Everything regarding the original release of Sleeping Dogs on the last gen screamed familiarity. Whether it was the free-roam aspect of the game, complete with the usual plethora of side activities, the brutal combat system, the gun play or the RPG elements, there was likely something for everybody. Square Enix and United Front Games have deemed it worthy to bring this classic to the current consoles, is it worth playing again?
Yet despite each ‘genre’ included in the game not quite living up to the emulated games standards, it was always simple, plain fun. It didn’t matter that the combat system wasn’t quite as fluid and responsive as Batman’s, instead, it gouged its niche with sheer brutality, allowing you to wield cleavers, knives and even the odd fish. On top of this, it encouraged variation in combat by reducing the score earned upon each successively repeated move. Sitting back and only countering may well increase the odds of survival, but sliding in the odd environmental attack or takedown will dramatically increase your score. Whereas the hand to hand combat is still one of its greatest draws, it’s not without foibles. The lock on system is cumbersome and tricky to use at first, counters can be punishingly difficult to execute and the small-windowed QTE moments that occur when facing certain enemies can still infuriate too.
The driving mechanics haven’t particularly aged well either, although even when it first released, Sleeping Dogs wasn’t exactly known for its physics-heavy handling model. It works well within the game, being able to power slide every vehicle around every corner; the inexplicable ramming is a thankful feature during car chases too. Just don’t expect cars to handle with the predictable panache of which GTA games are famous for.
Due to the focus aimed at melee scuffles, firing a weapon won’t happen until a fair few hours in. Fortunately, even though the gunfights are often entertaining in a way that only slow motion can be, it never relies upon them for too long. Missions are often deigned with a few sections of each gametype a la GTA style. Driving to a pre-determined point with a conversing passenger, displaying your superior martial arts prowess towards a group of thugs and finally shooting the hell out of everything sounds justly formulaic; and that’s because it is. It never seems to get tiresome however, partly due to the over the top excitement that inevitably ensues, and partly due to the game’s strong narrative and voicework.
Upgrades are what makes the free roam worlds go round; it’s no different here. With three tiers of upgrades to work through, there’s often something around the corner to look forward to. Adding special finisher moves and letting you steal cars silently are just some of the starting ones on offer. By the end, you’ll be able to pull up next to a group of loitering oiks in your overly flash car and grab a durable tyre iron out of the boot, making most melee encounters considerably easier.
As if the game didn’t have enough content already, the Definitive Edition also bundles in some DLC too. The surreal Nightmare in North Point involves ghosts, the underworld and Shen’s girlfriend; the second story based DLC, the Zodiac Tournament, takes place on a mysterious ‘Tekken’ style island where you must fight for your own survival against some pretty nasty opponents; finally the Year of the Snake gives you some more Honk Kong style cop action to work through.
Regardless of the extra six or so hours the DLC gives you, gameplay has not been the focus during this transition across consoles. The real differences you’ll see are the cosmetic ones. Aside from the bump up to 1080p, you’ll notice an increase in population across the map. Civilians both in cars and those meandering around the streets are more frequent, as well as more visual effects as a whole. The newly implemented volumetric fog effects are a pleasant addition, alongside the higher draw distance make the night skyline of Hong Kong a true marvel at times. The lack of 60fps is a little disappointing but the framerate holds steady for the most part.
Either way, if you missed out on the original, or like me, just fancy another trip around a very violent Hong Kong, this edition is not to be missed. Some parts have not aged particularly well, such as the camera, and the vehicle handling can be an acquired taste too, but all will be forgotten when you slam a shop’s shutter down on a rival goon, slap someone senseless with a large fish, or try your lungs at a spot of karaoke.
