I so desperately wanted to love the first Payday but really couldn’t get into it. Which is odd really because I’m a huge fan of co-op experiences in general and heist gameplay seams an ideal setting for an online experience. So I had high hopes for Payday 2 to be the game I was waiting for.
Since the first Payday the UI’s and menus have been completely overhauled. They’re easy to use and look good too. The first thing you’ll be doing is wandering around your safe house figuring out the basics. There isn’t really much to it but it’s nice to be able to figure things out without getting shot at or being the noob that ruins the heist for everyone. Other than the FPS mechanics every interaction you have can be accomplished by holding R2. It works well in game and ensures there are no fumbles with the pad at that crucial moment when every second counts. Even when there are multiple options close to one another, such as the options for opening a safe, you can accurately and efficiently select the one you want.
And there will be plenty of options for you to choose between as well. Maps have a very clever system that changes quite large sections noticeably from one game to another. For example there are several missions that are based in a bank, each with different objectives. But even if you play the same mission twice the map may be quite different. There are two locations for the vault door to be in, each presenting different challenges as you wait patiently for that drill to break through. On top of the obvious changes planks of wood to board up windows can appear in different places, a safe might be behind a counter or not even present and the location of the escape zone can make or break a mission. Altering the maps in this pseudo-random way keeps missions fresh and interesting.
After a little while you’ll accumulate enough money and level up points to get yourself some new kit. Be it perk style upgrades or weapons and equipment Payday makes you pay big for upgrades. The nice menus help when choosing your perks and it’s much more user friendly than the first game. The upgrades are plentiful and can make a huge difference to pulling off a slick and successful heist. I’ve yet to reach the top upgrades but I can’t wait to try them out which keeps me coming back for more time and time again. The upgrades are difficult enough to acquire yet make enough of a difference to the gameplay that there is quite an RPG feel to progression.
The learning curve is about as steep as they come meaning your initial playthrough on most levels will probably be spent figuring out what the hell is going on. And of course attempting to keep foolishness to a minimum. But as you carry on playing you find yourself developing effective strategies and being able to effectively find your targets and get the goods. And if you want to progress in Payday you are going to need a lot of money.
Attempting missions on higher difficulties is by far the most effective way to win big on Payday. The police become considerably more ferocious the higher the difficulty is but it’s worth the effort when you find out how much cash you made it out with. Also on offer are “Pro Jobs” which are essentially multiple jobs back to back that each have average pay-outs but once you complete the final level you get a massive bonus.The whole idea is risk reward and it works because you need so much cash to get anywhere. Plus, who among us doesn’t like to win big?
Weapons are varied and fun to use with tons of customizations to unlock. Unlocks are first found with a choice of one of three cards given to you at the end of each successful mission. Then you get the option to buy it and attach it to one of your weapons. On top of weapon attachments there are three types of customization for your masks and good old cash rewards too. Finding new items, like levelling up and earning cash, isn’t easy and is going to take time, and skill if you want to do it in a reasonable time frame.
Luckily finding a game, joining it and getting into the action is easy and quick. The only connection problem seems to be if a game becomes full before you get in. But when this happens you are quickly in control again and able to select a different lobby. To select a mission you access “crime.net” which is essentially a pretty UI rather than a list of available games. It looks good and it works fine, but occasionally I do wonder if it adds anything to the game. Games will pop up and disappear periodically and you can usually find a game you want but you can’t just jump straight into your preferred job every time. Truth be told this is probably a good idea even if it just stops every available game always being the same mission.
Although it’s not the best looking game ever it certainly has its moments. Lighting effects from the thermite drill reflect of your gun. When you shoot enemies they respond and react to your gunfire with surprisingly good animations. Despite it not being the greatest looking game ever it still looks good, and more importantly it works smoothly. What Payday 2 loses in the visual department it makes up for in audio. Weapon effects are great and considering the amount of weapons on offer vary a lot. The music that kicks in when the police assault you is fantastic. I challenge anyone not to enjoy the music in Payday 2.
For me, Payday 2 is exactly the game I was hoping for. It adds a massive roster of upgrades and weapons to great objective based FPS gameplay. There’s a definite incentive to earn cash by playing harder difficulties and pushing yourself to complete more complicated objectives. I’ve sunk a lot of time into Payday 2 already and I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon. There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when you pull off a difficult heist. Rejoice! I finally have my heist game.
