Sleeping Dogs

As promised, this weeks review is for United Front Games' open world crime sandbox, Sleeping Dogs. And if you haven't heard alot about it, you aren't the only one. Sleeping Dogs flew under the radar of all but the most news-hungry gamers. Sleeping Dogs began as the third instalment of the True Crime series, but a long series of setbacks and the game changing hands, it eventually fell to Square Enix and United Front Games as Sleeping Dogs. So is it a hidden treasure, or is there a reason for it to be so far off radar? Find out below!

STORY
Sleeping Dogs takes place in crime-ridden Hong Kong, where the police struggle against the triads for order, and the triads struggle with each other for power. Into this struggle, enter Wei Shen, former Hong Kong native, turned American undercover cop. Wei returns home to infiltrate the triads by way of his childhood friends (who all conveniently run with the gang), and rises through the ranks to take down the Red Poles (leaders) of the group.

This may just sound like a unique twist on the same old "go into sandbox, tear shit up as a criminal, win all the shit" story that is Saint's Row or GTA, but the undercover aspect of Wei's adventure is a far more interesting take on the formula than I originall thought. Alot of the game deals with who Wei gets close to, and as the line between enemy and friend blurs, Wei gets deeper into triad territory. There's alot of character development on Wei's side as he deals with the pressures of being undercover in this dangerous situation.

PRESENTATION
First thing's first; while Sleeping Dogs isn't the most graphical pretty game around, I find that it brings an Authentic feel to the sandbox of Hong Kong. On top of that, while the people don't look amazing, the blood and sweat effects (especially when combined) look great, and give Wei the look of having won a hard fought battle.
The colours are bright and vibrant, and it all looks really cool.

The animations (especially during the hand-to-hand combat and free-running) look really cool and fluid, as if they were pulled straight from a kung fu movie. As well as that, when the tyres on vehicles are shot out, they do a sweet barrel roll. It looks great and it feels rewarding as hell.

The soundtrack is great, filled with a whole lot of sweet metal (Thank God for the Roadrunner records channel), and also a lot of classic rock, and some more asian sounding stuff. Sorry I don't have a technical term for that. And the voice acting is pretty fantastic, though it's a shame to see the voices of stars like Lucy Liu and Emma Stone used so little. But, the actor for Wei is so passionate and emotional in his delivery of lines that it's hard not to like him, or at least sympathise with him.

It's not all great though; the occasional texture pop-in, and glitch where people are halfway through the geometry, but they don't occur often enough to be distracting.

GAMEPLAY
Now when you read Open-world crime sandbox at the top, did you immediately think this was going to be a GTA clone? Fair enough, but would you be surprised to hear me say that it's not? Or at least, it isn't completely. Yes, you have an open world. Yes, you drive cars. Yes, you shoot and kill other people. But there are many differences that make it something more than a GTA Clone.

For one, it's hand-to-hand combat is miles better than the last GTA. If anything, it's more reminiscent of Arkham Asylum, where it's simple to use, but deep enough that it takes practice to master. You're able to strike, counter and grab opponents, while also being able to utilize weapons and environmental hotspots (for quick and gruesome executions).

The driving is also a bit more arcade-y than GTA, with a lot more of an action movie feel. While the basic driving mechanics are the same, you're also able to action hijack other cars, while still in motion (a-la Just Cause 2). Your ability to powerslide around turns is much better than GTA, which may be an after effect of UFG's last game, Modnation Racers.

The gunplay takes a backseat to the rest of the action, as guns are surprisingly scarce in Hong Kong. But when Wei does get his hands on firearm, you know shit's about to go down. The aiming feels precise, and surpisingly fast, while the guns themselves sound awesome and look like they pack a punch. The highlight of the gunplay however, is the bullet time mechanic. Not a simple case of switching it off or on, like in Max Payne, Sleeping Dogs triggers slow motion whenever you vault over cover and aim. It's then possible to chain multiple kills to keep the slow motion going until everyone but Wei is dead.

Last of all, the free running feels about as exciting as the car chases. Whenever a chase on foot occurs, you can expect to slide over chest high objects, leap off of tall structures and climb over walls. It all looks fantastic and is really quite simple.

The last real point of interest for Sleeping Dogs is the levelling system. Because of the dual nature of Wei's story, you have multiple Experience trees. One is the cop tree, rewarded for being cautious and careful; while the triad tree rewards players who are vicious and dangerous. It's possible to get all three stars in both trees, but it adds a nice level of challenge to the proceedings. On top of that, with each skill tree, you get new unlocks to change up how Sleeping Dogs plays.
Add to that the Face Exp tree, which allows for better car and clothing purchases.

On the downside, Sleeping Dogs seems to lack the freedom of GTA or Saint's Row. You can't hold more than one weapon at a time, and despite having the ability to go insane and homicidal, the fact that Wei is a cop makes it feel weird. This might just be me, however.

REPLAYABILITY
Like any good sandbox game, Sleeping Dogs has a lot of shit to pass the time. Want to bet on the cockfights? Go ahead. Street Racing? Hell yea! Karaoke?.... I suppose. Sure. On top of all this, there are drug busts (chances to be an actual cop) and face missions (where you get your face out there and help people).
There's also the opportunity to replay story missions and increase your cop/triad rankings.

Add to this the multiplayer-esque score rankings (for most kills in a row or clean driving etc) that compare your scores to the online community, and you have an assload to do in Hong Kong.

OVERVIEW

While Sleeping Dogs isn't the perfect game, it is one of the best I've seen this year. No it doesn't have the best graphics, yes some of the voice acting seems terribly racist, and yea, occasionally some of the controls feel a little awkward. But for the most part, these aren't problems. Despite the graphical quality, Sleeping Dogs is still visually interesting, and the bad voice acting is heavily outweighed by the great voice acting, and 90% of the time, the controls work well.

The game is a lot of fun, the parts that make it up are truly fantastic to play. The story is also a must see. It's far more interesting than the standard sandbox crime game fare. Sleeping Dogs has flown under the radar, but after reading this review, I hope that it appears on most of yours. Because it's the type of game that truly deserves to be played.

Next week, Darksiders 2. Then either Fall of Cybertron or New Super Mario Bros. 2.
See you next time!

Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes

Hey guys! Sorry about the delay on this one, there just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes. So I figured it would help me to plan out the next few weeks. Today will be Lego Batman 2, followed by Sleeping Dogs next Sunay, Darksiders 2 after that, and finally New Super Mario Bros. on the 3DS. So now I have no (planning-related) reasons for not putting up reviews. On with the show!

STORY
Lego Batman 2 begins at Gotham City's "Man of the Year" ceremony, where Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor are in the running for the titular award. As Mr Wayne goes to accept the prestigious title, a large group of Batman's rogues gallery crash the party.
Witnessing the chaos that the Joker and his gang are able to cause, Luthor hatches a plan, and proceeds to break the recently incarcerated (again) Joker from Arkham Asylum for a caper involving kryptonite, a bat-gadget breaking gun, and the presidential election.

Unlike most Lego games, Lego Batman 2 isn't based off a previous story, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. The original story is the perfect fit for the lego games; it's light-hearted and fun for the whole family (that's not to say that the "older kids" won't love it too).

PRESENTATION
Gotham City is recreated stunningly in lego, as are a large cast of DC characters, both heroes and villains. They're all equally cool and the animations add to the already large amount of charm in the game.

This game is also unique among Lego titles, in that it is the first fully voiced Lego game. And it really works in it's favour. I mean, yes, the old games had their own charm, but alot of that still exists. The slapstick humour remains, but the voice work is just right, especially the grumbly voice for Batman, and in particular, Clancy Brown's stuck-up Lex Luthor.

The music is also fantastic, pulling tunes straight from Batman and Batman Returns, as well as John Williams' Score from Superman, played specifically for when Superman takes off to soar in the sky. It's a massive fan service, and I for one fanboyed a little when I first heard it.

GAMEPLAY
Lego Batman 2 is exactly what you loved about every other Lego game. Tight platforming, easy-to-pick-up yet still fun combat and light puzzle solving.
The puzzle solving, as-per-usual, revolves around having the right character for the job. Sometimes this means being able to use Robin's acrobatic suit to reach higher places, using Batman's strength suit to blow up special objects or using Superman's heat vision to manipulate gold items. It's still the same sort of gameplay as it ever is, but with a few new powers added in for good measure. It helps things stay interesting.

Outside of the main story, there's a whole open Gotham to explore, filled with goodies for the intrepid adventurer. From new heroes and villains, to "cheat" options, to vehicles; there are alot of collectibles. And studs. Lots of studs. I mean, what else are you going to pay for all of these collectibles with?

As far as the story missions go, however, there's not a whole lot of variations. There's the occasionally an on rails vehicle section, but that's it.

REPLAYABILITY
As I mentioned earlier, Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes has a lot of collectibles, on top of all of Gotham to explore. You can find vehicles, fight supervillains, save civillians, find gold bricks. There's a hell of a lot to do in Lego Gotham. Then theres the ability to just take your favourite characters for a spin. Want to play co-op and race the flash and Superman (flying) down the street? Go for it. It's Lego in it's purest form, when you're making fun for yourself.

OVERVIEW
So everything new that Lego Batman 2 does (The voice acting, Original Story, and On-rails vehicle secions) all do alot to put it past the previous titles in the franchise. However, the lack of variety found in previous games caries over here as well. That said, the good definitely outweighs the bad, with a huge cast of heroes and villains, and an obscenely large amount of collectibles to... uh... collect, keeping you busy for hours on end.

If you're a fan of the Lego games, this is a must have for your collection. If not, then there's no better game to get in on the series with.

So next week, it's Sleeping Dogs. See you next time!

Spec Ops: The Line

Well, Ive been off for a week (I think), and that was because I was in Canberra, and didn't really have the time or patience to be bothered with uploading a review in that time frame. So this time, I wanted to post about a game that really surprised me; Spec Ops: The Line. At first glance, this is your standard 3rd person cover based military shooter. Pretty standard, right? But things get crazy quite quickly, as I'll explain soon.

STORY
As the game begins, we learn of a disaster that has brought the city of Dubai to the edge of annihilation; gargantuan sandstorms that cut through metal and block Dubai off from any outside support. Colonel John Konrad volunteers himself and the 33rd Battalion for whatever relief effort can be given (which would be little, considering the extreme conditions in Dubai). Not long after volunteering, Konrad and the 33rd desert the US Army, when they are ordered to abandon Dubai.

You play as Delta Operator Walker who, along with teammates Adams and Lugo, are sent to investigate the state of Konrad and any Survivors, and radio for extraction. But what they find sends them further down the rabbit-hole.

The game's story starts as normal as any other military shooter, you and your squad (complete with wise-cracks and military lingo) go in to find what they're after and have every intention of leaving when they're done. But as they further disobey orders, things get strange and stranger (for a military shooter, I mean). There's an influx of misleading information fed to the player, along with a lot of correct information, making it difficult to decipher who the bad guys are here. And as the game goes forward, the tension and hostility within your squad might just have you convinced that your men aren't so great themselves.

I'm not going to spoil too much, as this is a story you really have to experience for yourselves. Just know that I've never had an issue with putting down an enemy in a game before. This game made me pause for quite a while. Just saying.

PRESENTATION
Spec Ops: The Line isn't the best looking game. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about it, it just doesn't stand up (graphically speaking) with other games (I.E. Mass Effect 3). However, there's a surprising amount of variety in the colour that you'll see during your adventure in Dubai. And everything is so bright! Yes, it's set in the desert-like city of Ruined Dubai, but it never looks boring.

The voice acting is also pretty good, with Nolan North contributing the emotion fuelled orders of Walker (the Player character), and the rest of the cast deliever equally emotional performances (with Tron providing his voice for Colonel Konrad. No really. Tron).
The 80's american rock track's heard throughout the game give the game a similar tone to Apocalypse Now, which the game lightly borrows from (as well as Heart of Darkness). Otherwise, the game's music is somewhat forgettable.

GAMEPLAY
In a word, I'd describe Spec Ops' gameplay as Average. It all works quite well, with some slight variations on the standard cover-based shooter, as well as some issues that are still easy to ignore.
The shooting is all very solid, and the guns feel like there's a decent weight behind them. Sticking to cover can get a bit annoying when you have to leave it in a hurry, but it's not a huge glaring issue. For the most part, cover still works quite well.
Among the things that work quite well is the usage of turrets. While this happens in a lot of games, this is the first instance I can remember of being able to duck whilst firing from one.

On top of that, there's a neat little gimmick involving sand. While in a gunfight, you're sometimes able to shoot out skylights that dump tonnes of sand on your enemies. This is cool, but it's not used often enough to make it anything more than a gimmick. There's also the occasional sandstorm, adding some more challenge to the standard shootout.

One last thing that doesn't quite sit ell with me, are the melee attacks. They don't feel particularly strong, and there's not a whole lot of use for them. That said, however, the occasional execution is pretty cool (though I doubt you'll feel like doing them as the story progresses).

The enemy types are varied enough to keep things interesting, and the majority of the gameplay is fun enough to play (if only because it doesn't stray too far from the cover based shooter path).

REPLAYABILITY
Now there is a multiplayer aspect of Spec Ops, but I haven't found the time to play it. However, as far as the Single-Player goes, there are branching paths to pick different situations as well as intel items that give players more info on the situation at hand. That said, even without that stuff, I'd feel inclined to play this over and over again, for the fantastic story.

OVERVIEW
So Spec Ops: The Line is a really interesting thing: a game that takes the standard conventions of a military shooter (the violent setting, the cliched squadmates) and turns them on thier head (by dealing with the affects battle has on the surrounding population, but more importantly how the horrors of combat affect the minds of the ones perpetrating them).
The gameplay is quite good, despite some minor issues, and the voice acting lends some highly suitable emotion to the unique story. This game is one that could pass under the radar, but it's also the sort of thing that I know gamers like myself truly HUNGER FOR. So if you enjoy a fantastic narrative that could only be told through the medium of video game, I think you need to at least try this game. Hell, I recommend a purchase.

Next week, it's Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes. See you next time!