Payday 2 is just fun. There's something about the heart-pounding tension 40 minutes into a stealth heist with no more pagers, or 30 minutes into a loud heist with no more medic bags that isn't captured in any other game. And the payoff when finishing aforementioned heist is like... well, that's not appropriate for Steam reviews.

Each heist is a glorified version of Simon Says, where the only instruction is "Press F here", but the game designers have really thought of every possible way to make this interesting: "Press F in this order", "Press F before this timer ends", "Press F while under fire", "Press F while right behind this guy". It helps that each heist is unique, with a different mission and aesthetic. It's tropey, but you really do feel like the protagonist in a thrilling heist movie while playing this game.

What helps is the weapon and skill mechanics. You're always crafting new builds that balance damage, survivability and utility. The interplay of "Damage", vs "Accuracy", vs "Stability", vs "Ammo Consumption" is always a consideration, and where you get these stats -- from the weapons themselves, or skills -- is really fun to play around with. Perk Decks can also drastically change how the gameplay feels. You can have the reliable utility of Hacker, or the speediness of Yakuza. You can have the tankiness of Stoic, or the dice rolls of Rogue, or even the badness of Tag Team.

Where Payday 2 really shines the most through is the community and emphasis on teamwork. It's a PvE game, so you're all working together towards a common goal. Whether it be in a loud heist running out in the open together to get to the next objective, or in a stealth heist resorting to rushing the map with only a few seconds before the alarm goes off, you can't help but feel a sense of trust, hope and comradery that's not really found in any other game. Additionally, the strategies and efficiency gains that are possible with multiple people are insane. For instance, the fastest 4 stack infamy grid results in 48 minute infamy levels. Shout out to Azarokkusu, Jordo, Julia, Nexus, NickBoi and Titan for being in the trenches with me for the infamy 100 grind.

Overall, I strongly recommend Payday 2, and it's one of my favorite games of all time (you don't put 1000 hours into a game without reason).