QCF: Payday 2

n the tails of Left 4 Dead, pure multiplayer co-op experiences have risen again and won over the hearts of gamers with unique campaign games. Suffice to say these types of games have a lot of potential. However, the unfortunate fates decided that many games after Left 4 Dead tended to continue the path of non-stop shooting instead of exploring the new crazy ideas this potential could offer. There's nothing wrong with pure-action experiences, but sometimes you just end up craving for something more—something more... criminal...

Well Payday 2 seems to be the answer to this. With exciting gameplay and almost cinematic mechanics, this game has had me more interested in FPS multiplayer games, than I ever had been, and made me wonder why we haven't seen this type of game everywhere else by now.

Going into Payday 2 was a complete surprise for me. I had missed the original Payday: The Heist in 2011, and had no idea just how much fun and tense action was in store for me. When I first started the game, I was greeted by a loud intro and impressive action packed displays. This makes the game seem a lot louder than it is but the truth is Payday 2 can be a quiet and tense game, while also having a splash of movie style action.

In terms of movie style action, Payday 2 likes to invoke modern bank heist films. The aim of the game is to execute the most crazy and ballsy crimes that The Town could ever dream of. But while that title may be influential to Payday 2, we can't leave out the impact of The Dark Knight's incredible opening sequence. You can not only see this in the games oddly creepy and cool clown mask designs—which echo that scene- but also in the gameplay itself. As with the plan in that movies heist, these levels require a lot of cunning thinking to pull off. This makes for a new type of gameplay feeling as the A.I really nails the tense environment you'd expect. Through your heists, you will be confronted with a lot of ways to approach situations, and you can use intimidation, pure force, or a host of other possible plans. In addition, the A.I completely sells this. People act hysterical and police will become relentless. This adds for a hectic backdrop to an escalating crime. A crime, which has hooked me into many insanely fun, heists.

The game is built around multiplayer co-op, with a heavy emphasis on teamwork. You'll find that the stages become increasingly hard, which makes executing these plans with your friends an entertaining necessity. I've said this above in the review but it becomes relevant again when playing by yourself. Payday 2's story for example is paper-thin and seems to only set up the multitude of heists. This is where the game might turn people off, as these crimes really slow down on your own, making some level design slightly annoying when long stretches of time seem worse without real company. It's unashamedly a multiplayer title. Don’t get me wrong though, it's a fun game by yourself none the less. Nevertheless, alas, robbing banks in Payday 2 just happens to be infinitely more interesting with others. Playing this game in a group makes for the best option here, with not a single player thought in mind.

Applying this gameplay, cinematic story means something different when describing Payday 2. The movie like quality does not originate from a story or plot (if it even had one), but rather an intention to bring the fun of that situation to you. This stays firmly in the gameplay as the moments like putting on a mask are left for you to enact. You can chose when to reveal yourself and doing so will almost set off a chain reaction. However, you can prove to be sneaky and keep that mask to yourself in another situation. There's also another feature in which you can Max Payne your way out of a death by shooting your enemies in slow motion; a little cliché? Yes, but is it a whole lot of awesome? Let it be declared as a resounding hell yes!

Fortunately, these touches don't wear thin and I always found these cinematic moments heart-pounding. However, this would not be so successful if it wasn't for the controls. For an FPS it's nothing new. Nevertheless, when considered as more of a delivery service for supremely well themed levels and scenarios, it feels just right. On the other hand, it risks this because of the shooting. I often found the guns unwieldy and repeatedly missed my opponents when a weapon seemed perfectly aimed. While your character walks, runs and ducks smoothly the gunplay does not, and if this game relied on it much more I could see it really being an issue.

However this is a small nitpick in an otherwise overwhelmingly fun gameplay experience. Payday 2 is a joy with friends and is very likely to take over your annual Left 4 Dead sessions sometime soon. Maybe it'll even last longer! This is extremely likely as the RPG systems and unique skill-trees give this title a very lengthy replay value. While the 11 multi-stage heists may seem like a lot to begin with, the gameplay runs surprisingly deep enough to warrant even more extra length to your matches.

It's worth noting that this type of heist concept has been done before and recently in Grand Theft Auto 5. It's a fair comparison as they both shares similar inspirations. But GTA just doesn't compare to a full game of brilliantly crazy heist hijinks. This probably makes Payday 2 the best version of this idea on the market.

You could even say it's complex style of FPS co-op has stolen the spotlight.