Payday 2
Overview -
Likely inspired from films such as Heat or The Dark Knight as well as the brilliant bank heist level in Grand Theft Auto IV, the original Payday: The Heist broke out in 2011 as a download only title and caught the interest of PC gamers around the globe. Fast forward a couple years and the creators have launched Payday 2 on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. At its core, Payday 2 is a cooperative game designed to be played with three friends in order to strategically enter a bank and keep the situation under control while robbing the joint for the maximum amount of loot.
Video Review
Visually, this game isn't going to win any major awards. While the outdoor environments are well designed, the indoor sections of the levels are relatively sparse and character models of the civilians are repeated over and over. This is likely the case in order to bring the focus to the actual gunfights. Regarding hit detection, the engine is significantly better than the original Payday. It's definitely easier to fend off an incoming attack of police forces.
Audio Review
Alternatively, your sound system will be put to the test with the large variety of sound effects, specifically gunfire. The development team did a fantastic job capturing the same type of ringing shots you heard in the urban heist scene of Heat. The quality of the voiceovers is also solid, but there's not a large variety of them. It's actually better to focus on the voices of your teammates. The music fits the style of the game, but isn't particularly interesting.
Payday 2 is not without faults, but the positive aspects of the game outweigh the negative. You should only pick up this game if you plan to play it online and playing over Xbox Live is preferably due to Microsoft's native platform for voice communication. In addition, the dynamic level loading system means you will be able to replay the same mission repeatedly and experience a new result each time. If you are a fan of first person shooters and strategic thinking, you will have a blast with Payday 2.
