Bugs, Guts, and Glory… FOR DEMOCRACY!

I’ve been gaming probably since I was 5. At that time the Super Nintendo was just hitting shelves. Old school Walmart electronics departments were lined with SNES titles, and that old TV was just a bit too high for me to comfortably play more than 30 minutes (which I am sure was the point).

This love of gaming and experiencing stories in a way different from books and movies has so far carried over into adulthood. I still play video games when and if I get free time. Currently that’s only about two times a week: Mondays after work when I don’t pick up the kids, and Fridays after everyone else goes to sleep.

Fast forward to 2024, and a few weeks ago a new game was released. Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios.

I’ve heard of the original, but I never put any money down on it. These days, money is just better spent elsewhere because I have no time to play games anyways. Certainly nothing with any kind of story. Helldivers 2 is quickly becoming my go to Friday night game for a few reasons.

Co-op vs Competitive

For the last few years, Friday nights with Team Taco have largely been focused on playing as a party against other teams. There have been weeks and weeks of Rocket League, Fortnite, and Fall Guys. These games have been a blast to play, compete, and win, but competitive video games can be very stressful in many ways. Helldivers 2 offers a cooperative experience where we are not facing other people. We are just in it to kill the bugs… FOR DEMOCRACY! It’s been a nice change of pace from our hardcore grinding of mostly going against people who are just better than you because they have more time to play and practice. You get to fight through hordes of progressively harder enemies, and if the enemies ever get too tough, you just bump yourself down a difficulty level.

Not only are you working together with your party, but you are also cooperating with every player in the game. There are collective Major Orders where the entire player base is tasked with a mission. Completion of these missions reward you with a multitude of medals. These medals can then be spent in the “warbonds” shop where you can purchase new weapons, armor, and accessories.

Cross-platform Parties

One of the worst things about having friends with different systems is worrying about games that you can play together. Somehow, we lucked out with Helldivers 2. Sony studios graciously decided to grant access to the game on PC. Now, my buddy on PS5 can blast bugs with me while I cruise around the galaxy on my PC.

There is also the option to fill your squad with random players, but I honestly feel like that’s almost more of a problem because I don’t usually use game chat to communicate with my teammates. Communication in this game is highly valued, in the higher difficulty levels in particular. There just isn’t much respect online these days in regards to speech, so I generally stay out of voice chat when I can.

Stratagems

There are very few gaming moments as cool as dropping a 500kg bomb on a nest of Bile Spewers! Stratagems are one of the things that sets Helldivers 2 apart from other games. It’s a system where you use your arrow keys to input codes that bring offensive fire power, heavy weaponry, powerful mechs, or defensive support. Aid is sent from your ship in orbit high above the alien planet. Careful planning of your use of stratagems is advised as there will be a delay for travel time. Upgrading your ship with research samples you find in missions will reduce the time needed to activate your stratagems.

Absolute Chaos

The one thing that really gets me into this game is the sheer, absolute chaos that it breeds. I’ve been playing with my gaming group long enough that we used to play back in the time when Fortnite had friendly fire enabled. I most likely killed my teammates more often than my enemies. You’ll be happy to know things haven’t really changed, and I’m still killing my friends, this time with impact grenades and orbital strikes!

Helldivers 2 has not been without its share of “bugs” since launch. Parties are frequently getting destroyed, games are crashing here and there, long load times to join the server and so forth, but it’s been a breath of fresh air for Friday game nights!