Recent reviews by Aether

Game was pretty fun but it has been mismanaged and is actively being censored. Very upsetting given the incredible aesthetic choices are what drew me into the game. I can't support this game until those changes are walked back or the ownership is changed.

Imagine purchasing a game, enjoying it for months, and then having it stripped from you when an entirely optional third party account becomes required, and making that account is not possible within your home country. That is exactly what is happening with Helldivers 2.

While I may be in a country that allows me to sign up for a PSN, there are many Helldivers out there that simply cannot. My heart goes out to them. Since a VPN is against the TOS of the PSN, they can't use one to get past their country's restrictions. They simply cannot play a game that they paid full price for. The Helldivers that I have played alongside will be forced to quit playing due to this decision. It is disgraceful. Sony should be handing out refunds to anyone who requests them at the bare minimum. Even people who can make PSN accounts are affected, as their friends will not be able to play anymore. In a multiplayer coop game like this, such loss of friends dramatic impacts the desire to play. Though that is simply the bare minimum, assuming they continue with this change. Ideally, they rollback the changes and leave it optional. Let them keep access. We know the PSN accounts are not a requirement for the game to function, it has worked perfectly fine these past few months.

Even though I can personally make a PSN account in my country, I would rather not link it to my Steam account. Sony has a terrible reputation with data security. Especially with the large numbers of people out there who have already had their personal information stolen from their servers. I just don't trust them with my data.

If I was able to play Helldivers 2 without signing up to a PSN account, I would likely continue playing. Overall it is very fun. I have no doubts that I would be willing to spend a little extra for some cosmetics or a warbond here and there. I would also highly recommend this game. However, with this current change in mind, I doubt I'll be able to continue enjoying this experience. If they move forward with the new requirements, it is guaranteed that they will be receiving no more money from me.

I will change this to a positive review if they go back on their word and make the PSN accounts optional once again.

Update: It appears through official communication Sony has announced their reversal of the coming update. This is great news and a start. However, since I posted this review originally, the game was removed from Steam for the countries without access to the PSN. As such, we still need to see those countries regain access before I can confidently state that Sony has alleviated my concerns. Official communications are nice, but I'll need to see them in action before I'm confident.