Recent reviews by Max

Before I start my review of this product, I would like to mention that this is one of my first gaming experiences on the PC and this game has won me over. At the time of reviewing this, I have put in 90 or so minutes into the game so you could consider this a first impressions review.

Overview
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is a revamp of Sleeping Dogs with improved graphics. Wei Shen finds himself at ends when he gets in too deep with the gangs of Hong Kong as you work undercover for the police to infiltrate the Sun On Yee gang.


Rating/Topic

+ Graphics
Let's start at the graphics, which is a selling point for the definitive edition. The game looks amazing and the city of Hong Kong has a feeling of immersion like nothing I have played before. The graphics are great and they do live up to the marketing of the definitive edition. Overall, this department is solid.

- Controls
My second topic is the controls for keyboard and mouse. I really am not a fan of them, but I don't like KB&M for most third person games either. I guess they are okay if you are good with a keyboard and mouse in third person games, but I found it to be a much better experience on the Xbox One controller. The game recognized the controller immediately and I was very satisfied without needing to change any of the default controls. The KB&M controls aren't as stellar as the graphics, but they are decent. I recommend a controller to get the best experience for this game.

+ Storyline
The storyline is a modern masterpiece. I have played only 90 minutes, yet I can say that the story has excellent pacing and makes you think about your actions. I went in playing the game like GTA, but every car you steal and every rival thug you beat up alters your opinion and immerses you into the game like nothing I have experienced. I can't emphasize how enjoyable it is to play this game. After a session of gaming, I sit back as if I am Wei Sheng and contemplate my actions like the game is real life. Overall, the story is amazing and is a huge selling point of this game.

+ Combat
The combat is simple enough for me as someone who does not play fighting games, I found the combat sequences to be at a good middle ground for difficulty. The camera shakes as you slam someone against the wall and you can feel each hit you put on your opponent. The AI is great and thugs will be less likely to attack you when you push one of their face's into a fan or smash someone against a telephone booth. This game is great at immersing you into every aspect of the game. In all, the combat is just as solid as the graphics and storyline.

Other Notes
+ The soundtrack fits the theme very well

+ Traffic and NPC's are very realistic, a must for a game set in one of the biggest cities in the world

- Driving feels a bit clunky

+/- Little to no gun combat, which could be a plus or minus depending on how you feel

+ Definitive Edition includes all DLC's

+/- Okay optimization, got a stable 60 FPS on high @ 1920x1080 on an OEM GTX 760, which gets 4-5 frames per second lower than a normal 760. Quick pro tip here, running this game on the Extreme preset enabled will turn on high SSAA & FXAA, which will eat up your FPS without providing much visual difference. Best to use a custom preset and switch to high FXAA and medium SSAA.



Summary
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition lives up to it's claim of improved graphics and delivers a very enjoyable gaming experience, but the keyboard and mouse experience is not the best. I recommend a controller, and be weary that the Extreme graphic preset enables high super sampling anti-aliasing which will eat up FPS, I recommend using a custom setup and use medium SSAA and high FXAA if you have a mid-tier graphics card such as the 270X or 760.

I would happily recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed games such as GTA, Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs or any of the Batman games. It isn't the most recent title, but the definitive edition includes all the DLC's and the updated graphics are on par with 2014 releases. My overall rating for this game is a very sold 9/10.