Sleeping Dogs

I bought this game for £30 from a supermarket, as I couldn't be bothered waiting for it to be delivered! (thank god I did, as amazon have bumped the price up to £45 at the time of this writing!)

I played it all bank holiday Monday, and I could not turn it off. The entire game is addictive, you find yourself wanting to do a bit of this, a bit of that, and before you know it 8 hours have passed!

The combat system is brilliant, if not a little difficult, but practice makes perfect and soon you'll be taking on groups of 10+ triad with relative ease!

The only complaint I do have is that it is extremely glitchy. A simple reboot of the game solves all your problems, but it is a bit annoying and is in desperate need of an update, and sharpish.

5/5 for addictive levels, 5/5 for storyline and gamplay, 5/5 for graphics. Best £30 I've spent in ages!

If you liked the likes of GTA, LA Noire and Red Dead Redemption then this is the game for you. I have to admit that I enjoyed playing this game from beginning to end and that there was hardly any periods in the game where I was bored or not engaged with what's going on in the story. This is a real achievement in my opinion for this type of game.

However the biggest downside to this game is the lack of quality. I felt that the main story line should have been longer and not rushed or forced through, but again it's my opinion and this could be due to the fact I played it a lot in a short period of time. If you're a side content guy/girl then this is will counter this argument for sure as there are plenty of challenges to complete so rest assured more gameplay hours to be had. But for me I have to say I was too focused on the main story line that I felt the side missions were uninteresting in comparison.

Like I mentioned it holds it's own against the famous Rockstar's titles and also brings it's own unique edge. This would be the ranking system for each story line the police and triads. You progress through each mission earning xp, being able to unlock perks and moves, which definitely makes the game more interesting and more suited to your style of play. The combat system is also well thought through, making it more challenging to best your enemy's, rather than the likes of GTA where you just gun down your enemy. It's very much focused on hand to hand combat making it more enjoyable to watch. What I like best is the quick interactive play where you're given a short period of time to react to your opponents move, keeps you engaged instead of mashing buttons.

I've touched on the main key points, but assured there is still much more to tell. The rest is basic if you've played any other rockstar title e.g. the layout. Personally I don't like to discuss graphics that much, because that is based on what the person likes visually and different art styles. But as this is a modern game, the graphics are up to standard and I personally liked the theme of Hong Kong, as it's different to anything out there.

In an era when the East Asian games market is in seemingly interminable decline, it is refreshing to see a game that unashamedly brings to the fore the culture and idiosyncrasies of the region in that most western of game styles: the open world crime caper.

Dynamic environments which urge experimentation and exploration are the gateway to a lush, bustling Hong Kong which is the ultimate wish fulfillment for those who pined for a GTA set somewhere (anywhere!) other than the US. Wei Shen, the lead protagonist, is, in his own words 'capable' and this becomes apparent as the excellent fighting mechanic brings those old HK cinema '80s action flicks to the fore: smashing goon's heads through aircon units, drinks machines and speakers in a violent gorefest which is unsuitable for anyone other than a mature audience.

It is true to say that many of the features in Sleeping Dogs are not fresh and the v-sync screen tearing (on 360 at least) is annoying when driving, but like the finest works of art, it borrows all of the best elements of others and mashes them together into one of the best new IPs of recent years.

With a decline in the middle ground of AA (as opposed to budget and AAA games), this is a title, that, while short of perfection is fun, refreshing and entertaining and for that at least - as well as sticking it to Activision - deserves the support of gamers everywhere.