Recent reviews by TTV | Maverick The Patriot

Leave the children alone.

Having been a PC gamer and clan leader for almost 17 years, I don't have very high expectations for an early access game from a non-mainstream developer. That having been said, I've been blown away by the Early Access.

I've played many Early Access games and most recently participated in the new COD MW beta. This game actually felt better. As an old school PC FPS gamer, there has been a hole in my heart since the old Medal of Honor and original Call of Duty games. The movement and gunplay are extremely smooth and the maps are open enough to accommodate sniping, but urban enough to support run and gun.

As it stands, you don't have to jump through flaming hoops in order to access weapons. Right from the time you click "play" for the very first time, you have access to everything. Other games I've played have ridiculous recoil patterns or require asinine fire speed rhythms. The playing field in this game is completely even and the game is VERY easy to pick up and play. Weapons are more realistic and movement is far less wonky than other games. There is no bunnyhopping, no jumping and firing from the air, etc.

Earlier this evening, I joined the TFE Discord and spoke with one of the developers. I shared my experiences with him of various game developers and am extremely pleased with what I've heard. A game, made by gamers for gamers. The developer was very attentive and appreciative of the feedback I provided.

Over the past few years, my old clan members and I have been very disappointed by several titles which promised and utterly failed to deliver old-school MOHAA and COD-like experiences. This game is the real deal and it's the first FPS game I've been truly excited about. The developers play their own game and are clearly interested in the community's feedback.

If you used to play MOHAA or the original COD games, this game is DEFINITELY worth checking out. It feels like a mix of MOHAA and BHD. It isn't perfectly polished, but for Early Access, I can't wait to see the finished product. I've already suggested this game to all of my clan members and will be calling out to the old retired folks who don't game anymore because niche FPS games like this ceased to exist until now.

This game is a definite hidden gem in a sea of mainstream nonsense, half-working games and developers who paywall you with DLCs, expansions, etc. Try it!

So I don't write reviews until I can say I've invested a good amount of time (and perhaps money) into a game. This helps me understand the mechanics, the community, the good and the bad. I've been gaming since 1993, gaming on the PC since 2002, and I competed in tournaments sponsored by EA in 2008 and 2009.

I was relcutant to buy PUBG when it first came out, and it took a lot of friends to force my arm into getting it. When I got it, PUBG was one of the most popular mainstream games. I didn't want to get it because I heard horror stories about people getting banned because they killed a "popular streamer" and that said "popular streamer" accused them of stream sniping or hacking. When developers put so much capital into particular players of the game, the outcome isn't usually positive.

Initially, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hackers weren't so bad, and I didn't get banned for killing a baby streamer. I was impressed at the graphics and feel of the game, although the hit registration seemed to lack. (I have over 120/120 internet, so my internet was not the issue)

Back in 2017, I quit PUBG when a massive wave of asian hackers swept over the game. At least 7/10 of our games ended with someone aimbotting with a bunch of random letters and numbers in their name.

I returned in early July 2017, and although I remembered some of the reasons why I liked this game originally, I also remember some of the reasons why I left. The problem with hackers still exists, although it is noticably less (so is the active population of the game though).

At this time, I cannot recommend this game. Perhaps it is fun and playable in a LAN or Tournament environment, but for the common gamer, with the hit registration problems and the remaining hackers who go unchecked, the game has not reached it's potential. If they can clean up the registration, possibly by restricting NA players to NA servers, AS players to AS servers, unless they are grouped together, the game will be much more enjoyable.

If the game improves and I am still playing, I'll revise my review. At this point, the game is more frustrating than enjoyable.

07/18/18 Update:

After the latest patch, I spent over 15 minutes refreshing the game. I could not even access the lobby, all I received was "Servers are too busy, please try again later."

My wallet is too busy next time you have an event, please try again later.

Review written on 07/29/14:

I've been playing APB Reloaded since it was in Open Beta, back around late 2011. Since then, I've logged over 2,000 hours on my main character, who is a max rank gold, AgentRick (Enforcer, Joker East).

APB: Reloaded, like many other games, has it's ups and downs, but it's an extremely unique game that allows you to do so much more than any other game out there.

Let's look at customization first, since this is probably the most significant differentiator that APB: Reloaded has to offer. They have a detailed designer that allows you to make practically anything in-game utilizing tools and presets ranging from basic shapes, to gradients, and even masking tools to allow for cropping of symbols. If you're a premium player, you are able to customize your character and vehicle with unbelievable detail. My clan currently utilizes a Sheriff's Office theme and we have extremely detailed vehicles, uniforms, and logos.

Next, let's have a look at gameplay. The matchmaking system in place may not be the greatest at this current moment, but there is a visible effort on GamersFirst's part to tweak the matchmaking engine, and it's especially evident with the release of the Open Conflict districts. In comparison to Open Beta, the matchmaking system and the balance of mission objectives have come a long way. It's also evident that GamersFirst does focus on working out kinks in the system, as I personally worked with several GMs to eliminate the "No-Witness-Zone" bug from the Waterfront Districts about a year ago.

Many people complain about the Armas Marketplace, but what they don't understand is that the Armas Marketplace, which allows you to purchase weapons, special clothing, special vehicles, and premium, is APB Reloadad's source of income. I have yet to see or hear an advertisement in APB: Reloaded from a real-world company that paid for it's logo to be placed in APB. (I have seen this in a number of other games)

The weapons that you can purchase in the Armas Marketplace, although some being unique and only available through Armas at this time, aren't very overpowered. Many people may not know this, but many of the Armas Weapons are simply permanent versions of existing weapons and reskins of existing weapons. Skill plays a MASSIVE role in APB: Reloaded, which many people fail to understand. Every weapon, Armas or not, has a specific purpose, some being more flexible than others.

If you are a brand new player, and don't purchase Armas Weapons right off the get-go, things may be slightly more difficult for you if you were to be put up against someone who has for instance. If you're willing to stick the hardship out for a short period of time, you'll find that you'll be unlocking weapons that are just as good, and as you develop your skills in the game, you'll learn tactics and gain proficiency with your favorite weapon(s).

I own an account-bound permanent weapon that people seem to complain about as being overpowered on a regular basis- the ACES Rifle. Although the ACES Rifle has a fast firing rate and decent range, it's not impossible to beat, as one of my own clanmates was able to take me down a number of times with his stock OCA. As I had mentioned above, APB is more of a skill-based game than anything, and typically whoever lands their shots, and lands the first shots, has a better chance at killing the other player, regardless of the weapon. Look at those (myself included) who have gone CQB with the PSR "Harrier", (A reskin of the N-HVR 762) against someone using, say, an OCA. If I land my two shots before they land their 8 shots, they're dead. Thus, entering into the next section of this review, the community.

The community of players in APB: Reloaded are quite unique. You'll find that although there are a number of trolls and a quite a few sub-par players who will frequently smear and accuse good players of cheating, that you will meet some pretty nice people on APB. The troll and raging 12 year old population on APB isn't as significant as it is on games such as those from the Call of Duty series.

Being that I've logged over 2,000 hours on my primary character alone, I've seen quite a number of things happen in APB. I've also been accused of using some pretty ridiculous non-existent cheats in the game. (Such as increased weapon damage cheats, increased health cheats, etc.) Although this can be discouraging for skilled players, especially if/when you become questioned or reviewed by someone more important than a raging 12 year old, it certainly isn't a big enough deterrent not to play the game.

My biggest recommendations to any and all new players to APB are quite simple.

1) There are threat levels, identified by color. (Trainee/Green, Bronze, Silver, and Gold) The APB Districts are segregated by threat level, and players can play in servers equal to, or one below their threat level. If you are silver, play in bronze districts. Due to the fact that people don't normally populate gold districts, you'll see a lot of golds in the silver districts.

2) If you have a friend who got you into the game, and they're a gold player, ask them to make a reroll account to help you in the beginning. Trust me, grouping with a gold player when you're brand new is being thrown right into the fire, and it will only frustrate you and make you want to quit the game. This again goes back to number one, play with or below your threat level in the beginning.

3) Understand that there have been people who have been playing this game for a very long time and have a lot of experience playing it. Don't assume that because someone is better than you (especially if you're new for goodness sakes) that they must be hacking. Everyone, myself included, has players that are better than them in APB. It's a fact of life- accept this fact, and you'll enjoy the game a lot more.

4) Join a clan!!! There are plenty of clans out there in APB: Reloaded. If you want to make the best of your game experience, join a clan! Find a group of people who you can play with, have fun with, and who can teach you the ropes. It's much easier to play with an organized group and you're more likely to win your missions if you do so. (Teamwork and Communication are MASSIVE force multipliers in APB: Reloaded, as they are in just about every game. A well-organized team of silvers can easily defeat a non-organized team of golds of equal rank.)

5) Know that you can do things other than playing missions! Although a lot of experienced gold players play in the Fight Clubs, Fight Club is a great way for players to hone their skills. It may not be the best learning option in the beginning, but I promise if you play Fight Club for a day straight once you've got the basics of the game down, you'll learn A LOT!

If you start to get upset with missions or fight club, go to social district and talk to people. There are a number of quite funny people who hang around social. If you're a criminal, why not try your hand at ramraiding? It can be both relaxing and rewarding. If you're new, and you decide to ramraid, go to a LOW population server (I'm talking the lowest possible population with the closest match to your threat level.)

Be creative! Mess around in the designers. Make some symbols or themes. Look on youtube for some tutorials on how to use the editors and hone your skills at designing. That can make you a nice amount of money, and it's always pretty cool to see someone randomly driving down the street in a car you designed and sold!

6) Have fun with the game! If you like it, help support the game by getting premium. Even if you were to only purchase premium once, you'd have the ability to fully customize your clothes and vehicles, and they'll stay that way when your premium runs out.

Although I've had ups and downs in APB over the years, I'd definitely say that APB is a game worth picking up and playing for a while. What do you have to lose?