There's nothing in this game that hasn't been done by Grand Theft Auto IV or V. You may, in fact, find that GTA V is a better game, mechanically speaking.
But that misses the point of why this game gets solid marks from critics - if you've ever been to Hong Kong, this game captures the feel of the place just about exactly. From the look of shops in Central to the griminess of North Point, (which appears to be a cross between Wan Chai and the actual North Point), the developers have put a lot of love and care into making this virtual Hong Kong recognisably Hong Kong to someone who's familiar with the place. It got to the point that I swore I had walked down a particular street in real life in HK (right down to hearing people switch from English to Chinese in the middle of a sentence without even realising it).
Add to this the fine touches of modern Chinese culture and a bunch of Hong Kong movie shout-outs, and you have a game that takes itself just seriously enough that it's an immersive sandbox game, and is just silly enough that you have *fun* while you take down crime, 80s Hong Kong action film style.
The plot itself is not much to speak of- join gang as an undercover cop, be betrayed, right wrongs, hook up with some beautiful women in the way- but it's exciting enough that you can jump in and out when you feel like it in between the real drawcard of the game - mucking about a living, breathing city, and which is recognisably Hong Kong.
The music is also excellent and showcases some excellent talent - you can wait in traffic and find yourself bopping along to it without even realising it.
A further minor letdown- combat is rather lackluster and is based on timing more than talent. It's almost as monotonous as an MMORPG- but that may be due to the developer more than anything. But what combat there is is quite fun once you get a hang of it - you're really there to watch the cool kung fu moves.
It'd be even better if I could tear down the real Lam Kwai Fong or Victoria peak in this game, and there's a real lack of "things to tool around" once you've beaten the game... but as a virtual representation of Hong Kong. this game has it done perfectly.
VideoGame Absolutely brilliant for people who've been to Hong Kong. For others... not so much.
There's nothing in this game that hasn't been done by Grand Theft Auto IV or V. You may, in fact, find that GTA V is a better game, mechanically speaking.
But that misses the point of why this game gets solid marks from critics - if you've ever been to Hong Kong, this game captures the feel of the place just about exactly. From the look of shops in Central to the griminess of North Point, (which appears to be a cross between Wan Chai and the actual North Point), the developers have put a lot of love and care into making this virtual Hong Kong recognisably Hong Kong to someone who's familiar with the place. It got to the point that I swore I had walked down a particular street in real life in HK (right down to hearing people switch from English to Chinese in the middle of a sentence without even realising it).
Add to this the fine touches of modern Chinese culture and a bunch of Hong Kong movie shout-outs, and you have a game that takes itself just seriously enough that it's an immersive sandbox game, and is just silly enough that you have *fun* while you take down crime, 80s Hong Kong action film style.
The plot itself is not much to speak of- join gang as an undercover cop, be betrayed, right wrongs, hook up with some beautiful women in the way- but it's exciting enough that you can jump in and out when you feel like it in between the real drawcard of the game - mucking about a living, breathing city, and which is recognisably Hong Kong.
The music is also excellent and showcases some excellent talent - you can wait in traffic and find yourself bopping along to it without even realising it.
A further minor letdown- combat is rather lackluster and is based on timing more than talent. It's almost as monotonous as an MMORPG- but that may be due to the developer more than anything. But what combat there is is quite fun once you get a hang of it - you're really there to watch the cool kung fu moves.
It'd be even better if I could tear down the real Lam Kwai Fong or Victoria peak in this game, and there's a real lack of "things to tool around" once you've beaten the game... but as a virtual representation of Hong Kong. this game has it done perfectly.
A solid 7.5.