Recent reviews by TechToasterTwo

So, at the time of writing this review, I have about 190 hours on record in the game.

I want to start off with a simple review before I go into details:
I find this to be a more fulfilling MMO experience than Final Fantasy 14, and that should be saying alot of somethings!

Hands down, this is the premier Star Trek experience.
Is there Micro Transactions and are some of them staggeringly priced? Yes.
Are all Micro Transactions that you "need" reasonably priced? -YES-.

Let's look at it this way. There is no upfront cost to play the game, and there is NO monthly subscription fee. And honestly, now that I think about it, 200 hours in and ABSOLUTELY NONE of the cash store/zen store items are actually necessary to have a full, fun time in the game.

"But what about those 30-60 dollar ships?" You mean the ones that the game gives you 100% off Cash Store coupons to acquire for free once every 3 months? Those ships? Yea, they give away Tier 6 ships regularly. And let's say you join right after they finish one give away and you gotta wait the full quarter, what then? Well, play the game to earn Dilithium -> Use Dilithium to buy Phoenix Prize Packs -> Open until you get a T6 ship.

I'm not lying when I tell you -this game does not require you to give it money in any way, shape or form unless you specifically decide you like the game and merely WANT to give money to the devs to keep it going.-

Also, this story is SO GOOD, Paramount should consider it canon. Hell, this is better than Disco for sure.

Edit 1/28/2025
Aaaaand we're back to loving this game.
PSN drama went nowhere, and after the release of the Illuminate the community feels alive again.
Redemption stories are real, this game is amazing, the community is fantastic, and the freedom is super democratic.

---- PRIOR REVIEW BELOW ----

Edit: 5/5/2024
Welp, I loved this game but as of May, Arrowhead and Sony made an overreaching decision to require PSN accounts to play the game, disregarding a large chunk of the playerbase who live in areas where PSN accounts do not exist.
Their solution? Use a VPN! But VPNs are also against PSN TOS, so they'll ban you for that too.
Sad to see a great game decided to get complacent with all their success and just do an absolutely room-temp decision and sabotage their own success.

---- ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW ----

I can not recommend this game enough.
This is such a simple gameplay loop that is constantly gratifying and satisfying to no end.
Micro-transactions? Sure, they exist, but I've discovered that the real-life currency is found in the gameworld in an abundance that honestly, you don't need to spend real life money to get whatever you want after a day of gameplay.

This game is a stand-out hit that really showcases a shift from AAA studios to Independent studios providing a much better gaming experience.

Edit : 03/07/2024

Are there bugs? Sure, but unlike most AAA studios, the only bugs I've encountered are either minuscule or happen very rarely. Sure, my game has crashed, but the game loads up so fast that I can just rejoin the mission with my friends.

Every bug you encounter is instantly forgiven or forgotten because it's not game breaking, and Arrowhead has proven that they address these issues faster than AAA or, dare I say, AAAA game studios (wtf even is AAAA?)

Lastly, don't let the naysayers of "Oh no, they nerfed muh gun, the META!!!!" get you down. The only people who can only play this game with only one loadout are NOT the Helldivers with skill. Every single firearm shines in certain situations, and every firearm has it's weaknesses.

There is no single "best" weapon, only the weapons best suited for your playstyle. Try everything out, and to quote Lieutenant Rasczak: "Figuring things out for yourself is the only freedom that anyone really has. Use that freedom. Make up your own mind, [Helldiver]!"

It's Halo, pure and simple, on the PC. What more could you want?