All Points Bulletin Review
Before I properly review this game I would just like to state that I have been playing this game since the Closed Beta (3rd phase/group "Sharp Shooters" I believe) and have probably logged over 100 hours thus far. I say this because I've read too many reviews by people who seemed to have not played very much of the game, considering it is similar to an "MMO" and requires more "studying", if you will. I will try to be as in-depth as possible, so that for those that are really questioning whether or not to buy the game will hopefully be able to make that decision hear. Read as much as you like.
In short, I can't pull myself away from this game. It's definitely not perfect or without a number of issues... But the mix of unique vehicles, tight gunplay, and immense customization make for quite an appealing concoction.
GRAPHICS/AUDIO
I usually would, but I won't cover the graphics or the audio extensively... I want to mainly focus on the gameplay here because that seems to be the main topic of discussion. If that's all you really care about, please skip the following:
-The graphics are good, not great. There is a lot of pop-in even on MAX settings, and there seems to be a lack of graphical settings (i.e. dynamic shadows always on). It's just a min-max slider with some Anti-aliasing options. The PC requirements are a bit much (currently a Quad core is pretty much required for a stable 30+ fps due to some dual core and Realtek issues) and what they currently list as required/recommended should probably be bumped up a bit. Also if you have a 32-bit OS, customized textures will be automatically set to low-res due to memory constraints.
-The audio in this game is quite good. Haven't played too many games that have the Doppler effect... in effect. Each vehicle has a unique engine sound, and (this also ties into the customization aspect) advanced player vehicles can choose different components that change the sound of the turbo, transmission, speaker, siren, exhaust, dump valve, and amp audio (all pulled straight from the game). The weapons are decent enough to the point where they are satisfying to shoot. You can hear bullets whiz past you... and rocket launchers... well, let's just say thanks to the aforementioned Doppler effect, the sound of rockets flying by let's everyone nearby know you mean business. It strikes fear into my heart every time I hear it. Needless to say, the audio in this game was given special attention during development, which makes me very happy.
GAMEPLAY
I'm going to separate this into Vehicles, Combat, and Customization if that's fine with you?
Vehicles
-A lot of people are complaining about how vehicles control in APB. They claim "delayed steering" and the like. And well, sadly they are right. You will often have to turn a little bit sooner than you think you should. Why do they control kinda crappy? Well it's for a good cause. The vehicles have delayed response because they are controlled server-side, meaning how well the vehicles control depend on your latency/lag/ping/etc. to the server. (Just to note, I usually have around 100ms on the North American servers, which are located in Dallas, and I'm from Chicago. Not bad, but not great for a competitive game like this.) They do it server-side so that collisions are more accurately predicted and to prevent the implementation of vehicle hacks. If vehicle control was done client-side, every time you saw yourself hitting pedestrians or enemy players, there would be a delayed response to that... Meaning that visually, you would see pedestrians slide through your vehicle and probably not react (aka DIE) until you have already passed through them. As it currently stands, vehicle collisions are VERY accurate and satisfying thanks to their decision to do this server-side. You get used to the delay to the point where you dont even think about it and it just works naturally. Trust me. It's really annoying for the first few hours, but it gets better.
-Vehicle physics is pretty spot on, the wheels have a good bounce to them. Some vehicles have certain specialties (one jeep has the uncanny ability to rarely ever stay flipped over)... both good and bad (one vehicle seems to accelerate too quickly for its own good, often popping a wheelie). The damage model is kinda.. meh. You can't shoot through windows, and you can't shoot tires out sadly. You really only see dents being made in cars after collisions. So, visually, the vehicles kind of feel dead... in some ways. It's kind of hard to explain, I guess. Hopefully some upgrades to the vehicle system will be made. Overall, though, it's enough to create satisfying driving experiences. There's nothing like taking a chase up onto the freeway with your buddies hanging out of the windows shooting at the enemy vehicle in front of us as we fly through the air due to having driven up one of the many number of ramps found throughout San Paro. It's not uncommon to see a group of people making their own race tracks in the city. Let's just say that there are MANY lols to be had with the vehicles and physics in this game (one time I jumped out of my speeding car to see that the car had just a second after rammed into my enemy's vehicle at an incredible speed, causing his car to flip over a number of times in front of me as I unloaded just enough rounds to make him explode before he stopped rolling. I didn't even know he was in front of me...)
Combat
-When I read reviews about the combat in APB, they say this is where the game falls short. Why? Well mainly because of the boring, repetitive missions, and imbalanced weapons. I will not lie to you. The missions pretty much consist of running to a point and pressing the F key, capturing a circle, holding onto a task item for a certain amount of time, "escaping", and just plain ol' killing the opposition. The missions themselves are not fun, but the PVP combat still is. The missions are only there as a means of creating PVP opportunities. I mean, let's be serious here, they aren't really any different from the Multiplayer Modes found in any other online shooter, right? And these are basically fetch quests, which are found in every single MMO... except you usually do those all by yourself. That's real fun, right? In either case, the missions bring you and your opposition to areas ALL over the city districts. I don't think I've ever had a pvp mission firefight in the same area more than TWICE. And that is definitely saying something considering I've been playing for over 100 hours (75% of which was most likely in the action district). So what that pretty much means is... you won't be playing the same "map" over and over again like in Call of Duty. You can't memorize every single spot, so you can't really anticipate anything. Almost everytime I accept a mission, I'll be brought to a new and interesting area with lots of verticality, and different paths to take for flanking. There is almost always more than one way to get to an area, which is great.
-The balance. That's hard to determine. There definitely is a way for a player to gain an advantage over another new player. There are weapon upgrades, character upgrades, and vehicle upgrades that add small stat bonuses (I really mean small, like 12% reloading increase... ooooh). I won't lie, it probably does make a difference in some situations, but not to the amount of absurdity I've seen some people raise it to. No matter what your level, your unupgraded weapon can take out any upgraded weapon with the right team tactics and skill. This game is really meant to be a TEAM game. Not a go out and solo everything with one type of gun game. You need to take advantage of many ranges, and be ready to change weapon loadouts on the fly (with field supplier upgrade, allowing you to change weapons and resupply anywhere every 300 seconds or so). Usually it's best for teammates to take advantage of certain ranges. Have everyone equipped with different types of weapons for different situations. Have someone specialize in close-range with the sub-machine gun and less-than-lethal taser, while someone sits back with a bolt-action sniper rifle, picking off those that you have damaged who attempt to run away. This game is more tactics than skill based. Most of my kills have been made when my enemy was unaware of my presence or when I got the jump on him/her, or had a more advantageous position (ie, behind cover while he was out in the open). This game is not as imbalanced as other people may try to say. It's just that this game can have quite a steep learning curve for some people. It is very competitive, and you will often run into groups of clans or hardcore players that utilize every aspect of teamwork available to take you out. That's why it is almost NECESSARY to play this game in a group with some friends or hopefully people that you know. Random pub groups work better than solo, but not quite as well as with friends. I cannot stress this enough. You will have a lot more fun playing with some friends. I REALLY. Really. Mean it.
Customization
No matter what review you read, you will no doubt find that this is at least one are of the game that undoubtedly shines in. There really is limitless means of customization in terms of your character's and vehicle's appearance (and sound). Since I'm an audio guy, my personal favorite thing is the music studio, which if you've ready anything about this game you should know about. I can make full length songs and 5-second themes that play to the player I just killed, and to everyone in a mission when I've won. It's great because I can now not only show off my killing skills, but also my CREATIVE skills. There is a lot of time you can spend customizing yourself to look like anything. I won't even bother trying to explain the amount of depth found in most of the editors. Just trust me that it's enough and is only planned to continue growing. The only thing people might not like is that clothing, decals, vehicle parts and the like are unlocked as you level contacts and organizations in the action districts (done by doing missions). So you will be somewhat limited in terms of creation until you play a bit of the action-oriented side of the game. There are also many opportunities to show off your creations with display points, graffiti points, and dj studios in the social district that are purchasable, winnable, or first-come first-serve...able.
SUMMARY
So as you can tell, I find this game very enjoyable when playing in a group and with my friends. I do happen to be quite decent at this game, so that may be why I don't find it as "imbalanced" as other people even when I don't have any upgraded weapons. Or maybe the matchmaking is just working like it should for me, and not posing me against those high levels when I'm still myself a low level (I played much more in beta than I currently have at release).
This game is a very promising future, though. Why? Because RealTime Worlds actually listens to us, the players. They've made some rather drastic changes to the game based on feedback (RTW item manufacturing cost removed, particular weapons nerfed), and will continue to direct the game in accordance with what we really want. We've been screaming for player-housing, and guess what? It's been pretty much verified that it will be worked on eventually as the engine was already designed for it. Melee weapons are also looking to be a possibility. And those chaos districts (free-for-all) are already being worked on. I'd recommend taking a look at the APB forums if you don't believe me, there's a Dev Tracker that let's you see every post by the developers. I've probably read through every single one since I've been in beta. These guys seem truly dedicated to this game.. and are just as excited as the players are to see what it will turn into months, years, from now.
It's a niche title, I can't at all guarantee you'll like it. The combat mechanics are hard to describe, you'll just have to watch some gameplay videos on Youtube and elsewhere to see if it fits your style. I honestly just hope that people who are on the edge will at least give it a try if they think they're interested... as you may end up enjoying it just as much as I did. It's a shame but... It seems like the most voiced people are those that utterly despise this game. People like me that really love the concept and keep coming back to it day after day... are being drowned out. I hope this helped!
All Points Bulletin Feature
- Music Studio, A fully fledged sequencer style music studio, allowing players to create their own 'death themes'
- APB has an 'expression suite' of in-game customization tools. Any items created with these tools can be traded or sold to other players through the Marketplace
- One of the most in depth character creation systems ever seen, allowing players to tweak thousands of parameters, to create physically unique and lifelike characters
- Designer functionality Which allows players to create imagery they can apply to pretty much anything they want. Tattoos, clothing, vinyls on vehicles, clan logos, spray tags, etc.
- The Garage, an area where players can customize vehicles to their hearts content. Change the colors, add symbols and imagery, add body kit parts, modify the speaker system, players can even change the exhaust sound
All Points Bulletin Overview
Welcome to the next evolution of action games into a persistent online space. Imagine a living, breathing, city but for the first time ever it's online, its streets full of vehicles and thousands of civilians going about their daily life. Introduce 100 players to this online city. Their mission is to gain fame and fortune, and gain them fast. Many will take to a life of crime, feeding on the city, its people and its businesses. Other players, the Enforcers, will feed on the Criminal players. What will the outcome be?
All Points Bulletin Specifications
All Points Bulletin (APB) is the next evolution of action games into a persistent online space. Imagine a living, breathing, city but for the first time ever it's online, its streets full of vehicles and thousands of civilians going about their daily life. Introduce 100 players to this online city. Their mission is to gain fame and fortune, and gain them fast. Many will take to a life of crime, feeding on the city, its people and its businesses. Other players, the Enforcers, will feed on the Criminal players. What will the outcome be?
San Paro is a living, breathing, online city, its streets the playground for Criminals and Enforcers. Their mission is to gain fame and fortune, and gain them fast. Criminals take to a life of crime, feeding on the city, its people and its businesses. Other players, the Enforcers, feed on the Criminals. APB’s world is an online sandbox. Players will achieve celebrity or notoriety for their skills and style. Alliances will be formed, rivalries will be bitter. Every player will be unique. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, players can personalize their looks, clothing, vehicles and music. Earn money, clothing, guns, and cars as you play. Become a top-ranking player or clan in leagues that track kills, arrests, mission success rates, and many other competitive stats. Online Multiplayer APB is entirely online and multiplayer. However, it's a unique game unlike other MMOs out there. The game runs on fast, high-quality dedicated servers allowing you to enter cities and engage in a new style of game where your actions bring you into opposition with other players dynamically: there's no waiting in lobbies. You can encounter thousands of other players over a short period of time. Dynamic matchmaking allows solo and group play in missions, against - or with - real people, never an AI. Key Game Features
System Requirements
Laptop chipsets may work but are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required. Recommended Spec: 2.4GHz Core Duo 2, quad-core, 4GB RAM and GeForce 8800GT with 512MB or ATI equivalent. Broadband Connection recommended. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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