By far one of the most insanely fun and worthwhile Contra-esque arcade games to date, suprisingly good and over the top
Yes it has been done before but not like this. There is nothing like being in a fairly detailed fully destructible city with a friend, both of you with your weapons of choice(150+ weapons in game!!!) Looking down the street and seeing the sky go dark with hundreds of cool shiny space crafts, or seeing giant spiders as far as the eye can see scurrying and leaping from building to building and firing a huge guided missile, or grenade, or shotgun-etc into the mass of them. The is not trying to be serious, it is just simply an arcade game, yet it is so much more. You play on foot or in one of the many vehicles thrown in to a good many levels, the likes of which handle surprisingly well for a game such is this (much better than the pathetic motorcycle in Call of Duty 3). This is all done in a third person view, but the controls and aiming in the game are as solid and easy to manipulate as Call of Duty 2, if not easier. The graphics are arcade like too, not ultra realistic,(pretty close though)but definitely next-gen material. For what it is you ca'nt be too critical because it is not trying to be like any other mainstream, hyped up game like Halo, Gears of War, etc. It is one of the few stand-alone titles out there that is extremely stupendous and sadly overlooked by many.
Earth Defense Force is like a phenomenal over the top Meteor shower. Only a select few are lucky enough to witness the event, some may hear about it and dismiss it quickly, others may look at it later and say "huh, thats kind of cool", but those who were actually there will appreciate it and remember it forever.