Helldivers 2 was on my radar pre-release, but from its first week I knew it was one of those games I'd be playing for a very long time. I've dabbled in lots of live service games without ever going full no-lifer on any of them and, being a middle-aged dad, Helldivers 2 instantly ticked a lot of the boxes I wanted: Quickfire sessions, simple and self-contained goals, and a real sense of progression atop that, which might be the game's greatest achievement of all. Helldivers 2 isn't just a game I like to play: It's a miniature social phenomenon I love watching play out.
The Game Awards saw developer Arrowhead surprise-drop the game's long-awaited third faction, the Illuminate, alongside a bunch of other substantial new content and, just for good measure, a Warthog-style four-man space jeep. Off the bat they've revitalised Helldiver tactics and forced players to re-calibrate from the familiar foes to a much beefier, weirder challenge. It feels like the biggest change in the Galactic War to date, and the capstone on what has been an exceptionally well-planned and delivered first year (well OK, 10 months: The game released February 8, 2024).
