Video: Taking down giant insects together in Earth Defense Force 4.1’s online co-op mode!

The best way to battle bugs is with friends, so that’s just what we do! Watch as we check out the first six missions of Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair!

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is an updated PS4 port of Earth Defense Force 2025, which released on PS3 and Xbox 360 in the West shortly after the release of new consoles. That means many didn’t give it a chance! It also means that it was a late-life release that generation, and benefits greatly from the horsepower of new hardware to smooth over its technical shortcomings. This release made a publisher jump from D3 to XSEED, and while not everything here has been reworked, a smaller, more focused studio should serve the franchise well.

The game supports two-player local and four-player online play throughout the full campaign, and you can choose to go back to older missions whenever you’d like. In the video, Jenni and I start totally fresh, unlocking basic weapons and using beginner tactics; we really wanted to show what it’ll be like for you when you start, and it seemed like the best way!

Also out now is a Vita port of Earth Defense Force 2, the PS2 game that many swear is the best in the series. (Our take: that’s probably just nostalgia talking, but that doesn’t mean the game isn’t fun.)

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