(Please skip to THE REVIEW if you want to skip the dedication message to my late heister friend)

UPDATE, 2020/04/08: It's a been a long road, for both Overkill and myself.

When I first bought this game... clowns were cringe. This game was bizarre and weird. I liked heisting but had no one to play with.

And then someone introduced me to my late friend, Toki Zensekai.

Toki loved this game, I think he pre-ordered it. Toki was a master at not only at organizing heists, but he got everyone psyched up for each new heist. As one of our best players, he had one of our highest body counts and had 100% completed the game. Toki encouraged me not only to become a better player, but a better human being. I found myself volunteering for local non-profits that needed young people who knew computers.

We even completed the ARG together, with each and every heist, each and every new game we played together we had fun. Payday 2 was by far one of my favorite games of all time. Even the skins/safes did not sully my view of it.

And then, in the middle of March 2020, Toki passed away. He was younger than me, still in college.

I will never forget his friendship and the amazing times and heists we had together.

Toki's crew, the Toki Zensekai School of Heisting, still games together. Because we know that Toki would have wanted us to keep the faith.

Thank you, Overkill. And thank you, Toki Zensekai. You were A Light Shining in the Darkness.

(THE REVIEW)

DLC weapons range from fashion items to extremely overpowered, but the base gear is often the best. Gun skins aren't that great, but they're getting there in terms of quality. CS:GO didn't have the Asimov right away, you know.

The graphics are really nice although I have friends who say they have graphical lag on some of the busier maps like the California overpass map, probably due to smoke.

Stealth is fun too. Unfortunately stealth means you're doing it live, no save points to save you if you screw up, you have to start over, trial and error.

Get friends to play with. it's definitely easier if everyone is on the same wavelength and firing on all four pistons. I can't count how many times our heist was saved because someone remembered to disable the generator to remove the electricity coursing through the vault door, or something similar happening.

EDIT 11/12/2018: The game's storyline is starting to come to a close, but that doesn't mean this game is dead. I am still playing it to this day, and most of the heists are still fun. They are still releasing new heists. The game and game devs always find(s) new ways to keep me playing. It's been a long road, but I think Overkill made a fine game and I hope this bilogy becomes a trilogy. I just love the world, the characters, the story, all the extras fans got for sticking around beyond casual play.

My only two regrets are 1) not preordering it. And 2) not buying it sooner.

PVP Factor: None
Grinding Factor: Normal



Addendum: While I can agree the community can be toxic to new players, the devs care about their game and community, and there are pockets of heisters who are not toxic. Find some heisters that have the patience to deal with new players, it's the best way to learn.

2nd Addendum: Skins leave alot to be desired. They are not terrible skins... but when you open 30 safes and each skin sells for 1 cent even the purples and pinks, you kind of feel like you're jarate-ing money away. It's a fairly minor nag on an otherwise great game.