Everybody’s had that moment when they sat down with a group of bro’s and said ” hey…we should rob a bank”. I for one have had that talk several times. There’s just something romantic to the mind about robbing a bank it seems. Maybe it’s the thrill of doing something illegal and getting away with it. Till this day I still can’t figure out what’s so exciting about it. But thankfully Payday 2 was released, and allows me to explore why committing crime in the name of the almighty $ is so intoxicating. Did Payday 2 commit grand larceny on my time? Or was it worth the investment?
Payday 2 is the sequel to Payday: The Heist that follows the very limited story of 4 career criminals code-named Dallas, Chains, Hoxton, and Wolf. Besides their code names you aren’t given any information aside from their backstories on what brought them to committing heist’s on a grand scale. But it’s not about who they are, it’s about making all that sweet money; and oh boy! They’re tons of ways to break into the lucrative life of a career criminal.
Committing petty jewelry store robbery’s, to cooking meth and conspiring with politicians to rob art galleries. The list of ways to make a buck goes on and on. Ranging in varying difficulties that continue to increase in difficulty depending on multiple variables. Such as who you’re playing with being one. I cannot stress enough picking your team; because it is the deciding factor if a job is going to go smooth, or end up botched. You don’t want to have that guy that just runs out guns blazing during a bank job ,Kevlared out, directly to the bank teller’s booth as soon as he joins in; running your attempt at a perfect heist.
Having a well diverse team is crucial as well. Having a Mastermind to keep the masses of civilians under control, the Enforcer keeping the law enforcement enforced, a Technician to make sure your gear is running smoothly, and a Ghost to get in and get out with vital information is crucial, though it’s not mandatory. You can still complete a job with a team that have similar character builds, as long as your smart with who’s assign to what duty.
 The level of depth in the character customization in Payday 2 can be overwhelming. There are many tiers of skills, and upgraded versions of those skills that may be purchased with the use of a skill point(s) and cash. I often found myself redoing my skill trees because of skills that just weren’t necessary. But you want to avoid doing this as much as possible since it costs cash to redo a skill tree. You do get refunded your money invested in any given skill tree as well as your skill your point(s) on the upside.
Aside from the character skill customization there is also an in-depth aesthetic component involved. You can customize and create your own unique mask that your character can wear. Little things such material, coloring, patterns all make a difference in your masks appearance. It has been said that there are over 12 million possible mask combinations; and it doesn’t stop just at the mask.
You need to make sure your weapons or tip-top as well. Customizing the grip, barrel, sights, and other small details help in making a weapon suitable for your play style. By changing the grip on your shotgun, you can add better handling to it or increase its visibility because of the new shiny grip.
 But keep in mind you buy all your masks, materials, coloring, patterns weapons, and attachments, nothing is free in Payday 2. I do not recommend going willy-nilly on purchasing everything you can. First off, it’s a waste of money, and you have a finite amount of storage for all off it. You can sell your creations though if you end up buying something or creating something you didn’t want to.
Even the soundtrack, and visuals of Payday2 are cut from a finer cloth for a $40 game. Having a consistent amount of wubstep going through your speakers helps keep your blood pumping. The visuals make every stage stand out as its own. Especially with the constant changing of locations of vaults, cameras, and security guards. All these factors make Payday 2 a unique cooperative game that stands on its own in the world of shooters.
But Payday 2 does have its faults. Those sharp visuals I mentioned could have been sharper. Whenever I played on stage that was darker than usual I couldn’t see certain enemy types. Even maxing out my brightness didn’t help much.
 Then there’s the fact that playing Payday 2 online with friends is almost a must. The A.I. is extremely unhelpful in the single player mode. Especially in jobs where you have to carry bags of loot, since they’re unable to pick them up themselves. You would think in an era where we have super computers from yesteryear in our pockets. We would be able to program an intelligent A.I. for a video game.
Be that as it may, Payday 2 is still a ton of fun. With its constantly varying successful heist requirements, character customization, gameplay, soundtrack, and dream of a perfect heist. Paydays 2 ends up being a very lucrative investment if you want a game to bro out with your friends; and experience the thrill of being a career criminal.
 Verdict:
3.5/5.0
+ Tons of customization options
+ Solid gameplay
+ Good old cooperative fun
– Almost useless A.I.
– Brightness needs work
Publisher(s):Â 505 Games
Developer:Â Overkill Software
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Price(s): PS3 $39.99, Xbox 360 $39.99, Steam $29.99
