Edit - 190-hour review update: Crashes are next to non-existent, and the game has recently had a renaissance with major buffs to many weapons. This has made the game much more enjoyable and allowed for much more "viable" weapon variety. 11/10 can recommend this one 💯🗽

In summary, this game is *extremely* good if you were a fan of the first game, or a fan of heavy-co-op shooters in general. The progression is not too invasive & doesn't give FOMO, and all content at release is accessible by F2P.

Having played Helldivers 1, I was looking forward to the sequel pulling a "Risk of Rain 2". I'm happy to say that my hope was well placed!

The mood of the game is exactly what I hoped for! "Star Ship Troopers" with 4-player co-op, and all the democracy jokes hit every time. Plus the co-op is a ton of fun! My 3 buddies and I went through a level 5 mission last night having just unlocked it, and we had such a good time that it justified the $40 in itself IMO.

I don't want to overlook crash reports; I did experience some crashes, however I didn't crash a single time after the "do anything between the tutorial and first mission" issue. Also, on the single occasion when my buddy crashed during a mission, he simply rejoined and we were on our way!

While there have been several progression changes since the first game as mentioned by other reviews, I don't find them to be problematic. Weapon upgrades will be something I miss, however they're not game-critical in my opinion - just another "thing to unlock". The "Warbond" Battlepass system is one that I can accept, given that 1. all content is accessible by F2P by finding super credits in missions, and 2. and content is not time-limited. If the game's battlepass leaned more towards Fortnite than Halo Infinite, then I would've thought twice before buying.

Edit - 190-hour review update: Crashes are next to non-existent, and the game has recently had a renaissance with major buffs to many weapons. This has made the game much more enjoyable and allowed for much more "viable" weapon variety. 11/10 can recommend this one 💯🗽 In summary, this game is *extremely* good if you were a fan of the first game, or a fan of heavy-co-op shooters in general. The progression is not too invasive & doesn't give FOMO, and all content at release is accessible by F2P. Having played Helldivers 1, I was looking forward to the sequel pulling a "Risk of Rain 2". I'm happy to say that my hope was well placed! The mood of the game is exactly what I hoped for! "Star Ship Troopers" with 4-player co-op, and all the democracy jokes hit every time. Plus the co-op is a ton of fun! My 3 buddies and I went through a level 5 mission last night having just unlocked it, and we had such a good time that it justified the $40 in itself IMO. I don't want to overlook crash reports; I did experience some crashes, however I didn't crash a single time after the "do anything between the tutorial and first mission" issue. Also, on the single occasion when my buddy crashed during a mission, he simply rejoined and we were on our way! While there have been several progression changes since the first game as mentioned by other reviews, I don't find them to be problematic. Weapon upgrades will be something I miss, however they're not game-critical in my opinion - just another "thing to unlock". The "Warbond" Battlepass system is one that I can accept, given that 1. all content is accessible by F2P by finding super credits in missions, and 2. and content is not time-limited. If the game's battlepass leaned more towards Fortnite than Halo Infinite, then I would've thought twice before buying.