Let's talk about Helldivers 2's elephant in the room: Bugs are better than bots, but is that a bad thing?

It's hard to imagine that videogames can get better in 2024 than Helldivers 2. Arrowhead's unexpectedly gigantic shooter really is the whole co-op package—excellent shooting that marries simulation and simplicity, skyscraper-sized threats challenged by god-killing weapons, and a meta narrative that keeps us engaged without enforcing its will. It's a rare shooter that lets its clever systems do all the talking, only gently nudging the dominoes to fall in ways that produce moments of cinematic bravery, calamity, and the utmost buffoonery.