"Lead in Every Gap" - Review of APB: Reloaded

Since ancient times, gamers have shared a desire to hang out in a real-virtual world where they could create anything they wanted with their friends. Dozens of fantasy MMOs have long since become tiresome, with the only relief being the multiplayer mod for GTA: San Andreas and rare online games like Anarchy Online (with its unconventional fantasy). Back in 2005, the attention of the gaming community was already focused on All Points Bulletin, when its developer, Realtime Worlds (notably recognized in 2007 for the exciting Crackdown exclusive for Xbox 360), along with artistic director David Jones (who joined RW from Rockstar), showcased the first trailer of their promising game.

At that time, the press and the gaming public rejoiced – finally, developers had emerged to create a multiplayer game centered on freedom, struggle, and power. The release of Crackdown only heightened expectations, as in that project, the gamer was essentially left to their own devices – in a vast open world, there were no "corridors". Interest in APB grew year after year. Why not, as it was supposed to provide players with a variety of vehicles, a mid-sized city, shootouts involving dozens of fighters, freedom of movement, tons of weapons, leveling up, advanced customization... The game seemed absolutely ideal, and the fact that APB aimed for the hits was confirmed by its decision to be published by Electronic Arts. In general, I have always liked this publisher’s approach to multiplayer games. Yes, there were failures that every third player would recall, but almost all attempts to release unconventional MMOs carried some risk, and for that, the company deserves respect. Just think of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, which allowed a good hundred players to clash on its battlefields.

Something is always happening everywhere. The city is alive.

Not Alone

By the way, I didn't mention Warhammer Online for nothing. Mythic Entertainment also tried to make player experiences as dynamic and exciting as possible, pitting hundreds of players against each other in relatively small locations. This led to server crashes in the initial days of the project's release. I still remember those evenings when "Wah” was wonderful in PvE, good in small PvP battles, and absolutely horrendous in battles of 50 vs 50 and more. Even the most top-tier computers struggled with such carnage, while gamers spent hours tweaking their configs and forums in search of optimal graphics settings.

So, sitting down to play All Points Bulletin, one needed to keep in mind that a computer capable of at least running Crysis on medium settings was required for comfortable play. But sometimes even that proved insufficient. Moreover, Realtime Worlds messed up the physics of cars, causing them to not drive normally on roads, but instead to glide, fly, and perform various tricks, irritating most players. However, while one could get used to the local controls, the gameplay felt too simplistic: the combat system was in fact more primitive than that of an ordinary shooter, and some missions created a significant imbalance between the forces of the police and the gangsters. With APB being exclusively PvP, it was logical that these mentioned problems would have a decisive impact on subscribers. Nevertheless, the streets of virtual San Paro were not getting emptier day by day; players were still playing and hoping for better. But in the end, everything ended in disaster – the promising idea along with all the developments was sent to auction. Buyers of the game were outraged, but the authors could only apologize, thank all former subscribers, and head to the job market.

The car may not be fast, but its size effectively protects passengers from enemy bullets.

Reading various developer diaries, APB fans were left sad, their eyes downcast. Realtime Worlds knew the risks they were taking, aware that the project, which had cost around 100 million dollars, might not pay off. Some of the creators pointed to poor marketing campaigns, press relations, and dealings with players. In general, the topic of the game was still being discussed even after the official shutdown of the servers. In November last year, the entire internet buzzed – news came that All Points Bulletin was set to be resurrected.

It became known that all rights to the project were acquired by the multiplayer game mogul – GamersFirst, who had in their portfolio MMOs like 9Dragons, Granado Espada, and other entertainments. Clearly, GamersFirst knew what players needed, as long years of experience in the realm of online games is not easily forgotten. It was announced that APB would switch to a free-to-play model, and the internal studio of the publisher - Reloaded Productions (established specifically for APB) would closely engage in reviving the online “GTA.”

This lady is most likely not serving in law enforcement.

Crime on All Waves

In May 2011, an open beta test of APB: Reloaded was launched – the project was renamed in light of past events. In fact, it was my compatriots from Gamer.ru who dragged me onto the Patriot server; I would hardly have ventured into APB on my own. At that time, I didn’t know that by siding with the police, I would be sowing chaos and confusion amongst the enemy ranks for a total of sixteen hours (and that’s just the minimum). It turned out the game was worth the time spent.

First off, the previously praised customization of everything and anything strikes one. There are absolutely no clones among players; everyone has their taste, their understanding of style, so the first ten minutes of gameplay serve as something like The Sims. Body proportions, breast and butt sizes, height, weight, lip width, brow height, eye placement, hair color, scars, tattoos... And that’s just the setting of your homosapien's body; the foundation of individualization lies in the variety of gear: sneakers, shoes, formal shoes, jeans, trousers, shorts, skirts, tracksuits, tights, underwear, leather jackets, hoodies, bras, hats, hoods, bands, glasses, chains, holsters, belts, gloves. Your in-game ego could be absolutely anything – create a copy of yourself or a copy of some popular character. The streets of San Paro are already filled with Duke Nukems, Hitmans, and other industry giants; why not also try to create your own muscle-bound Kratos or gangster John Marston?

Mario brothers on a mission.

Cars also undergo customization, but the situation here is more limited. We won’t be allowed to fully upgrade a car, but there is plenty of fun to be had with painting, creating unique designs, and altering the overall appearance – that’s for sure. Players, beyond everything already mentioned, can even make money from their artistic talents – hand-drawn tattoos sell at auctions for impressive prices. Advanced composers earn well too, composing “post-mortem” melodies (a small musical track is played for your enemy upon their defeat). Overall, the scope for individualization is nearly limitless. We note customization as a plus.

The Dark Lord prepares to wreak havoc.

The backbone of games like Grand Theft Auto is the gameplay. In the single-player Episodes from Liberty City, for example, we not only eliminated dozens of unwelcome competitors but also carried out explosions, evaded from the police, jumped from airplanes, conducted local genocides, and engaged in other thrilling activities. In APB, as I have already mentioned, gameplay revolves around the rivalry between two sides – the law enforcement and the hooligans. The former must do everything in their power to hinder the latter’s activities, preventing terrorist acts, protecting specific zones, conducting searches, and so on. The gangsters, of course, do everything strictly the opposite. In theory, it sounds quite epic, but in practice, the battles turn out to be the familiar struggle for control points. Everything seems fine, but in Reloaded, everyone has the same hitbox. This means that damage from a headshot equals that from a precisely aimed shot to the heel. Therefore, shootouts often devolve into plain head-on attacks. At this point, one could casually bury the project; however, characters die relatively quickly, so you can’t just rush into a crowd of enemies. Here, APB shines in full force. With a competent team composed solely of sane people, it is genuinely fun to play. The city doesn’t feel as monotonous, and the gameplay starts providing pleasure; it transforms from an ordinary action game into a quality team-play experience. The ability to hop into a friend's car, take ammo from a comrade’s vehicle trunk, and even shoot a teammate (friendly fire is still in play) creates a unique atmosphere of a group action film.

Classical music lovers will find tunes for themselves as well. You can also upload your playlist to the player.

The “online GTA” has moved to GamersFirst, so let’s welcome a variety of changes. First, the client size has decreased. Now APB requires about five gigabytes of free space. Secondly, the code has been significantly refined, resulting in a considerable reduction in lag during shootouts. But I should note that Reloaded still demands fairly powerful hardware and a solid internet connection.Thirdly, contacts (special characters providing quests and unlocking new weapons, gear, perks, and more upon their completion) can now be upgraded regardless of the chosen team – each player is free to work with any NPC. Other than that, Reloaded is an exact copy of the original All Points Bulletin: three districts to choose from (two combat zones and one peaceful zone – where we buy clothes, cars, customize, and auction off items), dozens of various weapons, cars, a hundred of oblivious computer bots in the streets, explosions, whizzing bullets, and unforeseen lag that could strike at any moment. It’s nice that developers continue to strongly support the project, constantly releasing patches. Just recently, a patch of 400 megabytes was released, adding door handles to all doors (you won’t believe it). However, we won't be using them - characters break into all buildings by barging through doors.

Give It a Try

All Points Bulletin has turned out to be ambiguous once again. Reloaded absorbed most of the original's flaws well, but the apparent positive aspects keep players coming back again and again, closing their eyes to misunderstandings like the same hitbox for everyone, repetitiveness of tasks, and ever-present lag. A wonderful soundtrack, which isn’t a sin to listen to in your own car, beautifully complements the experiences gained. APB is the right action-packed thriller with a gangster atmosphere, where playing as law enforcement, you still feel like a cool character with no rules and inhibitions. So, let’s create a conference in Skype, hop into a slick car with friends, crank up the rap, and rush into the bullets. That’s what APB is all about.

No rating