‘APB Reloaded’Open Beta Gives It Another Go On May 18» MTV Multiplayer

Massively-multiplayer game"All Points Bulletin,"or"APB"doesn't have the cleanest history. Shortly after the game was released, developer Realtime Worlds shut its doors, turning off the game's servers in the process. Those who had purchased the game were suddenly up the proverbial creek without a paddle, and were forced to acceptother offersin lieu of a direct refund from EA.

Then, in late 2010, publisher GamersFirstannouncedthat they had acquired the rights to"APB."The company planned to re-release the game in 2011. Well, the open beta for the allegedly new-and-improved"APB Reloaded"has been set.

"With the builds over the last week fixing most critical issues ... plus the items currently in the pipeline that addresses additional items, and the near completion of the US-East datacenter, we are now heading forward with removing all restrictions to joining the game on May 18, 2011,"stated Bjorn Book-Larssen, GamersFirst's COO, on the company's"APB Reloaded"blog.

Plagued with glitches, gameplay that many found redundant, and the obvious dissolving of Realtime Worlds, the original release of"APB"was a bit of a disaster. Its intentions, however, were exciting and advantageous. The brainchild of"Grand Theft Auto"creator David Jones, the game was meant to play out as a persistent online game of"cops& robbers."Players were tasked with joining either a law-abiding or criminal faction, and had the ability to align their highly (and I mean very highly) customizable characters within gangs.

GamersFirst has been reworking the game, turning"APB Reloaded"into a free-to-play title that will take advantage of micro-transactions to pay the bills. While there's few details on how much the game has changed, this open beta will obviously allow you the chance to see for yourself.

Book-Larssen also mentioned that the company will currently allow"most people"into the beta between now and May 18th, assuming you've met a few requirements. First, you'll need tomake an accountwith GamersFirst, then use the email you used for sign-up in the site's frontpage newsletterfield.

Are you currently participating in the beta? Let us know what you think about the game in the comments section below.

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