As a huge fan of the first Helldivers, I pre-ordered this one looking forward to a replay of the first game but in full 3D. Like the first one, I expected to play it with my partner and a few friends here and there, but definitely wasn’t expecting the occurrence of a video game zeitgeist surrounding the game, but maybe that’s unsurprising given the rise of multiplayer co-op games with Twitch-able moments.

Helldivers 2 is a lot of fun, and a quick and easy game to get into. At its core, it’s a third-person shooter when you get send down to planets and spread democracy to alien races via bullets. You have two weapons with limited ammo, limited grenades and importantly, “strategems” which are on a cool-down. These strategems can include orbital strikes or cluster bombs, turrets, special over-powered weapons, mines and vehicles. Importantly, you need the strategems to complete certain missions on a planet or call down clones of your friends when they’re blown apart.

However, this game is not fun because of the alien shooter mechanics, it’s fun because of friendly fire. Everything you can do to an alien bug, you can do to one of your team mates. You are just as likely to die from a friendly grenade landing at your feet than you are from a cyborg with a buzz saw arm. While all this is happening there is a constant satirical overtone reminiscent of Starship Troopers (the movie, definitely not the book).

The main downside of the game is that while all the shenanigans you can up to with friends can come off a little differently with strangers. While I’m happy that there are thousands of players in the game at once, shooting a stranger in the leg for funsies isn’t really that fun. So as long as you have a friend to play with, there really isn’t no issue with Helldivers 2. Even the battle-pass system holds well and isn’t overly expensive, especially if you play enough to earn the currency anyway.

As a huge fan of the first Helldivers, I pre-ordered this one looking forward to a replay of the first game but in full 3D. Like the first one, I expected to play it with my partner and a few friends here and there, but definitely wasn’t expecting the occurrence of a video game zeitgeist surrounding the game, but maybe that’s unsurprising given the rise of multiplayer co-op games with Twitch-able moments. Helldivers 2 is a lot of fun, and a quick and easy game to get into. At its core, it’s a third-person shooter when you get send down to planets and spread democracy to alien races via bullets. You have two weapons with limited ammo, limited grenades and importantly, “strategems” which are on a cool-down. These strategems can include orbital strikes or cluster bombs, turrets, special over-powered weapons, mines and vehicles. Importantly, you need the strategems to complete certain missions on a planet or call down clones of your friends when they’re blown apart. However, this game is not fun because of the alien shooter mechanics, it’s fun because of friendly fire. Everything you can do to an alien bug, you can do to one of your team mates. You are just as likely to die from a friendly grenade landing at your feet than you are from a cyborg with a buzz saw arm. While all this is happening there is a constant satirical overtone reminiscent of Starship Troopers (the movie, definitely not the book). The main downside of the game is that while all the shenanigans you can up to with friends can come off a little differently with strangers. While I’m happy that there are thousands of players in the game at once, shooting a stranger in the leg for funsies isn’t really that fun. So as long as you have a friend to play with, there really isn’t no issue with Helldivers 2. Even the battle-pass system holds well and isn’t overly expensive, especially if you play enough to earn the currency anyway.