Speaking of the original for a moment, it should be noted that I certainly had fun with APB in its initial form, from investing time in the beta through to its short-lived retail release. The concept behind the clean-up-the-streets or smash-the-neighbourhood action always had potential, and the character creation system and vehicle customisation options remain some of the most flexible yet invented. But there were always issues, and with many of them endemic to the way the engine was designed, APB: Reloaded has its work cut out from the start.
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| A common site in San Paro |
So what’s different? A tweak here, a change for the better there, and a few clever manipulations of core systems welcome new players in better fashion. It’s still the APB you’ll either know or have heard about underneath, but it’s altogether less confusing and more palatable than the original.
What that entails then, is either spending time defacing the streets of the fictional city of San Paro or acting as a vigilante and attempting to stop those criminals in their tracks. Joining a game is as simple as selecting one of the action districts and hitting the K key to signal that you’re ready, at which point the server will attempt to match you with a group of like-minded individuals (if you have it set to matchmake) and drop you into a mission. For the criminals, that might mean tagging walls with graffiti or destroying particular environmental targets, whilst the vigilantes will - by en large - be tasked with guarding the same objectives or cleaning up. You’ll occasionally end up completing a whole sequence by yourself in a PvE fashion, but for the majority of the time it’s all PvP. If you want to play simple team deathmatch, there are also new areas for that too.
The immediacy of the mission design and compact game world mean that you won’t be waiting long for a game either, with the systems that govern the matchmaking process diverting fresh players to counter a threat mid-mission if necessary. Whether it’s a one-on-one battle or a four-on-four clash, the tweaked shooting mechanics are capable and satisfying (if not anywhere near the best), and a good attention to objective placement and environmental design means it’s difficult to cheese your way through any specific objectives. Skill wins for the most part, although some serious investment in ordinance can definitely sway the odds in your favour.
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| Vehicle handling is now functional |
Indeed, although not outrightly unbalancing the playerbase with its paid subscription model, GamersFirst has implemented a series of perks that allow paying customers to quickly ascend where the free-play crowd might languish for hours. Mission cash and faction experience rewards are doled out at a higher multiplier for every mission completed, meaning that clothing, weaponry and vehicle unlocks tumble at a much quicker rate. There’s also a discount on the Armas Store that works considerably in their favour, and although most of the weapon purchases are variants on the starting models, there are more than a few tweaked models that should find favour amongst long-term players.
The reason it works though, is that APB is almost an entirely superificial experience. There are no set goals to speak of (the story is basically non-existant), and any drive to continue playing stems from gaining access to clothing, cars and weaponry that look spectacular but rarely contain any specific game-changing advantages. It’s all about style and customisation, and those are the primary motivating factors.
Regardless as to those trappings then, for the most part APB:Reloaded works very well within its chosen action remit, and it’s never suicidally newbie-unfriendly. As a quick pick-up-and-play action-MMO there are certainly few that even the playing field like this, and the newly-increased damage output on weaponry makes the street battles fizz past in a hail of bullets and quick respawns. Vehicle handling is still a little hit-and-miss but definitely improved, with each of the lower-tier models now at least usable and genuinely useful. Although piloting yourself around on four wheels is still a little unresponsive and heavy for our liking, it’s a far cry from the plodding nonsense that blighted the original, and sort of a half-way house between a GTA and a truck simulator.
If there are any major caveats to the experience though, they still lie within those same systems that govern the balance, and APB offers little but the core action to sustain in the long-run. Without the drive to gain new skills or access noticeably better weaponry, there’s not a whole lot else to do once you’ve hit on a design for your character and vehicle that you’re happy with. The social district lets you get a better look at your fellow players and their own monstrous (or amazing) character creations, and it’s in those colourful areas that any long-term hooks truly exist.
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| Bystanders can be robbed or generally get in the way |
With those restrictions in mind though, APB:Reloaded works pretty well if you’re willing to just drop in every now and then for a couple of firefights and a quick look around. If you can’t be bothered to spend a few hours in the combat areas to increase your stature, there are micropayments that allow you to grab individual items quickly, and GamersFirst has to be commended for not unbalancing the game completely with that subscription model. Whether or not it’s worthy of a monthly payment is definitely subjective however, and that dearth of content and a fairly bland environmental design is certainly worthy of taking into consideration before plumping down your details.
There is fun to be had on the streets of San Paro though, and as the price of entry is precisely zero, there’s absolutely no reason not to give it a try.
APB: RELOADED VERDICT
There is fun to be had on the streets of San Paro though, and as the price of entry is precisely zero, there’s absolutely no reason not to give it a try.
TOP GAME MOMENT
A tense one-on-one battle with an enforcer
