Looking for:
APB Reloaded on Steam. |
APB Reloaded | Free-To-Play Games.
GamersFirst say that this is an open beta phase. They'll continue to fix bugs and refine things as players go to war. You get to create a cop or a crook using the fantastic character creation suite, and then roam the city of San Paro in squads, where you'll be assigned missions designed to dynamically match you up with players of a similar level. Will it work? Has it improved since it we gave it 55 in our APB review back in summer ?
There's only one way to find out. Are you playing it? What do you think so far? Its resurrection is a miserable one.
Reloaded's missions usually pit two small squads of human-controlled criminals and enforcers against each other, asking them to perform a multi-stage series of mini-jobs. One team has to drive to a place, collect a thing, and deliver it somewhere else. The other team has to stop them. Occasionally this leads to the kind of scenes that flicker through the minds of non-players when you describe APB to them: high-speed chases through busy streets, lastsecond jumps into getaway cars.
These do happen more regularly than before — little adrenaline shocks to punctuate hours spent bumbling around between jobs. More often, playing Reloaded's missions is like beating your head against one of San Paro's flat, grey concrete walls.
Mission locations are invariably overlooked by high ground. The first team to occupy that ground is the de facto winner, possessing sufficient cover to pop anyone who comes close. Grenades can't flush them out. Well-versed players will simply set up camp in an unassailable location and sit out ten minutes of screaming frustration. San Paro is so full of hiding spots and high ground that it's far easier to put someone else's mission under lockdown than it is to complete your own.
Urban renewal doesn't seem to have been high on GamersFirst's list of priorities: APB had the same spatial problems, and the same tiresome missions. The new devs have instead focused on the economy. Reloaded is free to play, supported by item, modification and vehicle sales, as well as a premium semi-subscription option.
Steer clear of the latter and you get obnoxious little reminders telling you what you could've won in XP and in-game currency if you'd stumped up the cash. GamersFirst's best work can be seen in the driving, which is much more responsive than before. Players had to apply for planning permission if they wanted to turn in APB's starter car; Reloaded's is nippy and accelerates quickly, losing out only over distance. Better wheels can be earned with repeat play, and are available from mission-giving vendors for in-game cash.
No comments:
Post a Comment