2 CHARACTERS IN HELLDIVERS CRACK

The humdrum missions, sadly, do put a damper on the engaging design of Helldivers' war front. Also, if an enemy species manages to breach Super Earth's defenses, all players rally to its defense. On occasion, helldivers are called to safeguard a city under siege, and cleansing the infestation results in a double dose of experience points. The home world fights are not the only special events, however. Ultimately, complete conquest of the three planets is the goal, and once achieved, the game starts anew. The desert world was too much for our handful of helldivers, but perhaps the story will be different post launch.

2 CHARACTERS IN HELLDIVERS CRACK

Hopes were high, but to say the planet was a tough nut to crack would be an understatement-we got completely whupped. During my time with the game, we were able to take the fight to the bug planet, which invoked some fond memories of a certain sci-fi adventure romp. Once all the smaller sectors are claimed, you can begin the real battle, on the alien homeworld. These points are earned by completing missions on the many procedurally created planets nestled within.

The war theater, viewed from a console on the deck of your ship, is split into three large sections that are then broken into smaller sectors, any of which are claimable after you gather enough community points. It's a persistent online universe, in which battles are won and lost even if you don't partake in them. You and your fellow helldivers fight together against the three computer-controlled species, who reciprocate by pushing toward Super Earth. Helldivers is tug of war on a cosmic scale. It uses tongue-in-cheek humor throughout, and a delicate touch with its weighty themes. But Helldivers isn't attempting to be the next Spec Ops: The Line. The Super Earth government labels cyborgs, who reportedly attack with suicide bombers, as terrorists, all the while justifying war in the name of protecting democracy and 'our way of life,' as well as collecting necessary resources such as, you guessed it, oil deposits (sometimes the veil is so thin as to be nonexistent). There are also some thinly veiled references to real-world issues. The game draws its theme from current history and popular fiction such as Starship Troopers, with the latter inspiring the game's light-hearted, corny propaganda. You fight an interstellar war against three other races: the grotesque bugs the technologically advanced illuminate, and the cyborgs, humans who grafted flesh to metal after separating from the regime-all of whom the government has decreed the enemies of freedom for some reason or other. A multiplayer twin-stick shooter, Helldivers sends you and your fellow caped soldiers to march across the galaxy, delivering 'managed democracy,' all for the glory of Super Earth. Indeed, the stories you create will be ones that will stick with you long after you hang up your uniform, as the plot in Helldivers is one quickly lost to the recesses of space. There are undoubtedly some blemishes in Helldivers' armor, but inside that armor you'll find a story creator, helping you craft fond memories to be retold for years to come. But just as indelible are the tales that end with howls of disappointment (or, sometimes, laughter) as the last remaining member of the team crumbles against the odds and is finally overtaken. No, these elements of the game are merely average pieces of a backdrop in a theater enacting thrilling performances destined to be endlessly retold among friends and fellow helldivers-and many of those tales are the kind that begin with 'Hey, do you remember that one time?' Among these stories, the best ones told by veteran helldivers are of the edge-of-your-seat moments that culminate in cries of jubilance and relief as you and your allies watch your space-faring drop ship fly to safety just in the nick of time. Helldivers won't be remembered for its narrative, nor will it be praised for intriguing mission design.

2 characters in helldivers