GTA vs Saints Row vs APB: Which Sandbox Is Best?

Murder-O-Meter

Ahhhhhhh murder. Just say it with me, €œmurder€. It sounds fun, because it is fun€..in a video game. And there are so many different types of video game murder. There€™s shooting a demon in the face with a mini-gun murder, more than a bit creepily ultra-realistic murder from modern shooters, even murder of stupid deer in hunting games. Don€™t you just hate deer? Anyway, there are many kinds of murdering, and what works for you may not work for the next guy. So, which game will provide you with the most entertaining murderocracy? That€™s a system of government I made up about murdering your favorite candidate instead of voting; there are still kinks in the plan. But plans aside, which of these games truly has the most engaging combat system? GTA has always taken a unique perspective on combat. The basic system in which the game takes place (main character kills a million people a day in ways that make Michael Bay want to cry) requires that the player very hard to kill, and that the combat not really reflect what it would really feel like to get shot with a rocket in the face. But, at the same time, GTA has increasingly worked in things like accurate gunplay or cover mechanics, while phasing out things like health packs and mini-guns. The result has been a series of shootouts that let the player feel a little bit of the rush of realism, but keep the feeling of power from being able to stomp 20 guys without that much trouble. The game does run into some difficulty, though when it comes to combat AI. NPCs tend to really just do whatever the hell makes the least sense, like running back and forth aimlessly when under fire, or charging headlong at a guy with a machine gun. APB has a lot going on in their combat. Well, that€™s actually a lie. The combat in the game is insanely simple, like a hot dog with nothing on it. It just doesn€™t make sense. But it does work for some people. With no locational damage, a variety of splash damage tactics, and a good mix of long range, close up, and mid chase gun fights, APB makes for some serious melees. True, there isn€™t a whole lot of skill involved in the APB combat system, but there€™s not a whole lot of skill involved in eating a hot dog either, and I enjoy that. Then there€™s the one factor that truly makes APB stand out in combat, the fact that you are playing against other players. In a sandbox game like APB, with other players chasing you through the city, just about anything can and will happen. It€™s an element that makes the game substantially less predictable, and therefore a lot more rewarding. Saint€™s Row never really has put all that much thought into their gunplay. Players tend to stand around in the middle of the street with twin rocket launchers, screaming obscenities while you annihilate entire armies. Sure, it€™s fun, but the combat is less than entertaining when there is rarely any challenge in it. There is, however, something to be said for a game that allows you to use a massive rubber dildo as a weapon. It almost makes up for the combat mechanics; almost. Final Tally: Saint's Row: 1 Dead Civilian- Blasting your way through badguys can be fun, but it just doesn't hold up in such a long game GTA: 2 Dead Civilians - The combat grows better with every single game that gets made, and it can be very engaging, but the poor AI holds the excitement back when you realize you can exploit the crap out it. (Disclaimer: I have never actually exploited anything in a way that resulted in crap. That's gross.) APB: 3 Dead Civilians - It may be simple, but it works well. Car chases, holding out against an attack, and the frantic desperation of not having any idea what the other player may do makes APB's gunfights always exciting.
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Clayton Ofbricks hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.