Payday 2 | PlayStation 3 | PS3

About the Game

PAYDAY 2 is a one-to-four player co-operative perspective shooter with strong stealth and tactical elements. It is the follow-up to Payday: The Heist where, once again, players can engage in heists of varying degree of difficulties as members of the Payday Crew. Much like the original, the player can rob banks, jewelry stores and the like, but can also take part in operations that can last several days and include a considerable variety of objectives, such as stealing art from a museum, moving drugs, destroying evidence or money, and engaging in wanton destruction of property to complete a mission. The game, broadly speaking, is played in one of two modes.

Gameplay & Core Systems

Players can either use stealth to avoid detection and the attention of police officers, completing heists "quietly", or they can "go loud", guns blazing, for an extended combat engagement with police followed by an escape. Rewards include cash, which is used for a variety of purposes including buying weapons and decorating masks; weapon mods, which come in great variety and can be used to significantly enhance weapon performance; new masks; and safes, which contain weapon skins. The rarest of weapon skins have functional bonuses. There are four classes of skills, which can be mixed and matched to customize one's build: Mastermind, Enforcer, Ghost and Technician. Mastermind skills involve pistol and assault rifle use, and include converting police officers to defend the players.

Enforcer skills hover around "tanking", shotguns and heavy weapons. The player purchases these skills using skill points earned by leveling up from XP gained in heists. Players can maintain several different build slots, and any can be adjusted or fully respec'd (reset and rebuilt from the ground up) at any time outside of an actual heist. On top of this level-and-skill system, the player also progresses through "Infamy" levels; a player who has hit level 100 can reset their character to level 1, gaining one infamy level and a small permanent boost. This effectively serves to show a player's level of progression in the game, with veteran players having 5+ levels of Infamy.

Co-op play is online-only, and players can host game sessions on the game's central server, called Crime.net, either privately so only friends can join, or publicly so anyone can join. Co-op play is drop-in, so players can join a game with an open slot at any time before the objective is completed. The game can be played solo offline, with up to three AI companions who can be selected and equipped per player preference.

Standout Features

• Normal: Each mission can be completed at seven different degrees of difficulty, from "Normal" at the low end to "Death Wish" at the hardest, with consequently greater rewards.

Presentation & Atmosphere

Technician skills include setting gun turrets, carrying shaped explosive charges, and SMG use.