In December, Arrowhead Game Studios rolled out the Omens of Tyranny update for Helldivers 2, adding the game’s first vehicle, Fast Recon Vehicle. In terms of the vehicle’s mechanics and controls, Arrowhead did a decent job, however, it is still not as good as the Halo franchise’s Warthog, which is probably one of the most iconic video game vehicles ever made.
Clearly, the FRV is inspired by the Warthog but its handling is nothing compared to Warthog’s handling and the person who must be credited for this is Jaime Griesemer, the game designer of Halo: Combat Evolved and design lead of Halo 2. He laid down the foundation of the vehicle and allowed it to evolve into the beast it is today.
This one tweak allowed Warthog to become one the best in-game vehicles of all time
In a past interview with Engadget, video game designer Jaime Griesemer talked about the process of improving Warthog in Halo 2. The M12 Force Application Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, a.k.a Warthog, was first introduced in 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved.
Most of the vehicle design in Halo 2 was done by Griesemer but his one tweak to Warthog completely changed the way it handled at high speeds, making it one of the best in-game vehicles of all time. Griesemer said,
The real moment of inspiration, for me, was linking the turning rate to the Warthog’s current speed – We implemented that in Halo 2 and it made the Warthog easier to control at top speed, while also making it feel like it was going much faster.
Many sci-fi video games have tried to replicate what Griesemer did with the Warthog but nothing comes close to this beast. The FRV in Helldivers 2 is a great example of this.
The FRV in Helldivers 2 still needs a lot of improvements
The FRV in Helldivers 2 is great but if Arrowhead is aiming to make it like the Warthog, it must give it some more tweaks. The FRV uses an R-N-D-1-2 gear selector layout, which is great but can be complex under stressful situations. Another problem with the FRV is that it doesn’t come with a Park mode or a parking brake. The terrain in Helldivers 2 is often uneven, so it is quite common for the FRV to roll away from the players.
The addition of the FRV has made things a lot more convenient for Helldivers 2 players. It allows players to quickly move around the map to finish objectives, however, its handling could be improved, a much-needed tweak because FRV needs to be agile. There’s still a long way to go for the FRV to reach Warthog’s status.
The iconic vehicle has made an appearance in various Froza video games in the past, in fact, a life-sized Warthog replica was also built by Weta Workshop for use in director Neill Blomkamp’s Halo movie, which was ultimately canceled.
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