How Helldivers 2 Turned Starship Troopers Into a Game (Analysis)

An analysis of the ludicrously popular Helldivers 2, which takes more from Paul Verhoeven's seminal film Starship Troopers than you might expect.

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Review code provided by PlayStation.

In Helldivers 2, if you're able to get past the dreaded "servers at capacity" screen, you'll be treated to some of the goofiest fun you can have in an action game—one that seems to take a lot of visual and dialogue cues from Paul Verhoeven's seminal 1997 film Starship Troopers. That said, upon further inspection, what impressed me most about Helldivers 2 was how it was able to convey more than just visual influence—instead managing to channel the more satirical elements of Verhoeven's satire of propaganda, through its mechanics and systems. In this analysis, let's discuss how Helldivers 2 players are Doing Their Part.

0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Helldivers 2 is a pastiche of Starship Troopers
1:38 - Starship Troopers is about propaganda
5:10 - The mechanical storytelling of Helldivers 2
8:09 - The GENIUS of Helldivers 2's Stratagems
9:23 - Getting past the propaganda
11:06 - Helldivers 2 vs modern military games
12:15 - There are no heroes
14:00 - Outro

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Text animation intro by Isaac Holland -   / drazgames  

#helldivers2 #starshiptroopers