PixlBit

Grand Theft Auto as an MMO produces mixed results.

After taking a few pictures with some alternative girls and receiving a complimentary T-Shirt, Chessa, Rob, and myself had the opportunity to play APB behind close doors. During my session, a developer guided me through my time as an Enforcer in the online beta which is currently active.

For a little background, APB is created by Realtime Worlds, developers of the original Crackdown who spun off from the Grand Theft Auto team. Rather than continuing the concepts found in Crackdown, the team is focusing on a more typical Grand Theft Auto-style game without the super abilities and climbing mechanics. Though the game bears more similarity to Grand Theft Auto, it carries the same art style players have become accustomed to from the team. Additionally, the title is PC-only, trading in the Xbox 360 controller for a mouse and keyboard.

Similar to Crackdown, APB also features a form of leveling. In the case of APB, players receive stronger weapons as well as more access to the large city that players are dropped in. This falls somewhat in line with your typical MMO experience, with the exception that APB is a much more skill based experience.

The gameplay is very similar to Grand Theft Auto in that players will be given mission objectives that vary depending on if you are an Enforcer or a Criminal.

During my time with the game I was given a fairly simple mission of capturing or eliminating two criminals on the other side of the map. I was able to commandeer a vehicle and drive over to the location with the help of an on-screen indicator. The driving felt smooth and mostly similar to Grand Theft Auto.

Upon arriving at the location I went to arrest both of the criminals. I got cuffs on the both of them, but didn't make the arrests quick enough to secure my mission success. One player quickly broke free from the cuffs and managed to kill me. Because the missions are timed, being sent back to the beginning after death, I failed the mission.

Shortly after failure, I was provided with another mission, and the game pushed on. I was told that completion of the mission would've provided me with level points to expand the area in the city I could explore.

Though I was playing against other people, the experience wasn't particularly interesting, and it was quite impersonal. As compared to Realtime World's previous work, Crackdown, APB felt pretty soulless. In essence, players will gain just as much enjoyment from a Grand Theft Auto title, if not more, than they would from APB.

It's hard to see how APB will hold players attention for any period of time given its MMO gameplay. It's good that Realtime Worlds realized that a typical monthly pricing structure won't work for this game, because it's unquestionable that players will lose interest in the title before a month concludes.