APB (All Points Bulletin) Game Review

APB developed by Realtime worlds and published by EA Games (Electronic Arts) is an urban free roam massive multiplayer game based on the oldest concepts in the book i.e. cops and robbers. You get to play as a member of one of the two teams and it's up to you whether you choose to be a mayhem spreading criminal or a law enforcing cop. There is not much of a storyline here. It's just a "shoot the enemy at sight" type of game and you will feel no pleasure in playing the game by yourself as the real fun of the game is when someone is out there to oppose you.

Perhaps, the strongest feature of APB is its vast customization. You are allowed to create your own player from the scratch i.e. you get to decide all the characteristics of your character like his height, weight, muscularity, age, tattoos etc. You can also set up a customized tone which the person you kill will be forced to listen to. If you are tired of your old clothing, you have the option to make your own clothes. The customization tools are powerful but at the same time not very user-friendly. A professional may create real master pieces with these tools but an amateur can end up looking like a clown.

The missions normally involve you to go to a location, pick something up and then drop it off somewhere else. And of course the other team's mission would be to stop you from completing your mission. Another great feature offered by APB is the matchmaking system. What it does is that it determines your skill level through the past mission statistics and sets up a suitable match for your skill level. Meaning, if you are a highly skilled player it may set 4 opposing players to get you, on the other hand if you are a newbie it may set only one player against you. Still, if you feel that you cannot fight them alone, you can call in backup which gives an option to the players nearby to join you fight.

The game is totally online based and every action you do goes to the game server before you actually see on your screen. This is fine for those using a stable internet connection but for those who share their internet connection with other people, the game may often give lags, which is very annoying. Although, the game was in development since 2005, it does not fulfill its expectations.

The graphics are great and gameplay is pleasing but the game doesn't last very long. If you can play the same level of a game again and again just to get upgrades and then again play the same level and not get tired of it, then APB is a game you might enjoy. Others like me will only feel the excitement of the game for a while and then they are going to wish that they had not wasted their money on it.