Payday 3 was one of those games that was briefly hyped up, but then sank back down once it had been released. Much of that came from the issues that plagued the heist FPS threequel, but ?it seems developer Starbreeze is determined to make things right.

In a recent post on the Payday 3 website, the studio said it understands that "many of you aren’t satisfied with the game the way it is in its current state." Going forward, then, a "strike team of veter??an developers" has been put together, formed from vario??us in-house departments.

The idea, it seems, is to tackle some?? of the game's biggest problems head-on with a dedicated bunch of developers. Currently, the team is "creating a plan" and "deciding what will shape the game into the heisting experience y?ou expect."

I can hear the A-Team music in my head

Payday 3's insistence that players must be always online even when playing solo resulted in a lot of negative feedback from the community. The developer also released DLC �Syntax Error �just a few week??s after the mai?n game was released.

Given that what fans really want is for the main story they paid full price for to be in working condition, asking for additional money f??or new content could easily be seen as a bit of an insult.

As such, the new Payday installment is currently showing as "Mostly Negative" for recent Steam reviews, with "Mixed" overal?l. Starbreeze says it will be revealing further details about plans for updates and improvements sometime in February.

The post Payday 3 studio hell-bent on bringing the game up to ‘where it will meet your expectations’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Payday 3 has had a pretty rough start. With some notable issues from the moment the game came out, developer Starbreeze has been promising an update to address some major concerns. Now, after a number of delays, version 1.0.1 has launched.

If you've got the time to spare, you can check out the patch notes for the game, which lists a bunch of fixes, tweaks, and quality-of-life changes. Everything from the audio to the visuals to the UI have been given some TLC, so Payday 3 should be in a better state now.

However, for those waiting on word about a possible offline mode for the game, there's no mention of that here. That's something the developer is considering, but we don't know i?f or when it's likely to be implemented.

Why the long delay?

With trouble connecting to matches, general bugs, and the aforementioned lack of an offline mode, Payday 3 received a lot of negative feedback at launch.

Despite promising an update, Starbreeze had ?to push it back a bit, describing the reasons for doing so as "long and complicated," with particular concerns about risks to player progression.

As of now, the game is currently showing a "Mixed" review score on Steam. Maybe that'll change now we have the?? new update. But who knows?

Payday 3 Patch 1.0.1 notes

Hello heisters!
After some instability, we’re finally up and running as things should be! Heisters heisting, civilians screaming and cops floundering! We’ve got a lot more cooking, keep letting us know when you find bugs a??nd sending us your suggestions!

GENERAL

• Added pre-order and edition specific items to everyone
• Last radio call will now provide a last warning before alarm goes off, and will not be interrupted by other radio dialogues
• Players can now not turn the camera during the full tased effect
• Added a fix for the “Cleaninâ€?It Outâ€?achievement to pop up when the criteria is met
• Fixed an issue where the player doesn’t gain “Rushâ€?when masking up while sprinting
• Fixed an issue where the player could bind “Throw itemâ€?and “Request overkill weaponâ€?to the same keybind
• Updated the aim assist function for PS5 controllers
• Closing or opening doors will no longer push/move players in close proximity
• Fixed a crash caused when answering a radio
• Fixed a crash that could happen when vaulting near the heist end
• Fixed an issue where players got stuck in crouch when playing with high ping
• Added a fix so Overkill weapons don’t fall through vehicles
• Fixed so the tutorial scroll box is scrollable the second time you open a tutorial popup
• Added a fix for a crash caused by multiple explosions
• Fixed an issue where the “Closing the Accountâ€?trophy didn’t unlock properly
• Fixed so the achievement “Cleaninâ€?it outâ€?needs to be done on Overkill
• Fixed issue with marking though some windows
• Added a fix to prevent players from getting stuck when using a human shield that dies
• Fixed a DLSS related crash
• Fixed an issue where the player can get stuck and not proceeding to menus after failing a heist
• Removed a state check to fix issue with AI placed bags having wrong rotation
• Added a fix so game won’t crash when joining another player through social or shell
• Fixed an issue with the social list not filling up
• Fixed an issue where a party couldn’t matchmake if the former party leader had left the party
• Fixed an issue where social list didn’t populate after reestablishing an internet connection
• Changing languages should now work
• Fixed a crash related to getting a random character when joining a game
• Fixed a crash related to IP address
• Closed the weapon experience exploit in 99 Boxes

BALANCE

For this patch, we wanted to primarily add?ress ??minor fixes.

We are aware that Last Man Standing and Armor Up are performing a bit too well, so we plan to give them a few tweaks that keep them effective, but require a bit more setup compared to the benefits they offer. This will be in the next big patch. Outside of these two skills, we don’t expect any big nerfs coming to skills in the next patch, but given players are ?still getting used to the game, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the meta.

We are also aware that armor is considered the most desirable resource comp???ared to ammo and health. We are happy with how armor itself works, but we want to put in a few more ways for players to restore it in the game. We also think health is underperforming right now, but addressing that will be a gradual change over the first year of updates, rather than one sweeping update.

SKILLS

• Using Manipulator Basic Skill will no longer cause an interaction interference when players do multiple interactions in a row
• “Battering Ramâ€?skill can no longer be used to open blue keycard door on “Rock the Cradleâ€?/li>

• “Battering Ramâ€?skill can no longer be used to open the front door on “Touch the skyâ€?/li>

WEAPONS

• Added ability for knives to be thrown through broken shield visors.
• Fixed an issue where throwing knives couldn’t be picked up when the equipped primary or secondary weapon had full ammo
• Adjusted the Vertical Grip spawn point on weapon PC9
• Moved the magazine release lever on SA A144
• Fixed an issue with weapon recoil in lower FPS

ENEMIES

• Dozers will now get closer before engaging heisters with their shotgun
• Updated the enemy flashbangs to apply flash effect more consistently
• Player can no longer open doors leading to enemy spawn locations

TECHNICAL

• The real meat of this update, the tech stuff! There’s a wide variety of fixes and changes on this list. Continue to let us know if you find any bugs and we’ll keep smashing them!

UI

• Added a “Keep these display changes?â€?message after changing screen resolution.
• Fixed a minor typo in the loadout section
• UI update for favor reward in result screen
• Reduced description text size, in skill line menus
• Added ability for players to review the EULA again after creating their accounts
• Fixed an issue causing player names, and infamy levels, to not load correctly and displaying wrong information
• Fixed translation issue related to the whiskey bottle in “Touch the Skyâ€?/li>

• Fixed overlapping text in heist overview
• Added icons for when buffs are blocked due to certain skills
• Dropdown for offline friends in social screen should now be displayed correctly
• Added a fix for the camera zooming out of screen when inspecting an item from the vendors
• Fixed an issue showing an incorrect amount of remaining radio calls when a player joins an ongoing heist
• Added a fix for overlapping weapon mod names to make them more readable
• Player stats are now shown in result screen when failing a heist
• Added a fix so a joining player’s name is displayed in the chat
• Added a button prompt showing how to exit the safe cracking mini-game
• The phone hacking visualization should now always reach full when completing
• Fixed locked story videos to properly reset color values when initialized
• Adjustments made to fonts in settings menu
• Fixed an issue with the “report playerâ€?option not appearing
• Fixed an issue where the user could interact with the menus when the report text box was open
• Added a fix for stock mods “TQâ€?and “HQâ€? their titles are now aligned in the loadout
• Tool input is now shown as blocked when interacting with loot
• Resized the loadout selection bar
• Fixed an issue with joining a friend in the social menu when spamming the join button
• Fixed an issue on with friends not to appear properly

AUDIO

• A sound of dropping a dead body onto the ground will now be played when players drop bodies
• The sound effect of sliding will now stop playing when players stop sliding
• Added sound effect for closed windows being destroyed
• Cinematic audio volume is now also affected by master volume
• Removed “breakâ€?VFX from throwing knives that don’t break when Retriever skill is equipped
• Added a fix for smalltalk between civilians and employees not triggering
• Added more small talk conversations between civilians
• Shade voice over will no longer play, when players return to the main menu after canceling matchmaking
• Improved the sound effect for opening crates
• Disabled the Shade VO about file clues when the actual documents have already been picked up
• Wolf now whisper instead of screams for medic bags during stealth gameplay
• Fixed an issue where dye packs would loop the audio when breaking while being disarmed
• Fixed an issue where civilian cellphone ringtones would loop forever
• Fixed an issue that could cause eye scanner to play incorrect VO when scanning the correct NPC
• Audio balancing for enemy VOs
• Added more door sounds
• Added sound effects for NPC animations
• Fixed an issue where the human shield takedown sound effect would not stop if you reload your gun while choking someone out

VISUALS

• Fixed a visual issue with deployables placed on moving objects that wouldn’t sync up for players joining an ongoing heist
• Fixed deployables floating in the air when placed on a surface that then moved, deployables will now fall to the ground.
• Fixed an issue with deployables floating when placed on certain doors
• Fixed multiple minor graphical issues on the front part of the bank on “No Rest of the Wickedâ€?/li>

• Fixed weapon animation issue when looking upwards and using tools
• Added a fix so that switching between sprinting and placing tools wouldn’t cause issues when sprinting.
• Fixed animation issue when SWATs are freeing hostages appearing as taking damage
• Fixed an issue on lower graphical settings causing the door of the escape helicopter to appear broken. (PC)
• Fixed a bug where the player could get inside the transport van in one of the pot holes in “Road Rageâ€?/li>

• Fixed a bug where standing on the van would cause the player positions to glitch
• Realigned The Butcher’s contractor image with the bottom of the screen
• Subtitle fixes for story videos
• Fixed a animation issue when using microcamera
• In-game heist info screen now scales properly across aspect ratios
• Adjusted enemy sabotage animation
• Optimized foliage LODs

HEIST

• Melee damage no longer affects environment details that should only take damage from explosions/gunfire in Gold & Sharke
• Fixed missing collision, in a small area on the bank roof, on “No Rest for the Wickedâ€?/li>

• Removed an area that was tagged as “publicâ€?on the roof in “Under the Surphazeâ€?/li>

• Fixed a bug that led guards to sometimes walk through a closed door on “No Rest for the Wickedâ€?/li>

• Added a fix for the Security Door that was openable without a Blue keycard on â€?9 boxesâ€?/li>

• Added a missing out of bounds screen filter in “Under the Surphazeâ€?/li>

• Deployables no longer disappear when thrown through vents on “Touch the Skyâ€?/li>

• Added a fix for canceling sliding into panic room’s door on “Touch the Skyâ€?/li>

• Fixed the texture of the panic room’s door on “Touch the Skyâ€?/li>

• “Favorsâ€?and “Difficultyâ€?are no longer visible in tutorials when holding Tab
• Players will no longer stutter when jumping and sprinting inside the truck on â€?9 Boxesâ€?/li>

• Added collision to block players from getting stuck behind a curtain on “Under the Surphazeâ€?/li>

• Added collision to prevent bags from being thrown outside of the playable area on “Road Rageâ€?/li>

• Fixed a vent navigation issue in “Rock the Cradleâ€?/li>

• Fixed an issue where bags would get stuck in the forklift on “Road Rageâ€?/li>

• Fixed an issue where loot bags would disappear when throwing them into the zipline on “Touch the Skyâ€?/li>

• Fixed an issue where AI crew could get stuck in â€?9 Boxesâ€?/li>

• Fixed issues where you could throw bags out of reach on “Dirty Iceâ€?/li>

• Fixed an issue where some jewelry trays are clipping in the VIP room on “Dirty Iceâ€?/li>

• Added so the drill option appears during Stealth on “Touch the Skyâ€?/li>

• Disabled all interaction for placed planks once all four have been placed on “Road Rageâ€?/li>

• Added a fix for where the Escape Objective sometimes didn’t appear on “Dirty Iceâ€?/li>

• The “Enter the Workshopâ€?objective will get disabled if players secure maximum loot
• Fixed an issue where Mason gets poisoned despite not being delivered the poisoned drink on “Touch the skyâ€?/li>

• Fixed an issue where the armored truck would get stuck before the final ramp on “Road Rageâ€?/li>

• Fixed an Overkill difficulty issue where the bouncer wouldn’t let you proceed after showing him the VIP invitation on “Rock the Cradleâ€?/li>

• Adjusted the ambush setup timer on “Road Rageâ€?/li>

• Added collision to prevent cage bags falling through the ground on “Rock the Cradleâ€?/li>

• Added a fix so players cannot throw the zipline bag in the escape van on Gold & Sharke

KNOWN ISSUES

• Challenge stuck at 1/1 can now be unlocked by completing the challenge again or completing the highest difficulty challenge in the sequence
• The weapon charms and death wish reward from the PAYDAY 2 to PAYDAY 3 cross promotion campaign haven’t been properly granted. We hope to have this issue fully resolved by the next patch

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If you've been waiting for the all-important Payday 3 patch to start rolling out, hopefully you won't have much longer to wait. Whil??e there's no release date for?? it just yet, the developer has at least tried to explain why it's taking so long.

In a post on the Payday website, Starbreeze Studios has issued yet another apology, acknowledging that it's bee?n a bit quiet recently. However, the message "lifts the curtain" a little to give some insight into what the developer is working on.

It turns out the reasons behind the patch being delayed are "long and complicated." As it transpi??res, the team has discovered "critical errors" which has lead to a "significant risk to player progression ??being wiped" if the problems aren't addressed.

There's light at the end of the tunnel

Fear not, though, as the update "ha??s been sent off and is currently going through a testing and certification process." Keep an ear out for further details as it sounds like the patch could be ready to launch ?soon. We just don't know when yet.

Upon release, Payday 3 was met with largely n??egative feedback. For starters, unreliable matchmaking was causing headaches for many players. On top of that, the?? game requires a constant internet connection, even when playing solo. That alone was a thorn in many people's sides.

While the patch has been delayed a couple of times already, many will be hopeful Starbreeze will be able to resolve the issues and get it sent out. The studio may also be considering an offline mode.

The post Reasons behind the Payday 3 update delay are “long and complicated” appeared first on Destructoid.

It's not been a great launch for Payday 3. As well as experiencing issues with matchmaking, the new entry in the bank-robbing FPS has also had its first major patch delayed. Now, the developer has issued yet another apology, say?ing that the anticipated update needs "additional time."

Over on Twitter, the official Payday 3 account apologized to fans for the "lack of communication regarding the first ?patch.". Starbreeze Studios says?? it's found more issues to rectify before the patch launches.

An additional post underneath notes ?due to the additional time needed to tend to the game, the studio can't provide an ETA on when fixes will launch just yet. A third tweet adds a suffix to this apology, saying that both the patch and some more news are inbound. We just don't know when.

Maybe it'll be worth it in the end

While the studio did do some maintenance to make Payday 3's matchmaking better, one of the major criticisms with the game is the always-online feature. This means that even if you want to play a solo campaign, you're still required to connect to th?e server.

However, there is a possibility that an offline mode could come to the game. In a previous post on Twitter/X, the team said that, becau??se of server issues at launch, "we are discussing every option available to us, including offline mode."

Hopefully, Payday 3 will eventually become the game fans want it to be. At the moment, it has a "Mixed" review score on Steam,?? with more than a few unhappy customers. Starbreeze has a chance to turn things around, though.

The post Looks like t?he Payday 3 update has been delayed…again appeared first on Destructoid.

It's not uncommon these days for a AAA game to launch, get met with backlash due to many issues, and the studio runs around trying to fix things. This is true of Payday 3, which saw matchmaking errors and a lack of offline features resulting in les??s-than-favorable scores for the game. Fortunately, deve??loper Starbreeze is on the case, though its next update will take a bit longer than expected.

Originally intending to start rolling out this week, a Twitter post from the studio says the team is having to delay the sorely needed Payday 3 patch. The reason cited is the update "needs some changes that would require us to go through console certification again." That, and the team wants to "ensure its sta?bility."

Unfortunately, we now have n?o release date for it, bu?t the post goes on to say the developer should be able to send it out mid-October.

Tuning the heist

Starbreeze did apologize for having to delay the update, with a second post underneath saying that the PS5 bonus content "will remain unredeemable until this? patch is ready."

On the plus side, there's going to be some additional server maintenance, so soon after the ones that occurred last weekend. An additional tweet from the official Payday 3 account says this maintenance will?? be going ahead between "8am-11am CEST on the 6th and 10th of October," and will ho??pefully "not be noticeable."

While it's very easy to blame the studios themselves when games are released in poor states, there are always greater factors to consider. From what Starbreeze has said, it sounds like the team is scrambling to get things sorted. It's a shame we're having to wait a bit longe??r for the update, but hopefully it just means a more substa??ntial and stable patch.

The post Payday 3 update delayed, studio issues apology appeared first on Destructoid.

Now that we know when Payday 3 is coming out (September 21, if you needed a reminder), a lot of you PC gamers are going to be wondering whether your system will handle it. It's a modern FPS, after all, but as it turns out, the hardware spec doesn't appear as though ??it'll be too much of ??a struggle for most rigs.

According to the game's Steam page, Payday 3 won't push the boat out, especially in terms of graphics. If you're just aiming for the minimum requirements, you'll need at least an Intel Core i5-9400??F (or the AMD equivalent) and 16GB of RAM. You should also get by with no more tha?n the 4GB power of an Nvidia GTX 1650.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIUlQGVsr-I

Obvio?usly, the recommended specs are a bit higher, but even then they don't seem too bad. For the CPU, you'll be wanting an i7-9700K, and you'll be able to get away with an Nvidia GTX 1080 (or, again, whatever Team Red's version of that is).

The full Payday 3 PC system requirements

No RTX card required

For a AAA shooter published by the likes of Deep Silver, you'd be forgiven for thinking the PC requirements would be much higher. It's probably worth saying that Payday 3 is still in development, but there's no r??eason to suggest what's listed on Steam will change. As it stands, most graphics cards from the GTX 1000 series onwards should suffice.

Given that, according to the latest Steam hardware survey, there's a heavy mix of GPUs, these system requirements should be within easy reach of a lot of you. The aforementioned GTX 1650 accounted for the most usage for June (5.6??7%), and there are a few PC gamers who are said to be u?sing 3000 series products, so it should be a breeze to run the game for many.

The post Payday 3’s PC specs don’t look too taxing appeared first on Destructoid.

Breaking the Bank

Dust off that suit, don that mask, and prepare to do your best Michael Mann monologue. Starbreeze has announced that it has finally scored a publishing deal for its long-in-development multiplayer sequel Payday 3, essentially guaranteeing that the troubled title ?will finally see daylight.

The developer announced that it had entered into a $50 million USD co-publishing deal with Swedish holding group Koch Media - a deal that sees Payday 3 "fully financed" and ready to enter its remaining development phases. The deal will also see Koch cover the sequel's marketing costs and 18 months of post-re?lease support of the shooter's "games as a service" model.

"We are delighted to welcome Starbreeze as a new partner for our global publishing business," said Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz."Payday 3 is shaping up to be an incredible game. Based on what we’ve seen already, Payday 3 i?s going to take the franchise to new heights and will delight Payday fans as well as new audiences alike with innovative multiplayer gameplay."

While this is most certainly exciting news for the Payday community - which includes over 150,000 active players years after Payday 2's release - there is still quite a wait ahead. Starbreeze is expecting Payday 3 to hit both PC and console platforms at some point in 2023. And so the franchise's band of gun-toting lawbreakers will at least have some more time with which to perf?ect their getaway plan. Will banks even exist by then?

The post Payday 3 finally secures $50 mil?lion publishing deal with Koch Media appeared first on Destructoid.

Payday franchise gaining fresh momentum

Troubled developer Starbreeze has released its financial report for 2020. While the new numbers show a 20% decline in year-on-year sales, ove??rall the studio's losses have shrunk from previous years, suggesting that the Swedish developer might be on track to turn its fortunes around.

Over the course of 2020, Starbreeze managed to raise new capital and relieve itself of multiple debts, while its flagship title Payday 2 has seen huge growth on P?C. The bank-raiding co-op shooter saw sales rise over 60% compared to 2019, which has led to a Steam pl?ayerbase of 7.1 million - the largest single game community on the entire platform.

Starbreeze acting CEO Tobias Sjögren is confident that this surge in Payday 2 interest will help the studio complete the long-in-development Payday 3, and hopes to sign a publisher soon.

"Starbreeze is a much stronger company today than it was one year ago," said Sjögren in the report. "We are hugely confident, thirsting for revenge and thrilled to be able to focus to the max on developing our IP with Payday front and center. With expanded development capacity and continued good demand for everything Payday, we are in prime position for future growth."

Starbreeze has faced continued peril in recent years. The company initially dodged insolvency in 2018 with a strict re-management structure, but fell hard following the disastrous launch of Overkill's The Walking Dead. Having survived 2020 - a year that saw many companies in all industries permanently shuttered - it seems that Starbreeze simply refuses to die, determined to see that Payday 3 is completed, published, and b?ecomes a hit, perhaps pul?ling the studio back from the brink of oblivion.

Starbreeze losses shrink to $15.8m and Payday c?ontinues to grow [GamesIndustry.biz]

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An Unreal announcement

Payday 3&?nbsp;really needs to work out. If it doesn't,?? Starbreeze's years-long struggle to survive will probably end in tragedy.

The decline of Starbreeze has been well-documented at this point. A liquidity shortfall, or?ganizational reconstruction, layoffs, some offloaded assets (like publishing rights and development studios) -- it has been a trying couple ??of years for the Swedish publisher.

That's why it's impossible (or at least negligent) to talk about Payday 3 without mentioning the stakes. But, Payday 2 was -- and still is -- so successful that Starbreeze secured funding for Payday 3's development without the need to rush it out the door. In fact, this is the first official update about Payday 3 in a long time:

ACCESS: PAYDAY TWITTER MAN
MEMBER COUNT: 100,000

REQUEST RECEIVED, ACCESSING CRIMENET...

CONNECTING...

ONLINE.

TIME: 13:37

STATUS PAYDAY 3

☑ï¸CONFIRMED
☑ï¸DESIGN PHASE
☑ï¸RELEASE DATE TBA
☑ï¸UNREAL ENGINE pic.twitter.com/fqnWYEaCSg

— PAYDAY 2 💰 (@PAYDAYGame) October 3, 2020

There's sort of a lot to glean from that tweet. Payday 3 is still in the design phase meaning that developer Overkill's production hasn't yet ramped up on it. Things are still very conceptual as Overkill works out the foundation. Previous estimates had pegged Payday 3&nb??sp;for launch in 2022 or 2023, so the timeline seems about right.

Also of note, Payday 3 is moving to Unreal Engine -- although it's not mentioned whether Overkill is working with UE4 or UE5. This marks a significant departure for the series, as Payday 2 runs on the proprietary Diesel 2.0 engine. There's no explanation given for the switch -- and this is entirely armchair analysis -- but it might be parti??ally so that contracted developers have an easier time with the tools they need to build the game.

Starbreeze's docket of upcoming games pretty much reads as: Payday: Crime War (mobile) and Payday 3. The mobile one may find a whole bunch of success and that'd be nice, but everyone knows that Payday 3 has to ?be the bread winner. It's not like?? Starbreeze has a vault full of cash to play around with.

The post All of Starbreeze’s eggs are in Payday 3’s basket appeared first on Destructoid.

I wonder who will end up with this IP if it doesn't work out?

In case you haven't heard, Swedish-based Starbreeze Studios is in trouble. Although the publisher hasn't had it easy for some time, Overkill's The Walking Dead, which was revealed in 2014, was a complete flop in every sense of the phrase, didn't help. Their new strategy to save the company is to fragment the company and bet pretty much everything on Payday 3, which is due sometime in 2022 or 2023.

Until then, there's Payday 2. Credited with originally saving the company after the acquisition of Overkill in 2012, Payday 2 has been trucking along since 2013, and is still in operation on multiple platforms like PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One. After a massive hiatus due to the aforementioned financial situation, Payday 2 is once again getting DLC. Paid DLC, that is.

This main event is called "Border Crossing Heist," and is due out on November 7 alongside of the free Silk Road update; which brings a new outfit mechanic (plus six suits) into the fray, as well as UI improvements. The rest will be broken up into paid DLCs beyond the scope of the free update, which can be purcha??sed all together for $9.99 in a bundle, or piecemeal (the heist is $6.99, with 20 premium costumes and mods going for $2.99 each).

It's become clear that Payday 2 is helping Starbreeze get ?through the next two to three year??s: let's see if it pans out. If not, someone will no doubt end up buying the IP. A publisher like EA or Ubisoft would snatch it right up.

The post Amid Starbreeze’s troubles, Payday 2 is getting DLC soon following a conte??nt drought appeared first on Destructoid.

Secret secret, I've got a secret!

With some games, finishing the campaign is just the beginning. You can get the "ending," but is that really the end? For Payday 2, players have been searching for the past five years to unlock its super secret ending and the journey has now completed. YouTuber General McBadass has uploaded a s??tep-by-step guide to unlockin??g this hidden ending for everyone to replicate.

If you don't want the ending spoiled, I'd suggest not watching the below video. A quick summary is that you'll need to put together a disk full of runes, then grab a medallion and play nine specific keys o??n a keyboard. After that, you'll boot up the White House mission with other players that have completed the same steps and will be able to remove a highlighted painting to access a lower vault.

Doing so will lead you to codes that need to be decrypted while demons attack you (just go with it). A character known as "The Dentist" will explain some backstory and? then needs to be shot. Finally, you'l?l place gold bars on specific floor tiles before the game fades to white and the ending scene plays.

However people came to this conclusion is beyond me. I've never been one for ARGs, so I'm just baffled people were able to put obscure clues together to reach this ending. At least the final mystery of Payday 2 is now solved just in time to check out Overkill's Walking Dead game...

After five years, players have reached Payday 2's secret ending [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

[Payday 2] How to unlock the Secret [General McBadass via YouTube]

The post Players have finally uncovered Payday 2’s secret ending appeared first on Destructoid.

Fun in the sun

Reservoir Dogs, a movie where some men argue about t??ipping and then almost all of them die, is the ??film that started Quentin Tarantino's ascent into prominence. Nearly 26 years later, a very popular video game is paying homage.

Payday 2 just added a free Reservoir Dogs-themed heist. The clowns and jokers of the Payday gang are headed to Tinsel Town to try their hand at robbing those banks. The add-on comes with a Union 5.56 rifle, an Alabama Razor melee?? weapon, and three masks.

But, and this is truly what's important, developer Overkill created Payday's version of the infamous ear scene from Reservoir Dogs:

It's okay! It's got some music that probably skirts paying royalties to Stealers Wheel, and it's kinda weird seeing some Sam Fi?sher-lookin' dude in the chair. But, still, it gets the point across. That guy's losin' an ear.

Because?? we all wanna see it now, here's the original:

Reservoir Dogs Heist [Overkill Software]

The post Payday 2 adds a Reservoir Dogs heist appeared first on Destructoid.

Shoot and loot

OVERKILL's co-op bank heist game, PAYDAY 2, will be hitting the Switch on February 23, 2018 for Europe and February 27, 20?18 in North and South America. You'll be able to grab the game either digitally or physically or perhaps both if you're crazy. The Switch port will feature local co-op with up to four Switch consoles, so you and your friends can play even when the internet decides to stop cooperating.

PAYDAY 2™ coming to the Nintendo Swit??ch System in February [Starbreeze Studios]

The post PAYDAY 2 will be robbing Switch owners ??of their ??free time in February appeared first on Destructoid.

Bowies in Space

10 Chambers Collective, a new studio made up of former Overkill Software devs, showed off footage of their sci-fi first-person shooter GTFO tonight.

It looked suitably futuristic and th??ankfully shied away from pre-recorded team audio. The game will be a four-player cooperative experience and will see players setting up traps and tackling all kinds of outlandish ??creatures in what looks like an effort to rob banks in space. That could be neat.

The post GTFO gets first gameplay trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

The beta is live for Vive owners

Payday 2 is getting virtual reality support next year, but if you'd like to try that out now and you have a Vive, that's an option. The first beta for Payday 2 VR went live today. Here's how to opt in:

• Find Payday 2 in your Steam library and right-click - select Properties.
• In the Properties window - select the tab called "BETAS."
• In the drop down menu in the BETAS tab - select "open_vr_beta" and close the window.

Once activated, you'll be coming in fresh with a new save file. Overkill recommends a "GTX 980 or better" to run the game and has a how-to-play guide covering the new controls. Based on the trailer, this looks even better than I was expecting. The basic premise of heists in VR just works fo??r me.

It would be nice to see alternate movement options for folks who can handle unrestricted locomotion in VR, but Overkill is off to a good start here. The fact that this is free for Payday 2 owners and VR and non-VR players c??an team up together is commendable. This stuff usually comes at a premium.

PAYDAY 2 VR is now finally live [Steam]

The post Payday 2 is playable in VR complete with desktop cr??oss-play appeared first on Destructoid.

Basically a steal...

It seems like Payday 2 just won't go away. After a surprise announcement for the Switch, Overkill Software is now giving the PC version an "Ultimate" edition. S?et to launch on June 8 for $45, this version of the game will, naturally, bundle all existing DLC into one package to get you jumped started on your heists.

If you already own some of the previous DLC, you'll be given a discount on Steam to buy the upgrade. All the ?DLC is also currently 85% off until the release of the "Ultimate" edition, after which it will go away and you'll be left wit??h the full fat upgrade.

If you think this means that Payday 2 will be getting no further support, then you're w?rong! Overkill has stated that they intend to push support for their shooter well into 2018. Any extra updates beyond the "Ultimate" edition will be offered for free to everyone. They are also working on getting these updates to console owners, though nothing has be??en stated about that just yet.

Overkill Software to Remove All Payday 2 DLC from Steam St?ore for Ultimate Edition; Future Updates Will Be Free [GameZone]

The post Payday 2 is getting the ‘Ultimate’ treatment appeared first on Destructoid.

Free for Payday 2 owners

So, this is a good idea. Overkill Software is working on Payday VR for a beta release later this year, and as shown in this debut trailer, it'll support co-op play with the existing version of Payday 2.

Outside of what you can glean from this HTC Vive-centric video, the studio is promising to deliver "all your Payday content in VR" and says it will be "available to all Payday 2 owners."

We've seen cross-platform play between the various headsets -- Ubisoft, in particular, has been great about this -- but I don't know that I've ever played a VR game cooperatively with non-VR owners. For all the baggage associated with the Payday name these days, I have to say, this is a nice move?.

The post Payday VR is???? on the way with standard PC cross-play appeared first on Destructoid.

May 10 at 9:00am Pacific

Remind m??e not to overdo it on the sno??oze button next Wednesday.

Starbreeze is putting on a streaming event with "first looks and previews" for a bunch of games, a few of which -- like System Shock 3 and Psychonauts 2 -- you're proba??bly keeping tabs on. The str?eam is scheduled for 9:00am Pacific. On the docket:

• Overkill's The Walking Dead
• Psychonauts 2
• System Shock 3
• Exclusive Payday 2 announcement
• "A Veterans of the Industry" panel featuring Warren Spector, Tim Shafer and Bo Andersson.
• Raid: World War II
• Deliver Us The Moon
• Trailers and unveils
• Community interaction and giveaways and more

I keep forgetting Starbreeze has this much going on as a publisher. I still tend to associate its name with The Darkness, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and Payday 2.

If you can't quite recall what this particular Walking Dead game is like, it was announced back in 2014 and it's a cooperative FPS with "elements of action, role-playing, su??rvival horror, and stealth." I'm curious how that's coming together.

Star Stream [Starbreeze]

The post Starbreeze is hosting a streaming event for System Shock 3, Overkill’s The Walking Dead, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

2 + 2 = Half-Life 3 Confirmed!

I know Humble Bundle has offered things like books in the past, but I don't believe I've ever seen them pre-selling tickets to an upcoming film. There is a first time for everything, though. Humble, alongside Starbreeze Studios, is giving us the John Wick bundle that includes the first film alongs?ide two tickets to the u??pcoming sequel.

For the cheapest tier, you'll receive Payday 2 and some small DLC, including a John Wick-inspired gun pack (because nothing screams John Wick like bank heists...). For $6 you'll get the "Game of the Year" edition of Payday 2 and some mask DLC (plus the previous tier). $14 sees them throwing in Dead By Daylight, $25 gets you a pre-order for the John Wick Chronicles VR game, and ??$45 nets you the first film and the tickets for the new one (it should be noted that tickets are lim??ited to the first 5,000 purchases and are for AMC or Regal theaters only).

Now, I'm not going to totally crap on John Wick as it was a decent film. The action was shot pretty well and I really liked how regular action movie tropes were thrown out the window. Sadly, the main villain then succumbs to stupid syndrome and begins complaining about how no one can kill John, despite having the guy knocked out right in fron??t of him. I suppose there just has to be a totally contrived and thrown-together finale in every film.

Still, $45 seems a bit insane for three games (one of which isn't even out yet) and a movie. I mean, you can get the 4K Blu-ray of the first film for $15 on Amazon and Dead By Daylight routinely goes on sale for cheap. I've heard Payday 2 isn't worth a damn anymore, but with Starbreeze handling the game, maybe everything has changed. Still, I?? know I've seen the "Game of the Year" version for $5 during a Steam sale.

Supporting charity is always a nice thing, so maybe I'm just being too frugal about this. Well, if you feel like biting the bullet, you only have a few more days to get a shot at this deal. If you don't feel like going through Humble Bundle, pre-ordering the John Wick Chronicles game on Steam will net you Payday 2 and the John Wick DLC for a short time.

Humble Starbreeze Studios Bundle Presents John Wick [Humble Bundle]

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Hand it all over

About two years ago, I fell in with a bad crowd. A gang of thieves that would conspire together to rip innocent people ??off and goad each other into more and more brazen and dangerous crimes. It was a great time. At our peak, we were working on a new heist every night and amassing a fortune in ill-gotten loot.

But, all things pass. Eventually the thrill of the chase dulled, our escapades became routine instead of daring, and one-by-one our attentions waned and we drifted on to other things. I still think back fondly to those nights of Payday 2. With the release of Payday 2: The Big Score, a bundle of the Crimewave Edition along with all the previously released DLC packs up to the end of 2015 (you still need to buy DLC f?rom this year separately) and some new updates, I wanted to see if I could recapture that old magic. Sadly, while this massive pack provides a brimming dufflebag worth of content, it fails to address the problems that have ??plagued the base game since launch. 

Payday 2: The Big Score (PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Overkill Software
Publisher: 505 Games
Released: September 8, 2016
MSRP: $49.99 for bundle with full game, $39.99 to upgrade from Crimewave Edition

Getting back into Payday 2 was a little rough for me. When I stopped playing the PC game, I had a fully developed character ??and a reliable crew of Steam friends to call upon when I was in the mood for a heist. Re-starting from scratch on PS4 (there is no way to transfer your progress between platforms) and playing with randoms instead of tr??ustworthy partners in crime drew just how much of the game is gated by grind into stark relief.

Payday 2 is a game with surprising depth. When you get into the later missions and work with competent teammates who are into it, you can get into some straight up Thomas Crown Affair business. Complicated shenanigans like hacking security networks, jamming radios, and expertly lifting scads of loot out of a crowded building without raising an eyebrow are all possible and thrilling capers. These are tense, complicated heists that require communication, excellent teamwork, and can still spin into a frantic firefight at the drop of a hat if even one person slips up. At its best, Payday 2 is a hell of a multiplayer game.

But, you have to work to get to all that cool stuff. Until you clock in enough time to climb the various class skill trees, perk decks, and unlock all the neat gun attachments and gear you need to pull a professional job, you have to slug it out in the gutter. For the first several hours, you're mostly bumbling around breaking windows, pistol-whipping hostages, and cursing out your drill as it sputters to a stop yet again. Low-level characters might be dressed like the professionals in Heat, but make no mistake, they share mor??e in common ?with the Wet Bandits than anyone else.

I'm not saying the old smash and grab isn't fun (I mean, pistol-whipping), but it can be repetitive and shallow as those “early” hours drag on. I remember thinking the slow start was a dis??service to the game three years ago, and it's a shame Overkill hasn't figured out a more engaging way to welcome new players since then.

The loot and progression system of Payday 2 was a bit of a mess when it originally came out and it's only become more snarled over the years as additional systems have been bolted on. Character skills are gated behind class trees that specialize in one aspect of he??isting or another (Masterminds control hostages and keep the crew going, Enforcers are heavy hitters and vault rippers, Ghosts specialize in stealth and high-tech gadgets, etc.). Each tree requires a messy combination of skill points (gained by leveling), cash, and prerequisite points spent to unlock. Once you reach level 100, you can essentially prestige to a higher infamy level to unlock unique cosmetics and titles at the co??st of all your cash.

But, that's not all. There is also your Perk Deck to consider. These are sets of escalating passive perks that you can unlock with converted experience points. Several of these bonuses are quite good, but you can only equip one perk deck at once, meaning you'll probably want to cultivate a f?ew different decks and switch between them as missions call for it.

Weapons can be purchased with cash, but often carry level prerequisites so new players can't just rush the most powerful weapons out of the gate. They also take up inventory space that while generous, eventually runs out and needs to be expanded with yet more cash. Attachments and mods (of which there are a dizzying array) are earned as random rewards in post-mission item drops, or through DLC side-objectives (the biggest of which are the Gage Courier drops which can essentially be farmed to fill out an invent??ory of decent attachments). The random unlocks can make filling out your dream kit quite a grinding slog, so paying attention to the farmable mods is highly recommend.

Similarly, masks, materials, and patterns are unlocked through random drops and then assembled with cash. Thankfully, The Big Score comes stocked with all of previously released DLC and event-themed masks, so?? there are plenty of options to choose from the start. But, perfecting the garish chrome-pink off-brand Cobra Commander mask of your dreams will still take some time.

The downside of all this complexity is that you practically have to take an extension course to figure out how all the different parts come together to build a decent character. The upshot is a massive variety in character builds, weapon choices, and tactics. There is a lot to play with and customize in Payday 2, even if much of it requires a grind that woul?dn’t be out of place in a free-to-play game.

The Big Score contains almost all of the previously released DLC and item packs up to the start of 2016 that were sold piecemeal to PC players. There is no shortage of characters to choose from, including cameo characters like John Wick, Jacket from Hotline Miami, and Bodhi from Point Break (sadly the lame one from the 2015 remake and not Patrick “Dirty Dancing” Swayze). There is also a wealth of levels and heists to take on, including goofy levels that were previously tied to limited-time events, like the Halloween “Lab Rats” mission that shrinks the crew down to the size of Micro Machines scurrying around the counter of a meth kitchen. It's great to have these options, but also a little bewildering if you haven't been paying attention to the past three years of Payday 2's ongoing development.

Speaking of those three years, The Big Score is unfortunately showing every single one of them. While not exactly a graphical showpiece even at launch, the flat environments and locked 30 FPS really stand out on the PS4. It's also disappointing that the A.I. teammates are still slightly dumber than a cinder block with a concussion. Three years to work on them, and A.I. teammates still just stare at sacks full of priceless gems, completely uninterested in helping you haul them to the getaway van, or stand beside an overheating drill without even attempting to unjam it. Most of the missions are functionally impossible without some teamwork, so these lobotomized bots and the option to play solo might as well not even be in th?e game. It's shameful that such a basic element has been left in this sorry state.

I also have to mention the buy-in price for the bundle. If you never picked up the Crimewave Edition for either of the current-gen consoles, $49.99 isn't a bad price to just jump in and play with the majority of DLC that's been released. However, if you're a long-time fan who picked up Crimewave when it first came out, and God forbid some of the DLC, the $39.99 upgrade bundle is just insulting. At this point we're all used to seeing early adopters getting screwed over, b?ut this seems like a part??icular low-blow for fans who have stayed with the game. 

Payday 2 when it first laun??ched was a flawed game with a lot of heart. It was slow to start, subjected players to a punishing grind, and despised would-be solo players. But, it also featured some fantastically imaginati??ve missions, great opportunities for nail-biting teamwork, and solid gunplay.

Three years on and re-re-released, those flaws are harder to ignore and those qualities not as impressive. Despite dozens of DLC packs, expansion missions, and bonus characters, the core problems with the game have been left unaddressed. Overkill spent three years bolting on fancier spoilers, lights, and hubcaps when what it really needed was an overhaul of the jammed-up transmission. There is still fun to be had with Payday 2, the high points of the game are st?ill fantasti??c, but at this point it's hard to justify trudging through all the annoyances and hassles to get to them.

If you never got the chance to strap on a mask and make some dirty money, The Big Score might still be worth checking out. If you're a seasoned criminal wondering if it's time to get back into? the life, you won't find much to pull you back in.

_{??[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publi??sher.]}

The post Review: Payday 2: The Big Score appeared first on Destructoid.

Also drops microtransactions

In a release published today celebrating Payday 2's 100th balance update, Overkill Software announced that it has fully acquired the rights to the Payday franchise from publisher 505 Games. Any future installments will be the exclusive property of the developer and its parent company Starbreeze. The release also confirmed the existence of Payday 3, which was corroborated by Overkill Software's Almir Listo in an email to Destructoid. "As per the press release, we're confirming? it's existence, but that's it - no m?ore," Listo said.

"After the transaction Starbreeze will own the full rights to the Payday-franchise for any future developments or commercialization," the release said. "Furthermore, 505 Games will retain a 33% revenue share of Starbreeze's net revenues from future sales of Payday 3 capped at 40 million USD, after Starbreeze has fully recouped its development and marketing costs." The transaction was conducted through shares in Starbreeze, giving 505 Games 4.3% of the company and 1.4% of controlling votes.

Listo also broke down the details of the 100th update on the company's Steam page. "We're giving away a community grenade, the skills tree and we're making the black market free for everyone going forward. We will continue to develop stuff for Payday 2 for another 18 months. We're excited to continue w??orki?ng on the game until the end of 2017!"

That essentially means Payday 2 will have no microtransactions going forward. I'm all for that -- more free content is always a good thing. However, the Steam version still has over $140 ?of DLC available for purchase, so you can still give Overkill Software a big pile of cash if you want.

A big pile of cash that 505 Games is no longer entitled to. As of May 1, 2016, all money earned from Payday 2 on Steam belongs to Starbreeze. The two companies will continue to split revenue from the PS4 and Xbox One ports of Payday 2. Curiously, no mention is made of the last-generation ports. Maybe it's because nobody's out there buying PS3 copies of Payday 2?

The post Starbreeze acquires Payday IP, confirms Payday 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

This costing $7 really gets my goat

Remember last year, when Payday 2 developer Overkill introduced microtransactions to its game, despite promising it never would? Remember the long trail of blunders and screw-ups it made after that? Well it wants you to forget all that, and instead buy the new DLC based off of uh… Goat Simulator.

The trailer above sure is something. It has a goat! A goat doing silly things! That?? was funny before, right?!

Anyway, The Goat Simulator Heist includes a new two-day heist, one new shotgun, four new melee weapons, four masks, four patterns, four materials, five new achievements, two new songs by Simon Viklund, and one cheesed off fanbase. Again.

I’m sure this DLC ap??peals to som??ebody out there; it’s memes after all.

But here’s the thing: paid DLC is fine by me. Microtransactions, while easily abused, are also alright with me. Having both of those things in a game that already costs money (and has lots of paid DLC already) is triple-dipping on a community tha??t is tired of being squeezed for cas??h at every turn.

Add in the fact that this paid DLC is based on an almost two-year-old joke, and I reckon i??t's safe to say that this entire thing is, in my oh-so?-humble opinion, taking the piss.

We’re at the point where Overkill could have started 2016 strongly to begin to make up for its past mistakes… and then paid Goat Simulator DLC happens instead. Fab.

The Goat Simulator Heist wil??l be ava??ilable on January 14, costing $7.99. 

The post Payday 2 is getting paid Goat Simulator DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Still not ditching microtransactions

Last week Payday 2 developer Overkill had a sit down to discuss various thin?gs with their Steam community moderators, who had gone on strike following even further tweaks to the game’s controversial new microtransactions.

Now Overkill has taken to their own steam forums to make an apology for uh… something. They never explicitly mention the microtransactions that caused this mess for them in the first place. They simply apologise for something, say they’ll fix it somehow, and then go on to talk abou??t all the community figureheads they’ll be talking to shortly.

The past few weeks have been s?ome of the most challenging in the history of this community. Players have been angry with us, media have written about us en masse and our volunteer moderators went on strike. For all the distress we've caused the past few weeks, I'd just like to take the time?? and say that we’re sorry. We've done a lot of things right in the past, but these past few weeks we screwed up.

We need to get bette??r at many things, and we will do our best to i??mprove as soon as possible.

For some, this apology might well be enough. It’s nice to see a company at least acknowledge they’ve made ??a mistake, which God knows doesn’t happen enough in the games industry. It wouldn’t be fair not to give credit where it’s due, so at least Overkill know they’ve been shitty the pas?t few weeks.

The problem I personally have with this statement is that isn’t saying anything we didn’t already know from their interview with the steam moderators. Overkill knows they’ve screwed up, but it seem to believe it was a problem of simply not explaining the changes well enough to players, as opposed to going against their previous word and implementing tho?se changes in the first place.

They acknowledge the “distress” they have caused, but without putting concrete plans in place to actually fix the problem, the apology is pointless. They even discuss an apparently undocumented conversation they had with the Steam community moderat??ors, in which they gave suggestions on how to 'improve' the microtransactions and the underwhelming Completely Overkill pack. Sounds good, right?

Except then Overkill state that although they've had these suggestions and are "discussing" them, there is no promise they or any other change will actually be mad??e:

Today we had a meeting with Ashley and Jones, two of our volunteer moderators. Ashley and Jones has been collecting questions from the community that we discussed during the meeting. Two of the topics were stat boosts and the latest COP [Completely Overkill Pack] reward. We're currently looking into what we can do to make up for the final COP-reward. Ashley and Jones gave several suggestions from the community that we are currently discussing internally. Our main goal is to try to find a way to reduce or remove the random elements of the final reward, whatever that reward will be.

Regarding stat boosts, Ashley and Jones suggested that we introduce something similar to StatTrak as part of future safes, a feature used in CS:GO in their cases. This is something we've been thinking about as well, and something that we will discuss going forward. I must stress however that we cannot currently make any promises but these are things we will be discussing as we move forward.

The big problem isn’t Overkill not listening to their game’s community (although that is certainly a problem); their big problem is the entire weap?on skin drop system that pissed everyone off in the first place. If their apology was genuine, that system would no longer be there. Yet it is, and there are no promises to change them.

I also think it's funny that after this non-apology they then describe at length the PR campaign they will be doing to try and sweep all of this controversy und??er the rug. But that's a whole other complaint for another day.

Just come on, Overkill. Payday 2 is a great game, but you keep making these really basic mistakes that you don't want to admit to. That i??s why people are angry.

The post Overkill: ‘For all the distress we’ve caused the past few weeks… we’re sorry’ appeared first on Destructoid.

In a long discussion with Steam mods

Sit down and get comfortable, ladies and gentlemen, for the next gripping chapter of t??he ‘When Will Overkill Stop Being Shitty’ Chronicles begins now!

You may remember a while ago that the Payday 2 Steam community moderators went on strike after having to not only put up with Overkill making people angry time and time again, but also with the resulting death threats aim??ed towards them from people who think that’s a totally reasonable and okay thing to do to unpaid volunteers (spoilers: it isn't).

As part of the strike, the moderators wanted to have a frank and open discussion with Overkill about its recent actions, and surprisingly that’s actually happened. Sort of. Up top you can watch a two-hour long interview with Ov??erkill’s Almir Listo, which ultimately devolves into Listo conveniently dodging every question posed to him.

The moderators and Listo discuss everything that’s gone down at Overkill in the last couple of months, including the Crimefest update that introduced microtransactions, as well as the Completely Overkill Pack which resulted in the moderator strike.

The main thing to take away from this is that Listo seems to believe the problem wasn’t Overkill lying about microtransact??ions, nor was it basing the reward for buying a $20 pack months ago on the same microtransaction weapon skins that have had such a negative reception. He argues that he simply didn’t communicate what Overkill is doing with the game well enough:

We’ve always had a very strong relationship with our core community, and the last few months it feels like that’s slipped away. And I’m incredibly saddened by that, y’know? And we have to work hard to regain the tru?st that was lost?.

Worth noting that none of that “regaining trust” seems to include? removing?? the microtransaction system. In fact, he seems to suggest he still thinks microtransactions are a good thing, even if he does admit he doesn’t consider them a success:

We could’ve done much better to make people feel appreciate??d because it’s not a success if people are angry. That’s a bad thing, that’s a really, really bad thing. It doesn’t matter how good of a feature you release, if people are angry, they’re angry, and that’s what people are going to focus on.

Now there are two ways to take this. First one, and the one I personally lean toward, is that this is just PR guff that won’t result in any meaningful change at Overkill. Listo comes across in this interview as very much wanting just to placate the modera??tors enough without com?mitting to any future course of action that would make the players happy.

The other way to take this is that maybe it is a sign of things changing. Overkill has always been a rather vocal developer, yet it's never been good at taking in player feedback. The fact this interview happened with the community could be a sign that it is trying to make that move from ?just telling players what’s what to being more communicative in the future.

So, reckon things are changing at Overkill, or will it just stick its head in the sand as ?usual?

The post Overkill: Payday 2 microtransactions are ‘not a success if people are angry’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Steam forum mods have gone on strike

Oh Overkill. Overkill, Overkill, Overkill. It may have been a few weeks since the fiasco surrounding you introducing microtransactions to Payday 2, despite making extensive promises you wouldn’t, but trust me when I say people are still pissed at you for it, and the latest update will certa??inly not make people dislike you any less than they do right now.

The latest update introduces “Team Boosts”, which will give cash and XP bonuses to everybody you complete a heist with. The more players on a team with that boost, the better the effect is. The catch is that these boosts are part of the ??weapon skin system that requires you to pay for drills to unlock.

That’s right, not only do you now have weapon boosts that make you better at hogging all the enemies if you pay for it, you also have the chance to level up and earn cash a whole lot easier. Cash can be used to unlock perks and new weapons, so this new skin is basically boosting you to be better in all areas of the?? game if you cough up.

Another part of the update is the Completely Overkill Safe, an item given to those who bought the Completely Overkill pack forever ago. It includes one of 25 weapon skins and seven bits of DLC (out of the 27 up for sale). That sounds good, but the skin rarity and ??quality are randomised, so you could’ve waited eight months to get an awful skin for a gun you don’t use while someone who bought the exact same pack could get an utterly fant??astic one they use all the time.

Also, you’d assume people who supported Overkill by buying the Completely Overkill pack would likely already own t??he DLC they’ve just been given, so the entire thing is nowhere near as good as it’s made out to be. Huzzah!

This update has caused another uproar in the Payday 2 community, and rightly so. Even the Steam forum moderators, who have had to try and keep things in check and been subjected to death threats during the microtransaction controversy, have gone on strike un?til Overkill explains what the hell it's doing:

I like to believe that I am ??not unreasonable but unfortunately the situation constantly degraded. We will no longer refuse to work if we are given a public interview with a member of Overkill. We want to be heard and see what Overkill are willing to do to fix the situation.

Something tells me? throwing a few weapon skins out won’t fix this for Overkill.

The post Overkill made the Payday 2 microtransac?tions worse: cash and XP boosts appeared first on Destructoid.

Today's AMA isn't going well

There's a shitstorm going on at the Payday subreddit today, and for good reason -- the devs have recently implemented microtransactions after they promised they wouldn't. This particular Category 5 is based on an AMA held by Overkill producer Almir Listo, which fans are going crazy over.

For starters, Listo deflects nearly eve??ry well-intentioned question regarding the implementation of microt??ransactions, and attempts to directly PR-speak the community, which is a bizarre tactic. He also outright blames the media for misrepresenting the topic in some sort of desperate straw-man maneuver, when it's clear to practically everyone that this was implemented in one of the poorest ways possible (basically in the dead of night under the guise of an event called the "Black Market Update").

Despite the blowback though, the microtransactions are here to stay. Listo confirms this in the AMA, noting, "We understand that there is a lot of fury, anger and disappointment with us adding this. From an economical standpoint however, completely based on statistics, we can already see that the Black? Market update is working as we intended."

The thing is, Overkill will probably stand to make a lot of money on this system, preying on whales and casual players, leaving their dedicated fanbase in the dust. While I don't have an inherent issue w??ith microtransactions in games where they're easily ignored, the fact that they already promised that they wouldn't implement them, and proceeded to ignore their dedicated community with tone deaf, canned responses is troubling.

Th?e real question is -- will it be worth it in the long term if they don't budge on this.

The post Payday 2 dev insists that microtransactions are here to stay, community isn’t having it appeared first on Destructoid.

But it doesn't really change much

Remember last week, when Overkill went back on its multiple promises that it would never add microtransactions to Payday 2? Remember the uproar tha?t happened because of it, and rightly so? Well, it looks like Overkill has listened and acted on feedback. Kind of.

In day six of the Crimefest event, Overkill has added those infamous drills to the norma??l loot drops. You’re now able to earn the drills to get the pay-to-win weapon skins just by playing, and they’re rewarded to players in much the same way as any other item in the game.

It goes a way to apologizing to the players who have been angered by the initial update, but who knows whether it will be enough to get people to go back to Payday 2. It’s ?worth pointing out we don’t know how rare these drops are going to be for play?ers, so it’s not like they’re ditching the scheme altogether.

If anything, this is just making the carrot all the tastier looking by teasing you every once in a while with what is in t?he safe, hoping you’ll be hooked enough to buy some more drills. Plus the fact there are still microtransactions in a game that people were previously promised would never have them is still a pretty big kick in the teeth.

Also in day six of Crimefest is a reworked version of the popular First World Bank from the first Payday game. The entire heist is now possible to complete stealthily and has multiple goals to put it more in line with other heists in Payday 2.

That’s a positive f?or those who weren’t driven away by Overkill lying, right? Right?

The post Payday 2’s latest update addresses complaints about the microtransactions appeared first on Destructoid.

DLC is coming for Xbox One and PS4 too

For a lot of people, Payday 2 is a fantastic game. Pulling of the perfect heist with a bunch of friends, unlocking new tools and guns, and more often than not quoting lines from Heat while you do it, Payday 2 ??is a ??hell of a lot of fun… as long as you’re not on console.

The Crimewave Edition released on Xbox One has had major problems since launch, being n??igh-on broken for some people. The biggest problem reported is the inability to connect to CrimeNet, which is how matchmaking and picking which heists you want to? do is managed.

For a co-op game, no?t being able to actually play with?? anyone is a pretty major problem, and it’s been like that ever since it launched back in June.

Add to that the fact PC has been getting regular updates that both ??Xbox One and PlayStation 4 haven’t, including new heists ??and new characters, and you can see why some people are pissed at developer Overkill right now.

Overkill has now released a video and a post on reddit to acknowledge the problems, and to confirm they will be fixed. For Xbox One, the entire matchmaking system is going to be simplified and reworked. While they want the fixes to be released as soon as possible, at the very latest they're aiming for ??it to be out before the end of the year:

To the talking point of the video??: we're focusing this specific video on the Xbox heisters because of the issues connected to matchmaking that you are experiencing. We are currently working on a radical change - a full remake of the matchmaking system which will simplify the way you join games and improve the matchmaking. This is a solution that is built from the ground up, as the previous matchmaking system we hav?e for PS4 and PC doesn't work well with your platform.

Right now this is our number one priority. Our ambition is to go live with the new matchmaking system and additional fixes within the coming weeks, and no later than the end of the year. Does that mean ?that we want to release it on 31st of December? Absolutely not, we want to get it done ASAP.

As far as the currently PC-exclusive co??ntent goes, Ov??erkill is currently trying to figure out how to give that to console players too:

Regarding the ?first update / DLC release on both platforms, we are currently reviewing how much content we will get you guys in the first update. Our ambition is that you will get all the content that the PC version has, but because we have to make builds and submit them to each platform, we have to do a cut-off at some point. We're looking into where that?? is exactly, more information regarding this and what content we're talking about in the coming weeks.

Six months after launch seems an incredibly long time to fix a game-breaking issue like the Xbox version of PayDay 2 has if you ask me. Seems like the sort of thing that should've been?? caught and fixed before launch, or at least in a day one patch. Not half a year later.

Oh well, nice to know it hasn’t been completely abandoned. Payday 2 i??s a great game, so it'll be good for more people to finally be able to play it.

The post The utterly broke?n Xbox One version of ??Payday 2 is getting fixed appeared first on Destructoid.

We all have our vices

I still firmly believe that one of the greatest upsides of being a PC gamer are the twice annual fire-sales hosted by ??Steam. Those sales, alongside the multitude of other deals and bargains that can be scooped up from Humble Bundle, GoG, and other online retailers at any time during the year are what makes PC gaming so attractive to me. Sure, the upfront cost of outfitting a PC with a beefy videocard and the ridiculously large quantities of RAM needed to hang in the overspec'ed world of PC games can be ghastly. But, the ultra-deep discounts provided by these sales will more than make up for it in the long term. If you're willing to wait six months or so, you can pick up games for a fraction of the cost and enjoy the best possible versions of them (often with mods and expanded content).

Of course, that only counts if you actually play the damn things.

Like so many others, I have a crippling backlog of games desperately waiting for me to give them a smidgen of attention. Like some ??Victorian-era affection-withholding father, I deny them. Despite a backlog of titles I've never installed let alone completed, I still spend most of my time with a few well-worn favorite multiplayer games and RPGs, snubbing all of those choice titles I scooped up on sale and through the magic of neglect, turning a righteous savings into a waste of money.

So ?of course I made another rash of poor choices during this Steam Summer Sal??e and picked up a boatload more.

It's embarrassing, but I just can't bring myself to pass ??up a deal. So to try and realign my sense of priorities, I'm going to catalog exactly what I picked up, and try to place it on the embarrassment spectrum??.

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Embarrassment factor: A Neville Chamberlain ass-tattoo

From the moment I first laid eyes on Wolfenstein: The New Order I thought “that looks like a great game!” followed almost immediately with?? a second thought “I'll wait for a?? Steam Sale.” And so it was.

Yes, I know, I'm the kind of scumbag that disincentivizes publishers from backing games like Wolfenstein, and I feel bad about that, really. But I know in my heart of hearts that between work and every other game tugging at my arm, I will probably never find the time to run through a single player shooter, no matter how much fun the nazi-murder spree looks. At least it's there for me now if I ever re-watch Jin-Roh?? and feel compelled to dump a belt-fed machine gun into a human wall of Wehrmacht.

Long Live the Queen

Embarrassment factor: Mortified monocle dropping

Look, sometimes I buy games because I think they might be fun to play with my girlfriend. Stop judging me. Also, the trailer was cute, and it was $2.00, and sometimes I like nice things, and you're going to stop judging me right now or I will cut off your head and parade it around court on the end of a pike.

Iron Brigade

Embarrassment factor: Serving with pride

I don't think I need to make excuses for wanting? to ride atop a glorious mobile trench/mecha, obliterate endless waves of lethal cathode ray enemies with ridiculously oversized cannons, an?d sport a splendid hat while doing so. If you don't understand the self-evident joy of such things, we're just never going to see eye-to-eye.

Sunless Sea

Embarrassment factor: Muttering about mutiny

Sunless Sea looks like Darkest Dungeon, but on the water, so it's bound to be a delightful time. The embarrassment factor isn't too high here because I'm sure I'll get some play out of this one and I love to support indie devs like Failbetter Games. Besides, any game recommended by our very own Ben Davis has to be worth a look.

Borderlands 2: GOTY

Embarrassment factor: C:/My Documents/DankMemes

Ever hear of the sunk cost fallacy? Well this is it. I loved Borderlands 2, played through the main campaign with my brother, did a bunch of co-op and challenge stuff with Dtoid's StriderHoang, and bought the big dumb fancy DLC pack. Problem was, I did most of that playing during the first three weeks of the game's launch and never quite got back to all that e?xpensive DLC. This is why you never buy the season pass folks.

It's always loomed over me and I'd like to revisit those characters and see all that content I missed, but most of my 360 friends have moved on to other consoles and it's not like I'm going to solo another character through the game, that's not how I get down with Borderlands. But, the Steam sale gave me and my brother a chance to grab the game on the cheap on our PCs, so we can delude ourselves all over again that somehow we'll find 30 hours of mutually schedule-friendly time to plunder, raid, and explode all over Pandora again. Look forward to next year when I tell you all about how I picked up the Pre-Sequel Definitive Edition on the cheap and will toootally play through it.. Sometime.

Westerado: Double Barreled

Embarrassment factor: I aim to misbehave

No embarrassment here. Everything I hear about Westerado makes it sound like a hell of a game. Rustlin' cattle, solvin??g mysteries, and laying down the law by whipping out a gun mid-dialog scene, these are all things I can stare at over the horizon and g??ive a knowing nod.

Gravity Ghost

Embarrassment factor: WHEEEEEE!

Mea culpa. I did not do the research before I bought this game and I just assumed that you played as the deer wearing socks that you always see in the screenshots. 100% of my purchasing thought process was based on loving the idea of a deer wearing socks. Sadly, you do not play as a deer wearing socks. ??On the plus side, it's a beautiful, charming, and magical experience and all that... Sigh, I really wanted to play as a deer wearing socks.

The Fall

Embarrassment factor: File not found

The only embarrassment here is that I didn't pick up The Fall sooner. Seriously, this is a gorgeous indie?? game about a possibly malfunctioning robot-suit trying to save his unconscious pilot while stranded on a planet populated by insane drones and fascist super-computers. Just saying that last sentence out loud activates my saliva glands.

Payday 2 DLC: Clover Character pack, Alesso Heist, and the Butcher's BBQ pack

Embarrassment factor: A poster of Waingro in the family room

I picked up Payday 2 during last summer's Steam Sale and it was a gift that kept?? on giving. Surprisingly fun co-op heisting with months of content patches and bug fixes behind it, and I picked it up for a song. I ended up playing it for months before my attention drifted and I don't think I ever spent more than $15 or $20 on it all told. With that in mind, even though I'm living on the straight and narrow now, I thought it m?ight be a good idea to pick up some of the cooler looking DLC bits I've missed just in case the bastards ever pull me back in.

See, smooth over the truth enough and you can justify something as dumb as buying DLC for a game you don't even have installed any more?. That's the kind of moral flexibility t?he Payday crew can respect.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Embarrassment factor: Listening to “Love Deterrence” by Paz Oretga on loop

It's Metal Gear for like $5.00, how could I not? I know, buying Ground Zeroes is essentially paying for the privilege to play a demo of The Phantom Pain (which is not too far away from coming out itself now), but you know what? The demo from Metal Gear Solid back on the PS1 was dope as hell and I ended u?p playing it over and over again FOR HOURS. That demo was basicall??y a loading dock and the front yard of Shadow Moses, so imagine the kind of fun I can wring out of an entire military base.

Again, I miss demo discs.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Embarrassment factor: Mistaking a shadow for a ghost and making a little yelping noise

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter looks like a positively beautiful mystery/horror game that will sit in my Steam backlog with pride. I'll be glad it's there, and think of playing it often. “Maybe around Halloween” I'll say. But then the month will come and some big name title will drop hoping to get a jump on the November rush, or Team Fortress 2 will do some adorable ghost themed event and I'll end up plugging hours into an eight year old g??ame again, and poor Ethan Carter will be forgotten. Left to haunt my backlog forever.

More like The Vanishing of my Free Time, am I right? Wait, no,? that doesn't make much sense. I'll show myself out.

Alien: Isolation

Embarrassment factor: Closing your eyes in the theater and hoping no one notices

Oh man, I hope I don't lose this one to the backlog, because so far it's pretty great. Alien: Isolation is one of those games I was really interested in at?? launch, but just couldn't bring myself to cough up $60 for it. Now that I've had a chance to play it, I'd say it probably would have bee??n worth the full sticker price (but I'm much happier paying the $10 or so it ended up costing me).

The best part of the game so far has just been noodling around the station, checking out all the little touches and messing with the retro-future computers and technology. It's a lot like Gone Home, only instead of being “a little spooky” it's a full-on assault on the ner?ves that ratchets up the tension until finally skewering you on the end of a Xenomorph's spiked tail. I'm still holding out hope that Amanda will just find some nice girl to elope with and get out of the station.

Marine Sharpshooter 2

Embarrassment factor: Marine Sharpshooter 2

I didn't buy this one. A friend “gifted” me a copy, and oh what a gift. Marine Sharpshooter 2 apparently came out in 2004, but after five minutes in it's muddy, jagged jungles, you'll swear it was 1999 all over again. With what I would describe as a “generous” Metacritic score of 52, it doesn't have many upsides. So of course I immediately installed it instead of any of the other many?? fine games I spent actual money on. In the clinical world, this is what they call “self hate.”

The post Steam Summer Sale, an embarrassment of riches appeared first on Destructoid.

Yeah, I'm thinking I'm back

Much like the president from Resident Evil 6, the last generation of games has risen from the dead to feast?? on the living. We’ve seen so many remasters, remaster collections, and straight ports in the past year that it feels like the new generation of consoles exists solely to eulogize the previous lineup; these black, monolithic boxes are more sleek gravestones than video game mach?ines. 

This trend continues with Payday 2: Crimewave Edition, one of the aforementioned straight ports. Crimewave’s visuals are a notch above the version of Payday 2 released on the last generation of hardware, in fairness. But the wealth of new content is worth a look if you haven't played since launch, and the game still has a rock-solid core. If you’re looking for a multiplayer sho??oter on current-gen consoles, you could do a hell of a lot worse.

Also, you can play as John Wick.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition (Xbox One [reviewed], PS4)
Developer: Overkill Software
Publisher: 505 Games
Released: June 12, 2015 
MSRP: $49.99

In Payday 2, you're a gang of criminals in Washington, D.C, intimately familiar with the ins and outs of crime and crime-related activities. You and three friends (or AI partners if that's how you roll) apply this skillset liberally, transforming places where once there was no crime into a veritable haven of villainy. In some ways, you could say the Payday Pals are some kind of wave...of crime. These dirty deeds range from bank robbery, to jewelry store robbery, to museum robbery, to art gallery robbery, to murder. To be fair, unless your team is quite good, each mission ends with a sizable body count, so there's mur?der to be found i??n just about every mission.

This is a sticking point with Payday 2 -- it's very difficult to pull off a controlled heist. Even if you're rolling with a team of people you know and everybody's using microphones, there are still a lot of unknown factors and most of the best stealth gear is locked behind dozens of hours worth of progress. Since the core shooting is tight and responsive, stealth attempts quickly transitioning into explosive gunfights was never a genuine problem. At first blush, locking different approaches behind progression is at the very least disingenuous, but if you're going to be playing the game for that long anyway, rewarding time spent with variety is a smart play. But in this case, appreciating design must take a backseat to player enjoyment. Pistol suppressors -- a crucial tool for stealth missions -- are either the luck of the draw or hidden ?behind some labyrinth of menus. It's impossible to tell which.

Although there's a limited pool of missions, I never saw them all in my 16 hours with the game. This is partially because I spent time grinding out shorter, easier missions for cash and experience, but there's still a fairly respectable amount of content available. Since Crimewave Edition comes with all the DLC released up to that point, there's a lot even beyond the missions. There's more guns, a new character class, and even new characters (including a female member of the Payday Pals, and the boogeyman himself: John Wick).

Something also has to be said for the game's atmosphere. When the relentless, driving soundtrack kicks in right as a fresh wave of pigs rush your crew, it's hard to not get swept up in the moment. I'll always choose stealth over action, but I never felt the need to restart a heist in Payday 2 because I had grown accustomed to the combat -- it had become a regular part of life in this fictional capital. Maybe there's s??omething there about the normalization of violence, a??bout how the endless war of attrition between the law and those who operate outside it only serves to perpetuate a culture of death -- when the authorities perform a show of force, perhaps they are creating the very criminals they seek to apprehend.

Look, there are a lot of re-releases in stores right now, and even more coming this year. More often than not, they are slight, if competent, upgrades from the last batch of consoles. They've got nothing on the PC versions, but not everyone can afford a monster rig. Payday 2 is reasonably engaging, and the Crimewave Edition works as advertised. The framerate is solid, which is a nice bonus. But this is still a slightly new wrapper on?? a two-year-old game. Know this, at the very least: if you choose to skip this game in the hopes of drawing a line in the sand regarding split-gen ports, there are worse titles to pass over.

The post Payday 2: Cr??imewave Edition is yet? another competent port appeared first on Destructoid.