Payday 2: Crime wave Edition

Payday 2 originally came out in 2013 and now being remastered, delivers the same simple and hard hitting concept with all the bonus DLC included. Presenting a four player tactical and action co-op experience like no other. Gamers are set on the journey of several criminal professionals with the aim of the game as conducting and successfully completing high stake robberies, drug trades and more for the US’s Criminal underworld.

There is no overall narrative as such but a collection of various jobs and miniature plots for players to participate in. Often taking on jobs for infamous criminal master minds like the Elephant, a corrupt politician, or Vlad, a feared a unstable Russian gangster who will always eliminate the competition. This means that Payday 2 offers a tremendous quantity of missions to play and a large variation of objectives that avoid the game feeling repetitive. From taking on smaller jewellery stores to helping drug lords make successful trades and even taking on DC’s biggest banks, there is plenty for gamers to take part in. As for many of the larger missions, certain details or objectives will alter drastically, creating multiple ways a level can be played. Payday also holds an immense amount of content not only for missions but for weapons and even cosmetics (masks), knowing that you'll find something new to enjoy.

It is a shame that there a number of objectives within some levels which are tiresomely long winded, dull and often break the flow of the game to an annoying Holt at most times. Having to locate a pass code from a PC within an office of 20 PCs can take it's toll, considering if the police's heavy units mercilessly bring the pain. Not to mention that some missions feel a little too long (The Big bank) and these overly long and tedious objectives don’t help in matter when having to start over again.

Payday 2 delivers an intensely brutal experience that relies highly on good team work and patience under extreme pressure. Certain jobs can be taken on with stealth as to avoid any heavy fire fights, or you can just go in all guns blazing. Pulling off successful jobs will see players relish in cash rewards and XP which can increase on the level of difficulty played. So the higher the stakes, the bigger the reward. Cash can be used to obtain new and improved weapons and gadgets while levelling up will help gain attributes from the multiple skill trees, that’ll keep you playing for the higher rewards and skills that make the game more balanced and enjoyable.

Also with its brilliant sound track, the action is splendidly vibrant and energetic when things kick off.

I did find some issues with the major difficulty spikes. The progression of NPC waves goes out the window when on harder difficulties you feel overwhelmed by ridiculous NPC number and enemies who can take you down in one hit. Riot police with tazers and Splinter Cell style commandos can take you down in one hit and only with a team mate killing them will you be saved. Payday feels frustrating at these times but usually this won't be a major problem in co-op but more so in the single player.

Sadly the single player experience is underwhelming compared to online co-op, thanks to its poor partner AI and mechanics that better fit multi-player rather than offline. It’s only manageable and somewhat enjoyable if you’re a on a higher level with multiple skills to benefit being alone. As your AI partners will not carry loot and won't help out in stealth encounters. I didn't understand why as well there was no off line co-op as this could help with so many of the issues mentioned. Still playing online can overcome a few of these difficulty issues and being equipped with the right tools and skills can often counter out the more powerful enemies.

Even with its short comings and the annoyances of being slightly unbalanced, Payday 2 is a tremendous multi-player experience. It nails the efforts of team work and brutal FPS game-play within a high stakes environment successfully. Aside from the issues of difficulty, I highly recommended Payday 2 for its strong co-op play, brutal and immersive gameplay and great amount of content.