As much as I'd want to recommend this game, I just can't.

So many years have passed and the same flaws and mistakes that it's made are still present in the game.

Perk decks are just a mess, some aren't even used and then you got others like Stoic which make Death Wish seem much easier than it's supposed to. Balancing in this game is complete garbage.

There are certain weapons which are complete DIRECT upgrades, so even if this game has an amazing lot of weapons, you really won't be seeing much use of most of them. You are able to make anything viable if you're spicy enough, yes, but you're still using a weapon that's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ in comparison.

Even if they aren't a direct upgrade, they're just there as bloat. Completely same stats, you'll rarely ever tell a difference between most ARs. Shotguns and snipers at least have a tendency to seperate themselves into "roles" making them be better at different things (then again ARs are just bad unless it's a crit build FAMAS, shotguns are OP and snipers are just bleh in a horde shooter).

For some reason Overkill thought making the akimbo Grimms a good idea, that it would be completely balanced. Anyone that tells you these things are not OP doesn't have a clue about stats and just how much of a shredder these things become with a crit build.

Team play doesn't exist in this game, it's just shooting until stuff dies and not dying in the process.

Inspire Aced is an absolute crutch as it gives players a Get-Out-Of-Jail card. Without it, you wouldn't be able to save your dumb teammates and if you attempted to revive them you'd get downed too. The game is supposed to be punishing in this sense, what's the point in trying to smartly position yourself around the map if you can just give 0 ♥♥♥♥♥ about anything.

The game is horribly optimized, doesn't look the best but has it's moments where it looks gorgeous. Still, I can't believe how terrible this game runs. Just an absolute joke of a game engine.

The vast majority heists are movie-like and great, highly replayable too. Despite there being plenty where waiting is the main objective (and a boringly painful one), the heists alone are easily one of the pros of this game - if not the only for some.

Special enemies became more or less a joke, only time you get downed from cloakers is because they decided to willy nilly glitch through the wall (no joke, this really is a terrible game engine and desync is still an issue). Bulldozers get shredded by akimbos so I guess they really aren't nearly as menacing as they were, huh?

I've met some wonderful people in this game that made heisting a lot more enjoyable, sadly that's like 1% of the people I've met, for the other 99% it felt like I was getting "Pablo.Sanchez2008" players that just got access to the PC. I'm not a salty person nor' have I ever been beaten up by the cyber police. Regardless of that, yes, the community is mostly brain-dead.

This game appeals to people that just want a dumb shooter PvE Co-op game to play for a while here and there. If you're looking for something MORE and want to dump your precious time on it, look away, for this game offers none of that. This game is nothing more but an illusion of choice, once you do so many builds you start to realize just how little your options actually are.

A lot of DLCs in this game and most of them are just bloat, you'll probably only be using a handful of DLCs in a sea of these ♥♥♥♥♥♥ packs, so ask around and get a few. Unless you're disgusted there's always that alternative free way if you know what I mean ;).

Do yourself a favor and get yourself something else with actually SOME balance to it. Maybe Killing Floor (ded game lawl), Killing Floor 2, Deep Rock Galactic or really anything remotely close to PvE and/or Co-op.

As much as I'd want to recommend this game, I just can't. So many years have passed and the same flaws and mistakes that it's made are still present in the game. Perk decks are just a mess, some aren't even used and then you got others like Stoic which make Death Wish seem much easier than it's supposed to. Balancing in this game is complete garbage. There are certain weapons which are complete DIRECT upgrades, so even if this game has an amazing lot of weapons, you really won't be seeing much use of most of them. You are able to make anything viable if you're spicy enough, yes, but you're still using a weapon that's dog-shit in comparison. Even if they aren't a direct upgrade, they're just there as bloat. Completely same stats, you'll rarely ever tell a difference between most ARs. Shotguns and snipers at least have a tendency to seperate themselves into "roles" making them be better at different things (then again ARs are just bad unless it's a crit build FAMAS, shotguns are OP and snipers are just bleh in a horde shooter). For some reason Overkill thought making the akimbo Grimms a good idea, that it would be completely balanced. Anyone that tells you these things are not OP doesn't have a clue about stats and just how much of a shredder these things become with a crit build. Team play doesn't exist in this game, it's just shooting until stuff dies and not dying in the process. Inspire Aced is an absolute crutch as it gives players a Get-Out-Of-Jail card. Without it, you wouldn't be able to save your dumb teammates and if you attempted to revive them you'd get downed too. The game is supposed to be punishing in this sense, what's the point in trying to smartly position yourself around the map if you can just give 0 fucks about anything. The game is horribly optimized, doesn't look the best but has it's moments where it looks gorgeous. Still, I can't believe how terrible this game runs. Just an absolute joke of a game engine. The vast majority heists are movie-like and great, highly replayable too. Despite there being plenty where waiting is the main objective (and a boringly painful one), the heists alone are easily one of the pros of this game - if not the only for some. Special enemies became more or less a joke, only time you get downed from cloakers is because they decided to willy nilly glitch through the wall (no joke, this really is a terrible game engine and desync is still an issue). Bulldozers get shredded by akimbos so I guess they really aren't nearly as menacing as they were, huh? I've met some wonderful people in this game that made heisting a lot more enjoyable, sadly that's like 1% of the people I've met, for the other 99% it felt like I was getting "Pablo.Sanchez2008" players that just got access to the PC. I'm not a salty person nor' have I ever been beaten up by the cyber police. Regardless of that, yes, the community is mostly brain-dead. This game appeals to people that just want a dumb shooter PvE Co-op game to play for a while here and there. If you're looking for something MORE and want to dump your precious time on it, look away, for this game offers none of that. This game is nothing more but an illusion of choice, once you do so many builds you start to realize just how little your options actually are. A lot of DLCs in this game and most of them are just bloat, you'll probably only be using a handful of DLCs in a sea of these shitty packs, so ask around and get a few. Unless you're disgusted there's always that alternative free way if you know what I mean ;). Do yourself a favor and get yourself something else with actually SOME balance to it. Maybe Killing Floor (ded game lawl), Killing Floor 2, Deep Rock Galactic or really anything remotely close to PvE and/or Co-op.