The Automatons were eradicated yesterday, something I wasn't present for since I realized I haven't really played it in the last couple of weeks due to moving and the release of Dragon's Dogma 2. I loved my time with Helldivers 2 and there will likely be more time I spend with it. I could not have anticipated its incredible success, I even nearly didn't buy it day one because as a fan of the first I wasn't sure it would have a player base and for a multiplayer game that is everything.

What really sets Helldivers 2 apart from pretty much every game in its class is its tactility and chaos. Your first few missions feel like you're just flying by the seat of your pants and it's such a thrilling first couple hours as you discover all the little things the game has to offer. The first time you call in a precision strike or an eagle, the satisfaction of its visual and audioscape overtaking you. Every dropped bomb looks and feels tangible and pulse-pounding, every movement precise as you sprint, dive, crawl, and crouch. And then your buddy throws down a turret machine gun that proceeds to cut your whole squad into ribbons. It's controlling that chaos where the game really starts to shine as you communicate with your fellow Divers and expertly complete missions, sweeping whole battlefields for every morsel. I've played it for about 80 hours at the time of this log and had immense joy that whole time.