No filler, all…not quite killer, but pretty good! The levels are well designed for a quick drilling and thankfully never get a chance to outstay their welcome. Although I can't help but feel as though Pepper Grinder is missing that last bit of oomph that could have taken it to the next level, like a better use for all the gold you’re collecting on your adventure. Even still this is a very cool debut and I’ll be interested to see how the dev learns from this experience. I’ll be there day one for whatever they do next! …also…damn I miss the Vita…

I enjoyed Helldivers 2 quite a bit at launch, but eventually the technical problems that I experienced after that first week and the lack of any sort of carrot-on-the-stick leveling kinda killed this game's momentum for me. Now that being said, I did put in 30 hours and enjoyed the majority of the time I put into Arrowhead's runaway success, I just wish I had the same love for this as everyone else seems to. I understand where the gaming community at large is coming from though, because there's a goofy joy that is hard to define when you group up with friends and continually blow each other up with rouge stratagem drops..."accidentally" of course. I just feel as though Helldivers 2 is missing a system that improves your firepower in a vertical sense, in addition to the more lateral stratagem unlocks. I understand that would come at the cost of not being able to easily play with anyone regardless of level, but without it I found it hard to feel any real sense of meaningful progression session to session. Of course, as with any games-as-a-service, the experience is expected to change with time, and I'd be interested to see what unpatriotic horrors befall Super Earth in a few months' time, but for now I'm content to hang up my Breaker and let my fellow Helldivers fight these wars for me.

This is far and away the best Soulslike not made by FromSoft. The levels of detail in the combat systems, weapon customization, and upgrade paths alone make this a journey so incredibly addicting to get lost in. That’s without even mentioning the fun story, truly incredible boss design, and a sequel tease that had me cheering for no damn good reason. It starts slow and the level design and aesthetic begins to feel a bit too familiar for my liking after a while, but I really cant commend the team enough for putting something together that doesn’t just emulate its inspiration, but truly expands upon it in meaningful ways. Plus the third from last boss (trying to go no spoilers here) is now one of my favorite Soulslike bosses for it’s punishing nature and outstanding design. I can’t wait to see how they follow this up.