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Promo piece for Payday2.
Normally, I dislike multiplayer games. The idea of facing off against people, or worse, relying on people in games rarely fills me with glee. People are assholes, plain and simple. I know that's an unfair generalization, but I and people I know have had enough bad times online to sour it completely. That isn't to say I abhor online games. I often enjoy a round of Bad Company 2 or Red Orchestra 2, and am waiting for Killing Floor 2 with baited breath. Rather, it just means I tend to play online games with a grain of salt, and no game had more salt surrounding it for me then Payday 2.
With most online games, you can just hop in with random people and have a good time, as long as that's what everyone is there to do. Payday 2, however, demands proper co-ordination, possibly more then any other online game I've seen, easily more then most co-op games, like Portal 2 or the Left 4 Dead series. Thankfully I was able to put a crew together and, thanks to a fortunate sale, found myself in one of the most enjoyable co-op games I've ever played.
Let there be no mistake, you should play this with people you know. The late game heists require co-ordination, and many of them are almost impossible with a team of the game's idiotic AI. Random games with strangers can work, but make sure that everyone on the team is aware of where they should be and what they should be doing. I've seen many a good heist go awry because of one wayward bullet by one wayward player.
Do crimes
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Casing the joint before going guns blazing.
The point of Payday is to do crime. Not once in the game's various scenarios are you doing something legal, or even morally acceptable. This is a game that demands you recognize it as a game. Much like the GTA series. There are plenty of crimes to be sure, everything from simple bank heists and knocking over armored trucks, to the more extreme like stealing a cold fusion engine, or cooking up meth in a police shootout.
Payday 2 also introduces multi-level heists, playing out over a series of days. These mini campaigns are much longer then the simple smash and grab heists, and often payout more at the cost of longer (in some cases extremely longer) mission lengths.
Unlike, GTA or Saint's Row, you're no mindless criminal in Payday 2. The various missions you undertake often require planning and co-ordination in order to make it through. There are mindless run-and-gun missions, but even these have a level of strategy to them, as you attempt to move yourself, your cohorts, or missions specific resources through a hail of gunfire.
Unique to Payday 2 is how it handles civilians. Anyone who watches heist movies, or hell, reads a newspaper knows there's no such thing as a victim-less crime. The levels of Payday 2 are littered with civilians, ready to blow the whistle on you criminal actions, or get in the way of gunfire, costing you precious ammo and making you pay a hefty cleaning cost. Controlling civilians is often required for victory, not just to make sure they don't call the cops, but hostages can be traded for your fallen friends return to play should the situation go sour.
Shoot guns
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squaring off with DC's finest.
Not surprisingly guns play a huge role in Payday 2. There are plenty of options for firepower, and a variety of different unlockable mods to change how your weapons operate. It's often a balancing act between weapon damage and concealment. The stronger the weapon, the harder it is to hide, meaning you can't walk into the location to properly case it. You could roll quietly, but if the shit hits the fan you might not be able to hack it against armored units. It all comes back to the ability to properly plan a heist. You won't need anything heavy if the cops never arrive, and bringing along your silent pea-shooter won't help when your mission is to shoot your way out of an ambush.
It's unfortunate that so many of the game's weapons are locked behind a pay wall. Sniper rifles, light machine guns, and the grenade launcher, as well as a selection of assault rifles, shotguns and pistols are all unavailable in the base game. In fact, so much of the game is locked behind a constant wall of grinding and luck that it's amazing that Payday 2 isn't free to play. I'm now close to 30 hours in and I still haven't unlocked a laser sight, thanks to the game's often ridiculous way of handing out post mission bonuses. There's no way to just acquire what you want, and it's easily the most frustrating part of the game. You can play the game with what's included in the box. With the exception of a .50cal sniper rifle all of the game's best weapons are free, provided you can save up enough in game cash to purchase them, but you'll never really feel like you have access to what the game has to offer.
Suit up
In the recent tradition of trying to Skinner-box players, Payday 2 features an RPG upgrade system. As you preform missions you unlock XP, which levels you up and grants you points. These points can be spent in any one of four classes, each with their own strengths. The Mastermind is an expert with pistols and can heal the team with doctor bags; The Enforcer is a close combat killer with shotguns, armor, and a powerful saw to break open doors; The Ghost is a silent SMG specialist that can knock out cameras with a powerful ECM unit; And the Technician is an assault rifle master armed with turrets and trip-mines. A proper crew will require one of each, and the best missions will put each class to the test. When a plan goes properly it's truly rewarding to see everyone step up to the job and get it done.
As of Oct. 21, 2014 Payday 2 also features a new perk system. Players can choose from a variety of perk decks to upgrade their characters using points gained by completing missions. Disappointingly, the decks aren't that much different from eachother, though the end level perks in each deck can vary wildly. It's just another way to outfit your character the way you like.
Practice make perfect
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Multiple ways of breaching a door.
That's the one thing that Payday 2 really does well, customization and tangible advancement. Everything must be earned, even the DLC weapons must be bought with in-game money. Earning money itself is challenging, and it's a guarantee that your first dozen heists are going to be nasty, dirty affairs. But as you progress you and your crew get better. Civilians become easier to control, guards become easier to pacify, and hordes of angry cops become easier to withstand. You'll unlike silencers, allowing you a stealthy approach, and new ways to enter areas of the levels. You'll become familiar with the way the game works, what the various level layouts can look like, and the best way to use your tools. There's a real feeling of advancement in Payday 2, and earning your way to the top brings a real feeling of satisfaction.
Like the Left4Dead games Payday is clearly based on, the game features a sort of "random" element to it. The various aspects of a level are different everytime you play, from minor details like camera and guard placement, to major factors like where the vault or security room are located. This means that the game never totaly stales, as a level you think you know can be completely flipped the next time you attempt it.
I want my pay day too
Payday 2 is not perfect, in fact, in many ways it's not even as good as other co-op shooters availible. It doesn't quite have the same long-lasting replayability as Borderlands 2, nor does it have the charm and moment-to-moment gameplay as Left4Dead. There's definitely problems with pacing, as some of the levels have a grueling amount of padded objectives (the cold fusion mission is infamous for this, requiring actual knowledge of Cold Fusion), and weapon upgrades are unfairly handed out at random.
What Payday 2 is good for is a group of people that have always wanted to rob banks and get away with it. For just a few moments, or many moments, you can role play as your favorite heist movie, and pulling of a spectacularly hard job is truly a wonderful feeling.
If you want a game to put your planning, shooting, and communication skills to the test, then look no further then Payday 2.
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