APB (All Points Bulletin)

 PC
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 42
  3. Negative: 9 out of 42
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  1. Armchair Empire
    45
    APB had a simple concept, one that anybody who used to be young and a dead shot with a squirt gun could have gotten behind, and Realtime Worlds managed to screw it up completely.
  2. Play.tm
    45
    While it's conceptually the game we were told it would be, every component is so underdeveloped, the game world so patently artificial. Only the customisation tools stand tall, but even they're of so little consequence that they're almost instantly forgotten.
  3. The A.V. Club
    42
    More troublesome is a lack of overarching story or sense of import and persistence to the game world.
  5. Joystiq
    40
    If APB was just another Grand Theft Auto clone, it wouldn't be worth a second look. But because it's an MMO, it still has that chance to improve and do better. The ad-hoc versus mission mechanic is ingenious, and that customization can be intoxicating, especially when you get a clear idea of exactly what you want your character and vehicle to look like.
  6. Gamer.nl
    40
    All Points Bulletin has an interesting premise and offers you the possibility to alter the game experience, but bad controls and the lack of mission variety make this MMO-shooter a waste of time.
  7. GamerNode
    40
    APB is a mess, plagued with broken core systems that don't work as the developer intended, leading to a game that is more of a chore you have to deal with than it is a game that is fun to play.
  8. Destructoid
    35
    Realtime Worlds is so much better than this, and it's horrible to see that years of effort have produced this substandard, outdated, thoroughly pointless game.
  9. InsideGamer.nl
    35
    APB is an MMO you can play for free for fifty hours, but I seriously doubt anyone will get that far. The game completely fails in almost every aspect which makes playing this game a living hell. Sadly enough I couldn't enjoy APB even for a moment.
  10. 1UP
    25
    Despite the years of work Realtime Worlds poured into their latest creation, APB still comes off as being woefully underdeveloped, and ultimately unfinished.

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
79
#79 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 295 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 140 out of 295
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 295
  3. Negative: 126 out of 295
  1. Snowmew
    Aug 23, 2010
    1
    APB is one of those great examples of a good game gone horribly wrong by misguided developers. I've been waiting for this game for years, butAPB is one of those great examples of a good game gone horribly wrong by misguided developers. I've been waiting for this game for years, but I always seemed to miss out on the beta periods. I was hoping it'd be intense, exciting, balls-to-the-wall gameplay gold; needless to say, I was grossly disappointed. First of all, the initial character creation is daunting, and I had no clue what to make of it. It's seriously flawed, and I had no way of changing anything but my facial features, as I simply couldn't navigate the interface. Similarly, starting out seems rushed and uncontrolled. The training program includes solely a single mission (I wasn't matched to any opposition, so it seemed terribly easy, whether or not this is intended is questionable). Then, you choose which world you want to be in. I was thrown into the first one myself. I'm not sure why you can't switch worlds, as now I can't play with anyone who happens to be in the second world. In any case, then I was dropped into the gameplay area with my fancy recruit clothing. I quickly pledged my allegiance to some NPC (why this is important, I'll probably never discover) and bought some clothes so I didn't look fresh off the boat, but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to put them on! I checked the website's FAQ, which resulted in being cut off by some cryptic database error. I asked everyone I could, but nobody would tell me how. I eventually figured out that there were these weird terminals where you could BUY clothes, but considering I had so little money and everything was prohibitively overpriced, I was stuck with the clothes I got off the NPC. I then, after about half an hour of searching around, found a hidden store area with only 1 other person in it where you could change your clothes and character. If you don't want to waste over half an hour figuring out things that should come naturally to any experienced gamer, look elsewhere. The other big issue is the matchmaking. I haven't played APB for a few weeks, and just today they released a patch claiming to help fix it, but the general consensus remains to be "it sucks." You are RARELY matched with anyone remotely your skill. I'm not sure how they managed to screw this up. but you always end up being grossly overpowered by one person (or, worse, teamed up on by 5 or more). If you're not part of a clan, don't bet on scoring good group members with the in-game grouping system. Most of the time my group members were off driving into each other and stealing cars for no reason. Also, the tasking is not optimized at all. On many occasions you end up accepting a task where you're on the opposite edge of the city, and by the time you reach the objective, the opponent has already completed it and moved onto the next one, resulting in a never-ending goose chase that ultimately results in a failure. As for the shooting aspect, it's just a generally bad idea. It's difficult to aim and the starter gun is absolutely horrible. In the end, size really DOES matter when it comes to gunfights. If you use the basic gun, you are guaranteed to lose, no matter what. The driving, while I found it tolerable, is pretty quirky and difficult to learn. Don't expect Need-For-Speed-style driving physics. Just put it this way: it's like GTA, but worse. The graphics are nothing to write home about; I didn't see anything special myself. I've got a comparatively great computer, but the graphics seem simplistic. GTA4's graphics are definitely better and more refined. I was horrified to see the lightbar in action... come on RTW, that's kid stuff, just switching between red and blue. More effort is definitely required there. In any case, I'm generally disappointed with APB as a whole, and while I would still like to see some kind of clone based off of this general idea, I'm hoping I'd be impressed enough to actually pay for it instead of this underdone junk. I honestly think Second Life has more to offer than this, and it's much, much less expensive (read: free).… Full Review »
  2. ChrisB
    Jul 1, 2010
    2
    Maybe it was lad, maybe it was launch week load... maybe I just suddenly suck... but all I did was die, helpless to even hit my enemies. The Maybe it was lad, maybe it was launch week load... maybe I just suddenly suck... but all I did was die, helpless to even hit my enemies. The graphics were surprisingly sub-par given how nice it looked in screen shots, but I didn't see many options to turn up... I really want to like this game. The ideas are fantastic, action based, no levels, 1/3 of the gameplay area devoted to social interaction... but so far it just falls flat. I'll try again in a month and see if it was just the pains of launch.… Full Review »
  3. antemalagon
    Apr 9, 2011
    9
    The Customization in APB is some of the deepest I've seen rivaling games like Oblivion. The Driving with sirens and random mayhem also makeThe Customization in APB is some of the deepest I've seen rivaling games like Oblivion. The Driving with sirens and random mayhem also make for great fun. 2/3 of the game are spot on and keep me playing time and time again. The downside? Cheaters and more so the Combat system. The weapons in APB are horrible and make me believe that regardless of their hand in GTA, RTW had no business making anytype of shooter. The pistols function as .50 cal sniper rifles with awkward firing rates, the assault rifles are horribly inaccurate also with awkward rates of fire, and so on. Basically ranges, rates of fire, and accuracy degradation are all f*cked up. Also there is no system of FPSesque aiming that you would see in most 3rd person shooters. No sniper scopes, red dots, acogs etc, just the same crappy zoom for everything.

    The Game has great potential but the weapons mechanics need an overhaul and the hackers need to be dealt with.    … Full Review »
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