To be completely honest with you, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a very difficult game for me to review. That’s because I’d much rather be playing it than writing about it.

The bugs are BACK, baby. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (henceforth referred to as EDF:IA, or just awesome game) is a reprisal of the cult classic Earth Defense Force 2017, though this time by American developer Vicious Cycle as opposed to Japanese developer Sandlot. Some things have changed, but trust me when I say the insect crunching action is just the same, and in some cases better.

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Earth Defense Force 2017 was a surprise hit for me last year, and quickly became my all-time favorite Xbox 360 title. To many gamers, it had a lot of shortcomings, but its pure arcade action and B-movie style presentation made it endlessly enjoyable. So with a new developer behind the wheel, I wondered how well Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon would fair. From what I played at E3, things seem to be rather promising.

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It’s almost time! In less than a month, you’ll be able to shoot and dodge uncountable quantities of missiles while collecting fruit as a giant robot in Treasure’s insane but loveable Bangai-O.

On May 4th you’ll be able to grab Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury on XBLA for 800 Microsoft Fun Bucks ($10). The game features over 100 levels to start and includes a level editor to expand the game even further.

Aside from HD visuals, Missile Fury also improves the control scheme by switching to twin stick input so you no longer have to face the same direction you want to fire. Additionally, there’s a new combo system to powerup your counterattacks and even a co-op mode.
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"Monster Hunter meets anime in Gods Eater Burst."

With the Monster Hunter franchise currently selling approximately one hojillion copies per entry in Japan, it’s no surprise that other companies are taking notice. Several games borrowing its formula of mission-based, cooperative beast slaying have popped up recently. Among them is Gods Eater Burst, a game that fortunately has enough fresh ideas to become more than just a “Monster Hunter clone”.

Gods Eater Burst takes place in a post apocalyptic future where giant monsters named Aragami attack what is left of civilization. As part of the anti-monster group Fenrir, you (as a male or female character of your own creation) must take these creatures down with your rag tag crew of overly fashion conscious teenagers.

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"There's missiles... EVERYWHERE!!"

When I first stepped into PAX, I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of games that were playable. I decided to make my rounds and see what was there before waiting in any lines for demos. Then I saw that Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury was playable. I immediately abandoned my initial plan and darted over to D3′s booth to check it out.

Within about 2 seconds, I reached the Game Over screen.

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I’m sure you’ve already heard the Puzzle Quest games described as “Bejewelled with hit points”. It is a pretty base statement, but not entirely untrue. Puzzle Quest 2 continues the tradition of adding role playing elements to a match-3 puzzle game, but this newest version does a few things that make it more enjoyable than its predecessors.

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