Earth Defense Force 5

I feel almost dirty recommending Earth Defense Force 5. Even though it tends to run more like a PowerPoint presentation than a full priced video game at some points, it’s such a fun guilty pleasure, packed with dozens of hours of content, that I can’t help but give it a pass.

At that point it becomes a game of constant motion, of swiveling the camera all around, of making sure the shots you pick are the ones that matter the most, of ducking in-between buildings and into alleys, and of avoiding geometry deliberately designed to trip you up into getting cornered. This is a game that is largely spectacle, but can become deceptively unforgiving if you aren’t careful, or if you don’t have a solid handle on both what you and the alien menace are capable of.

Earth Defense Force 5 stands in the face of pretty much every game released these days. It’s the game that doesn’t bother trying to keep up with the Jones’ because it’s happy doing its own thing and being just what it wants to be. And that’s brilliant. And you know what else is brilliant? Shooting hundreds of enemies while listening to humorous quips. That never gets old. Never.