Recent reviews by B4TTL3K4T

Had a few runs of this game when it came out - then had a craving for it after suffering through EDF6 (yeah that's right - SUFFERED!) I remember so many people having nothing but hate for it. But if you start the game knowing it's LIKE edf, but NOT edf - I think you will enjoy it.

Interesting classes; some may feel overpowered, some might need more skill or practice.
The classes are similar, but tweaked.
Only new one is the Prowl Rider - probably the hardest class to master but is it ever fun! The most mobile of the classes (yes, even moreso than the Jet Lifter)

negs/unfortunates
The maps are smaller, less enemies (but still has significant swarms here and there)
Can't tag enemies - so its hard to coordinate sometimes
A lot of the weapons are hot garbage....
Radar doesn't identify your teammates - everyone is represented by the same blue ring.
Weapons cost a TON of in-game money (credits) and until you're in the last difficulty of the game (Disaster) it's a bit of a struggle to fill your bank. And then, once you buy your weapon, you take it out for a spin and realize its total garbage.
Unlock certain classes later in game (1/4 through, and again 1/2-way through)
WEAPON UNLOCKS - ok, so there are some "hidden" weapons where you have to grind anywhere between 90-2500 of certain enemies to unlock. These are AA weapons. Of course, they kick ass, but they cost a ton and the work to get them is crazy. (some you'll grind over 2hrs to unlock) However, they make the game wayyy easier (especially on DISASTER mode)

pos'/yay
COSMETICS! yes! You unlock cosmetic while you advance and complete missions! Some are free, some will cost you. You can have cool futuristic heavy armor, or short-shorts. Sweet aviator shades, or weird goggles.
PRACTICE ROOM! Yes, you can test out your weapons in a training area; you can even change equipment while you're there.
Field support (healing drones, sentry guns, ranged revive items, etc)
All classes have the same weapon options-and there are a lot
Hidden drones - a lil bonus! Each map has a lil drone somewhere that needs your help; it may unlock things like weapons, cosmetics or "stickers (you can put them on your PA-armor gear)

The game is no where near as bad as some people make it sound.
It was a breath of fresh air to come back to after that tiring slog that was EDF6.
If you see this thing on sale? Freakin buy it. However, your experience might be way better if friends play with you!!!

MIXED FEELINGS
I'd give it a 6.5/10. But if this is your very first EDF game? It could be an 8.5-9/10.
The game leaves me not entirely satisfied, but also, not entirely disappointed. No, that doesn't make things even-steven.

First thing that left a stink in the air around the game is that sneaky and dishonest move with Epic - everyone knows what I'm talking about, so I won't say more.

Now for the rest of the game. I played 4.1, 5 and Iron Rain.
My favorite experience was 4.1 BUT I lost my EDF virginity to that one, so I suspect its a nostalgia-biased thing.
With my experience playing all these games, I would compare EDF 6 with 5. Takes a lot of the missions! And also most of its enemies.

Monsters
Speaking of which, a lot of the NEW enemy designs are, unfortunately, silly looking. Not cool, or self-aware cheese like some 40-50s space adventure movie. Just plain dumb. I'll sound very shallow here, but the new enemy designs make it hard to play the game. So damn goofy. I seriously miss the Hectors <3 And then mob-masses. They really toned down the ant swarms besides a select few missions...

Weapons
I'm not sure about the weapon list. So many weapons. So many crappy weapons. So many crappy weapons that you already had in previous EDF games. You'll find your few favorites (that you used for EDF 4.1/5) and use them for the entirety of the game; with the exception of a couple for mission-specific needs.
They have tons of info-background for each weapon, but you still don't know exactly what it does, how it works, or how it looks (the blast-effect). A pop up, looping clip, of the gun being used would be helpful! (A training room where you can easily access and swap all your available weapons would be even better! )

....And then once you find the specific gun you like, you sorta want to level it up! But that's in the hands of random rolls. Which brings me to this..!
PICK YOUR OWN UPGRADE! Imagine having a point system where you CHOOSE
your upgrade, per-weapon. ie: "Ooooh, let's up the damage on this one; I'm ok with its current range - for now" Again, allowing for different builds:
larger clip vs. longer range vs. larger blast radius vs. longer lock-on range vs shorter charge, etc etc You could even redistribute these points whenever you want. Sorry, I'm just day-dreaming at this point.

Cosmetics/Character customization
Maybe I was spoiled with other games, maybe it was just Iron Rain - but over a decade of the franchise and
we can still only change our armor/uniform colors? (two colors, to be exact) Come on, maaan! Do better. Even changing my GUN color would be fun.
Ok, here's my idea: Give out reward points with missions that allow you to shop around and buy unique goodies.
Another day-dreaming idea? To have an actual "physical" lobby, where you could visit weapon shops, armor shops and cosmetic shops, etc. Give a face to the random voices we hear over our coms. Could help us maybe care a little for the soldiers we fight with, and human race we fight for, or something. We appreciated, and miss, Maeve!

Gameplay/story
it has it's jankiness; might be part of its charm, honestly. But I would love it if the radar would have a North indicator - strategizing with your party would be a lot easier.
DISTANCE. Your radar map gives you an idea of where things are, but only more specifically if you're near the subject. But SPECIFICALLY, my party members, I would LOVE to know their distance! having a "Player 2 - 1450m" would be GREAT! Then I know I'm safe to use my mega blasty pewpews. Or if I'm KO'ed, My team mates can quickly chose who will run over to revive me - dude that's 50m away, or 500m away - hmmmmm! Other option would be to simply have them identified as "Low-Medium-Long" (50-100m, 100-350m, 350+m) of that makes things easier? Sorry, sorry, day-dreaming again.
For the story, more of the same, but with a bit of a twist - an annoying one. Time travel. You will HATE your Air-Raider on these "going to the past" mission. I feel your pain.
The thick cheesiness of the story, the randos lines are sometimes chef's kiss - so horrible they are! Not so great when the random soldiers run across your very explosive shot-RIP. I miss the EDF chant from 4.1 It was the best.

... My true feeling? 6 years passed and they gave us a very SLIGHTLY polished copy/paste of EDF 5.

...Just play the game! And then be sad when you're done!

Before I start, I must state that I only have about 8hrs into it.

PRO - I love what they did with Pets. No, you can't fish anymore; can't transform them. But you find OTHER pets along the way! Usually after a boss encounter, or something "important". As you find pets, you can either release them back to the wild, or send them home! From your "Fort", you can swap pets freely! And change their skills (passive skills which they all share and you unlock as you discover more pets, etc)

CON - The game gets very confusing when playing with a party of 4. Too much going on on-screen so that you have no idea where you are, where your teammates are, where or WHO the enemies are ( with pets and creature summons, etc - its a real cluster f**k! ) Everyone and everything's abilities going on all at once makes for a seizure-inducing screen lol There are no "circle" under characters/creatures (red=enemy; green=friend) Headaches may occur!
My husband described it best! It's like a 6yr old child making a cake: where 90% of it is icing and candy sprinkles! Effects are good, but overdone! Maybe if there was an option of toning down party members'? I do recall playing TL2 and preferring single and 2player game over full party.

CON - BUGS! This isn't frequent; may be dependant on dungeon or something; but once my skills seemed...locked? They were "greyed-out" as if on cool down, but I hadn't used them yet. The same happened to my friend's duskmage, where he couldn't go super-saiyan once his lightVsdark gauge was full. Another matter is portals/waypoints. Maybe I don't understand how they're suppose to work, but I often find myself watching a loading screen to then end up back where I was; rather than where I was trying to portal to? Or when leaving the Phase Beasts portal, it will bring me back to the entrance of the AREA and not where the phase-beast's portal was.

NEUTRAL - You like Legendary items!?!?!? I don't know which "fan" cried out, whined or demanded it: but they got what they wanted. SO MANY LEGENDARIES. They are wayyy too common in MY taste, so much so, they aren't legendary AT ALL. But I suppose they have a 2nd mechanism in TL3; you can equip abilities granted by the item/weapon. A bit like D3 - not as useful thusfar, early game.

NEUTRAL - Your Fort. I know this was part of the Frontier mobile version of the game they had first designed, but I feel like they could have gone without. But that is only MY opinion. I know some others will love it! But for the style of game, and limited camera use... I dunno; I was too spoiled with other games that have a similar system.

NEUTRAL - The story is blah. Story characters are blah. Player characters are all pretty ugly, but you don't spend your time staring at them so it doesn't really matter. Just like the lack in storyline; its a hack n slash game. Having a good story isn't game-breaking. But I get how story can be important to some!

NEUTRAL - Me and my 3 friends are playing this TL game for the first time. We started on HARD difficulty. Going through maps and dungeons is super easy. But then you find a boss- not too tough, but depending on your class- one hit: dead. MOST of these lethal hits are telegraphed, but again, the screen is way too busy to know what's going on! However, I recall TL2 having the very same issue. Just keep your health 100%, pump those healing potions!

So, even if I have a lot of NEUTRAL, and my CONS seem to outweigh the PROS, the game isn't as bad as everyone with a strong negative opinion says. Don't compare it to other games, just it's predecessors. Not a lot has changed besides the removal of attribute points (strength, magic, dexterity, etc) The game FEELS just like TL2, and looks similarly aswell. It is fun. If you like hack N slash, or like TorchLight, buy the game. Still unsure? Wait for a sale and then buy the game. It's well taken care of and developers seem to be listening to their fans; though maybe even a bit too much.

*I will return and make the necessary changes to my review ones I have 20ish hours into the game!*

So close!
Something is missing... Not atmosphere, but game play. Maybe even ill-explained? The tutorial seemed more confusing than helpful. Very....SLOOOOW....pace. This has potential, but needs a lot of work! I have NO IDEA how or where this overwhelming positive reviews are coming from! I'd love to give it a mixed/neutral review but It's either thumbs up or thumbs down. Thumbs down it is...!

So tough! I love it!
The banter between characters? Awesome! The voice acting is crazy good. Unfortunately, I find the game too damn short! It took me most of it to figure out HOW to really play it, understand the loot system, etc. That said, I might get the DLC. I have an itch that needs to be scratched.