APB is a "cops 'n' robbers" themed MMO game. It aims to present an open city environment in which teams of criminals and 'enforcers' battle it out for mission-based objectives. You can run around shooting, or get in any vehicle and drive. The most pertinent comparison then is probably the obvious one: GTA. So how does it compare? In short: not very well.
APB provides two city settings, with several instances of each to accomated players and NPC civilians and characters. If you were expecting a richly detailed, weather-beaten and generally pretty immersive setting like Liberty City, you'd be disappointed. APB's districts are small, clean and sparse. Bathed in a perpetual hazy midday, they are full of buildings you can't enter and objects that obstinately fail to break before your speeding car.
The two 'action' districts provide the playground for your character to perform missions. As an enforcer this means picking up evidence and hunting down criminals. I think my main gripe with APB is the mission system. APB boils down to king of the hill and capture the flag in a modern urban setting, against randomly picked internet players. With vehicles. All of the missions are slight variations on "drive here and pick this up / click on this" and "drive here and defend this area" for the other side. I was expecting car chases, raiding houses; criminals and cops in explosive standoffs. What APB delivers though is a very shallow experience, more like a simple deathmatch game. A case in point is that as an enforcer, you can 'raid' criminal dens. When I first saw this I was pleased: envisioning kicking down a door with a squad at my back, and storming in and shooting on sight. Raids in APB though merely involve going up to a door and pressing F. After which your player amusingly produces a ram from nowhere and gives the the door a few whacks. This causes an item to appear that you pick also by pressing F.
Many of the missions embellish these vague nods to the theme of the game by involving other players for some challenge and variety. Sometimes as a criminal, while directed to commit a crime, an enforcer will be dispatched against you. And vice versa. This will be another player (or another group if you are playing with others) from the same instance, matched against you by the player ranking system. Unfortunately though, each district accomodates only up to a hundred players so the chances of the system being able to find a good match for your skill are slim. The other thing I find slightly jarring is that you cannot interact with other playes in the district unless you're on a mission with them. Even if you drive into them they just get pushed along in front of your car.
There is, however, a reasonable variety of ways you can start missions. Certainly as a criminal; there are contacts who will frequently offer you missions, and occasional district-wide calls for aid to which you can respond. There is also the option of freelance moneymaking by ram-raiding shops and mugging pedestrians. For enforcers the first two mission types are present, but the only freelance work available is by 'witnessing' a criminal in the act of committing a crime, and pursuing them. This option for enforcers is very difficult to achieve though, with the result that it's easier by far to progress and make money as a criminal than as an enfocer. Perhaps this is a real-world moral that crime pays!
The third district that APB offers is the 'social' district. And it's here that APB shows off the things it does well. The social district is non-combative, and lets players customise their character, vehicle, equipment and in-game music. These areas include APB's greatest strengths as an MMO. The character customisation is the best I've seen. While the characters are all pretty normal looking, there is a vast array of options for the initial look of your character, right down to facial features, and for their clothing, hair, tattoos and other adornments. You can also take your car to the paint shop and decorate it pretty much however you want. New clothes, accessories and vehicles are unlocked as you progress through the missions offered by your criminal or enforcer contacts. You can also tune the music you hear while driving to one of several available playlists, and even add your own. It's also a bonus that time spent in the social district does not detract from your paid-for hours. APB does not need a monthly subscription, instead you can buy time cards to add to your available playing time.
You encounter APB's other major problem straight away when playing the game. And it's a biggie: the controls. Driving is not too bad. Only sometimes does it feel as if you're driving a boat rather than a car. Turning and braking are just unresponsive enough that it can feel like you're merely hinting in the direction you want to go, not actually in control.
The control problem is more apparent and more annoying when you're on foot. Moving in a firefight is so slow and feels so detatched from actualy control of your player that it often results in frustrating deaths. It's this problem I think that ultimately lets APB down.
All things considered, there is a lot of fun to be had in APB. The criticism that the missions are too shallow is also a minor positive because they're easy to drop into with a group of friends. As always with an MMO there are excellent moments that you just don't get in single-player games. Weighing these moments against the negatives, it's not quite enough. It's a shame because it's an excellent idea on paper. But APB is a game to play for a little while or some quick fun, and overall too frustrating and lacklustre to command serious play.
APB provides two city settings, with several instances of each to accomated players and NPC civilians and characters. If you were expecting a richly detailed, weather-beaten and generally pretty immersive setting like Liberty City, you'd be disappointed. APB's districts are small, clean and sparse. Bathed in a perpetual hazy midday, they are full of buildings you can't enter and objects that obstinately fail to break before your speeding car.
The two 'action' districts provide the playground for your character to perform missions. As an enforcer this means picking up evidence and hunting down criminals. I think my main gripe with APB is the mission system. APB boils down to king of the hill and capture the flag in a modern urban setting, against randomly picked internet players. With vehicles. All of the missions are slight variations on "drive here and pick this up / click on this" and "drive here and defend this area" for the other side. I was expecting car chases, raiding houses; criminals and cops in explosive standoffs. What APB delivers though is a very shallow experience, more like a simple deathmatch game. A case in point is that as an enforcer, you can 'raid' criminal dens. When I first saw this I was pleased: envisioning kicking down a door with a squad at my back, and storming in and shooting on sight. Raids in APB though merely involve going up to a door and pressing F. After which your player amusingly produces a ram from nowhere and gives the the door a few whacks. This causes an item to appear that you pick also by pressing F.
Many of the missions embellish these vague nods to the theme of the game by involving other players for some challenge and variety. Sometimes as a criminal, while directed to commit a crime, an enforcer will be dispatched against you. And vice versa. This will be another player (or another group if you are playing with others) from the same instance, matched against you by the player ranking system. Unfortunately though, each district accomodates only up to a hundred players so the chances of the system being able to find a good match for your skill are slim. The other thing I find slightly jarring is that you cannot interact with other playes in the district unless you're on a mission with them. Even if you drive into them they just get pushed along in front of your car.
There is, however, a reasonable variety of ways you can start missions. Certainly as a criminal; there are contacts who will frequently offer you missions, and occasional district-wide calls for aid to which you can respond. There is also the option of freelance moneymaking by ram-raiding shops and mugging pedestrians. For enforcers the first two mission types are present, but the only freelance work available is by 'witnessing' a criminal in the act of committing a crime, and pursuing them. This option for enforcers is very difficult to achieve though, with the result that it's easier by far to progress and make money as a criminal than as an enfocer. Perhaps this is a real-world moral that crime pays!
The third district that APB offers is the 'social' district. And it's here that APB shows off the things it does well. The social district is non-combative, and lets players customise their character, vehicle, equipment and in-game music. These areas include APB's greatest strengths as an MMO. The character customisation is the best I've seen. While the characters are all pretty normal looking, there is a vast array of options for the initial look of your character, right down to facial features, and for their clothing, hair, tattoos and other adornments. You can also take your car to the paint shop and decorate it pretty much however you want. New clothes, accessories and vehicles are unlocked as you progress through the missions offered by your criminal or enforcer contacts. You can also tune the music you hear while driving to one of several available playlists, and even add your own. It's also a bonus that time spent in the social district does not detract from your paid-for hours. APB does not need a monthly subscription, instead you can buy time cards to add to your available playing time.
You encounter APB's other major problem straight away when playing the game. And it's a biggie: the controls. Driving is not too bad. Only sometimes does it feel as if you're driving a boat rather than a car. Turning and braking are just unresponsive enough that it can feel like you're merely hinting in the direction you want to go, not actually in control.
The control problem is more apparent and more annoying when you're on foot. Moving in a firefight is so slow and feels so detatched from actualy control of your player that it often results in frustrating deaths. It's this problem I think that ultimately lets APB down.
All things considered, there is a lot of fun to be had in APB. The criticism that the missions are too shallow is also a minor positive because they're easy to drop into with a group of friends. As always with an MMO there are excellent moments that you just don't get in single-player games. Weighing these moments against the negatives, it's not quite enough. It's a shame because it's an excellent idea on paper. But APB is a game to play for a little while or some quick fun, and overall too frustrating and lacklustre to command serious play.