Important notice: be sure to scroll down to the end of the review to read an important factor about the Crimewave Edition.
Payday 2 can be best described as Left 4 Dead, but with cops and robbers instead of zombies and survivors. And with the one game to be compared to being so amazing does Payday 2 hold its own against the Co-operative titan or does it fail and falter. Find out here:Payday 2 is a cops and robbers inspired game. You and three other friends or random people will have various heists, collect loot,fight the cops, and get rich or die trying. There is a lot to see and do and a lot of money to be made. but how does it all come together?
There are a lot of missions you and your friends can tackle. But is it worth it?
A narrative dessert. And that okay.
Since Payday 2 is a multiplayer Co-Op focused game don’t expect a deep and interesting story. However, the game does offer some lore and background through mask and character descriptions and in-game dialogue. It’s a nice effort but sadly one not to many people will care about. Payday 2 does not offer any narrative content and is a strictly Co-Op focused experience.
This is about just as much as you are going to see plot-wise.
Gotta get the cash, gotta get the dough.
Payday 2 is a Multiplayer Co-Operative focused game. You can team up with up to three other friends or you can go to Crime.net which basically the server lobby where you can go and play with random people. The game is a lot like Valve’s Left 4 Dead in its design. Players need to work together as a group or they won’t survive. A lone Wolf just like in Left 4 Dead won’t only die really fast but will actively destroy just about any chance of completing the mission. Dropping ammo bags, health kits and reviving fallen teammates is crucial to complete objectives, every player has a job and has to look out for each other. The loot and experience you get when completing missions allow you to buy weapons, use skill points to unlock perks and extra equipment and mods to customize your weapons and at the end of every mission you get a randomized card which gives you mods, cash, and masks. While missions are aplenty the structure of the levels pretty much follows the same pattern. Get in, go to a specific spot, install and protect the drill, grab the loot and get to the escape vehicle. Sometimes specific parts of the missions drag out and while protecting something like a drill will become tiresome as all you do is wait around for the drill to finish.There also is an offline feature which lets you play with AI partners. The offline mode feels like it shouldn’t even be here since the AI is awful at shooting at its targets and never does any of the objectives.It’s up to you and only you to finish this Co-op Focused game. The only thing the AI is competent at is reviving the player but with that being the only redeeming factor the offline is useless and with the exception of a few levels most are incomplete-able without friend or human players. The enemy AI isn’t much better but the sheer amount of enemies is what get the players. Enemies will run right past you or stand right in front of you. Stealth is also a huge part of the game and some missions can even be completed without any involvement of the police. However, the game changes things up every time you play a level. NPC’s, doors and even things like the vault locations will change, making sure you must adapt to all the changes on the go. This makes the game really feels like you are on a bank heist and the pressure always rises when you get spotted. The stealth while a bit rough but levels are completely possible with silencers, body bags, security cameras and having to answer dead guards pagers. The guns take a long time to reload and there is a ridiculous amount of recoil on the guns when shooting compared to other games. However to upset this is a very generous aim-assist which can be turned off. It makes the guns feel very realistic and keeps players from just spraying and praying. Ammo is limited co-operation is important. and there is a lot to unlock. Payday 2’s gameplay is solid fun and certainly worth the price of admission.
Trying to get away with loot you stole while the cops are after you in a dance club is really exhilarating.
An essential Co-op experience.
Visually all across the map.
Graphically Payday 2 is all over the place. Outside environment look pretty good, with the lighting and shadow looking pretty nice. However, the insides of buildings look pretty boring and bland. On top of that a lot of texture look slightly blurry while other things look nice. The gunfire sounds real and makes the gun fight sound almost too real. The gun fights get visceral and exciting. The music is in its own league. With the tracks having mostly a vibrant techno tune. The soundtrack is amazing and most often you will stop and find yourself bobbing your head to the slick tracks. The games graphics might be all over the place but the soundtrack is absolutely sublime.
If only all area’s looked this nice.
Closing note:
Payday 2 is a great game. The gameplay is solid and Co-Op is the main attraction of the game. The offline is useless and unplayable due to bad AI and graphically it’s a bit of a clusterf*ck. The way the gun feel and sound is great and feels realistic. With almost every battle feeling like a variation of the street fight in HEAT. The soundtrack is certainly something that stands out as an amazing accomplishment. all of this combined make for a great experience that players with friends will certainly enjoy.
(Crimewave Edition): The Crimewave edition slightly improves the graphical finesse. It runs at a smooth 30 to 40 frames per second and the resolution is bumped up to 1080p. While the textures are improved the indoor environments still look drab and bald. All the previous DLC is included and the developers stated that if there is going new DLC it’s going to be free. If you haven’t gotten Payday 2 and you can’t run it on PC this version is a good bet. One might say a steal. I’m sorry
