When comparing Payday 2 vs Starcraft, the Slant community recommends Starcraft for most people. In the question“What are the best LAN party PC games?” Starcraft is ranked 9th while Payday 2 is ranked 25th. The most important reason people chose Starcraft is:
There are three selectable races in the game, Terrans, Protoss and the Zerg. The Terrans being human, while the other two are alien races. What makes the game stand out is that each race feels exceptionally different from one another, each with their own personalities. This makes for a different experience depending on what race has been chosen to play with.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Exhilarating gameplay that makes you and your friends feel like you are part of a Michael Mann movie
This game is like the bank heist scene from Heat.
Pro Cooperation based gameplay makes sure no single player is more important than any other
Your crew needs to bring specific equipment and weapons in order to stay out of sight or improve everyones chances in a gunfight. You also need to pay attention to your crew's health and ammo. This creates a situation where each team member heavily relies on the rest in order to succeed.
Pro Tons of customization options lets every player individualize their look
You can customize your weapons, masks, and skills using the loot you earn from your heists. This lends itself well to the fact that the game is online multiplayer, being that most players enjoy that they can look different from other players.
Pro Random item placement keeps the games levels fresh
Important items are placed in different locations on each playthrough, adding a slight bit of randomness to how each game plays out. This way you never become too familiar with the layout of each level.
Pro Play as you like, since the missions can be finished in many wildly different ways
You can win levels through stealth, or through a massacre, meaning that you can use nonviolent methods as well as super violent methods, the choice is yours.
Pro New content is added regularly, making sure the game stays fresh and updated for everyone
New DLCs are released regularly, which give old players something new to do as well as keeps the game enticing in order to attract new players.
Pro Tons of personality that keeps the story and gameplay interesting and entertaining
There are three selectable races in the game, Terrans, Protoss and the Zerg. The Terrans being human, while the other two are alien races. What makes the game stand out is that each race feels exceptionally different from one another, each with their own personalities. This makes for a different experience depending on what race has been chosen to play with.
Pro Built-in offline LAN support
Being an older game, Starcraft suports offline LAN due to not as many people having internet back when it was released. This is something that many games (including Starcraft 2) regrettably do not feature anymore.
Pro Well balanced race selection keeps the gameplay fair
The game is fairly well balanced, so nobody gets an advantage by choosing a certain race. While each race will have their own unique abilities, the balancing of these abilities allows the game to play even handed, with no real advantage to any race.
Pro This game can be downloaded for free
Blizzard is now offering the original Starcraft (titled Starcraft Anthology) as a free download.
Pro Highly specialized units that are easy to learn but hard to master
This helps keep the game challenging and interesting even at a high level of proficiency.
Cons
Con Pay-to-win scheme
As others have said, this game is built on DLC and MicroTransactions. If you decide to just buy the game and not fork out any more money you'll find yourself at a SERIOUS disadvantage over other players. In addition, a lot of in-game items require you to either own other games or subscribe to specific Steam groups.
Con Microtransations that boost important stats
With Crimefest 2015, the developer (Overkill) decided to add stat-boosting gun skins that can only be acquired using real money. This makes for a pay-to-win scenario where people who purchase these items have a distinct leg up over non-paying players.
Con New DLC can be a bit expensive
Getting the new DLC the day it arrives can set you back a fair bit. Your best bet is to wait for a sale.
Con Some DLC requires owning other games
Some of the cosmetic items are tied into other games available on Steam, which means you can’t access them unless you purchase the other games as well.
Con Limited to 4 players only
This game has not been built for huge LAN parties (unless you split your players to multiple heists).
Con Train wreck of bad decisions
Developers broke the game to make cash, released a 'feel-good' version to build anticipation for Payday 3. Toxic, game, developers, community. Stay away.
Con Old and outdated
With the original release dating back to 1998, the game is quite old now and its graphics are not on par with current game offerings.
Con Lacks widescreen support
Starcraft is only available in a 4:3 resolution. However, a hack to make it work in widescreen can be found here.