How I fell back in love with Helldivers

It had been several months since I last started up the excellent, hard core multiplayer twin stick shooter, Helldivers.

As I entered back into the game world on a night where I simply wasn't sure what to play, I felt genuine regret for missing the game's first full scale war- one that apparently the humans won handily.

A gold PSN trophy popped for me for winning a war, but I had done nothing. At least, not yet.

Indeed, months ago at just over 13 hours of play, I put Helldivers down with no intention to return.

However, after plowing through a couple of missions with other online defenders of freedom, I see why I put 13 hours into this game.

There is something humbling about Helldivers. Something sobering. Something that reminds us why playing video games with others is so much fun.

Sure, friendly fire can drop your squad in a matter of seconds and yes, if all four divers are not on the same page, things can go sour quickly. But therein lies the beauty of Helldivers.

For as simplistic as the concept is, Helldivers consistently nails the minutia and delivers an experience that is simply unlike anything else out right now.

My fears that the community may have waned in numbers were put to rest after seeing as many games available as I did several months ago.

New weapons, objectives and enemy types helped make me feel like this game was fresh again.

Fresh, yes. Familiar, only a little.

It took me a couple of games to remember which button reloaded my weapon. Much to the chagrin of my online teammates, I got crushed by a couple of incoming ammo drops. But once I got the feel of the game once again, I was back to surviving, thriving and most importantly, having fun.

If you played Helldivers before, there hasn't been a better time to hop back in.

The great thing about Helldivers is, as hardcore and difficult as it truly is, it's very easy to jump in, and very difficult to master.

And if you have never played, there has never been a better time to deploy.

In the name of liberty, I implore you to deploy to this combat zone, as soon as you can. My hiatus is over, and I couldn't be happier.