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My review of the game as of release.
Arenthas
Member Posts: 85
Just wanted to post my thoughts on the game as of release, i''ve had a great time thus far and look forward to the future in APB with RTW. I wrote this as unbiased as I possibly could. Cheers and I apologize for grammar.
The Good:
1.) Solid Multiplayer - The multiplayer is single handedly the reason the game was created and needs to be kept in mind. It is frantic, suspenseful and downright fun IF (and here's the key word "IF") you're grouped up with friends or others you acquaint well within the game.
The game can become a tough chore (especially in the action districts where all the missions take place) if you are running around alone. While not innovative, the missions place some interesting encounters for player vs player, and there are a lot more to do than just mission running.
See those handcuff symbols? Hit ALT to witness someone commiting a crime and APB them. Hilarity to ensue.
2.) Great Mechanics - Weapon imbalances are present, but not show-stopping. The combat is great and tense, and as a shooter its dumbed down a lot to accomodate for folks new to the shooting genre at the same time quickly paced and powerful for the experienced shooter. Every weapon has its place, whether its Close Quarters, Medium Range, or Long Ranged weapons. The environments in the game support all three and for each weapon is required a lot of tactic. Especially teamwork (for those who like to put the blame on weapon imbalances, which baffles me and is not all that bad).
From Robbing, to Shoplifting for Criminals, Stunning and Arresting for Enforcers, there are a lot of cool dynamics that makes you choose whether to end the opposing persons life, or to take him into custody. Or perhaps the ultimate humiliation, arrested in the middle of the street only to be turned into roadkill by your partner unaware of the static pedestrian Criminal on his knees in the middle of the street. Cars do explode, and with that comes heavy care to where you drive, how you drive, and what you shoot. Cars are insta-mayhem and can seriously put a person into a laughter coma.
3.) Great Graphics - Please don't do a comparison to GTA IV. Two totally different genres, with totally different engine limitations. This is an MMO, sacrifices are made in certain areas to accommodate player customization and a lot of player equipment. Even though there seems to be a memory leak persistent (as well as an annoying alt-tab freeze for ATI users) the game runs beautifully and is pleasing to look at. Just don't try to compare it with GTA IV.
3.) Amazing Customization - You can fully customize your character down to details such as eyelashes, freckles and moles, to pimping out several unlockable and fully customizable vehicles. Make theme music, trade them, make custom symbols for tattoos, clothing, vinyl, you name it. Simply put, the customization alone is the most innovative and bench setting system developed (ever since City of Heroes).
4.) Great Sound & Music - Let me clarify. The gun sounds, explosions, battles, and the music ride well and are awesome. The sound controls, are horrific. There is a lack of control for ambient, vehicle, weapons, and voice sounds within the game. The VOIP is decent but lackluster, it seems to work great when you have autovoice on, but is intermittent with Push To Talk enabled.
The Bad
1.) Story - Other than the fact that you're a criminal or a vigilante in the streets of San Paro, there isn't much to show here or guide you through in your baby steps within the violent city. There is lack of story backed missions, as well as scenes to help immerse you into the world of San Paro. I understand this may change as more content as released, but this is how it is from the initial release.
2.) Solo Play - Be prepared to get bored. While matchmaking breaks up the tempo, driving around by yourself on missions can become tedious and boring. You won't have the same opportunities premade groups have, such as driving around just to witness crimes and partake in APB fights. Especially the larger ones.
If you don't have any friends, do your best to make some. The community is pretty hostile, but there are green grass and high tides on the other side.
3.) Advanced Graphical Options - Damnit I want to control Anisotropic, HDR/Bloom and fine tune the details myself. Basically the game releases with a graphical option for Minimal. Medium, High, and Maximum.
4.) Poor Audio Controls - No controls for micro-managing sound volumes such as weapon sounds, vehicles, chatter, etc.
5.) Lack of Mission Content - While the pvp is great, the game needs a lot more. I have good faith in Realtime Worlds as they have stated incoming content such as Turf Wars, but as I look at the release, the content needs to be pushed, with a lot more.
Closing Comments & Advice
This game is great, and while not full of substantial missions or variety, the core mechanics of the game are there and work great. This game is intended to be Player vs Player, so expect it to be so. While I expected a lot more from APB, I was happily satisfied with the combat and experiences I had with friends. I can see where players can become very biased with the game based on their experiences.The game alone is worth a chance, quite enjoyable and with some added content and balances, I would easily bump the rating of this game to a 9.0
DO - Find a group of friends to play with
DO - Seek advice on combat/weapons/missions if you find yourself on the bottom of the K/D ratios all the time (Never blame yourself, the game is simple)
DO - Check out the marketplace and listen to user created Themes.
DO - Pimp your ride
DO - Pick up your teammates and stick together.
DO - Supply Ammo for your teammates if possible.
DO - Invest in slotted Weapons fitting your playstyle.
DO - Be Patient and think about where your enemy may be.
DONT - Run over your teammates.
DONT - Run straight into the objective not knowing where the enemy is.
DONT - Compare this game to GTA IV.
DONT - Confuse the instance based scale of MMORPG's to MMO Shooters.
DONT - Blame it on the Ntec or OCA
DONT - Blame someone for hacking (I have still not run into anyone I consider even suspicious)
Cheers, hope you enjoyed my review and see you in San Paro.
Oh and if you do decide to join up, have no friends to play with off the bat, feel free to contact me in game! (Server: LaRocha 2 Name: Kaburan) I will be more than happy to add you, kick you off with some free themes I made (Star Wars, Indiana Jones anyone?) As well as some weapons I have laying around.
As always, I am trying to grow a stronger team based APB community.
http://vx9.com
Come check us out.
Comments
Very nice read. I started playing only 2 days ago, but after a couple of hours I already started worrying about content. Leveling contacts to get gear and weapons is all good and fun, but then what? What happens when you get all the gear that is now still locked (same for weapons)? I think you'd get better pretty quick. So you have a point there; more content should be added and I'm looking forward to it.
One thing I don't know too much of and am looking forward to are the upgrades. It seems to me they are a way to make things more interesting. But I believe they come with rank? Meaning it comes along while maxing Contacts and do not make you do too many extra things, right?
I lol'd. Good review.
It seems like an interesting game but I will leave it a month or two to see if they add more content.
Not worth the 50 dollars and the monthly fee or rtw point buy..
Drop price to 19.95, make it free with a store for fluff and non pvp weapons or gear and i will play it.
Or put 10 more maps, 5x bigger then the small ones now ingame..put pve content, put professions, put housing, etc and then its worth 50 dollars and those subscription prices.
You mean: make it more like WoW right? Please sod off mate. They should improve the concept they have now. Not drop it on the spot and go with something else.
Very fair and exelent review.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
I actually have to disagree with the maps being small. The districts are fairly large, they don't even feel small when your driving around them at high speeds.
I mean playing many games the maps, or zones or w/e you want to call then "Feel" big because you move through them so slow. Even the mounts which move a little faster move slowly through the zone. Not only that most of the time going through a door in most MMO's = a new zone, going into a cave = new zone etc. They've pretty much cut out a ton of loading screens and added the inside of buildings etc. all in one zone. I won't say the districts are the largest zones or maps you can find in an MMO, but they are far from small.
Run through watefront or the financial district, don't get a car, don't sprint. Thats about the pace you have for movement in most MMO's, sprint and thats about mount movement in most MMO's. Travel through either district and tell me how small it is then.
It's far from small by current standards. The fact you can go in a ton of places actually makes it even bigger. Those aren't a bunch of non interactive buildings with a little room carved out. Many of them you can go in and travel through, some even have multiple floors.
Small?
40 city blocks is small now?
There are so many back allies, paths and elvated positions......
And someone says small?
It boggles the mind.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
I'll quote what I mentioned in my review
DONT - Compare this game to GTA IV.
The biggest mistake people are making are setting expectations to precede the large single open world of MMO's such as World of Warcraft packed with dense urban jungles such as GTA IV. Then you'll have Shooter players disappointed as well because they expect GTA IV on a grand scale. This just isn't the case and those details can't be afforded, especially in the Unreal Engine.
The maps are designed to sustain and accomodate players up to 100 (even though right now for lag reasons, the dev's have limited to 80 per instance). This includes the design of the level, channeling and allowing players to compete in certain areas of the cities. The different parts of cities are instanced and are a small part of San Paro.
This is the tip of the iceberg, as RTW has mentioned. They have mentioned of future content that will expand the current zones to include clan/gang based turf wars and larger cooperative events.
If you expect GTA in a massive open world ala WOW, then you'll be sorely disappointed. If that's the case, hold off on purchasing and play something else. If you want to give the game a chance, then you may find yourself enjoying it and look forward to future updates.
I've seen a lot worse in MMO releases. This game has released smoothly and is very bug free for the most part. Few patches, more missions in the future, and this game will be simply outstanding.
DONT - think that just because your crosshairs are on your target you will hit them. Especially when trying to peak around a corner.
DO - expect said enemy to be able to hit you.
The first couple nights my guild played this game we had a lot of fun. I had never laughed so hard in my life while playing a game. There were little things here and there we'd come across that individually were not show stoppers. However, 2 days later and all the little things have added up quickly. I still have like 40 hours left form my initial 50 from my pre-order. Going to give this game 3-6 months and come back to see how it goes. The only other hook it has at this point is the customization (which if freaking insane if you're into that sort of thing.) The number of people sitting at a music or clothing terminal during the day leads me to believe a lot of folks are simply afk'ing at the terms while they are at work so they get rank/money while not doing anything. After a couple days they have the rank/money to buy a lot of weapons they wouldn't have had otherwise.
Like the old saying goes...It has potential.
Very well thought out and informative review. I whole heartedly agree with it. I've got the game loaded on two different computers, at home and at work. My computer at home is a workhorse and plays the game beautifully with all of the settings at max. My work computer is not quite up to the task of running the game as well as I would like for the action district but it is great for running the apps in the social district.
I've spent my lunch hours since the head start launch creating decals, customizing clothing, composing death themes, and pimping my ride. In the evening I am free to show those accomplishments off.
Regardless of what I am doing, I am enjoying myself. I've only had one negative experience thus far and that was being sent off against a group of criminals with a large rating advantage and superior firepower to mine, three missions in a row. Even then, that experience lasted maybe 15 minutes.
I'm usually teamed with my clanmates but I do welcome anyone who wants to come along for a good time. I am in the LaRocha2 server and there as it is here, my name is Superjudge.
I have a question is the game playable with a Xbox 360 remote or any gaming remote? Or is it only playable with keyboard and mouse?
Yes I believe so, someone on the forums at APB were able to get it working for driving.
http://na.apb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5124