The latest Helldivers 2 patch is out now and after getting into it last night, it’s a hit. I feel like I can play around with my gear now. I’ve been using the explosive crossbow, revolver, thermite charge, and air rocket launcher and they feel downright powerful. Likewise, the flamethrower feels powerful too.
It’s a solid victory over many of the issues players have raised since the game’s launch, including anger over the nerf-first policy that doesn’t work in horde shooters. It was during these turbulent times that Space Marine 2 was released, and some players, who quickly rallied behind every banner that appeared, believed it would fix the bugs caused by Helldivers 2’s unstable update cycles. A throwback to the halcyon days of power fantasy and bug squashing.
That’s, uh, despite the fact that the games don’t have much in common. Helldivers 2 is a four-player co-op shooter with live-action elements and randomly generated missions – Space Marine 2 has a linear campaign and a co-op mode with set missions. Helldivers 2 lets you build your own loadout, Space Marine 2’s co-op mode is class-based. And so on and so forth. They’re more like neighbors than roommates.
During one of these arguments about the game subredditas one player reveled in the joy of proving the Empire’s skeptics wrong, Arrowhead Games CCO (formerly CEO) Johan Pilestedt came down from above to sue for peace (thanks, GamesRadar).
“Thanks for all the amazing feedback and it’s amazing to finally have so many divers coming back. Now we’re looking at the day 60 patch which will bring even more exciting changes!” Pilestedt preaches.
“I just wanted to drop by and say that I think we should be grateful for getting some amazing games. I can’t even imagine what my childhood self would have felt playing Helldivers and SM2. They’re different games, but you can enjoy as many as you want!”
It’s a voice of serene in a sea of patriotic shouting. I’ve never understood when gamers treat their favorite games like Mad Max, as if they were sports teams—it’s as mysterious a marker of identity to me as defining your allegiance by the console you buy. But I suppose it fits both of these games, set in a universe where fascist superpowers undermine themselves and generally don’t support you achieve your own goals.
The stubborn faction-binding and defense of it is part of the satire, so there’s a nice sort of irony in Pilestedt stepping in and being saintly in his calls for peace. Much like the Imperium of Man in Warhammer is held together by the Emperor, who, from what I can gather, is an unresponsive FTL signal in a psychic coma who needs to be fed 1,000 psionics a day to keep everything from falling apart. Although, uh, apparently we’re not supposed to learn morality from video games anymore — forget I said anything.