Action, Excitement, and Huge Piles of Cash.
Payday 2 in 30 seconds.
More than just a shootout, however, Payday 2 also pulls you into a world that lies just beneath Washington's corrupt political surface, where you're more than a petty thief – you're a professional with a purpose. Guided by the shadowy hand of Bain, the man behind CRIME.NET who keeps you one step ahead of the cops and will not hesitate to yell at you for any civilian casualties you're responsible for, you find you have your own safe house with a weapon range and a wall of money. You've got contacts, contracts, and a crew waiting for your expertise to get some crime on. Interested? Then slip on your clown mask, sit back, and take in these 10 things to love about the gameplay of Payday 2.
1. The Reality of It.
Pick your target, make your plan, get your payday.
Rather than just clicking a button and hopping into a mindless murder spree, the game is set up to take you through the process of constructing a heist. You'll browse CRIME.NET to select the sort of job you're interested in for yourself or your group, or join up with strangers to get your payday. Don't feel like waiting for the job you want to appear? Buy the contract yourself.
Once you have your job, you'll purchase assets to help you out and, in the more complicated heists like Big Bank or Hoxton Breakout, you can join your group in the preplanning screen to decide where those assets will be placed and what favors you want to call in with your job's contractor. Draw out routes, circle points of interest, potential guard posts, where you plan to hold out; all to flesh out the finer details that will help you pull off the perfect heist.
But heads up – if something can go wrong, it will go wrong.
2. The Dynamics (or Murphy's Law).
If you're seeing this on Day 2 of Rats, you've either gotten greedy or something's gone wrong.
Here, “dynamics” refers to the intentional nuances in the gameplay and not to things like someone in your crew lobbing a grenade into your van before the heist even starts. Maybe this door was open last time and is closed this time, a guard's patrolling in a different spot, or the cameras have been moved. Maybe the manager has his key card, or maybe he left it on his desk. Why did the drill stop working? Where did this prostitute come from?? By all that is warm and fluffy in the world, why is there an extra “escape” fight after the heist is officially finished?!
Why love something you didn't or can't plan for? Inconvenient as it can be sometimes, it ensures Payday 2's world isn't static. It makes each heist a slightly different experience and keeps you on your toes, weaving you into the narrative the game's spinning. You are forced to pay attention, to be in the moment, to sometimes need to improvise and test your skill. It rides that delicate line between fun and frustration right on into Excitementville.
3. It Offers a Veritable Heist Buffet.
Dallas and Wolf quietly cleaning out a bank vault.
Some are loud, some are stealthy, some last one day, some progress over several days. You can knock over a bank, cut your teeth on some convenient stores, rig elections, frame a senator with fine art and some planted cocaine, or you can cause absolute destruction in a mall to send a message (but watch the civilians!). Maybe take over a meth lab and try not to blow it up while doing some cooking and holding off a police assault.
Or, if you're feeling particularly ballsy, bust an old friend out of prison and then break into the FBI to try to find out who set him up.
There's a flavor of heist for every palate or aspiring criminal mastermind.
4. The Challenges are Almost Endless.
This is my nightmare.
There are no lack of ways to challenge yourself. Normal, Hard, and Very Hard difficulties can be considered the natural progression of learning to play the game – the modes you move through as you gain levels, skills, and gear. Overkill mode is that first step outside of your comfort zone, and where communication and planning become mandatory. You and your group will need to be on top of your game. Meanwhile, Deathwish is exactly what you'd think it would be. Who doesn't dream of kiting a parade of bulldozers around downtown? Add Pro Job onto any heist from Hard to Deathwish, and the pain just got upped that much more. Bulldozers become Skulldozers, normal breakable security cameras become indestructible Titan Cams.
And when normal game challenges aren't enough, go for harder achievements. Is the Hoxton Breakout job on Overkill and above no longer challenging enough? Grab your friends and go in with 0 skills, wearing only your suits, and using only two very specific weapons for Tabula Rasa (warning: you may not still be friends when it's over). Maybe punch a Bulldozer to death with boxing gloves during an Overkill mission for Knockout! (nothing could possibly go wrong), or try killing a leaping Cloaker with a grenade launcher for Not Today. Good times.
5. The Variety of Weapons and Customizable Loadouts.
Your weapon is your baby – your shooty, blasty baby. Dress it up, name it, and take it out to play.
Assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, shot guns, grenade launchers, sub-machine guns, light machine guns, even things like a power saw or a bow all comprise Payday 2's extensive armory; each weapon coming with a variety of mods to tweak them to your needs. The game started with only 40 different weapons, and is now overflowing with all types. And while DLCs usually introduce new thematic weapons, old staples like the CAR-4, available to everyone, remains one of the most versatile and effective weapons a clown could need.
6. A Build for Every Type of Criminal.
Through the main skill trees and situation-tweaking perk decks, the gameplay in Payday 2 is highly customizable.
The Mastermind is good at manipulation and inspiration, be it controlling a scared crowd, converting a surrendered cop to the cause, or getting a fallen crew member back up with a shout. The Enforcer brings the muscle, the armor, and the ammo, while the Technician takes care of the drills and explosives needed to get to those hard to reach spots. The Ghost is quick and quiet and not much can keep it out – if done right, no one will ever know the ghost was there – whereas, the Fugitive is a fighter that's always on the run, relying on a light loadout and constant movement to evade his enemies while picking them off.
Try one, try them all, and then mix and match. Discover the synergy between different trees and come up with things like a Tech-Forcer or Ghostermind. Fill out and load different perk decks to further enhance your experience. The number of possibilities is criminal.
7. A Crime Opera That You Can Tailor.
Music composer, Simon Vilkund, explains music's role in Payday 2.
It's no secret that the purpose of music in any game is the same as its purpose in a movie: to help set the mood, to drive a feeling home, even if that feeling is “things have hit the fan.” The music in Payday 2 provides that in spades; a quiet tension, the slow crescendo of building action, a rush of adrenaline, all out mayhem, and even reflection.
And then they take it a step further, allowing you to create your own playlist with their music, listen to whatever your host has lined up, listen to tracks at random, or make your own selection for a particular heist.
8. It Just Keeps Coming.
Released only a few days ago, the Golden Grin Casino DLC introduces a new heist, new weapons, mods, masks and customizations, achievements, and even a new crew member.
The world continues to open up, the Payday gang continues to grow, and the story continues to unfold with DLCs that are released monthly and additional content such as mod and weapon packs and gameplay updates woven in between, leaving avid Payday fans with no shortage of things to do.
With the flood of content, how does someone keep up with it all?
9. Free Stuff and Generosity.
When the Official Payday 2 Group on Steam reached 1.15 million members, Overkill Software released the Hoxton Breakout, a huge DLC, for free.
Despite having a track titled “Ode to Greed,” Payday 2 boasts a sizable amount of free content, including free weekends where people who don't have the game are encouraged to come try it. And, unlike many games, it has a lenient approach to accessing the DLC heists that come with an actual price tag. Through community challenges and campaigns set up by game developers Overkill Software and Starbreeze Studios, as well as doing it just because they can, a good deal of Payday 2's DLC comes at no charge. As for the rest, as long as the person hosting the group has the DLC, the entire group can play it with them. Through this, while you won't be able to access the weapons, mods, and such that comes with the DLC if you haven't already bought it, you also won't be completely denied access to the new heist.
Sharing is caring, clowns!
10. Masks Mean Business... And Style.
An overview of the mask's role in Payday 2 and the amount of customization that can go into personalizing one.
It's a well-known fact that clowns are scary. Thankfully, your options are extensive for letting others know you're ready for some crime. With the crazy number of masks, materials, patterns, and colors available, it is unlikely that any two customized masks will look alike. Wear them for prestige, showing off your infamy level or physical proof that you've completed certain achievements, or wear them for flavor, showing off your own personal flair. Serious or silly, goofy or grotesque, the sky is the limit, with your mask putting the finishing touch on your Payday experience.
Payday 2 provides an insanely fun, unique experience with its dedication to wrapping the player in every aspect of a heister's life and its enthusiasm for making sure you never run out of new things to do. Whether you decide to jump right in or wait for a free weekend to try it out, it's definitely worth the time. Until then, stay frosty!
