Review: Payday 2

G'day there guys and gals!

There have been plenty of titles under the label "First Person Shooter" and each has few similarities between each other. Some see you fight a nation, others fighting a team or conclave of enemies, the list goes on. However never before have I seen a game where you directly play as the robber, as the thief in the modern world. With the sequel, Payday 2, players will feel the addicted experience once more.

I have never played the original game in the series (Payday: the heist) due to it limited console and PC release, I had no idea what type of game I was diving into, I was only going off gameplay I saw in a Youtube video. What I came to realise was how addictive and fun this game can be.
First off, storyline. This game has got a small amount of storyline but this doesn't effect it that much; you will meet with different people hiring you for specific jobs on different days and specific Paydays, each with tasks to perform from standard jewelry robbery to cocaine, stealing valuable paintings and so much more. While little storyline, the gameplay and multiplayer is pushed beyond a point of brilliance. Simple yet great.
Before each heist, weapons, gadgets and all sorts of options can be chosen (but I'll get on that in a little bit) and then it begins. For example, let's take Nightclub. Players must make their way (either guns blazing or sneaking through it all) to the owner's office, break into his safe and make it out with the cash to the escape van. Players can interact with many things in each map such as picking locks on doors, breaking their way through chicken wire fences and of course, searching through cash registers and various other things for money. Civilians also play a massive role in the game: if they are brought to an alarm, they will try to run and escape like chickens in fright. Players can either tie them down or force them down by demanding them to do so, however they will eventually try again. Police officers and various other enemies can also untie or free them BUT less civilians means more SWAT and FBI enforcement to come bearing down on you. This is what keeps the gameplay dynamic; each mission brings new objectives and different ways to tackle it.
The multiplayer itself (The new feature Crime.Net) is one of the best connecting multiplayers I have ever seen. Crime.Net gives players the option of joining any ongoing or set up match with friends or other gamers. I have truly never seen a multiplayer (even when I was using other equipment with internet accessed) run so fast and efficiently. It's clear to see that Overkill and 505 have worked hard on this new feature.
If you feel like ranking up alone, the Crime.Net offline is the way to go. I will warn you however, even simple missions can be extremely difficult.

Customisation is extremely detailed and fun but can be a little tedious. Weapons can cost a hell of a lot to unlock but the higher rank you go, the more money you can earn. Weapon modification is slightly annoying, even when unlocking different equipment for your weapons, you still need to pay for them. You can have several silencers in stock but still have to pay over $60'000 for each weapon you use it on. Mask customisation is the same and unlocking them seems to be even more rare. Their choice on how to do so is brilliant (as there are so many shoutouts to other popular games and series from Portal to Harry Potter) but higher payouts are a must even when unlocked. Graphics aren't much to shake a stick at, shading only renders when you're a few feet from it and NPC faces tend to repeat. Audio and sound effects are something to marvel over. NPC's cries for help, weapon firing and even drills sound are quite realistic and add good atmosphere, the musical score is also something to admire. There are very few games that have electronic or dubstep in their vocabulary and while I may not be a fan the music is very suiting to the moment, each beat synchronised with fighting off the police, cracking open a safe or even teabagging civilians in the nightclub.

While the game offers nothing more than a multiplayer experience with very little difference solo, Payday 2 is definitely an underrated game. What small issues it has with graphics and flawed customisation, the game can make up hours of fun with friends or the extremely courteous community. Payday 2 is definitely worthy of a purchase.

Out of 10, I give Payday 2 an 8.5/10

+Gobsmackingly good multiplayer
+Creative musical score, from classical to dubstep
+Gameplay is simple but in a refreshing way
+Item unlock is as simple as choosing a card...literally
+Customisation is wide and rich...
-But slightly flawed in unlocking
-Graphics, while refined, are fairly dated

 Payday 2 is out now on the Xbox Games Dashboard for the standard price of $60