Thank you very much! Recorded a couple more already and will drop this week! The encouragement and feedback means a ton. And I’ll check out the Skylines trailer! I don’t know about it, thank you!
My first time watching it, I got chills just from the match-cut when he snaps his fingers and the music goes BAH BAH BAAAHHH and then the "Join The Helldivers!"
I skip past it immediately. Not because I don’t want to see the video, but every second I spend watching it is a second I could’ve used in suiting up and diving down to kill some bots and bugs.
"Why is the music so good?" Ah, that would be Wilbert Roget II, my friend. His most recent work was MK1, but his most well regarded work was in Destiny 2: Forsaken. Really sets the over the top tone of the game, while still being as Patriotic as a Bald Eagle wearing a USA bandana.
My personal favorite part of the opening cinematic is that it reinforces almost everywhere the Helldivers appear to be having fun like they are on some sort of vacation. The handheld camera really invokes the idea of dad running around with the camera to film everything and at various points you see the Helldivers doing small things like the chest bump after planting the flag, like they had just gotten a point in a volleyball game at the beach or something. You can be the sad loser at home watching your family get eaten or you can be part of the Helldivers bro fisting your way across the universe on a grand adventure.
"You can be the sad loser at home watching your family get eaten or you can be" ... the one eating that sad loser's family ... if u rewatch the 1st scene where they are killing the bug u notice the parallels? IE. Mom getting killed by invaders just as dad gets home?
@@armastat To add onto this, funny thing is they talk of automatons being the aggressors when the first transmission from them was one of surprise which hints that super earth fired first at the automatons. You hear this from the one lady talking to everyone at the debrief of the mission where you are off loading into the ship.
The lighting change when he snaps his fingers is such *chefs kiss*. To go from this warm, homely outdoor sun scene to that colder, austere, overhead/double side light is so incredible. From personable to being a cog in the machine, incredible.
It's subtle but his hair style changes to a fresh, military buzzcut too. Lots of other great little details packed in those few seconds: the reflection on the screen from the commercial, the change in the voice as it gets amped up by the helmet and lots of little cues to sell the various bits of overacting.
So a little funny thing you missed that goes along with the tone you mentioned. At the very beginning is the content of the title card I think its called. "Super Earth" "Public Service Announcement" "All content contained within Super Earth Broadcasts is true and irrefutable. Citizens who express opinions in relation to broadcasts including but not limited to concern, discontent, anger, doubt, fear, disillusionment, confusion, helplessness, inadequacy, or anything less than overwhelming patriotism will be punished to the full extent of the law. Serious cases may result in arrest, relocation, or termination." "Brought to you by the Super Earth Ministry of Information." "Undivided attention is mandatory." This really sets the tone of everything that happens in game. Also, I see that your attention was divided please report to your nearest Democracy Officer.
He watched it twice so he's fine beside its treason to question the title card... so why are you upset he didn't question facts? are you a traitor? DEMOCRACY OFFICER I THINK WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE!
The thing that gets me every time is the audio changes from the initial "INVASION" scene to the announcer as a helldiver. There is more spatial audio, more echo, more 'epic-ness' from his voice. When he puts on his helmet it becomes more aggressive, and even more bass is added to the mix. Then the music comes up to this epic score instead of the 'nightly news' kind of trill it has going on early. They clearly thought about every single detail.
Speaking of exchanging moods, the music as the bug delivers its form of Democracy vs the troopers delivering it back is epic. We go from a bug killing the wife and kids as the husband looks on to the troopers killing the bugs wife and kids as the bug Dad looks on, most people miss that .
One thing I love about the click part is the subtle audio changes, you can tell his voice goes from a warm and friendly tone to a more authoritative one as he switches to the uniform and takes on a slight electronic edge as he puts on the helmet.
Always good to see professional reactions as opposed to 'OMG IT IS COOL!' or 'OMG I HATE IT!'. Don't get me wrong, fan reactions can be fun, but actual professional analysis of such is very rare.
Some people who don't get the satire miss the soldiers walking in the street. That would be a scary sight to see. Something akin to martial law. Same with how some people do not understand the satire in Starship Troopers :(
They also missed the comparison of how bad it is for bugs to kill the family while the dad watched but how patriotic is is to kill the bugs family while the bug dad watched.
I like how the scene at 11:00 is a mirror to the family being killed at the beginning of the commercial. You've got the small alien trying to play with the big alien. They're not doing anything threatening. And then some guy comes along, kills the big alien, and gets showered in goo. Very tongue-in-cheek nod to how violence is portrayed in propaganda. Spoilers below: Basically, the alien bugs you see here? They're livestock, processed to make starship fuel. They don't invade planets, they're brought to planets to be farmed, and it's implied that they either got loose, or were intentionally freed to create a causus belli to mobilize the Helldivers and reinvigorate public support for the government. The family getting killed in the beginning is a made-up event for the purpose of recruitment, to justify real violence against creatures who were only there in the first place because of the desire for expansionism, profit, and control.
They do, in some manner, invade planets, as it was possible for them to spread in the first game, and even potentially reach super earth. They were considered a mindless menace to be exterminated, but once the Helldivers reached their homeworld, Super Earth realized that their bodies broke down into the main ingredient for starship fuel, and the mission changed from eradicate to domesticate. For the 100 years between the first and second game, they were bred and slaughtered to mass produce starship fuel and bring about a colonization boom. Still unknown how they spread between worlds, which is telling just how far Super Earth's interests go. Something as important as how a major threat is able to spread is completely irrelevant to them. It seems to have something to do with spores, but that doesn't explain how they cover such distances without any kind of FTL travel. It's possible that the spores have a long dormant period, and are being spread unwittingly by other FTL capable races that have contacted them. We might get a more concrete answer in the second game, but the current plan is to build barrier planets that kill them on arrival and just not care about how they spread.
@@Josiahxmost people miss the fact that in the1st scene where the bug is being killed - is the exact scene (from the opposite perspective) where the wife and kids get killed as the bug Dad comes around the rock and witnesses it.
The music is good because the composer is Wilbert Roget II. He composed music in the Forsaken DLC for Destiny 2, and if there's one thing that Bungie gets *consistently* right, it's the music.
Drop pod scene "This is obviously influenced by Halo, like a lot of sci-fi." You need to read your Heinlein my friend. He pre dates Halo by a good half century and was probably the inspiration for a good bit of the content in this game. Some of his ideas like space drop pods themselves being inspired by another writer from the 1930s.
@COA5T What you need to know Helldivers 2 has shone a spotlight on the cult classic 1997 sci-fi film Starship Troopers, as it draws heavily from its satirical theming, its vibe, and its aesthetic. Casper Van Dien, the actor who played the film's protagonist Johnny Rico, has said he "can't wait to play the game." In an X (Twitter) exchange with Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Helldivers 2's developer Arrowhead Game Studios, Van Dien even suggested making "a crossover movie." Pilestedt said that they should "start simple," and strongly hinted that Starship Troopers-inspired "Roughneck" skins may be coming to the game at some point. Aside from the fact that it's a ton of fun and one of the best co-op shooters I've ever played, one of my favorite things about Helldivers 2 is that it's shone a spotlight on the cult classic 1997 science fiction film Starship Troopers. Though widely panned at release, the film would eventually go on to be remembered as one of the best satirical anti-fascist works in history - and with its hilarious over-the-top military propaganda and gameplay that pits you and your squad against hordes of giant alien bugs (or Terminator-style robots, if you're into that), it's clear that Helldivers 2 was heavily inspired by Paul Verhoeven's iconic motion picture. Which was itself inspired by the 1959 book of the same title written by Robert Heinlein.
Thanks! I’ll absolutely check that out! My knee jerk reaction was it looked like ODST, but I’m always down the be corrected with the history of this stuff. Love scifi! Thanks for comment!
@Josiahx anytime. I know you are into film but I strongly suggest, if you can, reading the book Starship Troopers as well. Barring that there is an un abridged audio book that is very good as well. The book has been credited with the initial introduction of powered armor in Sci fi (ahem, spartan suit) 😁
While halo didn't invent drop pods in sci-fi Halo did define and popularize the visuals of dropping from orbit. Helldivers 2 takes clear inspiration from halo with the some of the armor too.
The fact that you watch the trailer and then the game is actually 10x better is why it's GOTY. There is a lot of band wagon jumping by famous gamers but you can't blame them as they get so much cinematic in game footage. It's nuts. Phillip.
I'm convinced that the opening with sweet Liberty really happened in this world. Cage off to the left and soldiers on stand-by to end the bug after screen capture.
I think it’s cool that when it shows the family getting murdered and the screen pauses, you can see the screen is now a background behind the guy because you can see the reflection of his arm as he raises and snaps his fingers
I watch the whole thing almost every time I start the game. It's so incredibly well made. So much love was clearly put into this game and everything around it
The inspiration isn't halo, it's Starship Troopers. In the book, this is actually how the mobile infantry is delivered (except for just slamming into the ground at full speed). They're shot out like shells from a cannon, and then they bleed off pieces to slow them down. Halo got the ODST idea from Starship Troopers. The inspiration you're looking for from back in the 50's.
@@JosiahxThe HD2 game and ST movie are anti-fascist parody, but the book is more of a pro-fascist or at minimum pro-authoritarian-military. It’s also got many sections of “lectures” which are rather dry and put a ton of focus on right-leaning morality over what citizens owe the government and society through loyalty to the government and military service.
This is an incredibly interesting idea. And one I haven’t seen before, add that to the subject being one of my favorite games makes for an amazing watch. Keep it coming. Though one suggestion I do have is to make the webcam a bit smaller, it’s very obstructive at certain points.
Honestly I'm surprised none of the people I see reacting to this say anything about the sound switch at around 2:33 when he puts the helmet on. It's especially noticeable with a good headset, but suddenly everything sounds closer and is more impactful. The bass rumble of his speakers matches super smoothly into the shot of the hellpods entering atmosphere. It's an incredible transition of sound that leads into the main theme and the sounds of combat.
I don't look at games differently than anyone else. I just enjoy reverse engineering because I do so much of my job in Unreal Engine. Thanks for checking it out!
The whole game is one big cinematic experience, honestly. First of all just on surface level, it's one giant love letter to Starship Troopers. But beyond that, even in gameplay, there are cinematic moments happening *constantly*, from the giant explosions to the hordes of bugs to the slow march of the bots. Even just standing on your ship watching your cape blow in wind that definitely shouldn't exist in said ship. It's fantastic.
I love it when filmakers analyse video cinematics and its really interesting as a gamer to get this insight into how they made it. Keep up the good work! there's alot more out there that will blow u away, even older stuff like Starcraft 2 cinematics. If u want something completely else check out Punishing: Gray Raven | Fate Unchained trailer, its really well done in many ways for a animation. And those Bile Titans are indeed massive and u need alot of firepower to one take down. That or a drop pod to the body, i've seen people do that.
Love that we have smaller studios making games that are just designed to be fun. You don't need to be super dramatic or story focused just make it fun and people will buy it.
oh man, game trailers are such a gold mine, i'm glad someone who knows their stuff is finally touching on them and using their talents to really dig into what makes them special! if you want some other really good trailers that might be fun to analyze (imo, with no filmmaking experience), Team Fortress 2's various videos are fantastic. the only real downside i can think of is that they were made using Valve's in-house program, Source Filmmaker, so i'm not sure how much of that will carry over to your knowledge of UE. that said, i would suggest starting with the "meet the" videos if you decide to check it out, since they are a great introduction into the world and the characters within.
I love the little details of the before/after of the match cut where you can see him with hair and fatter cheeks but after his military service he looks like a man who's been through some things.
This whole breakdown is absolutely amazing, I love how you take apart every scene and it really goes to show that they knew what they were doing when making this cinematic. One other thing I'd add when talking about the scale when it pans over to the titan bug in the video is that they make sure to include some background details, the sand dunes and strange rock/mushroom formations in the background just add to the size of this enemy even though we've already seen the size of the others, it's just an extra little thing to add to how big it is
I love the inspirational theme song. The score is half of what makes the game so good. I feel so pumped every time I drop in the game. Every time. A good score makes any game or movie 100% better. (Imagine Star Wars with an 80's scifi/synthesizer music.) The music is so, so good.
This entire game is a cinematic experience, even it's loading screen doesn't feel like a loading screen because it's your pods being deployed, and just as the pods are fired, the main leitmotiff of the game plays in heroic trumpet, followed by heroic brass ensemble. The loading screens in this game don't feel like loading, they feel like democracy is coming, the game is so damn immersive, you just can't help but get dragged into the game's universe, you become a Helldiver fighting to defend super earth
Laying down your business case for your Filmmaker Reacts plan = instant sub from me. I like it when someone reacting has a reason to learn more from their reaction to content. Briliiant analysis! Love your insight!
Nice job, enjoyed your breakdown. Another filmmaker reacts channel to follow I guess! Despite being a pretty common type of content these days, each one really has their own style and adds different things to the conversation.
I just love all the scenes where they get sprayed with gore. It makes it look like they’re getting it thrown at them from just off screen by some stage hand. It makes it so much better than if they were just getting sprayed from what feels like a real source.
If you are entertained by the intro, you should look into the game from the mission start, the dive to the actual gameplay. This game is pure cinematic gold, especially during Bot missions.
one other thing I notice with the bugs growing big in the shot compared to later shots you see the narrative of it shift. The bugs are changing from growing bigger to growing in numbers but at the same time the bugs are being shown as smaller and lesser in comparison to the Helldivers. the trailer also has vibes similar to what you normally see in military recruitment advertisements you might see on tv. The whole trailer is sending a subliminal message that if you remain a civilian the big and scary bugs will come and get you even on your clearly safe world, BUT if you become a Helldiver the bugs will be just a swarm of weak foes for the awesome Helldivers to squash.
The creative source behind much of the feel u get from this ad is from actual wartime narratives in the press during WWII. it was further nailed down in the ads you saw in Starship troopers the movie.
The gameplay on it's own can almost produce more cinematic shots than the ones in the trailer, especially max settings on PC. They really nailed night time and fog, in particular.
I think the best way to sum up this whole game is letting creatives be creative. There are times details in every bit of game play that adds depth. It's such a good game
There are tons and tons of this in almost every part of the game too, from the user comments on the military hardwar in the ship to the AI voice overs while playing. The whole game is cinematic.
The shadows in the "street" portion of the video are all over the place. When he waves to the soldiers, they're perpendicular to the road. In the wide shot they're at 45 degrees away from the car. In the over the shoulder shot they're back to being perpendicular to the road, and he's casting a shadow on his own back. During the attack the shadows are now at 45 degrees towards the car.
Excellent analysis! I love the vibe in this game. The themes and setting have a real, tangible effect on most peoples state of mind when they play it. It lowers the toxicity and makes people laugh when an accidental team kill happens, which is great.
11:43 i think they did something interesting there. Its supposed to look like he gets showered with the blood of the bile titan, but it seems more like the blood is coming from not quite the right direction, kinda like they just threw a bucket of the stuff on him from off screen.
very cool, Question tho --- can you tell me if the juxtaposition of the human family being killed while he watch versus the bug family being killed while the bug dad watched in the first trooper scene was intentional? or was it just an unconscious coincidence?
Great reaction and analyzation, sir! I'm glad I found your channel! Btw, speaking of Halo and drop troopers, I think you'd like checking out Halo ODST's live action trailer "We Are ODST." It's just fantastic. It's 15 years or so old and it still gets to me. Anyway, good work and keep on with the great content!
Oh man, the ODST trailer and having to wait a decade for the music to appear on a completely unrelated movie soundtrack. Me and my buddies were sitting in the cinema and ALL of us just looked at each other within the first two seconds of it coming up.
The first that comes to my Mind is: hey, it has the vibes like starship troopers. They make fun of all of it. It looks trashy because of it, but that is gorgeous.
that moment when you're the 3,000th like for real though i really enjoyed this lookover of the intro really shows the detail they put into the cinematic
This is what i wish people that do similar reactions like yours would do, 1 plain full vanilla reaction no pausing first and then go back and talk about and nit pick things.
Thanks ! Finally someone who's got some culture ! All of the game is a Starship Troopers ripoff ! ALL OF IT ! This game is a shame ! Ok they've added other types of ennemies... but they just look like T-800, so the ripoff continues.
While HD2 does get a decent bit from halo, I think it's worth noting that the similarities in the ODST and the Helldivers mostly stem from the fact that they were both inspired by the Helljumpers from Starship Troopers.
One funny thing about the trailer is that unlike what's shown, You can't actually blow a Bile Titan's head up in the game with a single round of Expendable Anti Tank or Recoiless. Even Spear takes 2 shots before killing it. If you really want to blow its head with an EAT or Recoiless, then depending on your aim, it can take around 5-10 shots.
Enjoyed the analysis. I listened to this on headphones at first. As a dialogue re-recording mixer I recommend you try a de-esser to cut down the somewhat harsh s- and sh-sounds.
I just wanted to point out that most in-game cinematics nowadays are made by Look dev companies like Blur, like the story cinematics in COD games for instance. I think the Arrowhead CEO gave a shoutout to the company that made the intro cinematic for Helldivers 2, but can't remember from the top of my head. It is amazing, and the game music is great too.
@@Josiahx was gonna say, this is far more Warhammer 40K and Starship Troopers more than Halo, although there is some Halo influence for sure, and obviously Terminator.
2019 Warframe Intro Cinematic (from Tennocon 2019) is masterfully put together I'd honestly say. Would love for you to see it! The camera movement in particular is brilliant! Ty for your reaction! Loved the video.
A possible expansion on your sense of scale argument. There are a lot of Terminids including small scavengers (dog sized), Warriors (car sized), chargers (bus sized) and finally the Bile Titan (3 story tall building). But in the cinematic they only showed the Warriors and the Bile Titans. Grounding the scale on the larger side and avoiding information overload.
“Reaction” is really an understatement, this is a full blown analysis. Some interesting insights instead of “ooh ahh this is so cool”. Give us more.
Cities Skylines II had a nice announcement trailer, also made in Unreal IIRC.
Thank you very much! Recorded a couple more already and will drop this week! The encouragement and feedback means a ton.
And I’ll check out the Skylines trailer! I don’t know about it, thank you!
@@Josiahxyo bro servers are now working.
Yeah, I'd definitely watch more Filmmaker Analysis videos
I think that the trailer was just so good that there wasw not really a need to elaborate on how great it was.
Got chills when it goes:
“Become a hero”
“Become a legend”
“Become a helldiver”
My first time watching it, I got chills just from the match-cut when he snaps his fingers and the music goes BAH BAH BAAAHHH and then the "Join The Helldivers!"
I watch the opening trailer every time I launch the game without skipping. Reminds me why I enlisted.
I burst into tears of unrelenting patriotism every time I drop... God bless Super Earth.
I'm doing my part too!
yeah no...l i watched a few times though.
Are you saying the video doesn't make you feel OVERWHELMING PATRIOTISM?
I skip past it immediately. Not because I don’t want to see the video, but every second I spend watching it is a second I could’ve used in suiting up and diving down to kill some bots and bugs.
"Why is the music so good?"
Ah, that would be Wilbert Roget II, my friend. His most recent work was MK1, but his most well regarded work was in Destiny 2: Forsaken. Really sets the over the top tone of the game, while still being as Patriotic as a Bald Eagle wearing a USA bandana.
Ah didn't know it was the same guy who did Forsaken - my favourite Destiny soundtrack, so makes sense!
My personal favorite part of the opening cinematic is that it reinforces almost everywhere the Helldivers appear to be having fun like they are on some sort of vacation. The handheld camera really invokes the idea of dad running around with the camera to film everything and at various points you see the Helldivers doing small things like the chest bump after planting the flag, like they had just gotten a point in a volleyball game at the beach or something. You can be the sad loser at home watching your family get eaten or you can be part of the Helldivers bro fisting your way across the universe on a grand adventure.
Its how real military propaganda is made
"You can be the sad loser at home watching your family get eaten or you can be" ... the one eating that sad loser's family ... if u rewatch the 1st scene where they are killing the bug u notice the parallels? IE. Mom getting killed by invaders just as dad gets home?
@@armastat To add onto this, funny thing is they talk of automatons being the aggressors when the first transmission from them was one of surprise which hints that super earth fired first at the automatons. You hear this from the one lady talking to everyone at the debrief of the mission where you are off loading into the ship.
The lighting change when he snaps his fingers is such *chefs kiss*. To go from this warm, homely outdoor sun scene to that colder, austere, overhead/double side light is so incredible. From personable to being a cog in the machine, incredible.
You can see the reflection of his arm when he raises his hand to snap his fingers. Great detail for a discontinued engine and a aa studio.
He changes to a challenging sight..the whole scene is awesome..
The subtle change to a thousand mile stare at the snap of the finger
More like transforming from a goof into a badass.
With minimal actual change of the person, the difference in those two is staggering.
It's subtle but his hair style changes to a fresh, military buzzcut too. Lots of other great little details packed in those few seconds: the reflection on the screen from the commercial, the change in the voice as it gets amped up by the helmet and lots of little cues to sell the various bits of overacting.
So a little funny thing you missed that goes along with the tone you mentioned. At the very beginning is the content of the title card I think its called.
"Super Earth"
"Public Service Announcement"
"All content contained within Super Earth Broadcasts is true and irrefutable. Citizens who express opinions in relation to broadcasts including but not limited to concern, discontent, anger, doubt, fear, disillusionment, confusion, helplessness, inadequacy, or anything less than overwhelming patriotism will be punished to the full extent of the law. Serious cases may result in arrest, relocation, or termination."
"Brought to you by the Super Earth Ministry of Information."
"Undivided attention is mandatory."
This really sets the tone of everything that happens in game.
Also, I see that your attention was divided please report to your nearest Democracy Officer.
He watched it twice so he's fine beside its treason to question the title card... so why are you upset he didn't question facts? are you a traitor? DEMOCRACY OFFICER I THINK WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE!
I prefer games where you can be the good guys. Fortunately most of this game shows you being the good guys in this.
@@Quincy_Morris good guys in the same way that the Imperium of Man are the good guys
Of course we are the good guys! Bringing managed democracy and freedom to everyone! 😊@@Quincy_Morris
@@asneakychicken322 ARE YOU DOUBTING OUR GOD EMPEROR???
The main theme goes so hard
Fr
The thing that gets me every time is the audio changes from the initial "INVASION" scene to the announcer as a helldiver. There is more spatial audio, more echo, more 'epic-ness' from his voice. When he puts on his helmet it becomes more aggressive, and even more bass is added to the mix.
Then the music comes up to this epic score instead of the 'nightly news' kind of trill it has going on early.
They clearly thought about every single detail.
Speaking of exchanging moods, the music as the bug delivers its form of Democracy vs the troopers delivering it back is epic. We go from a bug killing the wife and kids as the husband looks on to the troopers killing the bugs wife and kids as the bug Dad looks on, most people miss that .
One thing I love about the click part is the subtle audio changes, you can tell his voice goes from a warm and friendly tone to a more authoritative one as he switches to the uniform and takes on a slight electronic edge as he puts on the helmet.
He also jumps from having a short-but-fluffy hairstyle to having the military buzzcut in the switch, too.
I really like how the woman's screams are the only ones you hear, because presumably the kid was killed instantly.
Well if you look closely the kid did get stabbed in the brain hard.
Ah, yes, I too love to hear women screaming in unbearable agony while her child's remains silent bc he's dead.
Always good to see professional reactions as opposed to 'OMG IT IS COOL!' or 'OMG I HATE IT!'. Don't get me wrong, fan reactions can be fun, but actual professional analysis of such is very rare.
I love the little detail of him living at 23892 Fairview Lane. thats alot of houses on one street, almost like your just a number
Some people who don't get the satire miss the soldiers walking in the street. That would be a scary sight to see. Something akin to martial law. Same with how some people do not understand the satire in Starship Troopers :(
They also missed the comparison of how bad it is for bugs to kill the family while the dad watched but how patriotic is is to kill the bugs family while the bug dad watched.
I like how the scene at 11:00 is a mirror to the family being killed at the beginning of the commercial. You've got the small alien trying to play with the big alien. They're not doing anything threatening. And then some guy comes along, kills the big alien, and gets showered in goo.
Very tongue-in-cheek nod to how violence is portrayed in propaganda.
Spoilers below:
Basically, the alien bugs you see here? They're livestock, processed to make starship fuel. They don't invade planets, they're brought to planets to be farmed, and it's implied that they either got loose, or were intentionally freed to create a causus belli to mobilize the Helldivers and reinvigorate public support for the government.
The family getting killed in the beginning is a made-up event for the purpose of recruitment, to justify real violence against creatures who were only there in the first place because of the desire for expansionism, profit, and control.
it's soooo fun. And I love the insight on the story/lore. So fun hah
Dear citizen, your actions have been flagged as seditious propaganda. Nearest Democracy Officer is on the way to your location.
They do, in some manner, invade planets, as it was possible for them to spread in the first game, and even potentially reach super earth. They were considered a mindless menace to be exterminated, but once the Helldivers reached their homeworld, Super Earth realized that their bodies broke down into the main ingredient for starship fuel, and the mission changed from eradicate to domesticate. For the 100 years between the first and second game, they were bred and slaughtered to mass produce starship fuel and bring about a colonization boom.
Still unknown how they spread between worlds, which is telling just how far Super Earth's interests go. Something as important as how a major threat is able to spread is completely irrelevant to them. It seems to have something to do with spores, but that doesn't explain how they cover such distances without any kind of FTL travel. It's possible that the spores have a long dormant period, and are being spread unwittingly by other FTL capable races that have contacted them. We might get a more concrete answer in the second game, but the current plan is to build barrier planets that kill them on arrival and just not care about how they spread.
@@Josiahxmost people miss the fact that in the1st scene where the bug is being killed - is the exact scene (from the opposite perspective) where the wife and kids get killed as the bug Dad comes around the rock and witnesses it.
The yellow Invasion text is absolutely identical to Starship Troopers, love how bold they were with their tributes in the game
The music is good because the composer is Wilbert Roget II. He composed music in the Forsaken DLC for Destiny 2, and if there's one thing that Bungie gets *consistently* right, it's the music.
Oh siiiick! I didn't know that! Yeah, it SLAPS
Drop pod scene
"This is obviously influenced by Halo, like a lot of sci-fi."
You need to read your Heinlein my friend. He pre dates Halo by a good half century and was probably the inspiration for a good bit of the content in this game. Some of his ideas like space drop pods themselves being inspired by another writer from the 1930s.
@@COA5TThe intro is very obviously influenced by Starship Troopers.
@COA5T What you need to know
Helldivers 2 has shone a spotlight on the cult classic 1997 sci-fi film Starship Troopers, as it draws heavily from its satirical theming, its vibe, and its aesthetic.
Casper Van Dien, the actor who played the film's protagonist Johnny Rico, has said he "can't wait to play the game."
In an X (Twitter) exchange with Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Helldivers 2's developer Arrowhead Game Studios, Van Dien even suggested making "a crossover movie."
Pilestedt said that they should "start simple," and strongly hinted that Starship Troopers-inspired "Roughneck" skins may be coming to the game at some point.
Aside from the fact that it's a ton of fun and one of the best co-op shooters I've ever played, one of my favorite things about Helldivers 2 is that it's shone a spotlight on the cult classic 1997 science fiction film Starship Troopers. Though widely panned at release, the film would eventually go on to be remembered as one of the best satirical anti-fascist works in history - and with its hilarious over-the-top military propaganda and gameplay that pits you and your squad against hordes of giant alien bugs (or Terminator-style robots, if you're into that), it's clear that Helldivers 2 was heavily inspired by Paul Verhoeven's iconic motion picture.
Which was itself inspired by the 1959 book of the same title written by Robert Heinlein.
Thanks! I’ll absolutely check that out! My knee jerk reaction was it looked like ODST, but I’m always down the be corrected with the history of this stuff. Love scifi! Thanks for comment!
@Josiahx anytime. I know you are into film but I strongly suggest, if you can, reading the book Starship Troopers as well. Barring that there is an un abridged audio book that is very good as well. The book has been credited with the initial introduction of powered armor in Sci fi (ahem, spartan suit) 😁
While halo didn't invent drop pods in sci-fi Halo did define and popularize the visuals of dropping from orbit. Helldivers 2 takes clear inspiration from halo with the some of the armor too.
The fact that you watch the trailer and then the game is actually 10x better is why it's GOTY. There is a lot of band wagon jumping by famous gamers but you can't blame them as they get so much cinematic in game footage. It's nuts.
Phillip.
Imma be real I got sucked in by the hype and i got addicted
I'm convinced that the opening with sweet Liberty really happened in this world.
Cage off to the left and soldiers on stand-by to end the bug after screen capture.
I think it’s cool that when it shows the family getting murdered and the screen pauses, you can see the screen is now a background behind the guy because you can see the reflection of his arm as he raises and snaps his fingers
I watch the whole thing almost every time I start the game. It's so incredibly well made. So much love was clearly put into this game and everything around it
Yep when something is done right it is enjoyable over and over.
The inspiration isn't halo, it's Starship Troopers. In the book, this is actually how the mobile infantry is delivered (except for just slamming into the ground at full speed). They're shot out like shells from a cannon, and then they bleed off pieces to slow them down. Halo got the ODST idea from Starship Troopers. The inspiration you're looking for from back in the 50's.
That's super cool! Thank you for explaining some of that! Stoked to check out the books, I liked the movie!
@@JosiahxThe HD2 game and ST movie are anti-fascist parody, but the book is more of a pro-fascist or at minimum pro-authoritarian-military. It’s also got many sections of “lectures” which are rather dry and put a ton of focus on right-leaning morality over what citizens owe the government and society through loyalty to the government and military service.
@@zheta42extremly sucinct and well written summary right there. GG WP.
Vibe and pace extremely similar to SS troopers, super cool
You know a piece of media can be inspired by multiple things, right? The Helldivers are literally named after one of the ODST's nicknames
This is an incredibly interesting idea. And one I haven’t seen before, add that to the subject being one of my favorite games makes for an amazing watch. Keep it coming. Though one suggestion I do have is to make the webcam a bit smaller, it’s very obstructive at certain points.
Awesome feedback! Thank you so much! I’ll bump it down a tad in the next run! Thank you!
If you think that music slaps in the cinematic, try having it pumped into your ears at the start of every drop into a mission. It's glorious.
Honestly I'm surprised none of the people I see reacting to this say anything about the sound switch at around 2:33 when he puts the helmet on. It's especially noticeable with a good headset, but suddenly everything sounds closer and is more impactful. The bass rumble of his speakers matches super smoothly into the shot of the hellpods entering atmosphere. It's an incredible transition of sound that leads into the main theme and the sounds of combat.
I'm surprised you mentioned Bay but didn't make the Verhoven comparison. The whole thing just screamed 'Starship Troopers' and nailed Verhoven's tone.
Well the game is very campy _Starship Troopers_ so that makes perfect sense.
It's hard to believe a filmmaker would skip a cut scene, especially when he mentions that he looks at games a bit differently than the rest of us.
I don't look at games differently than anyone else. I just enjoy reverse engineering because I do so much of my job in Unreal Engine. Thanks for checking it out!
"Why is the music so good?"
Because it's the one song you hear the entire game. It's gotta be good.
The whole game is one big cinematic experience, honestly. First of all just on surface level, it's one giant love letter to Starship Troopers. But beyond that, even in gameplay, there are cinematic moments happening *constantly*, from the giant explosions to the hordes of bugs to the slow march of the bots. Even just standing on your ship watching your cape blow in wind that definitely shouldn't exist in said ship. It's fantastic.
I love it when filmakers analyse video cinematics and its really interesting as a gamer to get this insight into how they made it.
Keep up the good work! there's alot more out there that will blow u away, even older stuff like Starcraft 2 cinematics.
If u want something completely else check out Punishing: Gray Raven | Fate Unchained trailer, its really well done in many ways for a animation.
And those Bile Titans are indeed massive and u need alot of firepower to one take down.
That or a drop pod to the body, i've seen people do that.
Thank you! Means a lot! And I'll add those to the list!
Love that we have smaller studios making games that are just designed to be fun. You don't need to be super dramatic or story focused just make it fun and people will buy it.
This was such an awesome analysis, it almost feel like the director walking us through each shot
This is probably the best react video. Your attention to detail and analysis is nothing short but amazing. Hope your making more react videos
oh man, game trailers are such a gold mine, i'm glad someone who knows their stuff is finally touching on them and using their talents to really dig into what makes them special!
if you want some other really good trailers that might be fun to analyze (imo, with no filmmaking experience), Team Fortress 2's various videos are fantastic. the only real downside i can think of is that they were made using Valve's in-house program, Source Filmmaker, so i'm not sure how much of that will carry over to your knowledge of UE. that said, i would suggest starting with the "meet the" videos if you decide to check it out, since they are a great introduction into the world and the characters within.
Oh fun! Thank you for the encouragement and also the recommendations!
@@JosiahxAnother source with plenty to look at is the EVE Online trailers, shorts and even a movie.
I love the little details of the before/after of the match cut where you can see him with hair and fatter cheeks but after his military service he looks like a man who's been through some things.
This whole breakdown is absolutely amazing, I love how you take apart every scene and it really goes to show that they knew what they were doing when making this cinematic. One other thing I'd add when talking about the scale when it pans over to the titan bug in the video is that they make sure to include some background details, the sand dunes and strange rock/mushroom formations in the background just add to the size of this enemy even though we've already seen the size of the others, it's just an extra little thing to add to how big it is
I love the inspirational theme song.
The score is half of what makes the game so good. I feel so pumped every time I drop in the game.
Every time.
A good score makes any game or movie 100% better.
(Imagine Star Wars with an 80's scifi/synthesizer music.)
The music is so, so good.
This entire game is a cinematic experience, even it's loading screen doesn't feel like a loading screen because it's your pods being deployed, and just as the pods are fired, the main leitmotiff of the game plays in heroic trumpet, followed by heroic brass ensemble. The loading screens in this game don't feel like loading, they feel like democracy is coming, the game is so damn immersive, you just can't help but get dragged into the game's universe, you become a Helldiver fighting to defend super earth
Laying down your business case for your Filmmaker Reacts plan = instant sub from me. I like it when someone reacting has a reason to learn more from their reaction to content.
Briliiant analysis! Love your insight!
this is great! as someone who’s just started in Unreal to create short films I loved hearing your insight on this. Always enjoy your work dude!
thank you for joining the cause. we need you on either melevelon creek or hellmire!!!
DEMOCRACY WANTS YOU!
This guy’s reactions are actually worth watching idk what else you do but I’m subbing
Nice job, enjoyed your breakdown. Another filmmaker reacts channel to follow I guess! Despite being a pretty common type of content these days, each one really has their own style and adds different things to the conversation.
I just love all the scenes where they get sprayed with gore. It makes it look like they’re getting it thrown at them from just off screen by some stage hand. It makes it so much better than if they were just getting sprayed from what feels like a real source.
11:02 that dubstep BWAMP I knew it was gonna be a good game. NOBODY incorporates those amazing noises in videogames nowadays. I love their sound team
Every time I open the game I watch the intro , get me emotional ❤❤❤
If you are entertained by the intro, you should look into the game from the mission start, the dive to the actual gameplay.
This game is pure cinematic gold, especially during Bot missions.
one other thing I notice with the bugs growing big in the shot compared to later shots you see the narrative of it shift. The bugs are changing from growing bigger to growing in numbers but at the same time the bugs are being shown as smaller and lesser in comparison to the Helldivers. the trailer also has vibes similar to what you normally see in military recruitment advertisements you might see on tv. The whole trailer is sending a subliminal message that if you remain a civilian the big and scary bugs will come and get you even on your clearly safe world, BUT if you become a Helldiver the bugs will be just a swarm of weak foes for the awesome Helldivers to squash.
The creative source behind much of the feel u get from this ad is from actual wartime narratives in the press during WWII. it was further nailed down in the ads you saw in Starship troopers the movie.
The gameplay on it's own can almost produce more cinematic shots than the ones in the trailer, especially max settings on PC. They really nailed night time and fog, in particular.
IKR, that alone makes the game stand out.
I think the best way to sum up this whole game is letting creatives be creative. There are times details in every bit of game play that adds depth. It's such a good game
There are tons and tons of this in almost every part of the game too, from the user comments on the military hardwar in the ship to the AI voice overs while playing. The whole game is cinematic.
The shadows in the "street" portion of the video are all over the place.
When he waves to the soldiers, they're perpendicular to the road. In the wide shot they're at 45 degrees away from the car. In the over the shoulder shot they're back to being perpendicular to the road, and he's casting a shadow on his own back. During the attack the shadows are now at 45 degrees towards the car.
The music in this game is phenomenal.
I think they absolutely killed it!
I could recommend the Warcraft 3 either the "reign of chaos" or "Frozen throne "cinematics. They are a little old but still good
A breakdown of the cinematic trailers for Batman: Arkham City, Arkham Origins and Arkham Knight would be cool to see next! Those are very well done.
The buzzcut haircut on the snap transition was great as well.
Dude this was a great breakdown! I'd love to see your analysis of the Astartes animation. If you love sci fi you'll probably enjoy it.
Excellent analysis! I love the vibe in this game. The themes and setting have a real, tangible effect on most peoples state of mind when they play it. It lowers the toxicity and makes people laugh when an accidental team kill happens, which is great.
Awesome breakdown and reaction
thank you!
This was fun to watch! Sure, more of it.
11:43 i think they did something interesting there. Its supposed to look like he gets showered with the blood of the bile titan, but it seems more like the blood is coming from not quite the right direction, kinda like they just threw a bucket of the stuff on him from off screen.
12:02 just on a side note, i dont know if you noticed, but that bug was alive, before they planted that flagpole in to its cranium.
It's literally "What if Starship Troopers, but DEMOCRACY?"
5:53 well you go for the appetizer before the main meal.
Very intresting watch, and I'm a HD 2 dev, but I still learned a lot from this video for sure! :D
very cool, Question tho --- can you tell me if the juxtaposition of the human family being killed while he watch versus the bug family being killed while the bug dad watched in the first trooper scene was intentional? or was it just an unconscious coincidence?
Great reaction and analyzation, sir! I'm glad I found your channel! Btw, speaking of Halo and drop troopers, I think you'd like checking out Halo ODST's live action trailer "We Are ODST."
It's just fantastic. It's 15 years or so old and it still gets to me. Anyway, good work and keep on with the great content!
Oh man, the ODST trailer and having to wait a decade for the music to appear on a completely unrelated movie soundtrack.
Me and my buddies were sitting in the cinema and ALL of us just looked at each other within the first two seconds of it coming up.
"I actually skipped past it" me: "ANY DEVIATIONS IN ATTENTION WILL BE CONSIDERED TREASON!"
The first that comes to my Mind is: hey, it has the vibes like starship troopers. They make fun of all of it. It looks trashy because of it, but that is gorgeous.
that moment when you're the 3,000th like
for real though i really enjoyed this lookover of the intro really shows the detail they put into the cinematic
Better than anything Hollywod is doing 😂 Love the Starship Troopers feel
This is what i wish people that do similar reactions like yours would do, 1 plain full vanilla reaction no pausing first and then go back and talk about and nit pick things.
Somebody should tell him actual super earth citizens react like this regularly.
Absolutely loved this type of vid. Watched from start to finish, subscribed immediately after.
thank you so much!!
You should react to the cinematics for Diablo 2, they're super old but they hold up so goddamn well
It’s Starship Troopers x ODSTs
Thanks ! Finally someone who's got some culture ! All of the game is a Starship Troopers ripoff ! ALL OF IT ! This game is a shame !
Ok they've added other types of ennemies... but they just look like T-800, so the ripoff continues.
@@giantjoe202 well in comparison to the officially licensed Starship Troopers game….
@@XtreemAlan I'm comparaing it to the 1997 movie. Just watch it, it's available on many vod's platforms. You'll understand...
@@giantjoe202 im sorry its not on xbox lmao
@@cmdrfokker What are you talking about ?
While HD2 does get a decent bit from halo, I think it's worth noting that the similarities in the ODST and the Helldivers mostly stem from the fact that they were both inspired by the Helljumpers from Starship Troopers.
"it's not threatening at all" -as they blow up the bile titan
me: ...flashbacks
Id love to see more reactions on video game trailers/cinematics. Great reaction
Thank you, Mr Josiah, you are the best.
❤❤
One funny thing about the trailer is that unlike what's shown, You can't actually blow a Bile Titan's head up in the game with a single round of Expendable Anti Tank or Recoiless. Even Spear takes 2 shots before killing it. If you really want to blow its head with an EAT or Recoiless, then depending on your aim, it can take around 5-10 shots.
I mean it's all part of the propaganda that the enemies are easily dealt with
ive been loving experts reacting to things I love. found me new expert analyser
You should do the Halo 4 Dr.Halsey recruitment of John117 scene 😊
Enjoyed the analysis. I listened to this on headphones at first. As a dialogue re-recording mixer I recommend you try a de-esser to cut down the somewhat harsh s- and sh-sounds.
On it! Thanks
This game is like a living movie
First time I noticed that the home in the beginning is number 23892 of that street. Ridiculous detail.
This is awesome, I follow you on Twitter but had no idea you had a UA-cam channel. Really cool to see your analysis, so many details I didn't notice!
This is such an awesome reaction. Thanks for the analysis.
Amazed that a filmmaker (you) havent reacted to swtor cinematic trailers
Or have I , and I’m just staggering my release schedule….. hmm 😜
@@Josiahx youtube found nothing :(
@@ralts6464 I just started releasing last week! But I have a few Star Wars TOR videos dropping soon!
I just wanted to point out that most in-game cinematics nowadays are made by Look dev companies like Blur, like the story cinematics in COD games for instance. I think the Arrowhead CEO gave a shoutout to the company that made the intro cinematic for Helldivers 2, but can't remember from the top of my head. It is amazing, and the game music is great too.
Now this is the way to do reaction videos. Love it.
Stoked you like it. Thank you
@@JosiahxYes Sir, outstanding .. May Managed Democracy shine the light of freedom upon you.
"this is straight out of halo"
The entire Warhammer 40K community : "are we a joke to you?" 😂
Haha. A lot of you have showed me the error of my ways 😅
@@Josiahx was gonna say, this is far more Warhammer 40K and Starship Troopers more than Halo, although there is some Halo influence for sure, and obviously Terminator.
Wait, you skipped it the first time? ...Excuse me, I need to call the local Democracy Officer
I'm sorry! I'll do the required pushups to pay for my crimes!
@@JosiahxPush ups? there is only one punishment for being anti democratic. !
Ooh for Animations, maybe Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and the Spyro series. Toys for Bob and Riff Studios
2019 Warframe Intro Cinematic (from Tennocon 2019) is masterfully put together I'd honestly say. Would love for you to see it! The camera movement in particular is brilliant! Ty for your reaction! Loved the video.
Ugh I got chills.....I'm at work. i need to be home to get back to spreading liberty, freedom, and democracy
A game so good you can use it as a reference
right?! very inspiring
The moderators chin structure changed when he switched outfit to helldiver gear
6:08 never ask this man to babysit for you 😨
Hahaha “….fun”
A possible expansion on your sense of scale argument. There are a lot of Terminids including small scavengers (dog sized), Warriors (car sized), chargers (bus sized) and finally the Bile Titan (3 story tall building). But in the cinematic they only showed the Warriors and the Bile Titans. Grounding the scale on the larger side and avoiding information overload.