Payday 2 Video Features Four Stores Being Robbed Simultaneously

Some new beta gameplay has surfaced for the upcoming first-person robbery heist game, Payday 2. The video is only eight minutes long and features four friends who attempt to rob four stores at the exact same time without being caught... you can almost guess how things turn out.

Unlike the first Payday: The Heist, the sequel doesn't focus on simply going through the standard objectives with linear results. Payday 2 sets up the objective but it's entirely up to players to decide how it all plays out... and you can definitely see the results in the video above.

Things start off a-okay for Devildog and his group, as he tries to lay out a strategic plan to get everyone jacking the stores at the same time and in and out of the area before the heat arrives. However, things turn sour so very, very, very quickly when one of the lesser teammates triggers an alarm by mistake and then it all goes south. With Payday 2, I imagine there will be a ton of scenarios where people will say “it's gone south” because trying to pull off a convincing heist without being caught or busted is no easy task.

The game does a superb job of mixing up the gameplay and encouraging players to try to at least behave like real robbers, insofar that scouting an area before making a move is absolutely key and having the right equipment along for the job can make or break the heist. For instance, even Devildog runs into the problem of having his drill breakdown halfway through getting into the safe, which in turn cost the team valuable time as they tried to hold off the police while he nabbed the goods from the electronics store.

This game could easily be one of the most dynamic cooperative titles out there and once it gains an audience the sky is the limit for Overkill Software's heist-shooter. I'm also hoping that maybe with the success of Payday 2 we'll get a nice expansion on the sub-genre of heist games, which seems to be sorely lacking in today's realm of interactive gaming.

Anyway, the beta gameplay for Payday 2 looks exceptionally good. I'm digging it. You can look for the game to launch on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this August. You can also join in on the beta right now if you pre-purchase the game from Steam. If you like what you see, you can learn more by paying a kind visit to the game's official website.