APB Review

10 Jul 2010 at 00:28:57 by Paul Younger
Systems used to review this title: (PC, MMO)

OK, before I even kick this review off, let’s get one thing straight ,APB is not an MMORPG. Somehow over the months leading up to release, the press have concluded that APB was an MMORPG despite the team at Realtime Worlds never actually saying it was. There is a subscription fee but that does not automatically make it an MMORPG.

If it’s not an MMORPG then what the heck is APB? Mulling over how we would categorise the game, we decided on 3^rd person online multiplayer action shooter. A gob-full I know but it best sums up what to expect from the game and hopefully will avoid any misconceptions among the gaming community as to what to expect when the game loads up.

In essence APB is a genius idea, the good old cops versus robbers scenario, the good guys versus the bad. It’s a simple premise and one that we can’t believe has not been tackled in this way until now. The game features two ‘factions’ (I must stop using MMORPG terms!), the Enforcers, or cops if you prefer, and the Criminals who are, well criminals. Load the game up and pick your side, it’s not difficult, there are only two.

Now this is where it gets interesting , and whether you like it or not, APB features an ass-load of customisation. Not being one for faffing around with hairstyles and trouser colours I always dread the thought of spending two hours making my character look like a top model from a catalogue.  Pushing the character customisation aside for one moment, it soon became apparent that APB was not just about shooting, it was about community and customisation.  Mesmerised by the sheer volume of character customisation options, three hours had passed before I had even committed to some actual gameplay. The customisation on characters is simply, dare I say it, and cue American TV voice, “awesome”.  I hadn;t even begun to mess about with editing tunes, cars, creating playlists

So the game is fantastic? Be warned this is where it all goes a little downhill.

Realtime Worlds have created the online sandbox environment of San Paro which is split into three zones, the Social zone where you can mess about with character customisation or simply hang out, the financial zone which is , well, the financial district of the city, and finally the Waterfront which are the docks of San Paro.

Just to explain quickly, that while we don’t really consider the game to be an MMO, there is a subscription fee and  you are billed based on  the amount of hours you play in the ‘action zones’ which are the Waterfront or Financial Districts. This allows you to mess about with your characters and chat/emote in the social zone gratis.  The subscription model is actually pretty good, after all I would rather pay for what I actually play. I don’t know how much money I have pissed away over the years on MMOs because I haven’t had any time to actually play the game over the monthly sub period.

OK so we’re in the game, we’ve made our cool looking IncGamers shirt for blatant advertising in the Social Zone and it’s time for the action. Dropping into the Financial District for the first time was not as threatening as I thought it would be, it’s pretty easy to get started by talking to the first NPC  which in turn  kicks off a bunch of mundane A to B missions to help with orientation and use of the menu systems. This lasts about thirty minutes then you can get stuck into the meat of the game.

Once training is done players then get the option to carry on with single player missions, which are frankly pointless and tedious, or get grouped up with other players. The game features a ‘looking for group system’ or you can group up with buddies you already know online to form a guild. The LFG system is actually not bad and we managed to hook up with a couple of polite players that were willing to help get things started which is a rarity these days in on online games (thanks Wong!). Once in your group the missions from the NPC players come thick and fast on the HUD and it’s up to the group leader to select which missions the team undertakes.  So far so good.

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