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APB Reloaded

APB Reloaded is a 3D open world MMO shooter set in the crime-ridden city of San Paro. Inspired by GTA, APB Reloaded includes a large variety of guns and cars for players to customize as they engage in a never-ending battle for control over the streets of San Paro.

Publisher: GamersFirst
Playerbase: Medium
Type: MMO
Release Date: June 29, 2010
PvP: Open World / Team Missions
Pros: +Modern, open world setting. +In-depth character and car customization. +Great visuals. +Fast-paced and rewarding gameplay.
Cons: -Imbalanced matchmaking system. -Free players can only rent guns. -Client and server performance issues. -Griefing common due to open world setting. -No PvE content.

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Overview

APB Reloaded Overview

Roam the streets of San Paro while upholding the law or terrorizing the general population in APB Reloaded, a ground-breaking open world MMO third person shooter. Wreak havoc on unsuspecting citizens as a Criminal or bring law-breakers to justice as an Enforcer. Create your own unique character with a plethora of customization options and arm them to the teeth with tons of fully customizable gear, weapons, and vehicles. Strike fear into the hearts of your enemies as you gain fame and notoriety out on the unforgiving city streets.

APB Reloaded Key Features:

  • Great Character Customization – create a unique character and suit 'em up with a wide range of gear and weapons.
  • Choose the Law or Crime  do you want to be a cop or a robber? Players can pick their path and walk the streets as they see fit.
  • Awesome Visuals – the graphics are smooth, making the gameplay fluid and enjoyable.
  • Make Your Name Known – let the world fear you or revere you as you gain fame as a Criminal or an Enforcer.
  • Wage War – the constant battle between good and evil awaits. Criminals and Enforcers are locked in a constant war to gain ground over the other.

 

APB Reloaded Screenshots

APB Reloaded Featured Video

APB Reloaded - Faceoff Trailer

Classes

Roles:

Criminal – Criminals take on the active role in the game's missions. They must accomplish given tasks while fighting off Enforcers who are tasked with preventing their success.

Enforcer – the 'good guys' in APB Reloaded. Enforcers must kill, or preferably arrest, Criminal players before they can complete their mission objectives.

Full Review

APB Reloaded Review

By Marc Marasigan

APB Reloaded is a 3D MMO third-person shooter designed by David Jones, known for creating the iconic Grand Theft Auto series. It was initially developed and published by Realtime Worlds under the title APB All Points Bulletin, before being acquired by Reloaded Productions (a subsidiary of GamersFirst and K2 Networks). The game was initially subscription-based but was re-launched as free-to-play in May 23, 2011 under GamersFirst. Further game development and updates are now being handled by the developer Reloaded Productions. The game also became available on Steam in December 7, 2011.

APB Reloaded is set in San Paro, a modern-day city overrun by gangs and criminals on an all-out crime spree. The mayor has authorized the formation of Enforcers, a group of vigilantes and bounty hunters, to fight fire with fire and finally put a stop to the crime and violence that has plagued her beloved city. The game plays exactly like GTA, carjacking and pedestrian killing sprees included, and can be pretty violent which undoubtedly makes it unsuitable for younger players. Sorry, kids.

Cops and Robbers

Upon launching the game, players watch a short intro movie and are then given the choice of playing either as a Criminal or as an Enforcer. There isn’t really any advantage in choosing one side over another as far as I could tell. My guess is that most players would probably choose to roll as criminals, since it’s obviously way cooler to kill people and destroy stuff than to obey the laws and protect the weak and oppressed, even if you are a vigilante. In the end, it’s still a matter of preference.

Once players have picked sides, they are taken to the character customization screen. This is where APB Reloaded really stands out. The game features a robust and in-depth character customization feature. Players can customize virtually everything about their character, from nose height down to the color of their chest hairs. Players can even make their characters look like themselves. It does take a bit of skill and a whole lot of patience though. Characters also look incredibly life-like in my opinion, especially the eyes. A quick mode, which generates random characters, is also available for players who want to jump into the game faster.

After customizing to their heart’s content, players then pick a name for their character and choose what server to play on. The game recommends players pick servers close to their location, most likely to cut down on lag. Players can choose to play on servers in the East and West coasts as well as in Europe and Hong Kong. Keep in mind though that characters are server-bound.

Brushing Up On Your Reading

After creating characters, players are dropped into the thick of things. Players choose a spawn point in one of the starting districts and are practically left to their own devices. APB Reloaded lacks a separate and interactive tutorial system, so players must rely on instructions from the tutorial menu where everything players need to know about the game can be found, starting from basic movement all the way to advanced combat techniques. The tutorial is also treated as a series of tasks and players are notified and given rewards for accomplishing an item on the list, such as kicking down a door or throwing a grenade. While the game is easy enough to learn, the tutorials can be quite overwhelming for new players, especially ones new to shooters.
The game’s visuals are stunning and can be compared to GTA IV. The city is detailed although the water texture could use a bit of work. Sound effects are exactly what you would expect from a GTA-like game. The game’s music is decent but forgettable since it easily gets drowned out by gunfire, explosions, and panicking pedestrians. The music playing while waiting to spawn did get my attention... Too bad you only get to hear it for about 5 seconds.

Making a Name For Yourself

APB Reloaded features a non-linear mission system and an open world environment. Players can take on solo missions that pop-up from time to time, or they can queue up for team-based missions anytime they feel like it. Team-based missions have two or more random players grouped together working towards a common goal. For Criminals, it can be tagging a series of wall with graffiti or robbing places and dropping off the score in another location. The Enforcers, on the other hand, are usually tasked with preventing Criminals from completing their missions, preferably in non-lethal ways. Missions encourage players to work as a team to complete objectives, although in my experience, players still get credit for helping even when they’re miles away from the objective. Missions also become impossibly hard when you find yourself facing opponents armed with fully modified high damage weapons. The half-second delay when driving will also have you tearing your hair out in frustration especially when you’re involved in a high-speed police chase.

Completing missions in APB Reloaded increases the player’s relationship level with leaders of organizations within their faction. They also gain money and random gear while also increasing their reputation. A Criminal’s reputation is measured by his Notoriety and an Enforcer’s by his Prestige. A character’s reputation can also increase or decrease based on a player’s actions. Killing pedestrians increases a Criminal’s reputation and decreases an Enforcer’s. Once a player’s reputation is high enough, a bounty may be placed on his head, making him a target for almost everyone in the game regardless of faction.

Building Up Your Arsenal

In APB Reloaded, players can only carry 3 types of weapons at once. One primary weapon, one secondary, and 2 grenades of the same type. New weapons can be purchased from Contacts, which are NPCs that can be found in the Social and Action districts. Before buying new weapons however, they first need to be unlocked by reaching certain relationship level requirements. For example, reaching Level 10 with Britney Bloodrose unlocks the Joker SR15 Carbine for Criminals, a semi-automatic rifle inspired by the M4 carbine. Weapon modifications as well as modifications for characters and vehicles can also be purchased from Contacts. Modifications are classified by color with their own advantages and disadvantages. The modification Magazine Pull, for example, decreases reload time but also decreases magazine capacity. Magazine Pull also can’t be used with the Extended Mag, Bandolier, or other blue-colored weapon mods.

PvP

Being a game about cops and robbers, there’s no denying the fact that PvP is APB Reloaded’s number one selling point. Players can kill other players in all districts except the starting and social districts. Players can still be killed in these areas by opposing factions when they go on missions or when a bounty is placed on their head. Players can also fight it out with up to 16 players per side in the Fight Club Districts, which are APB: Reloaded’s version of the traditional arena matches such as Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.

Cash Shop Blues

While the cash shop, or Armas Market, does contain an abundance of cosmetic items that can be bought using real world cash, it also contains potentially game-breaking items such as premium weapons and weapon modifications. It’s hard enough to face skilled high threat players armed with in-game weaponry without adding premium weapons to the mix. Being dominated by a skilled player armed with an overpowered rifle isn’t exactly my idea of fun.

Final Verdict – Good

APB Reloaded features stunning graphics, fast-paced gameplay, cool cars, and even cooler guns. It’s a fun game to play especially for fans of the GTA games. But without the various mini-games and collectibles that GTA is known for, the mindless violence and pedestrian killing sprees tend to get old fast. Overpowered weapons from the cash doesn’t help the game, either. A good game overall, but not something that I would play for very long.

Screenshots

APB Reloaded Screenshots

Videos

APB Reloaded Videos

Playlist: APB Reloaded

System Requirements

APB Reloaded System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP / 2000 / Vista / 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 / AMD Athlon x2 5800+ 3.0 GHz
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT / ATI Radeon HD 2900 GT
RAM: 3 GB
Hard Disk Space: 7 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows  7 / 8
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz / AMD Phenom 9850 or better
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT / ATI Radeon HD 3800 or better
RAM: 4 GB or better
Hard Disk Space: 7 GB

Music

APB Reloaded Music & Soundtrack

Coming soon...

Additional Info

APB Reloaded Additional Information

Developer: Realtime Worlds (former), Reloaded Productions (current)
Designer: David Jones

Game Engine(s): Unreal Engine 3
Closed Beta Date: October 19, 2009 - June 4, 2010
Open Beta Date: June 12, 2010 - June 19, 2010
Free to Play Date: May 23, 2011 (open beta)

Foreign Release Dates:

Europe: July 1, 2010
UK: July 2, 2010

Other Platforms:

PlayStation 4: 2015
Xbox One: 2015

Development Details:

APB Reloaded was originally developed as a retail game by the studio Realtime Worlds under the name APB All Points Bulletin. The original version launched on June 6, 2010, but the developer went bankrupt shortly after. K2 Network bought the rights to APB All Points Bulletin on September 16, 2010 for £1.5 million British Pounds and revamped the game as a free-to-play title.