VERMINTI DE II

Tom: There is some seriously excellent hitting in this game. When you whack a rat in the head with a hammer it blows up, and the poor creature stumbles around a bit before falling over dead. Top hitting.

Vermintide II is also a great example of how sequels can realize the intentions of the original game. With a fanbase and more resources, Fatshark added a more engaging loot system, new environments, and loads more enemies to clonk with hammers. I’ve always thought that more games should copy the co-op setup established by Left 4 Dead, but Vermintide carves out its own niche with a strong melee focus and a surprisingly good realization of the old world of Warhammer. I love it for that, but even if you’re not a fan, anyone can enjoy mashing up hordes with some mates. Samuel: I found Vermintide II too hard at launch, and I still don’t quite get the loot system, but it’s a much better version of what the first game was going for. Like Tom says, the combat is so much better than the original, to the point where I switched characters just so I had the opportunity to batter things more frequently. Wes: I had fun with the first Vermintide, but it didn’t have quite the variety to keep me coming back. Vermintide II does not have that problem. Sometimes I’m chopping giant ratmen in half, and sometimes I’m decapitating raving Chaos lunatics. That’s all the variety I need! The subclasses and leveling system for each character are also great: I mainly played as grumbly dwarf Bardin Goreksson, but by switching a few abilities I could be a hyper-aggressive dual axe-wielding Slayer or a tanky shield-bearing Ironbreaker. Phil: It’s been said already, but damn, Vermintide II is some good hitting. I play Kerillian, meaning the majority of my time each mission is spent manically clicking the mouse, watching her spinning daggers slice through an actual horde of rats. There’s a weighty presence to your foes that makes slicing, dicing, and bludgeoning them feel incredibly satisfying. It might offer some of the most enjoyable melee combat in PC gaming. That it’s also a great way to spend time with friends just makes it all the better.