Xbox 360

Earth Defense Force 2017

Shooter

Overview

Earth Defense Force 2017 is a third-person shooter developed by Sandlot, and published by D3 Publisher, for the Xbox 360. It is the follow-up to Global Defence Force, and is the first game in the Earth Defense Force series (as well as the first game based on D3's Simple series of budget games) to be released in North America. Earth Defense Force 3 was the best selling Games on Demand game in Japan for 2009. The game was released on the PlayStation Vita in Japan on 27 September 2012. It was released digital-only in North America on January 8, 2013 and in the PAL region on January 16, 2013.

The player takes control of an Earth Defense Force (EDF) soldier who is part of the elite unit Storm 1. To fight the enemy forces, consisting of aliens and massive insects, the player can access over 150 weapons, ranging from assault rifles and sniper rifles to rocket launchers, grenades, and laser weapons. Only two weapons may be selected for each mission. Some levels also contain vehicles which can be commandeered; a tank, a helicopter, a hoverbike, and a bipedal mecha are available.

In 2013, radio waves from deep space are received by scientists, revealing the existence of extraterrestrial life. Two years later, the Earth Defense Force, a unified multinational military organization, is established in case the aliens are hostile. In 2017, first contact is made when hundreds of unidentified flying objects suddenly arrive and hover over major cities across the globe, led by a massive mothership positioned over Tokyo. As the EDF is mobilized, giant acid-spitting insects resembling ants begin assaulting many civilians. The main character is an unnamed Captain in Storm 1, a Japanese unit regarded as the EDF's best.

The game received "average" reviews on both platforms as reported by the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of two sevens and two eights for the Xbox 360 version, and three eights and one seven for the Vita version; while Famitsu X360 gave the former console version a score of one seven, two eights, and one nine.