By Joseph Murphy at thegamingliberty.com
San Paro seems like a dangerous place. Factoring in the drive-by shootings, endless crime and gangs everywhere: it won’t win any “ideal places to live†awards — but what it does mean is that people like you and me can run amok and engage in some fun open-ended blasting: and that’s never a bad thing.
Let me start by addressing the whole APB vs. Grand Theft Auto debate that is rife online. Like any ground-breaking franchise, GTA inspired and allowed for development teams to cater to the audience that enjoyed that specific type of game. So, is APB like GTA? Is APB the GTA-Killer? No, APB is neither because it has its own rite of passage — it simply stands alongside such well respected games.
The game is a MMO (massively multiplayer online game) so everyone you come across online, except the civilians that march around San Paro, are real. Each world within the game can hold up to 100,000 players online, which then breaks down into districts, which subsequently hold 100 players.
You can, if you wish, head on over to the Social District and engage with any of the 250 players that meet to talk, challenge each other and trade: no guns allowed. I have personally never experienced numbers like this as I wouldn’t be a big MMO player, but man, I was impressed. So by starting the game means you pick which side you wish to fight for: The Criminals or the Cops. By choosing one, you essentially pledge your allegiance to that faction and fight for what they believe.
Creating your criminal
My profile started as a Criminal. After I accepted this profile I was ushered into the creation mode. Developers Real-Time Worlds dub the creation mode “ground-breaking†and they couldn’t be more right. The creation mode is vast: it’s hard to really express how deep it actually goes without playing it. I love to customize characters in games and my creation mode time (just building my character) clocked up a massive 34 minutes. Cycling through hair, moustaches, build, height and more might sound bland, but because the models look and feel so authentic — you really do care how you are represented in such an extensive and original world.
The Financial District acts like your “get to know the world†hub. You can achieve a certain name here (notoriety) by shooting people and performing missions, and it’s a great way to prepare yourself for the onslaught that awaits. The first few missions revolve around getting used to the controls and although they get you acquainted with driving, climbing and more: they fall terribly short of exciting gameplay considering they revolve around the F key. F-this and F-that is the way to get by and this feels terribly boring but essential.
APB’s combat works well but fails short of what many were expecting. Most headshots result in nothing but a flinch — every body part seems to contain the same damage system so to shoot a foot 6 times will result in the same effect as 6 headshots. Teaming up with friends though, is where the combat really shines.
With each of your friends grabbing some type of weapon — you can be assured that you are ready for combat and ready for the opposition. The game contains no health bars but opts for the “Halo†regeneration route. I’ve no real problem with this but if the game had contained an actual health bar it would have completely changed the focus of the game. Combat would be more about survival and strategy as opposed to run and gun and teams wouldn’t be so eager to fight.
The city in APB looks great and the graphics (if you can manage them) are some of the best I have seen in years. Reminding me of the likes of Crackdown — the city won’t win awards for being a living, breathing unique environments but is represented well from bars to clubs and from parks to buildings: the environment oozes attention and detail. A drawback of having such a city in place is the residents and specifically — the players.
During a playthrough I joined a group and we went on a full attack on a team that were seemingly stationary. We all laughed that they were simply getting ready and thus wouldn’t be prepared for an attack: boy how wrong we were. The team we attacked had holed themselves up on some high buildings and were flat on their stomachs. Hearing the crack after crack of the sniper rifles, I exited the vehicle to try grab cover before the car went up in smoke, but by doing so I exposed myself and caught three maybe four bullets in the teeth: resulting in death. Our assault had failed and proved that with a huge city like this, there will also be a down-side.
Fast forward a bit into the game and you can customise beyond your wildest dreams. From car decals to spray paint — the scale of the originality cannot be expressed rightfully with words. As you open us your custom menu you might feel intimidated but by sticking with it, learning how each tool works and how they complement each other — you can create your own gang image: an icon/image to represent what you stand for. This works very well and helps you to identify gangs and members that you need to simply by colour schemes and details.
When you all meet in the Social District, this labelling allows for gang Vs. gang discussions which often result in “meet you here at this time†and taunts. The game really opens up when more people are involved so make sure you join a gang or form your own, create a style/icon/image and get out there and make a name for yourself. This “paint†element can be mixed with the small audio editor that you can use to have a gang anthem so to speak. When it comes to customisation — APB is king.
The car mechanics and the driving are good but when you first drive a car it feels like you’re floating – you don’t feel any connection to the road beneath you. I was happy with the driving but it had taken maybe an hour or two before I really felt comfortable and content with it. This then resulted in me being the nominated/designated driver online. As my friends packed in, the driving became a lot of fun and my initial worries with the driving didn’t matter. Driving for a reason (to get to a location and to keep my buddies alive) meant it wasn’t as bland as driving from A to B, but I was our getaway driver: we all had a role each.
Online matchmaking
The matchmaking online is a part of the game that will make or break APB and thanks to some obvious hard work behind the scenes it works great. Matches are ranked based on your type of play and skill and you generally are pitted against people that are similar to you skills, both in weapons and numbers.
APB will have some events that will have you gasping, searching for friends to show as you feel the stream of tears roll down your face with laughter. Quirky moments like your choice to drive into battle by hitting a ramp and the subsequent combat when you come under fire as your jeep is up-side down add to the humour. That’s what you have to love about APB: if you try not to take it too serious and the game become something else in total, it becomes one of the most enjoyable MMO’s out there.
APB is a game that needs at least 10 hours play to really appreciate what’s on offer. Something’s feel jaded and flawed but with time and devotion you realise that Real-time Worlds have created a game that in its own right, is worth your attention. Introducing some kick-ass customisation, MMO action and some explosive multiplayer moments, the game has serious potential. Real-Time Worlds need to listen carefully to the community as the months pass. The community will drive this game forward. To ignore them would see APB vanish into the vast seemingly never ending library of PC/MMO titles and that would be a shame as this title has a lot to offer.
Format: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii; Developer: EA Sports
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