Helldivers 2 (Xbox) Assessment: Liber-Tea and Justice For All

A decade in the past, should you advised me that PlayStation video games could be coming to Xbox, I’d have referred to as you loopy. I by no means took to the frontlines of the so-called console wars that used to (or perhaps nonetheless do?) dominate gaming boards, but it surely was a lifestyle I used to be all too conversant in, even when I used to be watching from the sidelines. Except for seeing others commerce blows in a futile try to say that their console of selection was technically superior (which is hilarious in hindsight, since a overwhelming majority of avid gamers have little to no understanding of the underlying {hardware} that they champion), it was not unusual to see people declare that their platform of selection had the higher catalog of unique titles.

However lately, these distinctions have gotten tougher to obviously outline. Microsoft and Sony’s gaming {hardware} are, for all intents and functions, very comparable in structure and design, and with every writer needing to squeeze out each potential income supply, it’s not unparalleled to see flagship titles launched on different platforms a 12 months or so after their unique launch. Prior to now month alone, we’ve seen two standout Xbox franchises (Gears of Struggle and Hellblade) make the leap to PlayStation, and now, Sony is returning the favor with Helldivers 2.

Sarcastically, we by no means bought round to reviewing Helldivers 2 when it launched again in early 2024, however seeing as how half the planet appears to have taken up the decision to unfold democracy throughout the galaxy, we gained’t spend an excessive amount of time drilling into the trivia. For the unrecruited avid gamers on the market, right here’s a quick rundown:

Helldivers 2 is a co-operative shooter that sees you enjoying as a member of the (you guessed it) Helldivers, a army squadron of shock troops that journey from planet to planet, eliminating something that threatens humanity whereas spreading a really… uniquely patriotic model of “managed democracy.” Like quite a lot of different common live-service shooters on the market, Helldivers 2 doesn’t take itself all too significantly, however, in contrast to a few of its contemporaries, Helldivers 2 tosses the monetization playbook proper out the door — and it’s all the higher for it. As a substitute of letting you within the door at no cost in an effort to drown you in a sea of microtransactions, developer Arrowhead Sport Studios has gone a special route. As a substitute, the bottom model of the sport is priced at $40, and when you can purchase new cosmetics by buying them outright, pricing is kind of truthful, with most particular person gadgets costing a greenback or two, moderately than double-digit costs. Higher but, “Warbonds” (Helldivers 2’s tackle Battle Passes) present quite a lot of in-game forex by finishing them, and higher but, they by no means expire. FOMO be gone!

With no nervousness that comes with having to grind to unlock content material earlier than it vanishes ceaselessly, Helldivers 2 helps you to get pleasure from it at your personal tempo, and as a relative newcomer to the franchise, this was a breath of recent air. To be truthful, there’s a lot to study — the sport’s procedurally generated missions can vary in problem from “Trivial” to the completely chaotic “Tremendous Helldive”, but it surely doesn’t take lengthy to grasp the fundamentals, and a gentle drip feed of recent armor, weapons, and strategems (highly effective help gadgets that you simply name down out of your ship mid-mission) present loads of motive to maintain enjoying.

With veteran port studio Nixxes dealing with Helldivers 2’s Xbox Collection X model, it ought to come as no shock that the core expertise is just about similar to what’s accessible on PlayStation 5. That does include some downsides, nevertheless. For starters, the framerate is moderately shaky when utilizing the sport’s efficiency mode, hovering between 40 and 60 fps at any given second. With most different titles, this type of factor might be ironed out down the road, however seeing as how each the bottom PS5 and PS5 Professional additionally endure from uneven efficiency, it’s possible that this problem stems from Helldivers 2 being CPU-bound, versus every console having maxed out its GPU or reminiscence sources.

There are additionally just a few different oddities that popped up throughout play. As I found whereas enjoying Helldivers 2 with one other reviewer, the sport’s tutorial and in-game pop-ups are a bit outdated, and it took just a few veteran Helldivers to show me a number of the finer factors, like switching firing modes and enabling/disabling my soldier’s flashlight. The most important letdown, nevertheless, is the entire lack of cross-progression. Whereas I strongly suspect this comes right down to the whims and can of a platform holder, moderately than any technical hurdles, it’s a bit disheartening that longtime gamers might want to begin from sq. one once more ought to they make the bounce to Xbox.

Helldivers 2 (Xbox Collection X) Assessment: Last Verdict

Nonetheless, for the few areas the place Helldivers 2 falters, it largely sticks the touchdown when making the bounce to Microsoft’s consoles, although that ought to come as no shock. Barring large technical missteps or compromised ports, a fantastic sport is a good sport, no matter what platform it’s being performed on, and that’s actually the case with Helldivers 2.