APB EA Press Conference Impressions

The EA Partners program includes such gaming luminaries as Valve, Harmonix, and Crytek, and today developer Realtime Worlds was added to that prestigious list. Its game APB, otherwise known as All Points Bulletin, was unveiled at EA's E3 Press Conference, and we got to hear about the features and gameplay that will make up the finished game.

Realtime Worlds' CEO David Jones took to the stage to introduce the game, which he described as an "online city full of life, vehicles, and thousands of civilians." This city will form the world for up to 100 human players to inhabit in the form of a custom-designed character. Jones showed a short demo of the customisation options, which look comprehensive to say the least, allowing you to tweak the clothes, tattoos, and other attributes of your avatar in the game. It appears as though both personalisation and conformity will play a role in the game, as the hockey-mask-wearing gang were clearly working together in the footage we saw.

Jones also described how moral choices will play a big part in the game, effectively splitting players into two groups--the criminals and the enforcers. The criminals will find it easier to achieve short-term success, while the enforcers will have greater incentives over the long term. Either way, it's your job to achieve fame and fortune in the world, according to Jones.

The trailer for the game showed lots of gunplay and vehicle-based combat, and it was clear that many players had joined together in gangs on the criminal side. As for the enforcers, it appeared as though they had access to traditional police cars to get around. Other than that, it was difficult to get a feel for the structure of the game, although fans of Realtime Worlds' Crackdown should probably expect a more realistic setting for APB. No release date or platforms were announced at EA's conference, but rest assured we'll bring you more news as we get it.