Payday 2 has one single premise. Execute a grand mass of robberies and heists, in order to make your way up the ladder to the status of master criminal. These can range from anything to robbing a jewelry store or a more deadly scenarios such as a cracking the vault of a bank heist while fending off police, or waging war with mobsters over a meth lab. Where Payday 2 succeeds however, is not just in the variety of locations that’s on offer to perform grand theft. But in the amount of detail that goes in to the planning stages and the structure of the missions themselves.

" Execute a grand mass of robberies and heists, in order to make your way up the ladder to the status of master criminal. "

Nothing is or will ever be a simple break in and break out situation, making off with the cash without anybody knowing. 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 contains aspects of player customization and weapon loadouts as well as how they plan to execute the heist. This is where the game manages to immerse the player and it forces them to think carefully about their role and character class. Within the actual mission there will be certain objectives that must be undertaken before, during and after the mission. This is where the immersion factor plays a larger role and tricks the player in to thinking their in control. And if their not, well, they’ll learn to adjust.

Every mission feels like a heist gone wrong and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to feel, even when choosing the route of stealth. During a mission in which I was required to disassemble a bomb, while doing battle with the military forces that seeked to put an end to my demise, it didn’t become apparent to me as to just how much time I had sunk in to the mission until it actually ended.

"This contains aspects of player customization and weapon loadouts as well as how they plan to execute the heist."

It’s incredibly easy to lose track of time within the game, and since pressure and intensity are two things that play directly against the players mindset, it’s intimidating as it is entertaining. One minute I’m stealing paintings from an art gallery and the next, I’m lowering a hose in to a train wreck to secure the pressure of a bomb, so I can dismantle it in to multiple pieces and sell it to a contractor. Payday 2 knows how to take itself seriously while still making no sense whatsoever.

It’s genuine fun. Had the game been released in the 90s it would have been trading blows with Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto, over which game influences the most bad behaviour in the teenage male demographic. Adding attention to detail outside of the missions is the design of the games actual menus. Everything holds the aesthetic of a blueprint or a map that the player will navigate through when assigning weapons, gadgets, or deciding where to plan their attack. It may be considered quite small to some, but it’s the fine attention to detail that goes a long way.

Since Payday 2 is at its best when being played online co-operatively, A.I. team mates are essentially useless outside of waving a gun. This means everything that requires an objective undertaking such as setting up a C4, picking a lock, or setting up a drill to crack a safe of a bank is all on the player. Going forward with the series, I would like to see a great deal of attention being placed on the A.I. team mates, as the simple commands that you’re able to instruct aren’t in anyway ideal nor beneficial for assisting in a heist.

"Since Payday 2 is at its best when being played online co-operatively, A.I. team mates are essentially useless outside of waving a gun."

While the single-player is without a doubt fun and engaging, it’s always a case of “I’m planning to steal $90,000 worth of jewelry, threaten the bystanders, and murder anyone who attempts to stop me. Oh yeah…these three idiots will be joining me.” In terms of gameplay, this is the only fault that players can expect from the game, but either way it’s still entertaining.

As it stands however, this is a HD remaster of Payday 2, which means the core gameplay remains the same. What’s new to this edition comes in the form of additional content that was formerly available to the PC. Where past HD remasters have only been given a visual overhaul with minor expansion packs barely worthy of the name, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition delivers on everything. With that being said, there’s nothing new here that PC players should be considering as this is strictly aimed for last-generation console players.

These new additions primarily consist of more heists, weapons, weapon modifications, masks, costumes, characters, and a skill tree. And while that may not sound like much on the surface, the breath of content that’s actually in the game could easily spawn in to its own standalone title. The game adds missions based on Dennaton Games’ Hotline Miami. Take a deep breath. And if that wasn’t enough, John Wick is also a playable character. Everything is better with Keanu Reeves.

"And if that wasn't enough, John Wick is also a playable character."

Where the game continues to standout as being something other than a High Definition heist isn’t just purely down to the amount of content though. It’s the way in which it has been changed in regards to mission structure. The pre-planning phase of the game which takes place before heading in to a mission, allows players to strategize and prepare themselves before hand, adding a new level of complexity to the overall gameplay.

This works well in practice and the fact that it’s added a new gameplay mechanic in the form of an update as opposed to doing so in a sequel, makes it all the more enjoyable. It’s the small iterations here that deserve some respect and it clearly demonstrates that the studio knows exactly what it’s doing with the game.

As said previously, characters now have a skill tree system. This means that the more you play the more you’ll earn. Literally. And not just in the way of cash. It gives players the ability to equip specialized perks, equipment, and character traits to their respectful class. As the game is heavily focused on co-operative play, gamers who take the game seriously will gain fulfillment in watching their character truly progress.

"This means that the more you play the more you'll earn."

Last on the list is the new contract systems that’s in place. Taking on missions set by crime-bosses and contractors adds a new level of dynamism to the game as it differs from the standard run of the mill heists. These contract missions have multiple stages to them, each with different objectives that can lead to random outcomes. When pulled off correctly it can feel rewarding, and it aids in further engaging the player in to its world.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is a vigorous, exciting, and heart-wrenching game. It delivers on everything that made the base version of the game so great to begin with, and it gives a compelling reason for its current-generation re-release. The only issue I had with the game was something that I hoped would be resolved, now that it’s on reasonably more powerful hardware. The frame rate.

A silky, smooth thirty frames-per-second. No, just no. Something has to be said over this Neverland fantasy of 1080p gaming for the current console generation. The fact that as journalists we’ve been inclined to bring it up in reviews and general news coverage so often, when it was barely mentioned in the generations prior means it is a big problem.

"A silky, smooth thirty frames-per-second. "

1080p isn’t compelling, it’s a compromise. Had the developers dropped the resolution to 900p or such, which would have had no meaningful effect on the visuals anyway, and then ramped the frame-rate up to sixty, the game would have felt much more responsive and much more enjoyable. Payday 2 is a good looking game, but it isn’t at all graphically demanding.

It’s not necessarily a question of “Why is it running at thirty?” It’s more a question of “How is not running at sixty?” Payday has always felt like a PC game that console players where just lucky enough to receive. But the fact that it’s running at thirty as opposed to sixty is fairly disappointing.

It’s a worthy step-up from it’s last-gen iteration and I see no reason other than the obvious, to not recommend it to fans of the series. New heists, new mechanics, and new methods of character progression, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is ludicrous enjoyment.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

As we’ve previously reported on, Planetside 2’s Beta sign ups started back in December  and that the anticipated Beta was set to launch this month despite having been delayed. Well at last you can finally get some information on the matter, just not as soon as you would have hoped for because the release of the beta still hasn’t been given.

But it will be arriving some time this week, so rejoice my fellow space marines. It’s all wrapped up and ready to go as of now following an announcement, by way of twitter, from John Smedley who confirmed that SCE had cleared it with their certification process. He said,” it was approved first pass and goes up either the week of the 13th or 20th. We will know when we are back on the 5th.

This was followed up in the late hours of Monday this week when he Smedley said, “we will be announcing the beta start date in the next few days for Planetside 2 on PS4.”…”the announcement will also explain our rollout plans, etc.”

The MMO fps shooter has been in the pipe for a long time, despite being one of the first titles announced as coming to the PS4 as a port of the PC build. Let’s hope that the long development time has been spent refining the game and that is doesn’t drop as a mess.

[Source]

Star Citizen. Seriously, who hasn’t heard of that game at this point in time? If you’re big into gaming, then you’re already fully aware of the upcoming and monstrously ambitious game that raised a ludicrous amount of money.

Fret not though. That money has been put to good use and boy oh boy does it look like this game will deliver.

The game is releasing portions at a time to build into a greater whole. One such module is the first person shooter module. Visuals are nice, movement looks good and the HUD has a nice little Sci Fi feel to it, but isn’t over cluttered. All in all, things are looking good.

I will say this though. I personally don’t like it when people start talking like a team. Acting like a team and playing like a team is all well and good, but saying “Contact Right, Clear Ambush, On me!” in a game is just too much. Oh, and don’t listen to the crowd…actually, perhaps you should just turn the sound off.

A new study has come out that has established that, statistically speaking, men seem to like first person shooters, while women like role playing games. What this says about me, a man, who prefers role playing games to shooters, I have no idea. Probably that, scientifically and/or statistically speaking, I am a woman.

The latest study out of SuperData Research has shown that women are now the largest demographic group playing RPGs, while 2 out of 5 MMORPG players are also women. Which sort of goes against the traditional fat, Cheetos guzzling basement nerd stereotype that people get when they think of PC gamers.

The report also gave us a breakdown of the age of the players playing MMORPGs.

“Players between 18 and 30 account for 50% of the US MMO audience,” said SuperData in its report. “These players represent the largest age group, many of which started playing MMOs as children, during the segment’s early years, and have continued into their adulthood.

“This generation is expected to expand the older markets as they age since they are the first generation to have grown up with MMOs.”

So much for RPGs, single player or online. For shooters, the breakdown is equally interesting, if a little predictable, with 66% of the players being male, and the rest being females.

Check out the full study for more interesting statistics, including a breakdown of demographics across PC and consoles.

With the advent of next generation consoles i.e. the PS4 and Xbox One, almost every hardcore gamer is expecting that the next wave of games will run at a golden standard of 1080P/60 fps. However, it takes a lot for a piece of software to be able to run at 30 or 60 frames a second consistently, and with so much stress being put on the console or PC’s hardware, is it really worth it to push past the 30 fps barrier? The human eye doesn’t recognize a frame rate increase once it goes above a preset value, so why do developers bother with it?

Most games for the soon-to-be last generation of consoles run games at both 30 and 60fps as it is and these games are pretty much at height of the hardware’s life cycle. Games like The Last of Us  are all locked at 30 frames per second and it looks gorgeous. Not only do plenty of games get locked at this frame rate, they look good at it. This is great option for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Other, more fast-paced games like Call of Duty however are locked in at around 60 frames a second. Games that have a faster pace and depend more heavily on quick reactions and split section decisions seem to have a higher frame rate, which is understandable. This isn’t a new feature in gaming by any means either, developers and consoles have been able to pull 60 frames a second for quite a few years, although with a few compromises.

As far back as the Nintendo 64 developers were running games at 60 fps. One such popular racing game for example, F-Zero X could run at 60 frames a second with about 30 vehicles on the screen at any given time. The problem that the developers ran into was that sacrifices had to be made to keep the game running at a steady 60 frames. Things like polygon count and textures had to be greatly reduced to get everything on the screen at once without any performance drops and that means thinning the game down a bit. F-Zero X most likely could have been playable at 30 frames a second, but it wouldn’t have looked as good. This fast-paced racer would have been choppy and somewhat “jerky” looking at 30.

Pacing of a game has a lot to do with what the frame rates are set at. On the flip side of this though, PC gamers don’t really have to worry about locking their frame rates into anything lower than 60 with the current hardware and game engines available today. Most games, even cross-platform titles give them the ability to easily tweak graphical settings, frames per second and a variety of other options that either directly or indirectly affect the games’ performance.

Let’s take a look at Borderlands 2, the default for this game is 60FPS for PCs. It’s a fast-paced, brightly lit game that has a whole lot of background processing, especially if you decide to leverage Nvidia’s PhysX engine. While it looks great, it puts a massive load on the system and can really bog things down. The PhysX feature wasn’t available for consoles, and it’s not like this feature really added anything to the game that console players were missing out on, a bit of eye candy and some extra effects from specialized weapons, but that’s about it. With that said, it’s obviously awesome to have, but it comes at a price.

When you’re running a game at 60 frames a second with all the graphical goodies turned all the way up it’s fairly likely that you’re going to see a hiccup every now and again. Even going from 30 to 60 frames you’re still going to notice if the system is running smoothly, then suddenly drops down to say, 45 or 35 frames only to spike back up, specially in PC games. In this sense, console gamers don’t have to worry about it as much. While you may see a drop every once in awhile, the software has been optimized to run as efficiently as possible. While this has also been done with the PC versions of the games, the wide array of hardware and software configurations certainly makes it a more challenging task.

Games that are locked in at 30 frames a second certainly leave more room for visual styles, and background processes, but doing this can also make the game look choppy, and unpolished. A good example of this is Sleeping Dogs. Playing this game at 60 frames a second vs. 30 frames has a relatively noticeable impact on the game. In side-by-side comparisons you can see fairly easily that the video running at 30 fps is choppy, almost like there is missing data in between frames. While the player may not necessarily directly notice the lower frame rate, they will most likely notice the game appearing to almost skip to the next frame, almost like it could be struggling to render the images, even though the hardware is running at optimal performance levels.

Can people play games at 30FPS with little to no problem? Absolutely, but with the leap in display technology, PC hardware and soon-to-be available PS4 and Xbox One that are incredibly powerful, there is very little reason to lock a game’s frames at 30FPS, even the current generation hardware that is soon to be outdated doesn’t seem to have a problem with most games running at over 30 frames a second. While you can still game at lower frames there really is no doubt that 60FPS is better than 30.

So yes, 60 fps in video games matter but are we going to see it become the standard anytime soon? Nope. Just like with any console cycle, developers will need more time to get themselves acquainted with the new hardware. However certain games like Titanfall [I can’t imagine this game being played at 30fps], the next Halo and even launch games like DriveClub are targeting 60 FPS. It is only a matter of time before we see games pushing the barrier, game developers finding intelligent ways to write optimized code to attain the much wanted golden standard in video games.

The Factions Pack for 4A’s awesome Metro Last Light comes in at a very reasonable RRP, but it sadly offers very little quality content to go along with this. Split into three chapters, the expansion lets you inhabit players from some of the others groups and clans that Artyom encounters during his travels in the main game but, converse to what you might expect, very little of the world and lore of the Metro is elaborated upon.

The first chapter sees you taking control of Hans, a heavy weapons expert for the Third Reich army. It was in this chapter that I almost gave up hope. Taking place during the battle for D6 at the end of the Last Light campaign, this chapter is a re-run through the single dullest section of Metro Last Light from the other side. You just gun down enemies of various types for about fifteen minutes. It’s dull as dishwater on normal mode, and frustrating beyond belief on hard and ranger modes.

"The German outpost is a step in the right direction, offering a much more cerebral style of gameplay that Metro fans will be more at home with."

The liberty was at least taken to add in a few new weapons. A gatling gun and grenade launcher finally grace the roster of Metro, and they are about as fun to wield as you might expect. Your Nazi companions also make a big deal about the rail gun sniper you can find on the map but, aside from a cool visual design, it didn’t feel all that different to any of the other pneumatic weapons you could find in the original game.

Another chapter sees you taking control of a Red Army sniper as you clear out a German outpost. It’s a step in the right direction, offering a much more cerebral style of gameplay that Metro fans will be more at home with. It still isn’t all that deep a game experience though. You’re decked out with a silenced automatic and an equally quiet sniper and, as you fail the mission instantly if you set off any alarms, it offers a decent challenge for fans of the cloak and dagger approach. It sill fails to feel meaningful though, ending abruptly just as you begin to become invested and curious about the communists’ mission.

The Polis chapter is far and away the main attraction, casting you as a Polis fighter venturing into the Moscow library for artefacts from the old world. Yes, as in that Moscow library. The return of such a memorable part of Metro 2033 is delightful and terrifying in equal measure. Far from being a linear romp as in the other chapters though, this one offers an open ended map you need to explore.

"The biggest element of the Polis chapter is the fear factor. Free from the shackles of linear level design and pre-spawned enemies, it's one of the first times I truly felt fear in the Metro."

You need to stock up on gas mask filters and a radiation/heavy armour suit before you can venture too far though, so it’s a case of exploring the sewers beneath the library for loot that will get you the currency you need. It makes for an oddly strategic style of play and, with tonnes of short-cuts you can create back to your base, the clever map design gives off a pleasant whiff of the Metroidvania genre that works surprisingly well with Metro’s gameplay.

The biggest element of the Polis chapter is the fear factor. Free from the shackles of linear level design and pre-spawned enemies, it’s one of the first times I truly felt fear in the Metro. Nosalis stalk you from all angles, coming at you from hiding places you could never imagine, and the knowledge that you need to be at home to stock up makes you all too aware of how vulnerable you are as you push further into the great library.

It’s nerve-wracking, but also rewarding and exhilarating in a way that the vanilla Last Light campaign simply cannot be. The weapons available for purchase at the Polis base are the only annoying part of this level, with a very limited selection dumbing down your combat decisions considerably.

I suppose one can’t really expect much from a pretty cheap chunk of DLC, but there is no denying that the Factions Pack is a case of one step forward and two steps back. The return of the librarians in amongst a new style of gameplay is a cause for celebration, but the dull and meaningless Third Reich and Red Army levels are truly disappointing.

The pack is mostly enjoyable but, when you consider the opportunities available to expand upon Metro’s fascinating game world through the new character perspectives, it’s hard to see the Factions Pack as anything but a mostly missed opportunity.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Frank Gibeau, Electronic Arts president has spoken to IGN about how Battlefield is unique compared to other first-person shooters on the market, despite the fact that Call of Duty has a higher success.

“There’s no other shooter on the market that does what Battlefield does. The mix of vehicles and infantry combat with fully destructible environments in very large levels, nobody matches that. Until they do, we have a unique position, and I think we have a great position. From Bad Company to Bad Company 2 to Battlefield 3, we’ve grown that business from 3 million units to 18 million plus. The quality has gotten better. The technology has gotten better. We’ve done new things with the experience. We don’t feel like we’ve reached a barrier that says, ‘oh, we’re out of ideas to innovate.’ I think the idea that in real time, you knock a skyscraper down right into the middle of the level, it completely changes the whole game. You can imagine. And be rest assured that we have more levels like that.”

Frank Gibeau continued to speak and explained how Battlefield and Frostbite 3 will be innovative in the years to come.

“Our idea is to leap ahead using gen 4 and Frostbite 3 to drive the shooter category and grow Battlefield and give fans what they want. We feel very confident that we’ll be able to continue to make better and better Battlefields. At the same time, we have a great rotation. We’ve got Battlefield. We’ve got Titanfall. We’ve got Battlefront. We feel pretty good about that mix. They all do something very different. That’s the trick. The more that these things feel the same, that’s when the category starts to fall away. I don’t see that happening yet. I think we’ve got plenty of opportunity in gen 4, with eight times the computing power of the last gen, plus all the new online features, plus a lot of things like SmartGlass integration with Commander mode, where we’re going to continue to give shooter fans and those big franchise buyers bigger and bigger experiences.”

Battlefield 4 will be shipping this holiday season for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and also for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One once the new hardware has launched.

Let us know if you’re excited to play Battlefield 4 later this year in the comments below.

Check back on GamingBolt for more news and updates.

Alien Rage was previously known as Alien Fear but has recently gone under a name change. City Interactive has announced the new name today and has released a teaser trailer along with screenshots for the new downloadable PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade title. The game will be playable for the first-time at this year’s E3 and will be coming out this fall.

The game is using the ever-popular Unreal Engine 3 and packs in stylish beautiful graphics all around. Alien Rage is described as a “hardcore Sci-Fi shooter,” with “the DNA of the best classical FPS games.” One of the biggest features the game has are the variety of weapons and firing modes.  Alien Rage will also feature co-op and 21 types of enemies “including 8 bad-ass bosses.”

Screenshots:

The game looks beautiful in my opinion and I am looking forward to trying it out.

Let us know if Alien Rage has intrigued your interest in the comments below.

Check back on GamingBolt for more media and gameplay updates for Alien Rage as we get closer to E3 2013.

Hellraid was formerly known as Project Hell. Hellraid takes place in unique dark fantasy world where players will be hacking away at denizens of hell, solo or with friends.

Adventurers will be able to grow their skills, fight, collect loot and craft weapons while exploring the dark fantasy world of Hellraid. The title is built upon a strong core of hack & slash gameplay but will be played from immersive First Person Perspective.

In Hellraid, you will be able to play as one of the four heroes in the game. Each hero has a different set of skills and weapon capabilities. As the barbaric warrior, you will be slaying your enemies with axes and swords. Paladin’s defensive magic will help you to heal and protect your allies in battle while the Mage will annihilate his enemies with the power of fire, water and electricity. The rogue will be distant, but deadly with his crossbow from afar.

For more information about Hellraid check out the game’s official website.

Screenshots:

Hellraid is going to be coming out sometime this year for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Stay tuned on GamingBolt for more news regarding Hellraid. Tell us what you think of Hellraid in the comment section below.

Dead Island: Riptide – the zombie apocalypse cooperative first-person shooter is now out in stores and is available for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Dead Island: Riptide is a sequel to Dead Island that was released back in September of 2011.

The original Dead Island became successful thanks to its cooperative play and a good mix of RPG and MMO elements in one single package. Dead Island: Riptide continues what made the original title good and adds a couple of new things such as new enemies, new playable character, different island and more.

However, it also suffers from the same issues that the original game did which includes technical graphical issues and other small things. Check out our review of Dead Island: Riptide on GamingBolt.

Stay tuned on GamingBolt for more news regarding Dead Island: Riptide and the future of the franchise from Deep Silver and their upcoming titles. Leave any comments or opinions you have of the game if you already have picked it up and let us know what you think in the comment section down below.