Payday 2 is Still an Incredible Game. 

They should make a sequel to 2, it would be very cool I think.

Payday 2 is a one of a kind game, and one of the few that I would truly say has something for everyone. Want to roleplay a mastermind criminal? Do it. Want to be an rpg and flamethrower wielding fedora wearing maniac? Do it. Want to play tough as nails challenges? Do it. Want to play relaxing gameplay? Do it. Want to read into lore and understand the story? Do it. Want to put on headphones and just shoot guys? Do it. Payday 2 has gone through a series of changes over the years that just allows everyone to have something to call their own. Although there are many games that may do one or two things better than Payday 2, it’s not possible to appeal to as many people. That’s why Payday 2 can still pick up new players and have them keep playing, and keep playing, and keep playing.

Listen man. I think I wanted Payday 3 to be a sequel to Payday 2, not Payday: The Heist. That's all. That's the conclusion I've come to and I think that means Payday 3 just isn't the game for me right now. Maybe that'll change. Maybe it won't. But Payday 2 is still here, and it's still fun. That's alright with me man.

I honestly never thought I’d miss the drills from PD2

I think payday 2 will always be fun

Totally agree, Kknowley. PD2 is a fab all rounder that doesn't take itself too seriously and is filled with atmosphere, tension and laughs. 1300+ hrs in PD2 and I'm thinking of going back. 80hrs in PD3 and I'm done for good.

For me, it's just the charm. Quite hard to explain but there's just charm oozing from every corner of PD2, hence why I fell in love with it. Although PD3 has moments of this, when you go back and play PD2 after playing 3, I just feel like I'm at home again? whereas with PD3, I'm constantly on the edge of my seat in case of another Nebula Error...

If i would get a pre built PC Payday 2 would be in my top 3 games to return too. Game is just phenomenal and the community is great and helpful.

I think Payday 2 is a beautiful game. The only problem with it is its console ports. I think that's why i hope Payday 3 stays alive for us console enjoyers. Also, nice work on the very intentional ARG leaking of this video.

PD3 is tense and I need to plan to play well, but with PD2, I don't even need to think. these two games for me, draw me in drastically different ways. They both fill their own niches, which I cant even compare. They're both too different from each other.

One of Payday 2's biggest selling points for me is the weapon customization. Not only is there a MASSIVE selection of guns, but the amounts of customization is insane. A gun could have 3 different stocks, 3 different foregrips, 5 different suppressors, lasers, scopes, all that. The differences are extremely minor, almost unnoticeable. Many of them fill the exact same role. Same for the guns. There's numerous high-rpm low-dmg guns, DMRs, shotguns, yadda yadda that all do the exact same thing, but slightly differently. So just pick the one that looks good, sounds good, feels good. Payday 3 has no options. Only one thing for each role with almost no overlap. You get ONE sniper and that's it. Less ways to customize it and really make it your own, too

Payday 2: crimewave edition is like an ancient vase stuck in amber and its great and you should experience it.

in Payday 3 I se what they were going for but why does the assault have anything to do with progress in heist. If I did the whole thing in stealth and have one bag to secure and someone finds a Civ I tied up earlier why do they send in cloakers Dozers and snipers... just feels overly punishing for no reason. (especially when the game is as unstable as it is, I still don't know what the guy on Touch the sky sees at the start of the game before I even get in there)

9:15 - No, mutators don't see almost any play because the don't count for thropies and achievments, and aslo impose major penalty to earned exp and cash ( despite most of them makeing game harder )

The best part about Payday 2 is the fact you can do just about anything at any moment. Want to name yourself "Rat King" and run around with your friends using pistols and smoke bombs? Go right ahead, nothing is stopping you.

If only Payday 2 didn't crash so often or simply disconnecting from games/connection issues... When it works, it's fun.

Personally I remember Payday 2 more fondly in its earlier years where it was slower, heavier and more tactical like PD:TH. I played that version constantly and started taking breaks more often and for longer as it slowly became more and more arcady, but recently coming back to it with a new PC, I can say I really enjoy the bullet-hell style it’s matured into, even if I still find it less engaging than when it felt like a successor to PD:TH. I see a lot of potential in Payday 3, going back to that more strategic coop focused gameplay, I hope they manage to polish it into another titan for the series.

For a casual Payday enjoyer like myself, I just find Payday 3 stressful to play I can run into a room full of cops and all my health is gone I spend a bunch of resources, and I force myself to play slow and carefully to preserve armor. Yet in Payday 2, I can recover from mistakes if I play well. In Payday 3, I find myself in the same situations. Play aggressively at the start, then play slowly at the end of the heist. I don't like hiding behind a wall and waiting for cops to die. Playing Payday 2 is relaxing for me I pick an OP build and crash everything (still not Death Wish) and if I want to challenge myself, I can make the game harder by just changing the build also the biggest problem in Payday 3 for me is that the cops have too much HP shotguns should 1 shot cops at point blank SMG's should not take 5 headshots to kill 1 regular cop sometimes I think AI has more kills than me. Payday 2 has many choices from builds to weapons and style of play want to go fast? Ditch the armor. want to go slow and be a tank? You can do that in Payday 3 there are 1,5 choices to play the game efficiently, get heavy armor and skills for your gun and some minor variations on top of that and honestly the skills just do not change gameplay much I feel like there is 1 unique build in the game the Mosconi no reload build. I just feel like I can't relax in Payday 3 even if I play on normal it's just so tedious to kill the cops. But all these things are fixable. I think devs should ditch the idea of same enemy health on all difficulties and spawn more cops on the map skill variety will come with time and they will fix the online component but now Payday 3 feels like their first game no lessons learned no improvements made or they just completely misunderstand why so many people play Payday 2 I am not an active comunity member but I think I get the gist of it in Payday 2 top 10% of players can find satisfying challenges for themselves while more cassual 90% can just turn their brain off and blast through heists with OP builds while also having options to increase the difficulty once in a while

I feel called out with that Kickstarter example. I just got sick of whacking the drill only to have to repair it anyway, so I reckon I'm saving time just fixing it immediately.

Hey since you're still playing payday 2 and doing challenge runs, payday 2 as a Mafioso? Using weapons like the chicago typewriter and other mafia themed weapons. Just an idea I had watching the engineer run

I especially agree with the point about the music. I feel like that gets underappreciated in gaming in general. The OST in payday 2 is simply amazing, it fits the gameplay so well. I have so much fun blasting through the scarface mansion with flying grenade launcher wielding ex-president build while the sucker punch or blastaway is playing, no matter how many times I replay it.

I recently got into payday 2 with my friend due to game pass on Xbox I’m so glad we got into it even though it’s so limited on console

Was not expecting a badger clip at 10:30

The only thing holding me back to play Payday 2 is how annoying the sentry gun car is, I only play stealth cause at least I can beat the game at high difficulty but in loud whenever that car appears I just don't have a good time and it gigantic health bar is just not welcoming

Payday 2 left huge shoes to fill, 3 would've been considered subpar even if it was in a better state at launch, its miriad of issues only made it more apparent that it cant stack up to its legacy that took 10 years to build. I'm hoping that 3 will grow into a proper entry in the series before long, but with it being always online, the DLC pricing and planned DLCs, its clear that they greatly overestimated how well the game would be received, and i'm fearful that the support will only last for as long as they're obligated to by the Gold Edition season pass. Here's to 10 more years of Payday fellas, whatever shape they take!

I dropped playing Payday 2 in the end of 2016 after 4 years of being an active player. And after trying Payday 3 I decided to get back to Payday 2 to feel the game again and Payday 2 still hits hard.

Payday 2 the king of heist game's and 3 it's prince son not yet ready but deserving

Perhaps I'm just an old weathered man who played PDTH and PD2 basically when they released, but PD2 had everything you just said there after the buildup of it being just a simple heist game of its origins, it is most definitely nostalgic to me seeing both games and playing them, but when I got PD3: I didn't want to look back to play PD2 despite nearly sinking 1000 hours into it, as PD3 should've built up from what PD2 left off. I'd say I was entitled, but when you spent for gold edition twice and expected a game that improves upon PD2 rather than play second fiddle to it and feel the slow encroachment of the sluggish update releases: I long for the days of PD2 for its characters, story and variety, not PDTH with it's ovk145+ difficulty and sameness each way I play the game. I sure am hoping updates come thicker and faster with them being more content rich than a Japanese Wagyu steak's fat content with just as much toothy goodness to sink out teeth into.

Even though I love Payday 3, nothing beats the second one.

I don't want payday 3 to be payday 2. I just want the kind of evolution that payday 2 has gone through so that payday 3 can breath with a similar level of life

Heres the problem with payday 3, its just not fast, when i play payday 2 i know that i will be killing cops with the minigun in a small meth house, when i play payday 3 i feel like im playing a stealth or non stealth call of duty mission, the payday 2 was such a great game because it was not reallistic, it was just fun

0:44 To quote Lovecraft because I like his quote more than Game of Thrones, that is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons, even death may die.

One of my favourite games. You can always have fun no matter the situation you’re in whether loud or stealth.

Love payday 2. Also loved payday 3 ran through the heists on offline mode, might revisit both soon

I mainly got into Payday thanks to Hotline Miami and man. Looking at how the lore keeps changing is very interesting. I love it, and I was excited for Payday 3. I genuinely have nothing but hope for Payday. If I can wait for MK1, I can wait for Payday.

the russian badger inclusion when talking about build variety was excellent. that video he did was truly one of the best ways to showcase how good payday 2 really is

I just got a pc after playing payday on console and I have fallen in love with this game again

It's wild that they managed to do all of that using a crummy engine that was designed for a racing game, which was already over a decade old when Payday 2 was released.

Starbreeze deserves every bit of the backlash, only the greedy devs are left in the studio. The one's who made PD2 great don't work there anymore.

10:25 - 10:40 I feel you should list the name of the video you got the footage from with a name and channel icon in the corner during the footage.

Payday 2 was always one of those games where my friends and I could all land on for a good bit of fun and (at times) agony. It kinda bummed me out when for no reason I got flagged as a cheater, but we still committed to finishing the secret ending before we gave up because of an anti cheat bug. While it may have disappointed me at the end, it will forever hold a place in my heart as a enjoyable timekiller and a stealth nightmarefest

As a PlayStation payday viewer seeing these mods make me cry

This is unlisted??? Man i wouldnt have seen this if i dont rewatch the challange runs multiple times.

I've just gotten used to Pd3. Jumped in to Payday 2 and got clarted.

as someone who remembers day 1 PD2, i just dont think PD3 day 1 did enough to warrant a whole new game. PD2 was so good and fun on release they had to nerf the players.

I really want to hop back into PD2 exactly like it was years ago, but the recent corruption of save files, frequent crashes, and the frustration of working around epic online services can feel draining. It’s still really fun, but it’s no longer a game I can see new players discovering and enjoying without guidance and patience

With the new gen consoles that can handle the PC version. It would be good to see more content on console's. In saying that I've played mainly on console and for year's on I'm still yet to be bored. But I'm still excited and hopeful they realise what made 2 so special. It didn't happen out the gate with 3 but the foundation is there.

I feel like i shouldn't have been able to see this video

10:30 Love me some RussianBadger appreciation.

One question though, do I need all DLCs to enjoy it ? It's currently on sale, base game for 1.64$

Does TheKknowley have a modpack or modlist for people to install?

I miss playing payday 2

I love payday2, even though I’m playing it on console. But a part of me wishes payday3 could be the sequel we all wanted.

10:40 Badger can make_anything_ utterly hilarious even if it already was fun.

PD3 inspired be to DSOD PD2 just for the weapon charm I can't even unlock because it's glitched.

10:30 I SEE YOU THERE BADJUR. No joke, his vids are what convinced me to really give payday a try, and god, I think it's one of my favorite games now.

I play Payday 2 extensively on PlayStation, and even in it's limited form, Payday 2 has hooked me. To the point I am literally saving money right now, just so I can get a gaming pc or laptop for the sole reason of playing Payday 2's other heists and weapons and modes that I don't have access to currently. Plus the endless fun I can have using mods as well. Payday 2 is one of my all time favorite games... Before I ever played Payday 2, one of my favorite games ever was Hotline Miami 1 and 2. Then when I started getting into Payday 2 after watching Badger's Chokeslammed for money video. It was like an awesome surprise finding out that Jacket was a playable crossover character! In regards to the soundtrack, PD2 is good, but it can't quite touch Hotline Miami's 1&2 soundtracks...🐔🐓🐔🐓

maybe we will get the pd2 successor that is Payday 4

My problem with payday 2 is that I already played it too much, I don't wanna keep playing it for that reason, I want to move on to a sequel.

I find it funny how Payday 2 started to Unfortunately Break (TM) right around the time 3 was about to come out --Epic Store cross play = broken multiplayer unless you do SteamMM --level was "optimized with portals" = level will "crash half the time you play it online" --for a little while there anyway, when they "optimized the game for newer CPUs", it actually sometimes broke the game for older CPUs --tons of licensed, iconic music like Break The Rules getting removed for new players this year (this one might actually be an unfortunate coincidence) --maybe one or two other things I missed too The Enshittification process of what I once loved has already begun. At best, it stops here and still remains a shell of what it used to be especially for new players. At worst, the game is rendered completely unenjoyable in the coming year/s through more updates.

Friend of mine just bought PD2 and i'm so glad to return to the game, it's still amazing and i refuse to buy PD3 until it's steam reviews are mostly positive

I love Payday 2, ever since I played it on my PS3 and on Xbox One, such a different experience with a banger of a soundtrack, gameplay and the sweet sound of Dallas screaming for a Medic Bag and just fun to play. Honestly I dont know what they were thinking when making PD3, sure the games fine but has no personality to it, I mean PDTH had a like a gritty look to it, enemy were a actual threat like the Bulldozer, PD2 was just gunz blazing and fun and said f#ck everything I want my PayDay.

The Knowley is posting a pd2 video, almir playing pd2 on twitch When’s the next heist for payday 2?

Bro you made me cry

To me, it's arcade like gameplay is way better than the what pd3 trying to do which trying to achieve more realism

Pls do payday 2 without skills. I know you are not that masochistic but I'll still try

I was making and trying new builds like every other day in payday 2 for several weeks, payday 3 had failed on that aspect immensely

Ah the good old times when I first started playing Payday 2 back in 2015, for example paying for skills, no story mod and so on. Now the game won't even start up, it always crashes without any reason

I recently got into the game like 1-2 months ago. Its one of those gems I missed in its prime. but I really dont have to say much more than that I have 750 achievements and think the game is STILL a blast to play with nearly 300 hours.

Tbh my main gripe is the amount of dlc

Payday 3 needs to bring back the old loud gameplay

Hell yeah russian badger mentioned what is a sensible melee weapon

the only payday 2 version I can play right now is crimewave edition on my Xbox one x, I’m infamy level 3-64 and I really want to play the pc payday 2 but I don’t have a pc

That 90% off was my happiest day

I'd love to play some payday 2, but my save got corrupted when the last update came out :/

Saw how rough payday 3 is, bought my friends pd2 and haven’t looked back. Best decisions of 2023

Preach, brother, preach!!!!!

I think a huge reason Payday is so beloved is not only the characters, but the fact that it *revels* in playing as bad guys, but not "the" bad guys. Early on they tried to make the Payday gang "vigilante heisters", trying to justify their actions as being against a corrupt system and government and whatnot, but it just didn't work. When they embraced that you're playing as a bunch of bastards who are heisting for the sake of it, that's when it really started to shine and they started building the lore around it. Other games that attempt this style of coop heisting game, like Rockay City, try to half-ass it and attempt to make you the good guy in a roundabout way, but it's *good* to be *bad*. That's the fun of Cops and Robbers, it's fun being the Robbers 'cause you're robbing stuff!

I stopped playing payday 2 because for some reason all my weapons and builds got deleted somehow and i only have like two guns that stayed.

Personaly I'm done with Payday 2. But after 2540 hours, with Infamy 500 and robbedacop done, I belive I have every right to be so.

It's crazy to me how janky this game can be and yet it's able to pull me in so much as to play it and nothing else for a month. Which is about to happen again, after this video. I feel like I myself haven't been able to put into words why I like this game, precisely because just how much it has to offer, through the same exact gameplay loop. I think the average person who plays Payday 2 is not able to grasp, just how much there is in this game. I don't think I fully grasp it. I just know that I'll always remember how me and 2 of my friends could not beat Framing Frame for 7 hours, yet nowadays I can solo it first or second time around. That feeling of conquering a heist and knowing it down to the most minor details is what sells this game for me at the end of the day. It's just insanely satisfying thinking back to the first couple times you had no clue what you were doing on any given heist. And yet I still couldn't fully stealth Big Bank, bring back all loot on Transport: Train or not lose mky mind on Breaking Feds. So there still is a long way to go. Padded out by the forever satisfying numbers going up and the myriad of achievements the game rewards you with. Not to mention, again, the actual knowledge, that you, as the player can gain. And there is absolutely no way to not like a game where you can progress as the player, not just as the character you are playing as.

I'm conflicted with this video but do respect that opinion. I honestly prefer the more grounded route they're taking with Payday 3 which was taken away when Payday: The Heist went to 2.

I play on Xbox it’s great there too

10:31 Hang on, dawg, is that a Badjur clip? 10:35 OH YEAH IT IS!

Payday 2 has personality, with its spaghetti code and all, Payday 3 feels like it lost its soul

this is a video im going to take a shit to.

Nobody.. Ever said PD2 stopped being good.

You know payday 3 is dead when Knowley goes back to pd2 💀

i'm still disappointed of how Overkill and Starbreezer devs messed up payday 3 so badly, cuz connection problem and encounter bugs like driving cars throung buildings and shit and made as a online game only with no single player feature kept in.

"Old soldiers never die, they faid away" -General MacArthur

i actually bought 80% of payday 2 from the winter sale, best money i ever spent

Payday 3 should came 1 or 2 years later

payday is still alive

Here's to the day when PD3 achieves a level of awesomeness equal to its predecessor. I have faith that day will come.

ngl the armor/health economy system changes from 2 to 3 destroyed my enjoyment. The perk decks/skills allowing solo play to actually survive encounters made it feel amazing to play even on Xbox where the game felt like inputs had a solid 1-second delay. Feeling like a piece of paper with legs entirely reliant on bags with no other reliable source of regen in 3 just feels not fun. And it still has the same unbelievably bad input delay on Xbox.

Can't say the same about payday 3.

You forgot to mention how bad the connection can be, specially after the update 237 incident.

I feel like you are mocking PD3 with this video lol

It's always worth remembering that payday 2 launch was less than stellar. I do really have faith that payday 3 can make the same rebound, even if right now I don't have much fun with it, that isn't to say I won't down the line.

Id love to play payday 2 but unfortunately im a console player so my options are play a half finished payday 2 or play a meh sequel that feels completely different and not always in a good way.