[REVIEW] Payday: The Heist

Jordan Nakasenh
(PlayStation 3 [Reviewed], PC)

For guys in clown masks, they’re not very funny

Eh? What do you mean by heist? Well, we’re talking classic shootouts, hostage situations, and getting every single dollar you can grab. To strip Payday: The Heist down to the basic idea of the game, it plays very much like a cops and robbers extravaganza. To be successful, players will have to coordinate well with their teammates so they can properly complete these objectives.

Players can choose either to play with the A.I., or with teammates online. Sometimes the A.I. can be a pain, but it’s good practice to know the maps ahead of time before going online. Don’t sway too far away from the objective or else your heist will be harder and harder to complete as time goes by. The online is fairly solid and there might be some lag here and there, but nothing too noticeable during gameplay.

When completing these heists, you can level up along the way as you go through hordes of law enforcement. What is surprising is the levelling up aspect of the game. You get different upgrades such as guns, extra ammo, and new equipment depending on which class you selected.

We’re going to need more bags

These levels can go up to a surprising number of 140, which plants a seed of unusual development for your skill tree when you really get into the game. The upgrades are split up to three basic classes; Assault, Sharpshooter, and Support, each with its own perks and benefits.

As you go through each heist, there isn’t really much of a story to latch on to, as you’re always on the move. It’s like watching an action movie, but completely taking out how they plan the actual heist. Instead you are put right into the mix of things. There are no fillers in this game, and thanks to the game’s nature, that’s a good thing.

Now, this game is not without its flaws. Poor spawn points for enemies, the shooting tendencies of the weapons, and just the basic feel of them does not seem realistic, but instead robotic. This game lacks the polish of other first person shooters we’ve seen over the years.

I’m not going to ask again! Where is your bathroom?!

But considering its price of $20, you can’t really go wrong if you want an online first-person shooter that’s relatively cheap. Everything about this game is disturbingly fun, from yelling at hostages to stay down while tying them up, to shooting down police helicopters. It all works together in giving you that warm, fuzzy bad-ass feeling inside.

Available for download on PlayStation 3 and PC, Payday: The Heist is definitely an acquired taste; you either like it because of its fun leveling system and fast-paced, action-packed missions, or hate it because of the awkward shooting, poor A.I., and overall lack of polish. Saying that, though, all of the little problems are just an afterthought when your facing waves and waves of the Po-Po.