Why Helldivers 2's D&D-Inspired Meta War Is Exactly What We Need Right Now From a Live Service Game

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Helldivers 2 players are confidently taunting Game Master Joel after taking six planets, defending two, and capturing two whole sectors in just a few days of hard-hitting, democracy-spreading action. Something that's sparking fear in others afraid of the retaliation the overlord will inevitably bring.

It’s finally here! I usually avoid cliché terminologies like ‘much-awaited,’ but in this case, I’m compelled to use it. Wondering which game I am talking about? Well, the much-awaited sequel to AFK Arena, AFK Journey, is set to drop on March 27, 2024. This free-to-play fantasy RPG will be available on both mobile and PC devices.

From Fortnite to Suicide Squad, the number of “live service” games has exploded over the past decade, but what exactly is a “living” game and why do they draw the ire of so many gamers?

Masters of the Air tells the story of the Eighth Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, also known as the Bloody Hundredth, which used its fleet of B-17 heavy bombers to cut a swathe of destruction from the English Channel to Berlin during World War II. The nine-part Apple TV Plus miniseries, which airs its final episode Friday, is basically everything that baby Charlie — his nose pressed against the pages of obscure history books all throughout middle school — could’ve ever hoped for. But, now that it’s over, I think I’ve found a way to extend the experience just a little further thanks to B-17 Flying Fortress Leader, an excellent solitaire board game from Dan Verssen Games.

Helldivers 2 is an action-packed third-person shooter full of hostile planets, relentless enemies, and many, many explosions. But between all of the bug splatting and robot crumpling is a long list of memorable quotes that somehow never get old. Ranging from punchy, tongue-in-cheek one-liners that would rival the best 80s’ Arnie movies, to hilarious declarations of propaganda-propelled patriotism, they underline the satirical foundations of Super Earth’s storytelling.

Last month, Helldivers 2 players were mourning the loss of Malevelon Creek, a planet so hotly contested between the people fighting for Super Earth and the Automaton threat that it was officially dubbed "Robot Vietnam" by the community. It was a very long and tough fight that eventually ended in defeat, but a small group of players has been plugging away ever since, determined not to let the planet be completely overrun.

Helldiver 2's Malevelon Creek is now so renowned that the player-driven campaign to retake the planet now has its own movie parody trailer, and it has the approval of the game's director to boot.

The sequel to emotional 2014 World War I adventure game Valiant Hearts: The Great War has hit PC, after a year and change locked down to mobile devices and a Netflix subscription - and a decade after its predecessor.

Helldivers 2 has plenty of weapons in its armory for players to gun down robots and bugs with, but one thing that has been a constant request from the fanbase is the addition of mechs. Leaks from last month appeared to show off gameplay footage of mechs in action, and an official post from the Helldivers 2 Twitter account teased that they'd be "on the battlefield soon" and are in production in factories across the planet of Tien Kwan.

Further light has been shed on the mysteries of the Helldivers 2 universe, in which those titular heroic troopers spread Democracy to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, crushing both Bugs and Bots under polished jackboots. What insidious intelligence directs these loathsome foes of Freedom and Liberty, you ask? An Arrowhead Game Studios employee named Joel.

Despite dealing with the various layoffs and game cancellations, there is no shortage of games released into the marketplace. It’s been a rough couple of years for the video game industry post-pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped some companies from pivoting towards a new means of boosting revenue. Warner Bros. is one company that is looking to make some changes to the kinds of games it develops.