I've actually seen a decent argument on the payment system for APB. It's not that terribly P2W, there are some really loving dangerous people who use the stock gun, which many say is the basis for balance on a lot of weapons. And inversely there are people who use some of the "OP" weapons and absolutely suck.
Honestly the BIGGEST issue I have with game, but can sometimes just get over if I'm playing with friends, is the atrocious matchmaking. Also the game isn't really that dead, the main channels are almost always full, and that's all I ask for tbh. It's a flawed game, for sure, but it has redeeming qualities that keep people coming back.