A genuinely brilliant team-building experience packaged as a co-op shooter plagued with the most obnoxious technical issues. Though server capacity and stability have improved since the launch period, crashes, matchmaking errors, and rejoining problems persist, putting a damper on what's an otherwise masterpiece of a live-service experience.
Unlike so many other games injected with "live" elements for the sake of it, Helldivers 2 had the communal experience in mind from the beginning, being able to witness a real-time map of player efforts in the galaxy. Changes in defense or liberation percentages and watching the front lines shift daily make the solo play feel impactful for the "greater effort." Accessing this game far into the future without worrying about server termination would be nice. However, I can't see how this game works without the evolving galaxy around it - ultimately justifying its live service approach where games like Suicide Squad cannot.
Brutal, team-coordinated shooter gameplay crossed with rewarding exploration with a dash of fighting game inputs breathes life into a game genre derided for its unimaginative ideas. The ability to explore and maximize the game experience with knowledgable players can entirely sidestep the monetization, and the continued promise of further fixes and additional factions, weapons, and equipment makes this the only live service I feel genuinely excited for its future. I hope the correct lessons can be taken from other publishers/studios, though that's doubtful in the bleak, modern market we find ourselves in.
Unlike so many other games injected with "live" elements for the sake of it, Helldivers 2 had the communal experience in mind from the beginning, being able to witness a real-time map of player efforts in the galaxy. Changes in defense or liberation percentages and watching the front lines shift daily make the solo play feel impactful for the "greater effort." Accessing this game far into the future without worrying about server termination would be nice. However, I can't see how this game works without the evolving galaxy around it - ultimately justifying its live service approach where games like Suicide Squad cannot.
Brutal, team-coordinated shooter gameplay crossed with rewarding exploration with a dash of fighting game inputs breathes life into a game genre derided for its unimaginative ideas. The ability to explore and maximize the game experience with knowledgable players can entirely sidestep the monetization, and the continued promise of further fixes and additional factions, weapons, and equipment makes this the only live service I feel genuinely excited for its future. I hope the correct lessons can be taken from other publishers/studios, though that's doubtful in the bleak, modern market we find ourselves in.