Payday 2 is an online co-op shooter about armed robbery. It hasn’t aged well graphically, but there’s a case to be made for games that receive constant updates for 5 years straight. Even now, it is among the most played games on Steam daily.
Gameplay
Payday is somewhat of an anomaly in a gaming industry dominated by PvP online multiplayer games. It doesn’t offer much in the way of competition, but instead encourages players to work together in planning and executing both dastardly stealth heists and ludicrous action movie stunts. There are loads of guns to choose from, and surprisingly deep skill trees. Difficulty settings are key in deciding how much money your crew will walk away with. These range anywhere from ‘Baby’s First Video Game’ (Normal) all the way up to pure masochism (Death Sentence/One Down), and you expect to properly compensated if you can push through the harder difficulties. The flow of the game also depends heavily on the cohesion and competency of your crew, so playing with a few buddies is always preferable to playing with random people online.
Appeal
From the beginning, Payday: The Heist was an homage to classic bank robbery and heist movies like Heat. Anyone who fantasizes about robbing banks, assaulting armored convoys, and stealing precious jewels will feel right at home. Payday 2 took the formula for the first game and improved it in every aspect, including more skill variety and the introduction of preplanned stealth missions. There aren’t many feelings that compare to the thrill of having your plan for a stealth heist go perfectly. Some of the missions are downright ridiculous and don’t fit with the theme (looking at you, Goat Simulator Heist), but the game doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Why bother?
Payday 2 is a 5 year old game, running on a 5 year old engine. As such, there are all sorts of technological limitations that the devs could’ve overcome if they had created an entirely new game, instead of maintaining the same old game since 2013. However, the love that the devs have put into the game in all that time is evident. Despite its flaws, Payday is immensely popular. Hopefully it will be for awhile until they start on a Payday 3.
The All-Nighter 