For me and my friends, Helldivers 2 represents classic "Battlefield" 1 energy through and through. I know that may be a weird comparison, but hear me out. Back in the day we would all hop on our PlayStations and get super immersed in the large-scale battlegrounds and fully destructible environments that battlefield is known for. Come 2024, Helldivers 2 reignited our fuel for democracy with one of the most insanely fun, brilliant and chaotic gameplay loops on the market. I mean it when I say this game is positively BONKERS at every second, with large-scale explosions, hilarious friendly fire, massive groups of enemies and a truly cinematic feeling that most games fail to achieve. Something about this game feels almost movielike in its scope, as many experiences throughout my playtime felt so epic and massive. It helps that strategy and communication are guided by the many customization options and tools to support you and your team to victory. The way abilities are handled here feels distinct and unique compared to other mainstream shooters in the genre (especially when I try to revive my buddy but I'm stupid and stand around for 15 seconds trying to input the right code, hilarious lol). Not to mention the real progression system that allows for unlocks as you continue to level up more and more. Season passes aren't thrown on you and microtransactions only exist for currency in the game that's incredibly easy to get, more studios need to follow suit I swear. It seems like a simple enough thing to achieve, but with gaming in 2024 we seem to stray further and further from tying feelings of persistence and excitement into progression, smh.
However, I do think there's still room for improvement in a few areas. The graphical bugs, while hilarious, are still pretty widespread. I've run into a ton honestly, but expect they'll be ironed out as the game grows. The biggest issue though is the balance between the terminids and automatons. While the automatons are balanced well enough, the terminids on harder difficulties are ridiculous. It feels almost unfair and unnecessarily difficult sometimes, with certain species being either too fast or too damaging. Not the biggest issue, but it's still somewhat annoying.
Overall, for $40.00 you're getting one of the most consistently fun and exciting multiplayer shooters, an amazing, exhilarating experience with your buddies and a super brilliant "always online" war that continues to fight on. Make the change, liberate the planets; For Democracy.
However, I do think there's still room for improvement in a few areas. The graphical bugs, while hilarious, are still pretty widespread. I've run into a ton honestly, but expect they'll be ironed out as the game grows. The biggest issue though is the balance between the terminids and automatons. While the automatons are balanced well enough, the terminids on harder difficulties are ridiculous. It feels almost unfair and unnecessarily difficult sometimes, with certain species being either too fast or too damaging. Not the biggest issue, but it's still somewhat annoying.
Overall, for $40.00 you're getting one of the most consistently fun and exciting multiplayer shooters, an amazing, exhilarating experience with your buddies and a super brilliant "always online" war that continues to fight on. Make the change, liberate the planets; For Democracy.