Helldivers 2 Review (PS5) | Push Square

pushsquare.com:

Helldivers 2 is some of the best fun we've had with friends on PS5. It's a simple and broad statement to start a review with, but in many ways Helldivers 2 is a simple game. This satirical bug-squashing shooter has its upgrades and customisation, but it's at its best when you're holding the trigger and not letting go. This game knows how to make you feel like a badass — and a complete buffoon — and experiencing that spectrum with a full squad of friends easily makes it one of the best co-op games on PS5.

The premise is this: you're a Helldiver, a soldier of Super Earth taking the fight to the scuttering Terminids across the galaxy. Dropping on a variety of planets, you in teams of up to four will take out nests, upload data, and complete an assortment of other trivial assignments. However, across your journeys you will be attacked by waves of seemingly endless creepy crawlies, or horrifying, Terminator-like robots. If you've ever played the original, you'll know that tactics is the name of the game, and that's no different here with Helldivers 2 — and it's really where the fun begins.

Switching things up in this outing, Arrowhead Studios has opted for a third-person perspective — a bold move from the simpler top-down predecessor. Aiming, shooting, and general traversal are all impressively tuned in, and you'll never get bored of pulling off a last minute evasive dive. Across our dozen or so hours with the game, it's easily up there with the likes of The Last of Us Part II as one of the best-feeling and best-controlling third-person shooters. It helps that the game is absolutely stunning with some excellent lighting, runs at a solid 60 frames-per-second, has phenomenal sound design, best-in-class DualSense haptics, and a score that'll inspire you to lay down your life for Super Earth.

Running and shooting in pretty settings is just part of the magic of Helldivers 2, though. This is a game about balancing that power fantasy. You can take on hundreds of Terminids with