Check out our Payday 2 review. We robbed, and will continue to rob, banks with our friends!
We’ve all played COD & Battlefield right? Kill the enemy, get the objectives sorted and if you have the most kills you are the best. Payday 2 represents a fun alternative to such mentioned franchises. The aim of the game is to execute robberies without getting caught, or killed.
So far Team Screen Critix have clocked upwards of 40 hours on the game and will continue to play the game after this review. Spoiler alert, it’s pretty damn fun with friends. But what makes it fun? This game requires teamwork. As in talking to each other is a real benefit, usually sprinkled with some amusing humor, to the point where I would suggest everyone having a mic.
“Better watch out for those mall cops” one player said to us after an embarrassing one shot kill. Don’t worry Derek, we got you covered.
The gameplay is good, we love the different classes and the leveling system is great. Having a group of friends who each specialize in a different skill set makes the game more enjoyable. This player loves playing Enforcer, big guns and big armor! The actual mechanics of the game are easy enough to pick up for anyone who has ever played an FPS. Addictions to the formula such as a button to tell hostages to get down on the ground work well.
The missions? They get more complex the more daring you get. For example one mission can have multiple parts, which will see multiple “days” before your payday. The more difficult a job is, the better payed you get. Jobs can also get messy, maybe you will have to evade the cops before getting your money. This can be fun and also scary! Throwing out your Ill gotten gains in the street and having to transport them to a new getaway vehicle.
Strategic gameplay is essential on harder settings, unless you want a heavily armored “bee keeper” ,as we nicknamed them, smashing you with his shotgun. A bit of pre-planning can go a long way. On one level we spent time collecting planks of wood, as others picked locks and obtained a thermal drill, before setting off the heist. Once the heist started windows were boarded up, hostages tied up, the drill was set on the safe, one man stayed on the roof killing enemies, and the rest each had an area to keep clear of cops. When the drill had finished we quickly bagged the money, sawed open some safe deposit boxes, and then worked towards transporting the money to our escape spot. Job done!
One of two complaints we have, they are only minor, is that at times the AI can be a bit clumsy. For example, on occasion AI has just walked straight past me without recognizing that I am there. The other complaint? Sometimes, twice to be exact, in our 40 hour play through the end of a mission can ‘bug out’ to the point where completing isn’t possible. This can be frustrating after a difficult heist.
Overall thoughts:
Payday 2 is an amazing alternative to the tired FPS franchises. The gameplay is addictive, playing with friends is awesome, and pulling off a flawless heist is seriously cool.
Version tested: PC via Steam.
Available here: Steam.
Payday 2 links:
http://www.overkillsoftware.com/
Want to play games with Screen Critix? Add our steam account “screencritix” and you could rob banks with us.
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