It's crystal clear that in general EDF 5 is a major improvement over 4.1, which itself was already way better than 2025. Considering that the main platform (PS4) is still the same, as there was a huge hardware boost between 2025 which ran on the PS3 and 4.1 which was developed for the PS4, the game almost feels like a completely different one which is amazing. Sandlot made also major changes to each class, some were beneficial some were detrimental.
It's interesting how much the game enemies changed back to EDF 2 looks. Sometimes it seems more than I'm playing a Vita EDF 2 sequel, than a PS4 4.1 one. It's clear that while developing the Vita games Sandlot had to learn even more about polygon count issues and translated that to EDF 5. Let me state that both EDF Vita games are amazing considering the hardware limitations. They're tough as hell to play solo unfortunately.
General improvements
- all classes will heal captured NPCs when picking up health 😍😍😍😍😍
- the DLC weapons are a great idea
- almost all DLC missions are really good, on 4.1 many DLC missions were stupid, dumb and pointless
- NPCs are much better than in 4.1. The special squads are actually really useful many times. NPC fencers don't die like idiots 99% of the times like they did on 4.1
- much less slowdowns. You can use a rapier near a shield without making the game absolutely crawl
- some of the new enemies are much better than I expected. Pillbugs do require some thought how to handle (except on mission 87...). Colonists and cosmonauts are interesting enemies. New deroys are not as bad as I thought they would be.
- the giant ships are really good and impressive. The mothership quality is open to discussion. The last boss is good.
- unlike most missions in 4.1 where there were waves of enemies, in most missions in 5 when that happens there's no delay or wait until all enemies from previous wave are dead before the next wave spawns. This does create more difficult situations to solve, because you have no break between waves to prepare for the next. More stress, more fun? 😋
General retrogressions
- the dreadful double weapons grind. Now you have to grind for the weapons, and then a gazillion more so that they're not mostly worthless. 😑😐😐😐🙄🙄😣😣
- NPCs are even dumber than in 4.1 in one thing. They love to put themselves in the line of fire when you're shooting. It's a fetish for sure, or a death wish. It's dreadful to use explosives or many AR weapons because of this. I think I lose almost as many missions from friendly accidents as from enemies.
- why change the names of so many weapons? Was this useful? Why not change all if it was the point?
- tadpoles are dreadful. It's understandable that the polygon count of dragons was too great, but these things are plain bad. The movement, attack and behavior is at least exactly the same as dragons, and red dragons (the bluish ones)
- you can't farm weapons for just 1 class. I understand the reason behind this, but I have 0 or near interest in farming Fencer weapons for instance, even less now that there isn't thankfully a 100% weapons achievement, and you get them anyway. Also this makes weapon farming for a second class annoying, as in 4.1 you could finish a mission with your main class, then revive if necessary or possible and use a second to optimize weapon pickups for that one.
Ranger
Pros
- his running mechanic is nice, and yes the starting and end of the run are understandable
- the support mechanics are a nice addition
- he now has vehicles
- some missiles like the Prominence and the MLRA are actually useable and useful now. But a Prominence, a missile carried by a person is actually much more powerful than a railgun that needs a tank... 😂
Cons
- most of his snipers were nerfed. Yes the J9 was way beyond what it should be on 4.1, but now it's the opposite
- shotguns are too good and their range is ridiculous big
- the ranger has the Epsilon but now it's mostly a toy. It's so, so ridiculous that many weapons the Ranger carries do almost as and some even more damage as a railgun installed in a tank... Yes I know ridiculous is standard in EDF games but this one...
Wing Diver
Pros
- the cores are a interesting mechanic that provides good choices and strategies for solving missions
- some people will love the way most weapons work now, pre-charging them before use and full clip use at once
- the dash mechanic is useful, although it is abused which I hope it was not Sandlot's intention. It should be a escape or quick faster but temporary advance mechanic, and not a almost infinite flight one
Cons
- the way most weapons work now, by forcing you to charge them before use and then empty them in one use is not consensual. Some people love it, some hate it. I'm on the haters side, as I think it introduces pointless issues, it actually is worse in energy management which is the core mechanic of the WD. The only benefits are for using high energy consumption weapons, which are the ones you shouldn't be using anyway. Also the sounds for weapon charged will drive you insane. At least could be optional, old way or new way
- most useful weapons for the WD have been nerfed so much they're basically useless, mainly the Idunn's. Yes the Idunn's were too powerful, but now they're absolute junk with ridiculous damage and hopeless accuracy. Well to me the lances are junk now too due to the charging mechanic, they're interesting for big guys, dreadful for general use
Air Raider
Pros
- bombers have been greatly improved, and the ground markings are awesome
- he has 3 weapon slots instead of 2, but can't have duplicates of the same item, which has not become a issue due to many viable alternatives
- satellite attacks have improved a lot too, they're actually useful now
- gunship attacks are awesome, specially against powerful enemies
- the new turrets, the flame based FZ-GUNs and the laser based ZE Blaster are great
- turrets no longer destroy your own vehicles, so they can be installed on them without issues 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
- shields can be installed on vehicles, on 4.1 they would stay in the ground if you tried to do it.
- you don't need to hold a weapon for it to rebuild, which was frankly ridiculous 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
- many useful weapons now refill over time and not points
- the hysterical Spritefall operator is absolutely awesome
- exoskeletons now are actually useful and mission solvers, with different characteristics between models
- the Depth Crawlers are easier to control
Cons
- why can't he run like the ranger? He's he incompetent? Weak? This was like the choice on 4.1 that only Ranger would heal NPCs by picking health for him.
- the summoning mechanic for vehicles is dreadfully dumb in 5. It's no longer possible to ask for a vehicle to a point far from where you're. So in inferno summoning one vehicle or new ones becomes a nightmare or pointless in many missions, as you can't ask your enemies to take a small break while you wait for your new vehicle or that they don't ruin it as soon as it's dropped. Alas, it's how wars in real world should be done, you ask for supplies to the middle of the action and then wait on the spot, so that it can be destroyed too with you while you're being overwhelmed. Yes it will surely work... This is only credible in multiplayer where AR should theoretically be far from action and then can summon vehicles with more peace of mind. Only different in caves, as DC's spawn instantly.
- helicopters are still junk to control, grapes and naeglings are now too easy to turn on their sides or upside down
- yes, exoskeletons now are good and useful, but his Epsilons were removed. And nerfed anyway. At least now he's no longer the Epsilon Railgun class 🤣😑😑😑😑
-the supress guns were not necessary, and I doubt anyone uses them. If you do, well...
- the limpets are still mostly stupid, pointless and extremely situational (at least to me). The limpet sniper I think it's the only sniping weapon in the game without zoom. Unfortunately they're now necessary several times, since you can't summon vehicles at start and some things will be out of range of all his vehicles, or a PITA to be.
- Blackers are nice for movement, but almost useless otherwise. Lousy shooting angles, dreadful for precision shooting and too much recoil
Fencer
Pros
- he now can almost fly, the jumps and dashes make his movement much better than the WD, since there's no energy management to consider
Cons
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