Recenzija Payday 3 (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 i PC)

Ne znam za vas, ali ja sam već duži period vremena želio opet opljačkati sef. Jer, kao što se čini, Payday 2 više ne zadovoljava iste potrebe kao što je to činio ranije, a ja bih se varao ako bih rekao da još uvek imam dovoljno entuzijazma da ponavljam iste stare karte po milijunti put. Ne, taj brod je već davno otplovio, i ja sam znao da je vrijeme za nešto novo – novu banku u koju ću upasti; novu seriju pljački koju ću izvesti sa novom ekipom maskiranih bandita. I zahvalno, to je kada je Starbreeze Studios došao da predstavi Payday 3. Konačno.

It’s been a long time coming, a third installment in the Payday series, and I know for a fact that I’m not the only one who’s been on the edge of my seat ever since Starbreeze made the initial announcement a little ways back. But alas, it’s here, and sure enough, the time has come to throw ourselves into yet another series of unlawful events. Let’s talk Payday 3, fledgling thieves.

Vratio sam se u sedlo

Vraćanje u centralni dio ikonskog trening sobe u Payday 3 bilo je kao povratak kući nakon desetogodišnje pauze — ništa nije bilo posebno neobično, i većina stvari, osim par sitnica, bile su u istom položaju u kojem sam ih ostavio 2013. godine. Da li me je ovo malo iznenadilo? Da. Da li me je to također natjeralo da osjećam deja vu? Apolutno. Ali onda, lažao bih ako rekao da nisam bio malo razočaran time što, znači, ništa zaista nije bilo toliko drugačije.

Payday 3 je podijeljen u scenarije, od kojih svaki ima neki oblik timskog cilja koji treba izvršiti kako bi se prešlo na sljedeći. Ali, naravno, dok su sekundarni ciljevi uglavnom isti u svakom nivou, glavni cilj je još uvijek isti kao što je uvijek bio: opljačkaj sef, i napravi put za izlaz. Ovo je hljeb i maslac koji najnoviji dio serije pridržava kao ljepilo, tako da, opet, ništa posebno drugačije nije što se tiče igranja. Ali onda, to nije reklo da je to tačna kopija prvog ili drugog — ili čak i Payday 2.5, čak. Istina, on ima svoju identitet, čak i ako treba nekoliko sati izvršavanja istih starih pokreta da se otkrije.

It is worth pointing out here that, while Payday 3 indeed has its few wild cards, vizualno, not a whole lot has changed. In fact, if I had to compare it to anything, then I’d say that the thing that comes closest, really, is Payday 2. And that’s a ten-year gap, too, so there’s definitely reason to feel a little shortchanged here.

Priprema

Like a lot of multiplayer games, there’s always a chance that you’ll wind up with that one player who’s frustratingly greedy, and is, annoyingly, often hell-bent on biting off more than they can chew. Unfortunately, as Payday 3 is in fact a team game, this does mean even a single player can compromise the mission or impede your progress. It doesn’t help, either, that you also need to have your entire team at the extraction point to be able to escape and complete the level. This, for me at least, meant having to withstand a wildfire of oncoming bullets while one player often chose to run amok in search of the final bag. Again, frustrating—more so when three other players are pulling their weight and ready to progress further into the campaign. But you know — swings and roundabouts, I guess.

Of course, it’s all fun and games, being able to run the same motions thrice over until you’ve finally managed to secure a team that’s capable enough of pulling off a smooth heist. But then, there really are so many times you can put down the same thermite and loot the same vault before things start to become a little, well, monotonous. It’s a learning curve for everyone, though, so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Kada stvari postanu teške

Don’t get me wrong, I honestly believe that the lion’s share of the actual gameplay is a great deal of fun. But boy, after you’ve successfully managed to loot the vaults and make way for the exit, that, my friends, is when things start to get brutally tough. And when I say tough, I’m mostly referring to the Sam Fisher imposter who has the power to fly kick you into oblivion and deplete your entire health bar in a single swipe. Oh, and then continue to stomp on your soon-to-be corpse for the sake of, I don’t know, sowing its sadistic oats. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said this didn’t bother me in any way shape, or form.

As it turns out, Payday 3 likes to unload its big guns right at the end, just as you’ve managed to load up on cash and paint the bank crimson red in hostages’ guts. It’s within this final section, unfortunately, that you’re pretty much told to nut up or shut up, and then booted out of the door to an ocean of bullets and haze. Entertaining, in ways, but surprisingly difficult—even at the lowest difficulty. Who knows — maybe I’m just not cut out to be a bank robber. Either that, or I’m just no match for the roundhouse-kicking ninja who patrols the borders at the worst…possible…moments.

Having said all that, there is something awfully satisfying about actually scooting into the sunset with a bag loaded to the brim with diamonds and cash. It doesn’t happen very often (cheers, Sam Fisher), but when it does, it somehow makes all of that failure all the less painful and even, weirdly enough, tolerable. For this reason alone, I always felt the urge to go back; I wanted that high.

Suradnja je sve

Like a lot of multiplayer games, there’s always a chance that you’ll wind up with that one player who’s frustratingly greedy, and is, annoyingly, often hell-bent on biting off more than they can chew. Unfortunately, as Payday 3 is in fact a team game, this does mean even a single player can compromise the mission or impede your progress. It doesn’t help, either, that you also need to have your entire team at the extraction point to be able to escape and complete the level. This, for me at least, meant having to withstand a wildfire of oncoming bullets while one player often chose to run amok in search of the final bag. Again, frustrating—more so when three other players are pulling their weight and ready to progress further into the campaign. But you know — swings and roundabouts, I guess.

Of course, it’s all fun and games, being able to run the same motions thrice over until you’ve finally managed to secure a team that’s capable enough of pulling off a smooth heist. But then, there really are so many times you can put down the same thermite and loot the same vault before things start to become a little, well, monotonous. It’s a learning curve for everyone, though, so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Zaključak

I won’t beat around the bush here, but waltzing back to the deadlocked doors of a security-riddled bank felt good. Sure it might’ve been ten or so years since I last had the opportunity to feel that same sense of excitement, but boy, it was certainly worth the wait. And yeah, it may not look as aesthetically pleasing as it probably could’ve been, but that isn’t to say it’s a bad game. It’s a little dated, sure, but there’s definitely a lot to love here — and that counts for something.

Positives set aside, there is something that lets Payday 3 down — and that’s the Matchmaking issues. Truth is, the devs put up one too many roadblocks in front of the actual game; having to create a Nebula account, and having to wait for certain issues to fix themselves before giving you the freedom to just play the darn thing. Admittedly, this did dampen the mood ever so slightly, and often left me wondering whether I should have been spending my time and money elsewhere, and not, for example, perched over a broken lobby waiting for something—anything to happen.

Of course, it’s still early days yet, so I’m willing to give Starbreeze Studio the benefit of the doubt, if only for a couple of weeks or so. But as for whether or not I’ll be coming back to experience those same eight levels again, well — I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t on the fence.