Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today / Lifestyle

Game Review: Payday 2

Ian Knott
NZME. regionals·
30 Aug, 2013 06:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Payday 2 is only fun with more than one player. Photo / File.

Payday 2 is only fun with more than one player. Photo / File.

All too often in gaming we see titles where the focus is on the single player campaign and the multiplayer aspect has been somewhat of an afterthought. Well, 505 Games' crime simulation game Payday 2 is the polar opposite of those games.

Do not, under any circumstances, play this first-person shooter by yourself. Frustrating and infuriating doesn't even begin to describe the abomination that is Payday 2 single player. The lacklustre AI of your criminal buddies is surpassed only by the complete omission of any AI in the swat teams trying to stop you. If they were any dumber, they would actually be allies.

So thank goodness it is all about co-op multiplayer, in which the swat AI is still pathetic, but having living, thinking humans on your side is a pleasure.

You are one of a team of four criminals who plan out and execute armed heists of banks, jewellery stores, nightclubs and the like. The challenge is to get in and out without raising the alarm or getting caught or killed. Armoured doors and safes need to be thermo drilled to begin with, which can take five minutes. During that time you need to control members of the public and, more often than not, waves of swat from all directions. Good planning and leadership makes for a quality experience.

Getting money then allows you to use the overly complicated upgrade system.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Payday 2 is a highly rewarding game, but only if you have three like-minded friends.

Payday 2

From: 505 Games

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

For: PS3

Rating: 4 / 5

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Rustic vision: Mahia farmer’s 35-year labour inspires new book

06 Oct 04:00 PM
Lifestyle

Meet New Zealand’s top Airbnb host. What are her tricks for success?

17 Sep 11:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

On The Up: The model footballer striking poses on and off the pitch

05 Aug 05:00 PM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Rustic vision: Mahia farmer’s 35-year labour inspires new book
Lifestyle

Rustic vision: Mahia farmer’s 35-year labour inspires new book

The book features six distinctive homes from Omaha to Glenorchy.

06 Oct 04:00 PM
Meet New Zealand’s top Airbnb host. What are her tricks for success?
Lifestyle

Meet New Zealand’s top Airbnb host. What are her tricks for success?

17 Sep 11:00 PM
On The Up: The model footballer striking poses on and off the pitch
Hawkes Bay Today

On The Up: The model footballer striking poses on and off the pitch

05 Aug 05:00 PM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP