One of the most naturally cinematic games I've played in recent years | Helldivers 2 - Late Review
For the past few months, there is only one game that has mostly kept me busy playing throughout sleepness nights and weekends, and you're probably tired of hearing about it. Helldivers 2. A coop shooter with hardcore elements and action-packed cinematic gameplay.
What is Helldivers 2? How is the Gameplay?
From the onset, it looks like a typical coop shooter like Left 4 Dead 2, GTFO, Deep Rock Galactic, World War Z, which are all stellar games by the way, so you might think this game has nothing special to it. Hell, even Helldivers 1 is very very similar except top down.
However, Helldivers 2 has hit the jackpot on several fronts. It has funny / epic themes, intense cinematic action, addicting progression and mechanics, and fun gameplay overall. There is no better feeling than dropping down with your friends, completing a very hard mission, getting overwhelmed by a mix of either bugs or robots, and making it to the extraction point by the skin of your teeth.
High Replayability
I am already roughly 200hrs+ in and I am mostly maxed out in upgrades and resources, but I still enjoy playing it. Compare that to many games, like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, where a bunch of hours in and it just feels like a chore to play and beat.
The game is highly replayable since the roster of planets to play on rotates every few days or so, thanks to the game’s highly live-service-like elements. It introduces a “Galactic War” that all players will participate in to liberate/defend planets. Not enough players completing missions on a planet will result in the planet being lost. The territories change on a day-to-day basis, so there are new planets and maps to conquer every few days. Additionally, the maps are procedurally generated, so you’ll never see the exact same map.
Addicting Progression and Content
In terms of progression, Helldivers 2 sets a new standard — people usually hate live service games for good reason, but this is live service done right! Completing missions rewards you with XP and currency, which can be used to unlock additional stratagems, mission upgrades, and armor/weapons. It gets you excited to play more to unlock more. What’s better is that no unlock is locked behind paywalls, and all items in the game are reasonably grindable, and the grind is fun in itself that you don’t even notice.
The developers are also very active in delivering more content to the game, in tandem with the live service Galactic War and its developing story on a day-to-day basis. New content is delivered every few weeks, such as new weapons, stratagems, and more, providing even players who have seen everything with an incentive to come back to the game. It’s just a game that keeps on giving. The game is set to release its biggest update yet coming August 6, 2024. Including a new higher difficulty setting, new types of enemies, missions, and more unannounced stuff are teased.
Sony PSN Issue
Another thing, the game got a lot of external flak a few months ago —and still up to now, due to Sony’s PSN account requirements, which led to the game being delisted in over 100 countries (countries where the game was initially listed in, with people already buying it from these countries).
It hasn’t been relisted since then, so people from these countries cannot purchase the game anymore. While those who already did before can still play, they aren't able to invite new friends anymore — unless you jump through a bunch of hoops and purchase third party keys online, a risky move.
Power of a Destroyer in the palm of your hands
Perhaps my favorite aspect is the hardcore nature of the game and the action-packed gameplay, which is highly characterized by its Stratagem feature. It allows players to call in various types of support, equipment, and weaponry during missions by inputting a series of button commands, similar to entering a cheat code.
It’s a simple mechanic, but ultra effective at giving players a sense of control over a huge arsenal of firepower. Every helldiver is basically a man equipped with a power of a Destroyer in orbit. Rain down artillery, call down airstrikes, or summon Titan-killing weapons. Of course, killing friendlies is as easy as killing enemies, and the game is very unforgiving when it comes to friendly fire. So you have to manage your firepower and coordinate.
My only gripes is that the game crashes from time to time, and some game breaking (software) bugs that will sporadically appear, causing you to lose a bit of progress because a mission wouldn’t complete. Still, the game’s intense fun and replayability more than makes up for it.
Score: 9/10
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