Sleeping Dogs (Formerly Known As "True Crime: Hong Kong") Catch All

cyrax wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:
cyrax wrote:

I really hope I make enough time to play this around the New Year, after the Steam sale. Besides Dishonored and Darksiders 2, not a lot of open-world games to be had this year.

I'd been led to believe Dishonored isn't open-world at all, but featuring nonlinear missions.

I know, but it's open-world in the way I care about, exploring and finding all the ways in which systems operate.

Ah, so it's not open-world in the way publishers think you care about, a static city full of locked doors and milling noninteractive NPCs.

Gravey wrote:
cyrax wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:
cyrax wrote:

I really hope I make enough time to play this around the New Year, after the Steam sale. Besides Dishonored and Darksiders 2, not a lot of open-world games to be had this year.

I'd been led to believe Dishonored isn't open-world at all, but featuring nonlinear missions.

I know, but it's open-world in the way I care about, exploring and finding all the ways in which systems operate.

Ah, so it's not open-world in the way publishers think you care about, a static city full of locked doors and milling noninteractive NPCs.

Last time I checked, I wasn't able to ride a motorcycle in the UN buidling

Looks interesting to me, but I'll need some enabling.

Is Triad Election on Netflix or Amazon yet? I enjoyed the first one. Recently loved The Man From Nowhere, though that's Korean.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Looks interesting to me, but I'll need some enabling.

Is Triad Election on Netflix or Amazon yet? I enjoyed the first one. Recently loved The Man From Nowhere, though that's Korean.

Netflix has Election and Triad Election on IA. Amazon doesn't have either on Prime, I believe.

Anyway, watch them in that order. It'll make more sense as Triad Election is actually Election 2.

Right, as I said, I enjoyed the first one.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Right, as I said, I enjoyed the first one. ;)

Jeez. That was a reading fail.

Can't hurt to re-watch the original. So many damn characters.

I just watched Election a few months ago when I was at home sick and watching a lot of Netflix. Also finally finished The Lady Vanishes, which was totally excellent, my first Hitchcock, and absolutely nothing to do with this thread.

Alright, I preordered it on Steam. Guinea pig time here I come.

I was looking around on Youtube to see if anything interesting had come out and a livestream from Machinima was put up of them playing the game for about 2 hrs from the start. At some point a dev was there to talk. All in all the stream was terrible. First off they were terrible at the game and didn't seem to care that they were playing. They were also eating, which annoys me to no end. And then the dev's mic was barely audible. Don't waste your time.

If you're looking for a much better walkthrough presentation, this one on G4 might fit the bill.

Something that I find insteresting about this release is something nobody seems to be talking about. They announced that in NA there won't be a retail option for the PC version at all, only digital. Maybe I'm mistaken, but as far as I can tell this is the first time a $50 game from a major publisher has done this. Maybe we finally crossed that line where retail makes up so little of the revenue they can't even be bothered.

kuddles wrote:

Something that I find insteresting about this release is something nobody seems to be talking about. They announced that in NA there won't be a retail option for the PC version at all, only digital. Maybe I'm mistaken, but as far as I can tell this is the first time a $50 game from a major publisher has done this. Maybe we finally crossed that line where retail makes up so little of the revenue they can't even be bothered.

In NA... If you look at the UK as an extension of the US, PC retail in continental Europe is supposed to be fairly good, so this comes across as just accepting reality and adapting to it.

Scratched wrote:
kuddles wrote:

Something that I find insteresting about this release is something nobody seems to be talking about. They announced that in NA there won't be a retail option for the PC version at all, only digital. Maybe I'm mistaken, but as far as I can tell this is the first time a $50 game from a major publisher has done this. Maybe we finally crossed that line where retail makes up so little of the revenue they can't even be bothered.

In NA... If you look at the UK as an extension of the US, PC retail in continental Europe is supposed to be fairly good, so this comes across as just accepting reality and adapting to it.

Wasn't it Stardock who said that with the latest Sins release the Steam numbers were what they use to see at retail?

I figured this was going to happen but I honestly though it would be sooner than now. I don't think retail PC games are very long for this world at the rate things are going. Many of the ones coming out now are just a bunch of encrypted Steam data anyway.

Parallax Abstraction wrote:

I figured this was going to happen but I honestly though it would be sooner than now. I don't think retail PC games are very long for this world at the rate things are going. Many of the ones coming out now are just a bunch of encrypted Steam data anyway.

That's the truth. If not Steam, Origin. If not Origin, Battle.net. If not Battle.net, then it's probably got Uplay attached to it. Etc.

Outside of indie devs who isn't requiring this stuff? THQ? Does Paradox count?

I haven't bought an Activision game in a while, but I think they're pretty agnostic about online systems, they usually just have an installshield copy files from the disc or extract from a cab.

Nope. Outside of Blizzard titles, everything Activision has put out since Modern Warfare 2 has required Steam, even at retail.

Reviews are flooding in. Guess that means they got the game to people early enough, which is always nice.

Edit: Looks like it (and Darksiders II) are already unlocked on Steam. Will report back later.

Edit: Edit: Gamespy has a page of their review dedicated to the PC options and whatnot. Check it out if you're interested.

Keys are fully remappable, and mouse thumb buttons are readily accepted. And again, the gamepad support is exceptional -- I used one for driving, then switched back to mouse and keyboard on the fly simply by putting the gamepad down. Like magic, even the on-screen button prompts switch to whatever you're using.

Awesome.

Did anyone buy this from GreenManGaming and get their Steam keys yet? I bought it from there using one of their recent promo codes but though the game's apparently out, I don't have a key and clicking their "Download" link just takes me to a page explaining how to enter the Steam key I don't yet have. I pre-ordered Darksiders II from the THQ online store and got the key overnight.

I played about three minutes, but I need to wait until tomorrow to download the high res pack. One thing I noticed right away though: you can have the game voiced in Cantonese with English subtitles. Thank God. I was worried that the previews with English were indicative of all that was available.

Please tell me Cantonese with subs is available on the 360 version.

I'm waiting for Goodjer reviews on this one, but that would be a big point in its favor.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Please tell me Cantonese with subs is available on the 360 version.

Don't know if you can make the whole game subbed, but it's definitely a mixture of English and Cantonese.

Completely slipped under my radar, but after checking out the videos, the environment aware hand to hand combat really has my interest pegged.
I've never actually been to Hong Kong despite living so close but the rest of my family has, so that should be quite a lark.

Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Did anyone buy this from GreenManGaming and get their Steam keys yet?

GMG has a long history of both being extremely late sending keys out and also allowing more pre-orders to process than they have serials to fulfill them with, leaving some people waiting several days. I stopped buying from them regardless of the deals.

*facepalm*

Couldn't get the HD textures to turn on in-game even though the Steam store says I "own" it. Turns out I needed to restart Steam. Now I'm waiting for 3gbs of textures to download. Ugh.

Anyway, without the HD textures this game runs extremely well. My GTX 460 is a bit dated at this point, but with AA set to FXAA this game runs pretty damn smooth.

The game is fantastic (PC). A little twitchy with the driving using mouse & keyboard but doable. Runs like the wind and is beautiful with the the high res pack. Environment and ambience is excellent. I love the music as well.

kuddles wrote:
Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Did anyone buy this from GreenManGaming and get their Steam keys yet?

GMG has a long history of both being extremely late sending keys out and also allowing more pre-orders to process than they have serials to fulfill them with, leaving some people waiting several days. I stopped buying from them regardless of the deals.

Got my key over my lunch hour and it works a jig thankfully.

Great game, more I play, more I like.

I decided to spend a gift certificate on this today, and I've gotten a little time to play (PC). I was in the mood for an open world game, and this is such a pleasant surprise. Until today, I'd never even looked at it twice. I've found the combat to be a nice implementation of the familiar Rocksteady formula. It's a lot less forgiving than some recent games that have borrowed the style (e.g. The Amazing Spider-Man), but that's not a bad thing. The combos, environmental take downs, and timing took a little getting used to, but it feels really great. If you care, the controller support on the PC is fantastic. I'm running a 560 Ti, and it's not blinking at high settings with the high resolution texture pack. The game is beautiful.

What I like most about the game, however, is the fact that you're not an amoral serial killer like other open world games. You're penalized when you cause damage or hurt innocents. It makes sense as an undercover cop, but the competing crime/law enforcement reputation system looks to greatly change the way I approach the game. I'm not sure what the long term ramifications will be, but it certainly adds an 'RPG' feel I didn't expect.

I've found the voice acting to range from good to great so far, and that was something I was concerned about going in. I'm not sure how it would all play to someone outside of North America, but none of the voice I've heard seem out of place, and the major character voices I've heard so far have been effective.

Traversal is fun too, both on foot and in a car. It's an odd thing to point out, but I find the walk/run speed to feel good. I don't feel like I'm superhuman, but I don't feel sluggish either. It's a balance I've found hard to achieve in other games, but this one does a good job. Add to that the plethora of awesome environmental moves (dodge through crowded streets, smashing through doors, vaulting over car hoods and fences). Just running around the city feels cinematic. That's awesome.

Edit: It's worth noting that one of the things I like most about the foot traversal is that the 'cool' moves aren't automatic. I don't think an easy freerunning button like you get in Assassin's Creed makes sense here. I feel like a (very in shape) guy doing some awesome moves rather than a superhuman.

I've also found the driving to be decent to great. The major factors for me are the type of vehicle and the weather. The car type definitely affects the driving, so much so that I've run a few extra blocks just to get a car I want to drive. I've been on a couple motorcycles as well. The scooter wasn't super, but the high end bike cornered nicely. I can easily see taking advantage of the car purchasing system to get myself a decent ride or two.

There are hints of a lot of systems in the game I haven't been able to explore. Certain purchases can temporarily increase damage. You can get buffs by visiting a massage parlor. Your clothes seem to affect how people react to me as I'm walking around. I don't know how much of this will matter in the long run, but it certainly helps fill up my map with interesting things to check out.

All in all, I'm stoked that this game was so under my radar. I liken it to the time I walked into the Sixth Sense without knowing anything beyond 'Hey, a Bruce Willis film'. It's a great surprise, and I would definitely recommend it after my short time with it so far.

So this is indeed a true open world game ala GTA, RDR, Saints Row, etc.?

Fedaykin98 wrote:

So this is indeed a true open world game ala GTA, RDR, Saints Row, etc.?

It seems like it so far, at least I haven't hit any walls yet. You can freely enter your own flat and some mission buildings There are plenty of buildings you can't enter, but I've been surprised to find a lot I can (garages with mechanics working on cars, restaurants, etc.). I've driven quite a way on a freeway as well. At this point, I'd be surprised it it wasn't a true open world.