Crime Boss: Rockay City Wins Over Gamers on Steam After Rocky Start
Crime Boss: Rockay City, the co-op bank heist action game, launched earlier this year to a lukewarm reception. Critics slammed its gameplay and bugs, while gamers largely ignored it, despite its attempt to rival Payday with a Chuck Norris-led cast. But the developers at InGame Studios took the criticism to heart and set about polishing their creation.
Recently, Crime Boss finally arrived on Steam, after being initially exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. As a small apology for the wait, InGame Studios included all previously released DLC for free. But the real story here is in the reviews: with an 80% positive rating, it seems the studio has addressed the flaws and transformed the game into something truly worthwhile.
“Definitely better than Payday 3”, writes one player. "I hated it at release, uninstalled after 90 minutes and got a refund. But a week before the Steam release, the developers ran a beta and let us see all the changes they'd made. There are tons of new missions, characters, the stealth is fixed and actually fun now, and overall it feels much more polished. This isn't Payday 2/3, it's a different game, like comparing Left 4 Dead to Vermintide."
Another satisfied customer adds: “For this price and with free DLC, it's a steal. At least it's not an alpha build being sold for full price.”
However, not everyone is singing Crime Boss's praises, even with its budget-friendly $10 price tag.
“Too arcade-y... They added all this flash, but the gunplay feels like a mobile game, with enemies literally marked by arrows.”
“The only cool thing here is seeing familiar faces and hearing their voices. The rest will only impress kids who weren't around for the first Payday. Repetitive arcade shooter for a couple of evenings, tops.”
Despite differing opinions, Crime Boss: Rockay City's main draw remains its star-studded cast of Hollywood actors, even if many of them are past their prime. Alongside Chuck Norris, the game features Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger, and others. In addition to Steam and EGS, the game is also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles.