Celebrate Halloween with Indie Gala by getting a free copy of the retro adventure game Realms of the Haunting. Crammed with old school FMVs with actual actors, Realms of the Haunting is a mix of first person shooters and point and click adventuring. The game was originally launched in 1996, but has been updated to run on modern computers via Steam.
To get your free copy, be sure to head on over Indie Gala. All you need to do to get your game is to set your Steam profile to public, join the Indie Gala Steam group, and provide your email. A link to activate the game will be sent to your email. You can set your profile back to private after you receive your activation link.
I haven’t been so quickly frustrated playing a video game in quite a while. Directly tying into that statement, I’ve also never wanted to kill so many do-gooder civilians in my life (in-game people, you’re safe). Metrocide brings out the worst in me, but I’m happy I stuck with it, until I no longer could (more on that shortly), to see the larger potential of the title. The latest title from local Australian developers Flat Earth Games – brothers Leigh and Rohan Harris – is in Early Access right now, so please don’t let any qualms/issues I express here inform your decision-making in whether or not to purchase Metrocide. It’s got a way to go, which means it can only get better.
Metrocide is an arcade stealth-shooter set in Metro City, a cyberpunk dystopia that is uncharacteristically inhabited by altruistic vigilantes, street-cleaner bots and police who actually try to do a good job! I’m not so sure this is a dystopia…otherwise, it is dark, drab and pleasantly nostalgic due to its familiar aesthetic tropes in the genre, defined by classic films such as Blade Runner (1982)and even Dark City (1998). Playing as notorious contract killer T.J. Trench, I ventured Downtown, the first district made available to the player. Beforehand, a comic-strip style cutscene plays to introduce the player to the world of Metrocide. As you progress and unlock these “comics”, they will appear in the main menu for your re-viewing pleasure. Metrocide gives the player a top-down perspective, with navigation dictated by the direction of your mouse cursor with the ‘wsad’ keys or arrow keys (your choice) allowing you to move relative to it. So, what’s your goal in Metrocide? To assassinate people; enough of them to be able to buy your travel papers and proceed to the next area. There are a multiple contacts of Trench’s within Metro City who will provide a slate of targets.
Each mark has differing attributes or conditions; some are required to be hit quickly, and some may carry their own protection or have trackers on their person. At first, most will be unarmed. All have varying credit payouts attached to the job. In this initial stage of the game, 2000c is the required amount for moving on up in the world…and it’s not easy to acquire. Once you select your target, the navigator at the top left of the screen will direct you to their approximate location. Starting off with a basic pistol that needs to charge to fire, I quickly learned, and it was explicitly reinforced by the game, that it is a crappy gun. The target has time to attempt an escape, and the pistol only has a certain range. If they escape your proverbial reach, it becomes that much more difficult to execute them for a few reasons: they could lead you into a busy area, civilians could see you with a gun and report you, or they might reach the police station before you can catch them. With every report made, police presence is upped in the vicinity. If you can avoid their overhead drones for long enough, they will close the case or crime scene. Metrocide is all about executing these jobs as stealthily as possible, and that means a lot of patience, which I sometimes don’t have.
Waiting until the target unwillingly walks into a zone devoid of peering eyes, security cameras, pesky vigilantes who want to take it upon themselves to avenge them and nosy, taddle-tale citizens will test that patience. Players must be mindful to unholster their weapons and do the deed as quietly and quickly as possible. Then, comes disposing of the body; the river that runs through the city, along with open manholes, are your options. Eventually, you will unlock tools and other weapons, such as lures and shotguns, respectively. Both are worthwhile investments, especially the latter, which shoots without delay or build up. It is loud, but extremely effective. Unfortunately, my playtime was cut short because of a bug that pretty much hindered my progress past a point. With the shotgun equipped (ammo clip not depleted) I would click the left mouse button, but Trench wouldn’t shoot…he instead just stood there, having alerted the mark who is armed and, well, murders ol’ unresponsive Trench in self-defence. Strangely enough, the game registers my “successful hit”, whilst also acknowledging my death, failing to bring me back to the main menu or city to continue due to this confusion. Oh, and there’s no saves in this game. So I had to replay everything…only for it to happen again. And I am not going back to using that damned pistol!
Again, the game is in Early Access, so hopefully the familial duo can crush some bugs, perfect the visual language so that the elements on screen are easier to read, and also give some better player guidance in terms of implementing tutorials for tools, which I did not encounter (I tried the whole keyboard before finding out that ‘z’ dropped the lure). Metrocide is challenging to say the least, and it only gets harder with more cops populating the space with every not-so-clean kill and, trust me, you will not be a flawless assassin.
Racers got another in-depth look at the customization options for Ubisoft and Ivory Tower’s upcoming racer The Crew. The trailer features a look at the vehicle specs available for drivers. By changing specs, players can take their car from the smooth race tracks to the rough and tumble off-road races in the country side. The trailer also touches on the perks that provide bonuses to all cars.
The Crew is an open world racer that miniaturizes the varied driving landscape of America. Ubisoft is accepting closed beta registration for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players at their official site. The closed beta kicks off in November. The Crew will launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows on December 2nd, 2014
Couldn’t get enough of Frederic Chopin? Indie Gala and Capsule Computers is here to rescue gamers from their dreary world of manufactured pop stars with the Every Monday Bundle #31. This week brings seven indie games for one price.
Game Tycoon 1.5– Go back to 1982 and participate in the video game boom in the glory days of DOS! Players will start their company in the 8-bit glory days and take the company all the way to modern day.
Big Brain Wolf– A wacky spin on the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood involving an asthmatic vegetarian wolf. The game is packed with brain training puzzles that will keep your mind sharp.
Out There Somewhere– A puzzle platformer inspired by 16-bit video games, players will use their teleportation device to solve puzzles and avenge their planet.
Frederic: Evil Strikes Back– Frederic Chopin must once again rise from the grave to compete in Guitar Hero inspired music battles set to remixed Frederic Chopin hits.
Sinister City– Players will need to travel to Sinister City and rescue their girlfriend from the vampires that haunt the town.
Ninja Cats vs Samurai Dogs– Players will join either the Ninja Cats or the Samurai Dogs as they fight for supremecy in a game that fuses the tower defense and real time strategy genres.
Playing History: Slave Trade– An education title used in over 300 Danish schools, Playing History: Slave Trade looks to teach gamers about a dark period in history. Be sure to vote for the game on Steam Greenlight.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, all seven games can be purchased for $1.89. Be sure to grab your copy at Indie Gala before the price goes up.
‘Dungeon crawling’ is generally one of my least favourite aspects of role-playing games, both digital and otherwise. For me, the best parts of an RPG experience are the narrative and role-playing elements with combat generally not being as satisfying by comparison. There are some games for which an increased focus on ‘dungeon crawl’ combat such as the The Legend of Grimrock and Paper Sorcerer does make elegantly streamlined and fun experience. Deepest Dungeons of Doom (DDD) follows this streamlining ideal to an extreme in its own variation of the ‘dungeon crawl’. It was recently ported from iOS to PC and I took it upon myself to venture into its depths and discover what horrors lay beneath its retro pixel art style.
Story
The story of DDD is simple enough with the player taking on the role of an adventuring hero and ridding the world of evil… one dungeon (or dungeon-like environment) at a time. Although the story is rudimentary, it does leave plenty of space for the writing to shine through, which is humourous and reflexive in nature. The main characters that the game focuses on are the witch, the crusader, and the mercenary. These three characters all have their own persona, which comes out in the writing between areas, with the crusader largely being completely blind to the moral duplicity of his two companions (largely due to his own self-righteous assurance). My one qualm is that the narrative can be seen as overly simplistic, but I don’t believe the developers were aiming to create a fantasy epic to begin with, so this is just a minor quibble.
Gameplay
When I first read that this game was a PC port from mobile platforms, I assumed that it would be a shallow and simplistic experience with grind mechanics. I felt my suspicions were initially confirmed when the game taught me the controls which included an ‘attack’ and ‘block’. There is also an option to use any consumable items such as potions, but basically there are two controls. That’s right, two buttons are all you need to play this game (pretty much).
The gameplay can basically be broken down into timed button presses as you traverse down floors in a dungeon and fight the monsters you encounter. You have to time your attacks so they cool down and block accordingly when you see your foes telegraph their attacks. If you’re particularly crafty, you can time your attacks to do critical damage by attacking just as your foe is preparing to strike you. This goes both ways as your opponent can achieve critical hits on you if you time your own attacks poorly.
With these elements, I was pleasantly surprised with just how complex gameplay could actually become. Each opponent has a varied attack pattern which the player can learn to read, and each of the characters the player can choose has their own style of play. The crusader is a tough tank who can heal himself and get through fights in (more-or-less) one piece. The witch has powerful magic attacks but has to manage her mana reserves. The mercenary has a low cooldown for his basic, puny attack but can charge up his attack to do significantly more damage.
My original assumptions of the game being an extended quick time event were quickly proven wrong. I would liken this game more to the experience of playing Mario where you learn the route through the map slowly and get further and further to victory during every play through. This game has similar topography which must be learnt and adapted to.
The game also provides a sense progression wherein you unlock new abilities and power-ups with the gold that you acquire from your adventuring. You’re also able to buy consumable items and equipment before you venture down. The real progression will come from you honing skills and over time you’ll swap out various upgrades you’d bought previously to match your improved playing style. This is immensely satisfying.
Visuals & Audio
This game basks in the light of our retro game heritage when it comes to the visuals with everything being given a cute pixelated art style (even the gory deaths of various dungeon fiends). This visual style is pleasant enough, although it can get annoying at first when you’re trying to determine the attack patterns of an opponent. The in-game encyclopedia also has some nice artwork to go along with the entries on the various subjects within the game. Overall, I consider this to be one of the nicer looking games even with its knowingly dated graphics.
The audio is similarly reminiscent of retro games with 8-bit tunes playing throughout the game. This sound design is similarly charming with the music fittingly adding to the high tension which battles already create. I would not be surprised if the soundtrack becomes remixed into a chiptune at some point in the future as it is pretty catchy.
Overall
This game proves the age old adage that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… or in this case, you shouldn’t judge a PC port of a mobile game prematurely. I honestly had fun playing this game and it’s short, compartmentalised design means I can sneak in quick dungeon crawls during lunch at work. This is a fun game to play on PC and it’s very easy to get past it’s mobile game pedigree with the stringent demands the game asks of you. Deepest Dungeons of Doom is one of those games which actively forces the player to improve themselves in order to progress in the game and I gladly recommend it to those who are interested.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
From November 10-28, Pokémon X and Y playerscan acquire a special distribution code at select retailers for the mythical Pokémon Diancie. Once they have received the Pokémon in-game, and own a copy of either Pokémon Omega Rubyor Alpha Sapphire, they can then transfer Diancie into the newest instalment in Nintendo‘s DS family juggernaut.
The Diancite Mega Stone can be obtained in the new titles, releasing in Australia and New Zealand on November 21, allowing players to then mega evolve Diancie. And, to commemorate the release of Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, Hoyts Cinemas across the two countries mentioned will be giving out said distribution codes at screenings on the 8th and 9th of November. At the same select retailers, however – EB Games, JB Hi-Fi, Big W and Target in Australia and only the former two in New Zealand – gamers are reminded to walk on in for a special Shiny Gengar holding a Gengarite Mega Stone; this promotion lasts until November 5.
For all the latest on all things Pokémon, keep an eye on Capsule Computers.
Roccat’s latest mouse is a multi-button behemoth. The Roccat Tyon is armed with 16 buttons that can be programmed with the Roccat drivers. The German gaming peripheral company is looking to differentiate the Tyon with the addition of two fin type buttons. The mouse is rounded off with an 8200 DPI laser sensor, two illumination zones, and Easy-Shift[+] support to double the number of available macros on one mouse.
The Roccat Tyon is packed in a standard Roccat-style box with a matte black and blue theme. Inside, the mouse is snugly packed with a small quick start guide. The mouse is on the light side at only 126g, with the cord itself probably adding a few extra grams. The cord is a braided USB cable with a sturdily built USB 2.0 connector. The plug is not gold plated.
The mouse’s shell comes in black or white. Unfortunately for left handed population, the Roccat Tyon is only for right handed gamers. The top of the mouse is smooth with a slight rubbery texture. The rubbery texture has just enough stickiness to get a sure grip, without being so sticky that it is impossible to comfortably slide a finger over to one of the many buttons on the Tyon. The sides of the mouse uses a pebbled plastic texture for both the thumb rest and the buttons.
On the top of the Tyon are four side buttons, the two standard mouse buttons, the middle mouse wheel, and what Roccat calls the Dorsal Fin-Switch. The Fin-Switch does not depress like most buttons, but rather is pushed either left or right. In practice, I found it easier to hit compared to the traditional two buttons that are usually found in the same position on most gaming mice. However, the Dorsal Fin-Switch is still pretty awkward to use. The four side buttons are much better placed for most people. Though Roccat brags they spent months of “design, research, and testing” on the positioning, it is pretty clear people with smaller hands, like females and Asians, were completely forgotten about. As a person who wears men’s size small to extra small gloves, only the bottom of the four top buttons were actually within reach for me. The top two buttons were completely unusable without shifting my mouse grip completely to use. I suspect those with larger hands will have less issues with the mouse button positioning.
The thumb side of the Roccat Tyon is probably the best design I have come across. There are three buttons and the X-celerator analog paddle on the right hand side. On the top is the X-celerator analog paddle that is by default bound to a joystick axis input. The idea is that the paddle can be used to control the rotation of tank turrets or the thrust of a plane. Outside of games, I use the paddle to scroll through long documents for the ultimate act of laziness. It is less movement and quicker to use the paddle than the middle mouse button. The paddle is solidly built and has just enough tension to be controllable while easy to use. Located below the X-celerator analog paddle are two standard thumb buttons. I found the top button to be a little hard to push in the smaller area. The bottom button does not seem to have the same issue. The top button will probably only be an issue with smaller handed people like me, as the top thumb button was only just slightly out of reach.
Although the X-celerator analog paddle is the feature most hailed by Roccat’s marketing team, the real winner is actually the bottom most thumb button. Instead of pushing inwards towards the pinkie like most thumb buttons, it is designed to be pressed downwards towards the mouse pad. The exact thought that crossed my mind the first time I used the button was “geez, why hasn’t anyone thought of this until now?!” The button is extremely comfortable to use. Although by default, it triggers the Easy-Shift[+] button, it is a perfect easy aim/sniper mode button. Most sniper mode buttons require some sort of rightward force to trigger, which makes fine aim adjustments especially in the left and right directions a bit more difficult. By pressing downwards on the mouse, I found my forearm stayed looser and the force needed to move the mouse in any direction was about the same.
The Roccat Tyon comes armed with two separately lighting zones. The mouse wheel has two bands of light sandwiching it. The bottom rim of the mouse has a band of light wrapping the entire mouse. The LEDs are capable of 16.8 million different colours. In the firmware, users can change the two zones independently with several different lighting effects. The light can be set to a single colour using RGB colour values or the mouse can scroll through all the colours. I would recommend against using the fully lighted mode when using the scrolling colour effect. The LEDs cannot transition between colours smoothly, resulting in a very annoying “popping” effect. Using one of the lighting effects that temporarily turn off the lights at given intervals is a good way to hide the popping effect.
My relationship with Roccat’s drivers is a troubled one. On one hand, I love how much control Roccat provides its users. The macro editor is powerful and users can really tune the mouse to respond exactly as they wish. On the other hand, getting it installed can be a bit confusing. Each Roccat device has its own firmware suite that seems to communicate to each other through the Roccat Talk drivers. Initially, I installed the Roccat Tyon drivers and could not get into the Tyon mouse settings. It wasn’t until I installed the Talk driver could I actually get into the Roccat Tyon’s settings. I would really like to see Roccat switch to a single driver install that covers all their devices.
I love the Roccat Tyon, but it isn’t a mouse I can use well. The button layout is possibly my favourite of all the gaming mice I have reviewed. However, a few of the buttons are just out of comfortable reach for me. If you do have smaller hands, I highly recommend going to your local computer store to give the Roccat Tyon a test drive. Though the drivers can be a little bit of a pain to install, Roccat provides the user a lot of options to tweak their mouse. At $99.99 USD list price, it is definitely one of the more expensive wired options out there, but heavy macro users will love the Tyon.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview While a great personality may make the character; there are plenty of aesthetic features that anime viewers will be on the lookout for when it comes to picking their favorite character. One of these features happens to be whether the character wear’s glasses and now with the rise of shows such as Free! it should come as no surprise that an anime focused on boys wearing glasses, or megane, was produced. So now that Meganebu! has been released in North America, is it worth picking up?
Story Meganebu! revolves around a group of high school students who have formed the Glasses Club. Not only do the members of this club all wear glasses, most because they need to, one just because he wants to be in the group, but they are obsessive fans of everything to do with the eye-wear. So much in fact that nearly everyone who doesn’t wear glasses is beneath the club president Akira Souma’s notice, humorously represented by their no detail designs.
While the club was created in order to gather the eclectic glasses loving members of the student body into one group where they talk about everything glasses related, from trivia about old glasses to testing the strength of their lenses and frames, they have another goal. You see, despite attending an all-boys school, the club dreams of constructing a set of X-Ray glasses in order to see through clothing, with their first target being a nurse who was supposed to be giving them vision checks.
After their initial failure, the group continues to make various prototypes in order to make a real pair of X-ray glasses, resulting in a number of pairs that have alternate functions, while also sharing their love of glasses with one another, exploring a bit of their pasts, and taking part in ridiculously stupid events. This is far from the only series that has created a club with a strange goal and populated it with stranger characters, but without a likable cast of characters or decent enough interactions between these characters, Meganebu! ends up being a disappointment.
Despite having a decent amount of humor going for it at the onset, the narrow focus of the series is its undoing. There is only so much one can take of the glasses aspect and it is run into the ground long before the series reaches its end. Sure the silliness of it all may make you laugh every so often, usually when the focus is shifted off of glasses humor onto something else, but ultimately far too many of the punch lines fall short of the mark.
There are a few moments that do stand out through the series as memorable. This includes a number of actually funny such as a pair of prototype X-ray glasses that reveal the existence of a ghost possessing an old pair of sunglasses the group found and his relation to someone they know who is still alive. Unfortunately moments like this are few and far between in Meganebu! as nothing of consequence actually happens throughout the series.
Unfortunately these few rare moments are few and far between as the show relies far too much on silliness and style to try and keep viewers interested when halfway through most people will simply want to turn away. This is especially when you consider that those who stick around will be left with an ending that, despite changing things up and actually adding a two episode story arc, really doesn’t change anything and sticks with the same pattern that has unfolded throughout the rest of the season.
Visuals There is one thing that Meganebu! has going for it and it happens to be the art style the studio used. The level of detail on all of the background environments is very impressive while all of the male characters are designed with plenty of detail and are designed to really give female viewers a little extra to look at. These designs all benefit from an extremely vivid color palette that practically glows as it comes off the screen, especially on Blu-ray like this release.
It is interesting to note that a running joke throughout the series is the fact that, people who don’t wear glasses are beneath the main characters’ notice and as such, any non-glasses wearing characters, minus the members of the student council, are portrayed in an extremely simplistic manner, usually as a basic stick figure, in order to show how little the characters think of them and also to probably save a bit of budget. It is also worth noting that there are a large number of signs and Japanese text present in the release which is properly subtitled, however thanks to how quickly things flash by there may be points you’ll have to pause to see what a specific sign might have said.
Audio It is worth noting that this release of Sentai Filmworks comes with only the Japanese voice track with English subtitles. The Japanese voice actors do a great job given the material they are working with and fit the roles nicely, especially in regards to the number of soft spoken male characters that populate the series as well as a certain character that is a bit too attached to the club president.
The background music throughout Meganebu! is actually quite impressive as there are a number of catchy little tunes that play for a short period of time in a number of episodes. The same can be said for the series’ opening theme “World’s End” by MUCC which is a nice mix of pop and rock. As for the series’ ending theme, the song “Colorful World” by Tomohisa Sako, is mellower than the opening theme but is still quite fitting, especially with it being set against the ending sequence that features real images of glasses in artistic scenes.
Extras Unfortunately Meganebu! comes with only the bare minimum as far as special features are concerned. This means that the release only contains a clean version of the opening and ending theme, trailers for other Sentai Filmworks releases, and disc credits.
Overall Meganebu! is a series that is trying to appeal to a niche within a niche and manages to fail at presenting anything with real substance. This is especially disappointing because Meganebu!, has the looks of a great series featuring vibrant colors and detailed character designs and backgrounds. Sadly it ends up being little more than eye candy with a decent sense of humor that falls flat long before the final episode.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Time to shake your tailfeathers folks, as Disney and Harmonix’s brand new music and motion game – Fantasia: Music Evolved is now on store shelves for Xbox One and Xbox 360. Drawing inspiration from the beloved Fantasia musical, Music Evolved turns players into the Sorcerer’s new apprentice, and exploring remarkable worlds and unlocking the magic of music and dance.
Fantasia: Music Evolved is available now on Xbox consoles and brings with it a bunch of new and contemporary pop hits for you to work it and twerk it to. You can get the game for Xbox One for a RRP of $69.95 and for an RRP of $59.95 for 360 (players will also need a Kinect Sensor for their chosen console). You can check out the game’s launch trailer below, and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the cool Disney news as it becomes available.
Overview
Sleeping Dogs was a true surprise when it launched in 2012, bringing with it an unforgettable open-world experience. Two years since, and we are ankle-deep in a new generation of games that haven’t yet stood out or made an impact yet. That as in issue isn’t really a problem, as due to it being so early, many companies are feeding their fans seconds with “complete” versions of hits from the last generation. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition has arrived in style, and wants to be a console owner’s “just because” purchase, as it offers a great value with all DLC included – along with upgraded visuals. The question is, is Sleeping Dogs worthy of this upgrade, or is it yet another questionable release for a generation starving for something to play? Let’s find out.
Story
Sleeping Dogs stars a main protagonist by the name of Wei Shen and is set in Hong Kong. Shen is a highly skilled former cop, trying to prove himself to amongst several gang leaders, while still trying to keep the integrity that his badge holds. Sure, we have seen this same storyline in countless movies and even a few video games, but that really isn’t a problem as while the story is a bit dried up, the rich characters and dialogue make this little plot very enjoyable from beginning to end. As Wei Shen progresses on his mission, morality comes into play that could cost him everything, so the player gets to watch his struggle as backstabbing friends and dirty cops try to sway our lead into a path of darkness.
Being a mission based game much like Grand Theft Auto, I expected to find moments of boredom during my time cruising the streets of China, but alas, I actually bypassed a good number of fodder quests just to get back to the main storyline. Its easy to get immersed in this work that United Front created two years ago, and while I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of age, I can say the strength of the writing has still stood the small test of time, making progression rewarding and entertaining. Even the random NPCs tell a small story of their own, performing odd jobs such as mascots and vendors who are just trying to get ahead amongst a tough financial climate. Sure, there are a couple of dull moments, but it isn’t hard at all to quickly find something to invest in within this large city booming with a new culture to explore.
Gameplay
I would be elated to say that the combat, driving, and other mechanics have brand new upgrades to incorporate the Playstation 4’s touchpad or the Xbox One’s other features, but this this Definitive Edition is just that, and does nothing to redefine or even polish the original experience. That is not a bad thing at all though, as Sleeping Dogs was and still is an already brilliantly polished title, featuring a unique, tight combat system in a limited- but still open world. Instead of gunplay – which is sparse in these Hong Kong streets, Wei Shen must rely on melee combat such as fierce punches and kicks, with plenty of martial arts flavoring added in. There is a bit of an RPG element as well, as players can upgrade their maneuvers as they play, adding more to keep this combat from becoming stale. Sure, it isn’t too advanced, but its simple and effective at keeping the game fresh throughout.
The combat doesn’t miss a beat for the most part, as every kick you nail to an opponent’s temple is responsive, and then environment takes it up a notch, allowing the player to interact with the world to devastate foes quickly. There really is no morality system within this title as well, as punching a random civilian usually comes with no repercussions, but abusing the system can have consequences as cops do still respond to too much crime, and will be quick to arrest repetitive wrong-doers with great haste. The driving was one of the most fluid mechanics of Sleeping Dogs, to be honest. When I play GTA, I can easily say that driving feels fine, but the roads are often so cluttered and intrusive that a standard car chase is like solving a puzzle to pull off without failure. Sleeping Dogs however doesn’t really suffer from this issue. Sure, you will ram vehicles unintentionally, but there is less traffic and fauna to run into, making these sequences feel exhilarating and exciting, where you are able to focus on your mission rather than all of the obstacles in-between.
The missions themselves are also varied, with the main story missions offering a broad range of variation of delivery quests, encounters, busts, and so on. Players can also take on a sub-plot that allows Wei Shen to dress up in uniform and save the world if need be, battling against thugs and stopping small crimes on the street. Its hard to find an open-world title that does not re-use the same tricks over and over (Just Cause 2, I am looking at you here), but Sleeping Dogs is a bit different as it has far more focus. Sure, some might do comparisons with other titles in the genre and complain that there isn’t as much to explore within Hong Kong as compared to San Andreas, but there doesn’t really need to be. Sleeping Dogs has a smaller world, but makes the most of it by stitching everything closer together so the player is constantly focused and more importantly – entertained.
The DLC offerings are also all available, and even though there are over twenty add-ons, most are simply new outfits, cars, and minor additions that don’t really warrant a second look. That said, the two story missions are quite expansive with the likes of Nightmare in North Point offering a horror-themed vampiric arc, and the Zodiac Tournament add-on – which brings an appropriately themed fighting tournament into the mix with a brand new location to check out. There is also “The Year of the Snake” adding six more missions, but these are over quite quickly and if this pack was available separately, I don’t quite think I would pull the trigger. As a whole though, it is great to see the mass amount of content that the original title already had jammed in with the expansions, as it will take most players nearly thirty hours to do everything and try to hit that 100% mark, so re-playability shouldn’t be too much of an issue for those looking to stay in this exotic world.
Visuals
I suppose since this is an upgraded release, I should spend a lot of time speaking of the visuals. That is a bit hard to do. For starters, those who have played Sleeping Dogs will not find too much change. The neon-lit nightlife captures an amazingly open atmosphere, and all of the NPCs fall right into place to make this world come to life and feel busy. There are a few bland textures in some areas, but that is something the original had as well, so nothing will seem too different on that front. As far as what the upgraded graphical engine holds, it really comes down to minor tweaks in lighting, animation, and clothing. Yeah, I know that doesn’t sound like much, but as disappointing as it is, this is a port that feels like a port. Sure, you can tell the difference, but seeing a side-by-side comparison isn’t enough to make one raise an eyebrow as all of the smoothness added comes off as minor and in some places, barely noticeable. What I did notice were animations that were down-right terrible, though. Imagine you just win a fighting against a thuggish boss, and while you are delivering that final blow, he folds up like Elmer Fudd in a Bugs Bunny short. Wei Shin also seems to just drop in awkward positions as well when knocked down, and ragdoll physics run a muck quite often, taking a good bit of realism out of the main experience.
Audio
With an all-star voice cast, I can easily say that the audio is much better than the visuals within Sleeping Dogs. This cast seemed to get it. Each character’s passion comes through in their dialogue, as the voicework makes this story believable and engrossing. The soundtrack is also fantastic as well, with Chinese pop, rock, and so on mixed into every radio station. Sure, it isn’t as varied as a lot of the bigger franchises, but its certainly a nice change of pace from the norm if you have been stuck in Los Santos for hours on end.
Overall
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition isn’t really definitive. While the original may be one of the finest titles of the last generation, I feel that this re-release is simply available for a quick cash-grab off desperate console owners who are waiting for the next big thing. That being said, if you have yet to play Sleeping Dogs and want to dive into a fantastic experience, you are in the right place as no title offers more cultural education than this little gem from just a couple of years ago. I get it – we are going to see a lot of Definitive Editions this generation of older titles due to the lack of backwards compatibility. There are a lot of politics tied up in the industry with these ports and that topic is for a completely different conversation, but when it comes to Sleeping Dogs, I feel like a pass is warranted. New players have a ton of content fresh for the taking within this package, and while it isn’t perfect, you certainly will be getting the right amount of kick, punch, and general bang for your buck here.
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The Diancite Mega Stone can be obtained in the new titles, releasing in Australia and New Zealand on November 21, allowing players to then mega evolve Diancie. And, to commemorate the release of 
