Action, Excitement, and Huge Piles of Cash.

Payday 2 in 30 seconds.

More than just a shootout, however, Payday 2 also pulls you into a world that lies just beneath Washington's corrupt political surface, where you're more than a petty thief – you're a professional with a purpose. Guided by the shadowy hand of Bain, the man behind CRIME.NET who keeps you one step ahead of the cops and will not hesitate to yell at you for any civilian casualties you're responsible for, you find you have your own safe house with a weapon range and a wall of money. You've got contacts, contracts, and a crew waiting for your expertise to get some crime on. Interested? Then slip on your clown mask, sit back, and take in these 10 things to love about the gameplay of Payday 2.

1. The Reality of It.

Pick your target, make your plan, get your payday.

Rather than just clicking a button and hopping into a mindless murder spree, the game is set up to take you through the process of constructing a heist. You'll browse CRIME.NET to select the sort of job you're interested in for yourself or your group, or join up with strangers to get your payday. Don't feel like waiting for the job you want to appear? Buy the contract yourself.

Once you have your job, you'll purchase assets to help you out and, in the more complicated heists like Big Bank or Hoxton Breakout, you can join your group in the preplanning screen to decide where those assets will be placed and what favors you want to call in with your job's contractor. Draw out routes, circle points of interest, potential guard posts, where you plan to hold out; all to flesh out the finer details that will help you pull off the perfect heist.

But heads up – if something can go wrong, it will go wrong.