5 Reasons To Play Payday 2: Crimewave Edition

It’s hard not to be sceptical at next-gen re-releases. Most of the ports these days border on daylight robbery, but Payday 2: Crimewave Edition on the Xbox One and PS4 is definitely not guilty of this crime, despite centring around drilling vaults, smashing jewellery stores and gunning down anyone who stands in your way.

So after having some extensive time with Overkill Software’s FPS heist-sim, we’ve rounded up five reasons you should don some gloves, grab your mask, round up some friends and check out Payday 2: Crimewave Edition:

Expect the unexpected

Nothing is or will ever be a simple break in and break out situation in Payday 2: Crimewave Edition. Making off with the cash without anybody knowing is a rare occasion. It’s always going to be a crazy situation whether the player likes it or not. And they should, because that’s what makes the game so great. Presented before each and every mission players will be given a planning stage before entering the level. This gives you the chance to gear-up, customise your loadouts and plan your strategy, but keep in mind that things can go pear-shaped very quickly and you’ll need the tools to get our of some sticky situations.

Come prepared

Within each actual mission there will be certain objectives that must be undertaken before, during and after the heist. These can either be unnecessary distractions for some, or gold mines for true enthusiasts, but either way, you’re going to need to be kitted out for the occasion. You’ve got to keep your eye on the main prize, but if you can ensure that you have the weapons or tools to go for that second score or bounty (whether it be a painting or jewel), it’s going to make things very interesting when everything hits the fan.

You can play with your mates

Payday 2 Crimewave Edition is a fine experience enjoying it by yourself, but with real friend over online play is where the game really shines. Teaming up with three other buddies to take down a bank is pretty exciting and can bring out the competitive spirit, but everyone has to remember that in Payday 2, cooperation is key. You’ll have to cover one another, use one another’s skills and gadgets, and work together to make it out alive. If you don’t have friends interested in joining, that’s OK too, as the AI partners are surprisingly effective cronies to help you in your thieving tasks. They do need a fair bit of directing here and there, but that’s what you get for recruiting some CPU-controlled hoodlums to do your dirty work. The only disappointment is still the lack of split-screen co-op.

A shiny new veneer 

As you can expect with the game making a jump to PS4 and Xbox One, there has been a spiffy new paint-job done on the game. The visuals have been upgraded to 1080p, framerate improved from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, and higher-res textures have been included to put the game on par with the PC version. It’s a good looking game, not a great one, but that’s OK – as Payday 2 was never meant to be a graphical powerhouse but rather a fun crime-sim to keep you and your friends playing for months or even years to come.

Loads of new tricks

While a re-release, the Crimewave Edition also features more than a year of post-release content, such as previously-released DLC which includes new heists, weapons and other game content, which is fantastic, as you won’t be running dry on fresh content anytime soon. In addition to the original game’s heists, there are 7 new heists added from the DLC, so you’ve got a lot of loot to hit when firing up the Crimewave Edition. The addition of these new missions really adds some longevity to a game that already has some incredibly long legs.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is available on PS4 and Xbox One.