain character classes. Getting the hang of the flight controls of the Wing Diver or figuring out how to aim air strikes as the support-oriented Air Raider can take some time, but it's worth the effort. This is Earth Defense Force the way it was meant to be played, with all its over-the-top quirkiness wrapped inside a silky smooth HD package.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in gaming. How does shooting at giant bugs or aliens differ from shooting at more human enemies in other games? Does it lessen the impact of the violence?
Talk about science versus science fiction. What are some ways that science-fiction stories have inspired advancements in the real world?
Game Details
- Platform: PlayStation 4
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Xseed Games
- Release date: December 8, 2015
- Genre: Third-Person Shooter
- Topics: Adventures , Bugs , Space and Aliens
- ESRB rating: M for Blood, Language, Violence
- Last updated: August 27, 2021
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