When it comes to upcoming video game releases, I am generally pretty well in the know and have a good idea of what I am going to spend money on and what I am not. With that being said, there are still many games that fly under my radar, and the most recent and notable game that this happened with is Helldivers 2. I remember seeing a brief mention about a year ago that the 2015 Helldivers was getting a sequel. I had never played Helldivers and didn’t know anyone personally who had spent any amount of time playing it, so I quickly moved that information into the recycle bin section of my mind. Then, a few weeks ago, that all changed.

On February 8, Helldivers 2 was released on PlayStation 5 and PC and quickly took over the world of gaming. Videos of the game started popping up everywhere, and all of my online friends were telling me that I had to get this game. Last week, I finally gave in and bought a copy from my PC, and I quickly became obsessed with the game. If you remember, a while back I wrote a column about how games aren’t as fun as they used to be and have a focus on getting as much extra money out of gamers as they possibly can. This is not one of those games. Playing Helldivers 2 has been one of the most fun gaming experiences I have had in recent years.

The game puts you and three other players in the boots of your very own Helldivers, an elite fighting force sworn to protect Super Earth and spread democracy throughout the universe. You are equipped with a large variety of weapons and gear to take the fight to the enemies of democracy. You can customize the way your Helldiver looks with a wide variety of armor, helmets and capes. You even get your very own ship that you can use to go from planet to planet. By far the coolest things that you have access to are called "stratagems.”

Stratagems range from artillery and airstrikes to specialized equipment such as jet packs and larger weapons. Stratagems are unlocked using Requisition Slips, a currency that is earned by completing missions in the game. At the start of each match, individual players are able to choose what stratagems they take to battle with them. It is always a good idea to make sure that your team has a good variety, ensuring that no matter what situation you encounter, your team is ready to come out victorious. While stratagems are awesome, you will need to be careful as they have the capability to wipe out you and your team if you aren’t careful.

You will need to use every tool at your disposal if you want to win against the game's current two factions, the Terminids and the Automatons. The Terminids are a species of aliens that closely resemble the bugs from the film Starship Troopers. They come in different shapes, sizes, and abilities. The smaller ones are easy to defeat, but use large numbers to swarm you in hopes of overpowering you and your team. There are also many large types of Terminids; some are able to spit acid at you from a distance, while others have armored shells, enabling them to get close and inflict maximum damage. However, the Terminids are far from being the most dangerous enemy in the game universe; that title goes to the Automatons. The Automatons are robots that have access to laser weapons, rockets, swords, and shields. Most are heavily armored and require your whole squad of four to efficiently eliminate them. Even with the easiest difficulty, defeating Automatons is no simple task. While you can play the game alone, I would not recommend that if you are going up against the Automatons. So far, every time I have encountered them, it has required the whole team to work together, and we still barely came out of the fight as the winners.

Helldivers 2 is simply a fun game. As is the case with most games, it does give you the option to spend real money for in-game items but does so without forcing it on the player in any way. I have spent roughly 20 hours playing this, and during that time, there hasn’t been a single moment where I wasn't enjoying the game. If you are looking for something new to play with your friends, I can almost guarantee Helldivers 2 won’t disappoint. Helldivers 2 is available on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam Games.

Have you played Helldivers 2? If so, let me know what your favorite moments have been. Email Marshall at [email protected]. Follow The Average Gamer on instagram @averagegamerreview.