I guess it’s time I admit that I can’t make this comic while employed. I wanted to, but it just doesn’t feel possible. I’m not saying that I’ll never draw a new comic, but they’ll be few and far between, if at all. I’ll surely revive this project once my contract ends, but it won’t be this year. That said, since I have this site and some of you liked my words more than my comics anyway, I’ll keep writing about the games I play. Something like a purchase guide for the patient.
I recently played through Sleeping Dogs. I don’t have a clue what the name is about, but I didn’t see a single sleeping dog in the game. The game runs great, occasionally looks stunning, and is rather enjoyable. FoV is very low though, and the keyboard and mouse controls are horrible. I switched to a 360 controller in five minutes. I really love the city when it’s raining, it’s gorgeous, at other times and in other places the game looks rather basic. That’s why the occasionally stunning.
The story is what you’d expect from a GTA clone. It works well enough, but doesn’t offer anything new or special. It doesn’t drag on like GTAIV though, I completed the game in about sixteen hours occasionally goofing around but mainly doing the plot missions. Due to the setting, I consider the plot more interesting than it actually is. Same goes for the city too. The game felt oddly fresh, though it really wasn’t.
The focus on the melee fighting is a nice thing though. It’s really enjoyable to run around and beat up evildoers and the occasional pedestrian. There are firearms too, but luckily the game doesn’t force you to use them too much. Shooting mechanics are ok’ish in the genre’s standards. Not enjoyable but not detrimental either.
I can’t really recommend the game at a full price, even though I really enjoyed it. You see, there really isn’t as much to do in the game as you’d imagine after the first hour or two. It isn’t terribly fun as a sandbox either. I managed to grab a retail copy for 28 euros, and that was a fine price for it, a bargain even. I’d say GTAIV is more fun for vehicle stunts and that Sleeping Dogs is only slightly more fun as a sandbox. It’s a nice open world beat’em’up, but if you just want pure madness, you’re better off with Just Cause 2 and Saint’s Row 3.