Payday: The Heist

If you have a small group of friends with whom you usually buddy up to play shooters, PayDay is definitely worth looking into. Despite only having six playable missions, there's a ton of depth when you consider the titanic ranking system and numerous difficulty settings. On the flipside, if you're the sort who likes to ruck up with AI partners then caution is advised; going solo is considerably more time-consuming and almost impossible if playing on Overkill difficulty.

Still, the simple, accessible premise produces plenty of fun, especially when played with friends. [Holiday 2011, p.74]

Overkill couldn't, for whatever reason, give Payday the development time it needed for its rough edges to be sanded down, but it remains a game with great potential.

After a strong opening level, the campaign veers off through street shoot-outs and crystal-meth labs – there's only one other actual 'heist' after this. Hostages can be bound up and traded for a respawn, but can't be used for cover.

There just isn't enough here to occupy a solo player thanks to spotty AI partners. One of the more original ideas for a shooter just slightly stumbles to find its way, but if you meet the right criteria, you will undoubtedly have a blast.

Despite its flaws, I found Payday to be more Ocean's Eleven than Small Time Crooks; it's got some clever moves, a fun sense of imagination, and it makes you appreciate (and rely upon) every member of your cast. Not since Left 4 Dead have I wanted to get my buddies together and spend late nights working together towards a common goal.

Payday: the heist isn't without its problems but it is easily one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences out there. Just make sure that you have some buddies on your friend's list with the game because joining up with random people, or better yet not being able to, can really suck the fun out of it all.

I want to love Payday, but sadly I can't recommend this barebones PS3 port to anyone but the most die-hard of co-op shooter fans.

Payday: The Heist is an ambitious game that doesn't quite manage to nail down the little things. Of course, as any good career criminal will tell you, the devil is in the details, and Payday's failure here is the difference in making off with the cash and getting gunned down in the street. The pieces were all in place, but this just fails to deliver in any meaningful way.

A good idea only moderately well implemented, with the novelty of playing cops and robbers lasting only a relatively short time.

Payday: The Heist can still be a good time with the right people, but you'd be better off playing a better game with them.

There are moments of multiplayer thrill to be had here, but they're infrequent, and sometimes tough to get to.

At the end of the day, Payday is a game that doesn't live up to the sum of its parts.

Payday: The Heist could be fun when you grab friends and laugh together at all the random absurdities. I've said many times that adding co-op to your game can only make the experience better since you can enjoy with friends. Very few gamers will find a good time with Payday, but most will be wondering why they are not playing something else.