Earth Defense Force 2017

Developer: Sandlot

Publisher: D3 Publisher of America

Genre: Action

Release Date: 3/20/2007

Console: Xbox 360

Xbox Exclusive

MSRP: $39.99

# of Players: 1 - 2 Player Local Co-op

Multiplayer: Yes (2 player Deathmatch)

Xbox Live Support: No online Multiplayer, and no DLC support.

How many missions are there?

There are 53 different missions which can be played by either one or two players via local co-op. The missions take place over a variety of different environments including downtown cities, underground tunnels, beach fronts, and moutain terrains.

How many difficulties does the game have and how long does it last?

There are five different difficulties in the game, each tied to an achievement and bonus weapon once completed in full. They include:

EASY: Unlockable Bonus Weapon: Zero Laser Rifle.
Clear all stages on EASY mode: 50 GP.

NORMAL: Unlockable Bonus Weapon: ZE Launcher.
Clear all stages on NORMAL mode: 100 GP.

HARD: Unlockable Bonus Weapon: Y20 Impulse.
Clear all stages on HARD mode: 150 GP.

HARDEST: Unlockable Bonus Weapon: PX50 Bound Shot.
Clear all stages on HARDEST mode: 200 GP.

INFERNO: Unlockable Bonus Weapon: Genocide Gun.
Clear all stages on INFERNO mode: 300 GP.

Each difficulty contains its own set of weapon pick-ups. The more difficult the mode you choose the more powerful the weapon pick-ups will be. Achievement points are non-stacked, therefore you must beat every difficulty to get its respective achievements (i.e. Beating Normal will not give you the Achievement for beating Easy).

How do I unlock the bonus weapons and how many weapons are there in the game?

Bonus weapons are unlocked through completing all missions on a single difficulty.  The weapons that are unlocked on each difficulty are: Zero Laser Rifle (Easy), ZE Launcher (Normal), Y20 Impulse (Hard), PX50 Bound Shot (Hardest), Genocide Gun (Inferno). There are 156 weapons unlockable in the game, ranging from  0.1 (Burner) damage output to 1 million (Genocide Gun).

The various different types of weapons available include:

Assault Rifle

This weapon has a fast firing rate with a relatively low damage per shot, made up for by the fact that it is relatively accurate.  It may not matter that you're doing only a small amount of damage with a single bullet when you're hitting with dozens each second.  Used mostly for closer ranged battles, some of the scope equipped varieties can also be used for some mid-ranged sniping.  There is also a special version of some assault rifle models called Bound Guns, which use special bullets that rebound off walls while retaining their full effectiveness.

Shotgun

Used for close combat, this gun works much like the assault rifle, but fires off a huge burst of bullets all at once.  Inaccurate, due to its bullet spread, but when an enemy is close by, it can deal devastating amounts of damage.  Bound Gun versions of some shotguns are also available, allowing you to ricochet bullets off buildings and walls to take down enemies around corners.

Sniper Rifle

Sniper rifles excel in long range combat, where their slow firing speeds and long recharge times aren't an issue.  These generally have a long range scope and are incredibly accurate, allowing you to place a bullet precisely as desired hundreds of meters away.

Rocket Launcher

Rocket launchers are used for long ranged combat, and especially excel at taking out groups of enemies at once.  These rockets don't home in on enemies, so they have to be fired somewhat accurately, but their blast radius allows them to damage or kill multiple bugs at once with a well placed rocket.

Missile Launcher

Used for taking down single targets, and are especially useful for flying enemies.  Missiles home in on nearby enemies after a short flight time, allowing for precise strikes on fast moving enemies like gunships.  They can also be used on the undersides of carriers, as long as you watch out not to hit the hatch armor plating when firing.

Grenade

Grenades are close to mid-range hand-held weapons that are lobbed in an arc at opponents.  While these weapons seem to be rather weak at first, their utility comes into play in missions that take place in ravines and other areas with multiple levels.  In these areas, you can lob grenades at opponents without worrying about counter-attacks due to the height difference between you and the enemy.  There is also a special variety of grenade, called firecrackers, which do less damage per explosion, but split into dozens of smaller explosives to do damage over a larger radius.

Grenade Launcher

This weapon allows you to launch grenades a much further distance than they could normally be thrown, making the grenade a much more useful weapon in more generalized situations. This does sacrifice some of the ability to accurately place the grenade when it lands, however.

Acid Gun

These special weapons fire of sprays or spreads of acid, burning away at the alien's armor.  They act much like an equivalent assault rifle or shotgun, although they tend to have much less range, and their projectiles arc while flying through the air.

Flame Thrower

These weapons have extremely short ranges, but deal out massive amounts of damage to anything they touch with their flames.  These weapons are dangerous to use, since getting close enough to use them means that the enemy can deal damage back easily, but a short burst from a flame thrower can put out more damage than almost any weapon in the game.

Bomb

Bombs are an interesting weapon, favoring a more hit and run style of combat than the other weapons in the game.  These weapons are placed around the level, with the activation button exploding them when you finally decide to blow the charges.  This lets you set up ambushes for groups of aliens, enveloping them in huge explosions while you are at a safe distance, placing more surprises for the survivors.

Mine

Mines act much like bombs, except that they spread a large number of flechette rounds across an area when activated.  These are more useful for taking down groups of ants or spiders, while bombs are more useful for taking down Walking Arms or Dino-mechs.

Turret

These weapons provide another interesting variation in play style.  Rather than directly attacking the enemy, you can place these guns on the ground, then activate them at will, starting them tracking enemies and firing.  They have a limited ammo supply, and will explode when they run out, allowing you to place more of them.  This is another ambush style weapon, letting you kill from afar with your own weapon while letting these do the grunt work.

How do I unlock all the weapons?

Unlocking all the weapons takes a combination of perseverance and luck.  To unlock a specific weapon, take a look at the chart and see where it starts to drop.  From here, find a mission that is at or above that mission on that difficulty that you can easily defeat.  If the mission has a lot of enemies, even better.  Keep completing that mission and picking up all the weapon drops that appear and hope for the best.  One of the best missions that we've found has been Mission 46.  This mission has dozens of chances at a weapon drop, and once you have the pattern down, you can deal with the incoming spiders relatively easily.

What is the most powerful weapon in the game, and how do I get it?

The Genocide Gun is the most powerful weapon in the game with:
Ammo Capacity: 1 round
Damage: 1,000,000 (one million)
Reload: 3.3 seconds
Blast Radius: 75
Zoom: x6

You can only acquire this weapon as a Bonus for beating all 53 missions on INFERNO difficulty.

How do I take down the Dino-mech?

The Vallak Dino-mech can do a ton of damage with its flame breath to anyone in its vicinity.  So don't be around it!  Use range on the dinosaur, firing rocket after rocket at it, and keeping range by running backwards constantly or using an SDL Jet Bike if its available in that stage.  Another trick is to use the helicopter.  If you get the helicopter at the right height, you can avoid the flame breath, and only have to really watch out for its flailing arms and surrounding buildings.

I can't beat the mission! I get swarmed, how do I get through it?

For any mission that takes place on the surface, you can usually use a sweeping method by getting to the flank of the enemies on the radar and moving inwards.  If you move slowly, you can get to a point where you will only get the attention of the closest group of enemies, without letting the ones further out see you and come swarming in.  For cave missions, or other missions that involve swarms of enemies that come in as a part of the mission, use sentry guns or area of effect weapons.  Anything that can slow a large group down is incredibly helpful, and sentry guns will definitely do that.  Another thing to remember is that you can gain health through getting armor pickups throughout the levels.  Each armor you pick up gives you 1.2 health (rounded down), so it may just be a matter of going through some easier levels and amassing more armor.

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