Payday 2 PC Review
Summary: Payday 2 is a Co Op game. While it might have benefitted with a cool story arc for a single player mode the game offers a great outing with 3 other friends for an experience that will keep having you come back for more. Payday is simply put the improved, polished and closest experience you’ll find to robbing an actual bank. It’s just legal.
4.6
It's Legal
The “Point Break” of video games is back for a second helping. Putting everyone’s secret dream of being a bank robber into play has never looked so good!
This time developer Overkill has put on all the bells and whistles. Chains, Hoxton, Wolf and Dallas return for another string of heists, great escapes and killing some cops! With the added fun of an in depth levelling system and extreme money making.
The game is simple. Pick a job, perform it well, clean up and become richest s.o.b there is. A mysterious system called Crime Net sets up multiple contracts that can be chosen from a variety of heist types including classic styled robberies, escaping from the cops and stealth based levels that are run over a few days. Even though the game contains well over 30 different heists, no mission will play out the same way, due to randomised mission factors, which can honestly give the game countless replayability. I loved this part of the game. Just when you think you have the level down pat and can finish it flawlessly, the mission throws a curve ball and things are spawned in completely opposite areas they were previously. Its ads a great deal of realism.
Single player is basically a no go, while missions can be done on your lonesome, the AI won’t help you with any of the objectives. Meaning, no carry out the money bags, no tying down hostages and forget their help on fixing a drill. The only help they do offer is extra ammo bags and a pick up if you get knocked down. Payday 2 is meant for Co Op. snatch up to three other friends over Steam and jump into a game. Your team mates are exactly that, your team. If you are a regular Rambo going gung ho through levels you’re just going to end up getting gunned down, picked off by the cops. Your team mates are your friends, stick by them make a plan to get through the level. We personally found it easiest to get one guy on the main objective, two on the cops and the final guy getting the secondary objectives. Ensuring this gives you the best option for survival.
Gunplay and shoot outs, Payday 2 offers no real tutorials on how to complete a heist; they simply set the objectives and give you multiple outcomes on how to get through. Every heist is filled with secrets that will give you bonuses and different paths to freedom. My suggestion is don’t read walk throughs. Just pick up the game and work it out yourself it’s half the fun.
As most sequels will try and improve on what the previous had, Overkill has decided that improving just wasn’t enough. They had to blow the original out of the water. ‘Payday: the heist’ only had 6 heists to take part in Payday 2 boasts over 30. The levelling system is completely different this time. You have 4 very unique skill trees to conquer. While ‘Payday: the heist’ had this too I found that all the skill trees just blended together and it was difficult to understand the difference between the classes. The astounding level of customisation is one of Payday 2‘s greatest strengths. The skill trees this time around are the Mastermind (essentially the leader of the pack, he can off strategies and healing to the team), the Technician (forget standing around waiting for someone to pick locks, use the tech to blow a hole in the wall), the Enforcer (basically the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the team, he is your gunman) and the Ghost (he is the stealthy mofo, use him to jam electronic devices, and scanners).
“So why am I robbing the banks” you ask? For the money of course! The cash can be spent throughout the game to purchase guns, skills, masks and eventually the game offers the purchase of machine gun turrets and trip mines. When it comes to purchasing of firearms, Payday 2 offers an abundance of choice, handguns, machine guns, shotguns, assault rifles and more. Each with customisable and interchangeable parts that are randomly rewarded at the end of each heist. As the game progresses you can evolve from a pathetic excuse of a chump criminal to a mastermind brut.
Graphics and Audio
The graphics look on par with that of a full priced retail game at only a third of the price. Overkill has definitely upped the quality since their last outing. The locations in Payday 2 are well designed and visually detailed. My only wish was that I could have spent more time outside getting some rays, as the level design of the outdoor environments are very appealing to the eye while the confinements of the indoor locales are bland and gloomy being that they are banks and jewellery stores. However that can’t really be a complaint being the game is based inside robbing banks. The HUD is clean and simple, nothing cluttering the screen and covering what you should be looking at. Characters and enemies are basic, while most look the same, you are fighting against hordes of uniformed officers so really other then their faces they should look somewhat similar. I did find groups of triplets that must have joined the force as a family… it’s ok they died as a family too… heh heh
Final Thoughts
Payday 2 is a Co Op game. While it might have benefitted with a cool story arc for a single player mode the game offers a great outing with 3 other friends for an experience that will keep having you come back for more. Payday is simply put the improved, polished and closest experience you’ll find to robbing an actual bank. It’s just legal.
Ryan Adams – Impulse Gamer Reviewer
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