Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition: PS4 Review

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Square Enix

The open-world action gaming gets a high adrenaline shot of far Eastern sensibilities in Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition.

I have to admit to never playing the original back in 2012, but this latest looked incredible on the next gen consoles and promised an immersive experience that would be second to none.

Set in contemporary Hong Kong, you play Wei Shen, who's undercover in the Triad organisation and who's got a series of missions to carry out in order to progress through the game and into the underworld. The game starts with a high stakes action sequence and doesn't really let up from there, with gorgeous visuals helping the game to shine in the next gen world as the game delves deeper into the gangster world and the life of a Triad.

Power struggles, extremely solid story-telling and betrayal mix in with the action and non-stop visual thrills and spills - from hand to hand combat to speeding around the city a la Grand Theft Auto, there's more than enough deja vu here to make you feel that you've seen it all before.

And yet, there's also the fact that all of these elements have been collected together in a game that really rises to what's needed of it - along with all new weather effects, more pedestrians, there's plenty to bring the seedy world of Hong Kong to life. All the extra downloadable content's been bundled into this set, so there's enough to keep you gaming for a very long time.

Top notch vocal talent - from the likes of Tom Wilkinson to Emma Stone really help the game play to stand out and the narrative to grow and envelop you in its bosom as time goes on.

With more than enough DLC, a spit and polish worthy of the next gen console world, Sleeping Dogs is definitely worth owning if you love the genre - expect to lose as much time in this game as you've lost over the years patrolling the streets of any of the Grand Theft Auto games.

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