Earth Defense Force 2017 is the third game in the popular Japanese Chikyuu Boueigun series and the first to be released in North America (the previous two Chikyuu Boueigun were distributed in Europe as Monster Attack and Global Defense Force, respectively). The game is a third-person 3D shooter involving battles against hordes of huge adversaries on massive, expansive battlefields.
The story of the game, which appears to be a re-telling of Monster Attack because it was set in 2017 (Global Defence Force takes place in 2019 and indicates that Monster Attack occurred two years earlier), casts the player as an EDF infantryman tasked with defending the Earth from hordes of alien invaders. The game includes 53 missions in which you combat aliens on city streets, underground caves, and coastal zones. You have access to 170 weapons, grouped into seven categories, including assault rifles, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, grenades, and more.
Throughout the game, you can obtain new weapons by picking up Weapon items dropped by defeated foes. Weapon objects provide you with random weapons, including firearms your character already has. On some maps, you can also operate helicopters, battle mechs, tanks, and bikers.
The Xbox 360 version includes a 2-player split-screen multiplayer with cooperative vs battle modes. The PS Vita edition has an online suitable multiplayer mode for up to four players.
Earth Defense Force 2017 is the first game in the series to feature AI-controlled EDF soldiers on its maps; in all previous games, the player battled alone, although ostensibly being part of an army. In contrast to Global Defense Force, the radio chatter from the Japanese version was kept for the English release.
