Is APB Reloaded, Worth Playing?
APB Reloaded is an M-Rated title, and this review may contain screenshots that some readers may find offensive/disturbing.

Dated visuals and a toxic community make it very difficult to recommend APB Reloaded, even if it has proven its ability to survive on a shoestring budget and next to no developer support for the better part of a decade.

Points of Interest.

the Lowdown
Genre: Shooter
Developer: Reloaded Productions
Publisher: Little Orbit
Price: Free
Release Date: 7 December 2011
Supported Modes:

Toxic Community.

I have a pretty thick skin regarding in-game toxicity, but even I was surprised by the sheer concentration of toxicity that flows from the in-game chat.

During the span of just a few minutes, I witnessed the following;

  • Four Racist slurs.
  • Two Ableist slurs.
  • Eight instances of harsh profanity.
  • Five instances of new player bullying.

The rest of the messages were in Russian and Chinese, so I could not decipher what they were saying; however, it’s possible even those messages were also toxic.

In addition, having been automatically matched with another player (as an enforcer/cop), I watched in dismay as my partner proceeded to run down every civilian he saw before finally running me over deliberately.

While I am sure not all of the APB Reloaded player base are toxic, from what I can see, the non-toxic players do little to combat the overwhelming toxicity surrounding the community, giving a new player the impression that APB Reloaded is a game populated by trolls and psychopaths.

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Custom Music.

While midi files are not the most pleasing way to enjoy music, being able to compose your own tracks and perform them for others is always a good thing.

While this system is not unique to APB Reloaded, and other titles such as The Lord of The Rings Online have a thriving midi scene, its inclusion is a nice reminder of a more innocent time before every streamer was petrified of their Tupac ringtone causing them to be demonetized.

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Open World PvP.

Enforcers and Criminals have different objectives, as to be expected, with Enforcers being altered to ongoing criminal activity and Criminals being warned of police raids, bounties and similar police activity.

While it’s a simplistic system, it drives open-world PVP, ensuring that players who wish to progress continually engage with the players of both factions.

In many ways, this system has ensured that APB Reloaded has survived to see its 11th Birthday, despite its niche status.

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Character Customization.

Players are given a massive range of customization options considering APB Reloaded’s age, including the ability to design custom tattoos and opt to play as a more heavyset individual.

Unfortunately, the “bulky” body type, while available to both male and female character models, is highly sexist, with an average build female being deemed “bulky” while the bulky preset on male characters is closer to clinical obesity.

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Sexism.

There is nothing wrong with sexy female characters; I know many girl gamers who enjoy dressing sexy in an MMO. However, I know an even larger group of players who would rather dress more modestly; unfortunately, sex sells, and the developers know it, with almost every featured female npc character wearing ridiculously sexualized clothing, including but not limited to thigh-high leather boots, leather bikini bottoms, and revealing shirts that show ample cleavage and side boob.

The objectification of the female form extends to all aspects of marketing, where male characters are often fully clothed, and female characters (including police officers) look more like scantily clad cosplayers and OnlyFans models.

As a result, APB Reloaded has continued to attract “the wrong type of people”, and the community is overrun by angsty teenage boys and neckbeards who shudder at even the slightest hint of female characters dressing and acting as anything other than eye candy.

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Acquisition.

APB (All Points Bulletin) originally launched in July 2010, only to close a mere two months later in September when the publisher (Realtime Worlds) went into administration; the failed title would go on to be purchased by the K2 Network for a paltry $1.5 million later and was re-released the following year as APB Reloaded.

APB Reloaded FAQ

APB Reloaded is a shooter video game developed by Reloaded Productions and published by Little Orbit, it was released on 7 December 2011 and it is Free-2-Play.

Platform Availability.

APB Reloaded is available on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, XBox One, Xbox Series X|S.

Are The Developers Active?

While the developers have been teasing a major update for well over four years, and there have been occasional beta tests of the same, as we enter 2023, there has been next to no progress since the release of the 2021 roadmap back in January 2021

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2021 Roadmap

  • Complete and launch APB 2.1
  • Marketing for APB
  • Updated console builds
  • Matchmaking fixes / DAM
  • New player experience
  • New contacts with new rewards
  • New car, new guns, new clothing – all immediately available in the in-game Joker Store
  • Crossplay across worlds
  • New player name strategy
  • Phasing R&D and further matchmaking upgrades
  • Another large overhaul of our online store

If any of these changes occurred, the developer certainly was secretive about them, with no patch notes or update announcements posted since the September 2020 weapon balancing update.

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Is APB Reloaded Dead?

Considering its age and the ongoing development crisis, APB Reloaded is relatively healthy, seeing peaks of around 300 players each day on Steam.

While we do not know how well APB Reloaded is performing on either console due to neither platform providing real-time player numbers, the Xbox and PSN communities are most likely comparable to the PC community and, in the case of the Playstation community, slightly larger.

Is Cross-Platform Multiplayer Supported?

APB Reloaded supports:

  • Cross-Generational Multiplayer.
  • Cross-Generational Parties.

Is There Group Finding/ Matchmaking Support?

APB Reloaded supports:

  • Solo Matchmaking.
  • Group Matchmaking.
  • Server Browser.

Are There In-Game Microtransactions?

The APB Reloaded in-game store sells:

  • Cosmetic Items.
  • Cosmetic Item Bundles.
  • Premium Currency Bundles.
  • Starter Packs.
  • Pay for Convenience Items.
  • Pay-2-Win Items.

What Peripherals Are Supported?

  • Console – Controller.
  • PC – Mouse and Keyboard.

Is There Any Mature Content?

APB Reloaded is rated PEGI 16 and contains the following:

  • Bad Language.
  • Discrimination
  • Drug Use.
  • Mature Themes
  • Partial Nudity
  • Sexual Content
  • Violence

Final Verdict.

APB Reloaded is not a bad game, and for those who do not wish or are unable to play Grand Theft Auto Online, APB Reloaded is a free2play alternative; however, the visuals and gameplay mechanics are dated, and the developers have traditionally struggled to release content updates in a timely manner.

Is APB Reloaded Worth Playing In 2023?

4
Bluntly Honest Reviews has given "APB Reloaded" a rating of 4/10, which means that it has some small redemptive value, but we cannot recommend it as we feel it is not worth playing for the average gamer.

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