An Ode to ‘Earth Defense Force 2017’ – The Low-Budget Sci-Fi Shooter That Stole My Heart on the Xbox 360

Earth Defense Force 2017 is one of the greatest games available on the Xbox 360, and I will not back down from this statement. Let’s look at it from a logical standpoint. The game is horrifyingly ugly, it ran like absolute trash, and it’s the most basic type of video game out there. But it’s also one of the most charming, interesting, and just plain fun shooters I’ve ever played. It made me an instant fan of the Earth Defense Force franchise, and that love is still running strong to this day.

Sometimes, You Just Need To Blast Away Some Bugs in ‘Earth Defense Force’

While all of my friends were playing Halo 3 and other games of the same ilk, I found myself spending an unhealthy amount of time playing Earth Defense Force 2017. I had never played anything like it. A tiny human, armed with nothing more than a peashooter machine gun, destroying gargantuan monsters. Common creatures like Ants and Bugs, all the way up to Mecha attempting to wipe out the planet. EDF 2017 may not have pushed the graphical or performance limits of the Xbox 360 to their full potential by any means, but the pure, unfiltered fun I had with that game was simply the best.

It could have been the fact that the game retailed at a significantly lower price than other games at the time. Maybe it was the goofy cover art that instantly caught my attention. But there was something that day that made Earth Defense Force 2017 come into my life, and I was never the same. Also, in the middle of writing this, I discovered that EDF 2017 was not only ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2021, but is also FPS Boosted on Xbox Series X consoles. You know what? I’ve been looking for the perfect excuse to dive back in.

Sure, It’s 720P, But That Doesn’t Mean Much To Me! The Only Good Bug… Is A Dead Bug

But my obsession with the franchise doesn’t end here. Well, to be fair, it did end here for a while. I was more interested in playing the typical multiplayer shooters that my friends were into. But then, I rediscovered my love after trying out Earth Defense Force: World Brothers on PlayStation Plus a while back. The voxel graphics, adorable world, and everything in between were just enough to get my wife interested in the game, so I had a new partner to prance around with. But I needed more. I needed something with more of that familiar EDF energy. That’s when I discovered the best Bundle of my life.

Sometimes, the Internet Just Knows Exactly What You Need in Your Life, Doesn’t It?

Admittedly, I fell off the Earth Defense Force wagon for a fair amount of time. But suddenly, my email gave me a quick reminder of the franchise that I once loved. Humble Bundle, the site known for offering cheap games in exchange for charitable donations, was offering a massive Earth Defense Force bundle for incredibly cheap. Earth Defense Force 4.1, 5, Iron Rain, World Brothers 1 & 2, and plenty of DLC all found their way into my Steam Library faster than I could say EDF.

And what a joyful day that was. After installing some of the newest games in the EDF franchise, I was quickly drawn back in. Sure, things have gotten a lot more mechanical since I last played. But there’s something just so incredibly satisfying about squishing and squashing massive bugs and bots as a tiny little guy. More than anything? It just feels good to be back home, doing what I once loved. D3 Publishing has also dramatically improved the visual prowess of the games. All while retaining that similar charm along the way. Major wins across the board.

While tariffs and import prices may make my wallet hurt? I’m officially on the hunt for the Japanese exclusive Switch port of EDF2017. I could absolutely jump into it again on my Xbox Series X, but I want that portable factor, you know? Nothing sounds better than curling up on the couch and letting the sweet waves of nostalgia wash over me once again.