Fuck you steam now I have to make another topic.
 
Anyway, this may sound weird but Payday may be one of my top ten games of 2011.
 
Thankfully I never ended up making a top ten list so no one can hold me to that.
 
It does seem pretty generic and underwhelming on the surface, but what's on tap here is actually pretty great. It's really the only legitimate try we've seen by an outside developer on the Left 4 Dead forumla, outside of a few half-assed mutliplayer modes, and while it may fall in a few spots it really is a pretty great game in its own right. If Payday does one thing right its that it sets up an excellent arena for chaos. I have no delusions that a large portion of my enjoyment of this game came from who I played it with, but I have no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun in a similar game where we weren't killing hostages in cold blood, pistol whipping SWAT brigades until they cuffed themselves, making suicide runs for more ammo, and if my friends weren't all gigantic ass holes that left me to die even though I was the Medic.
 
And I fucking told them, I told them I was the only one with health bags but they didn't fucking care they just let me get mowed down by that fucking Tank cop with the bullet proof armor and a shotgun that could shoot craters into the fucking moon. Jack asses.
 
If there is one thing that sets Payday apart from Left 4 Dead it is that it actually has a sense of progression and customization, which is necessary considering the painful lack of any competitive multiplayer. You gain Cash for completing mission objectives and fulfilling metagame challenges that allow you to rank up in one of three classes. There is an overall level that caps how far you can advance in each tree initially, but this is simply in place to give you some time to try everything out before dedicating yourself to any one tree. And you will want to dedicate yourself considering the high level bonuses are pretty signifcant and include additional utility items, new weapons, increased ammo capacity, and even Crew Bonuses that add multipliers to your team's health bars and cash flow.
 
The only real problem with the game is the lack of content. There are only a few levels, about six total although more have been promised. The difficulty is brutal though, even in the beggining, and with multiple difficultly levels it will take you awhile to get through everything if you really want to see everything. Thankfully the game's randomization does a really good job of making each playthrough feel at least somewhat unique. The Director AI may not be as sophisticated as Left 4 Dead, but where L4D is more subtle Payday opts to make more drastic changes. The locations of objectives change constantly in later levels, and the highest difficulties often add completely new objectives and hurdles to impede your progress.
 
Above all else though, Payday has a setting and style that we don't see a lot of. Grand Theft Auto is really the only comprable series that comes to mind, but even Rockstar's golden boy doesn't really hit the same tone Payday does. It's a mix of homage and satire, yes you are team of highly trained professional criminals breaking into high security areas with often outlandishly complicated plans, but then you are also running around gunning down cops in a velociraptor mask at an after hours office party.
 
 Payday definitely isn't for everyone, if you can't see past the numerous flaws and it doesn't bite you you're definitely going to feel like the glass is only half full.
 
But see, this is the magic of FREE GAMES. Now go play free video games and stop being such a schmuck.

Payday is a great game, though it needs to fix some of the latency glitches and disconnection issues. It's a fun coop shooter that offers excellent progressive challenge and actually demands a different playstyle. On Overkill difficulty, it is best to avoid combat and wasting resources as much as possible, contributing to a "desperately outgunned robbers" feel.

I tried some of it today, i got into one really good game on the Panic room heist but up to that point i had sat in a room watching high level players come in and instantly leave, took me nearly 30 minutes to get in and that puts me off buying

@buft said:

I tried some of it today, i got into one really good game on the Panic room heist but up to that point i had sat in a room watching high level players come in and instantly leave, took me nearly 30 minutes to get in and that puts me off buying

It's definitley a game you where you want a crew to run with, you can find some succes in random pubs but it really isn't the same.

Maybe I could try to get some kind of Bombing Run set up for tomorrow or something, although it's a little short notice.

@AhmadMetallic might be able to set up an event on the Giantbomb PC Gaming group though, that might get some people.

Hmmmmmmmm?

Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

I like Payday but I haven't played much of it to be honest.

You really need a couple of friends to play it with and the only other person I know who owns it is my boyfriend.

@LordXavierBritish said:

@buft said:

I tried some of it today, i got into one really good game on the Panic room heist but up to that point i had sat in a room watching high level players come in and instantly leave, took me nearly 30 minutes to get in and that puts me off buying

It's definitley a game you where you want a crew to run with, you can find some succes in random pubs but it really isn't the same.

Maybe I could try to get some kind of Bombing Run set up for tomorrow or something, although it's a little short notice.

@AhmadMetallic might be able to set up an event on the Giantbomb PC Gaming group though, that might get some people.

Hmmmmmmmm?

Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

that would be great but i have my kids on a saturday, maybe sunday?

I'm already in that steam group

edit: if you read this just right, sounds like i have a rule where i only give birth on a saturday

@LordXavierBritish said:

@buft said:

I tried some of it today, i got into one really good game on the Panic room heist but up to that point i had sat in a room watching high level players come in and instantly leave, took me nearly 30 minutes to get in and that puts me off buying

It's definitley a game you where you want a crew to run with, you can find some succes in random pubs but it really isn't the same.

Maybe I could try to get some kind of Bombing Run set up for tomorrow or something, although it's a little short notice.

@AhmadMetallic might be able to set up an event on the Giantbomb PC Gaming group though, that might get some people.

Hmmmmmmmm?

Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

that would be great but i have my kids on a saturday, maybe sunday?

I'm already in that steam group

edit: if you read this just right, sounds like i have a rule where i only give birth on a saturday

@buft said:

I tried some of it today, i got into one really good game on the Panic room heist but up to that point i had sat in a room watching high level players come in and instantly leave, took me nearly 30 minutes to get in and that puts me off buying

It's definitley a game you where you want a crew to run with, you can find some succes in random pubs but it really isn't the same.

Maybe I could try to get some kind of Bombing Run set up for tomorrow or something, although it's a little short notice.

@AhmadMetallic might be able to set up an event on the Giantbomb PC Gaming group though, that might get some people.

Hmmmmmmmm?

Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?