Law and Disorder (APB and Crackdown 2)

The struggle between the law and the lawless never seems to get old. From good old Sherlock Holmes to the Lone Ranger to playing cops and robbers as kids, we've all seem entertained by viewing if not partaking in the timeless battle.

Truth be told, it's just more fun playing on the wrong side of the law. The ridiculous sales figures of the GTA series prove as much. But Realtime Worlds proved with Crackdown that going over the top with the GTA formula could make enforcing the law just as fun. So with Realtime Worlds' creative director David Jones' GTA and GTA II experience and Crackdown under their belt, it only seemed right to marry the two. Enter A.P.B..

A.P.B. (All Point Bulletin) is slated for 2010 and offers the potential for online multiplayer madness. Your typical cops and robbers this isn't. From what I've seen and the various reports from preivews of the game this is anarchy. There's SWAT, murders and just about every shade of hero and villian in-between. From what we can see of the E3 trailer, there's also appears a very decent amount of character customization with no shortage of ink.

I'm not a MMO fan. Really have no intention of becoming one. But depending on how A.P.B. finally turns out, I could easily see myself changing my tune.

Not to be lost in the shuffle, Crackdown 2 was also announced with the following trailer shown. While not being developed by Realtime Worlds - Ruffian Studios is doing the honors - the game is still being published by Mircosoft Game Studios and will feature 16 person online multiplayer.