Gaming🎮 Why is Helldivers 2 so popular?

[Royal_Lizard]

Okay, so even if you were hyped for the launch of Helldivers 2, it's safe to say that no one anticipated how popular it has become. Only yesterday, it hit a concurrent player cap on Steam of roughly 333,000 players, and that's not taking into account PlayStation users either. Helldivers 2, somehow, is the game right now.

But why? Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Helldivers 2 is dope. It's a lot of fun, and for a particular age-group of players it very much does harken back to the golden age of Xbox 360 multiplayer than anything modern. One could argue that Helldivers 2 has more in common with Halo 3: ODST firefight nights with the gang, or Horde mode in classic Gears of War. There is still gold in those hills, and the team at Arrowhead has wasted no time in digging it up.

So the game is fun. Great, but that doesn't make Helldivers 2 unique. There are plenty of fun games out right now. Tekken 8 is fun. Counter Strike 2 is a blast. The Finals is fun too! We're in a pretty lush spot for games right now, and that's removing the catalogue of ongoing multiplayer games that are still very much alive and kicking. No, Helldivers 2 has some of that special sauce - a rich french dip you and your mates can soak an evening in.

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