[Pc Games] Casper Van Dien geeks out over Helldivers 2's references and gives it a patriotic 10/10—'such a tribute to Starship Troopers it's really quite wonderful'

[Wolf.17]

 

The breakout success of Helldivers 2 has brought renewed focus on the game's major inspiration: Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, loosely based on the Robert Heinlein novel. Even though Arrowhead's done a good job of making the Helldivers universe feel like its own thing, it wears its love for this movie on both shoulder pads, and the game is packed with references and tributes.

 

Starship Troopers generally has been having a good time of late, with contemporary audiences re-discovering one of Verhoeven's typically OTT masterworks alongside some half-decent Starship Troopers games appearing. But it's Helldivers that has really stepped on the gas and ever since its launch Casper Van Dien, who starred as Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers, has shown more than an interest in getting involved.

 

Van Dien recently gave an interview to Gamology, in which he watches some clips of Helldivers 2 cinematics and gameplay and offers some commentary about the similarities he's seeing. The video would be perfect for a democratic drinking game, as it helpfully adds up how many times Van Dien says something along the lines of "it's just like Starship Troopers!" By the end your liver will have died for democracy, son.

"Of course I love the idea of Helldivers 2 and you never know," says Van Dien. "I'm open, you see what happens. I already feel like I'm a part of it. You never know if [it was] Helldivers 2 or the Starship Troopers Extermination game I'd be very interested, it's something I think is cool. Of course I'm very particular with my Starship, I love being Johnny Rico, but the general looks pretty good too in [Helldivers 2]."

 

Van Dien spends most of this video watching things happening in Helldivers 2 and laughing about how similar it is to a given scene or detail in Starship Troopers, but there's no element of meanness here: the actor seems more utterly delighted at how much inspiration Arrowhead's game has taken from the movie.

 

"In Starship Troopers we have a planet called Klendathu and in Helldivers 2 they have this planet called Klen Dauth II," chuckles Van Dien. "Then also in Starship Troopers we talk about Zegema Beach… and they have Zegema Prime. I see all of it, I see the way the guys talk, what they say, I see the bugs, and it is such a tribute to Starship Troopers it's really quite wonderful."

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/casper-van-dien-geeks-out-over-helldivers-2s-references-and-says-it-is-such-a-tribute-to-starship-troopers-its-really-quite-wonderful/