Chaos
Sandbox crime shooters are fun for a lot of reasons. For instance, they allow you to get the experience of drinking 6 40's in a row and then spending $300 at a fried chicken place without the hassle of getting out of bed. They also provide a uniquely entertaining experience when you play with friends, because the game can be about any task you wish it to be. People can take turns competing to see who can stomp the most grandmas, pick up the most litter, take out the most mailboxes, or cause the most deaths. And since all but one of those sounds like an entertaining and engaging competition, how much chaos a player can generate becomes a major determining factor in how fun a sandbox can be. Every GTA game since the beginning of time has thrived on causing chaos. As the player commits more crimes, the police become less and less interested in totally ignoring your crime spree. The more the police become involved, the harder it is to avoid committing crimes like shooting them, which just draws more attention. The exponential increase in sirens and bullets per square inch of your body usually results in total chaos, with hundred of police, federal agents, and even the National Guard coming at you like a truly disturbed pig at a delicious BLT. The ensuing sociopathic storm of explosions could feature anything from SWAT vans, to tanks, to F-15s screaming across the city intent on blowing up anything within 50 meters of you, and doing exactly that. Planes crashed into buildings, entire squadrons of police cars flew off overpasses, and civilian traffic got reduced to a post apocalyptic pile of burnt out metal. Saint's Row was also quite chaotic, even if it was in a much more childish manner. Though it's harder to get things to such an insane level of authority involvement in Saint's Row, and the silliness of it all does detract from the power trip one gets from leading the police on a city wide chase, there is a simple pleasure in plastering half the city with feces. And that really is what it all boils down to. While GTA is out murdering hookers, Saint's Row is spending it's time throwing itself in front of traffic to get insurance money. The resulting chaos is less less like a riot and more like a
clown riot. I'm not sure why I linked that....I just....I had to google "clown riot". Anywho, we come now to APB, which, in this race, isn't even a contender. Sure, things can get heated when two or three opposing groups happen upon each other and a large gun battle takes place, but for the most part, APB is small scale compared to the competition. Police response usually doesn't escalate all that much above what you might expect for a run of the mill neighborhood assault. Incidentally, you might want to consider relocating, as your neighbor has likely called the police by now. Final Tally: APB: 1 Dead Civilian - a lack of escalation limits the chaos to what you can personally sow GTA: 3 Dead Civilians - nothing gets the blood pumping like a tank chase through LC Saint's Row: 3 Dead Civilians - it might not make any sense, but the 1000 burning squad cars really DO need to be covered in crap, and you're gonna enjoy doing it.