As Gears of War proves, shooters seem to be moving more toward the methodical and the complex: smart enemies, intense battles. But what happened to the old days, when twitchy trigger fingers ruled over swarms of mindless drones? Earth Defense Force X is one of the few games - maybe the only game - to ever try to meld together the intensity of an arcade style shoot 'em-up with the gameplay of a third-person shooter.
When you begin to play, it seems odd that a simple rifle can blast the hell