There aren’t many games that scratch the Helldivers 2 itch right now, apart from that selfsame co-op shooter of course. The chaotic, gruesome, and fascist parody aspects of Arrowhead’s smash hit didn’t just come out of nowhere though. The Robert A. Heinlein novel, and later 1997 film, are a clear inspiration for the galactic war against bugs – and now the PvE shooter that preceded Helldivers 2, Starship Troopers Extermination, is finally coming to Steam 1.0.
Starship Troopers Extermination is a 16-player co-op shooter in a similar vein to Helldivers 2, except it came out in Steam Early Access almost an entire year earlier. Trading Terminids for Arachnids, you’ve got similar sci-fi weapons and deployable tools like in Helldivers, but here you’ll be building bases, constructing refineries, and have six different classes to pick from as well.
The FPS game doesn’t just have more players in a match than Helldivers either, as you’ll build makeshift walls, towers, ammo stations, and more to keep the bugs back – let’s just hope a race of cyborgs doesn’t start shooting back like in Arrowhead’s universe, because then we’d be in real trouble.
If you enjoy the idea of hectic wave-based sci-fi action, then you’ll be glad to hear that the full 1.0 Steam launch of Starship Troopers Extermination is set for October, alongside a brand new single-player game mode. With 25 missions to complete, you won’t just be suiting up with buddies and randoms in bug raids anymore, as the star of the 1997 film Casper Van Dien will also be reprising his role as Johnny Rico for the campaign.
So after you’ve sorted out who’s going to be the Sniper, Ranger, Demolisher, Guardian, Engineer, and Medic in your friend group, be careful not to get stuck under a mountain of bug corpses – as Starship Troopers Extermination also has persistent Arachnid damage, meaning they don’t despawn when you kill them.
One of my favorite things about Helldivers 2 is just how chaotic it is; stratagems dropping airstrikes on your head while bugs spew bile and your buddy having a chance of killing you with an accidental shot to the dome. Luckily Starship Troopers Extermination has that same spirit, but with plenty to set it apart like the classes, persistent corpses, and the upcoming single-player mode.
Starship Troopers Extermination launches in 1.0 on Steam on Friday October 11, but you can wishlist or buy the early access version of the shooter right here.
If you can’t wait to blast some bugs in October, we’ve also got some of the best multiplayer games and co-op games you can try on PC right now
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