More of a compliment than it sounds
Here’s another one of those “Confession: I have a shame pile of unplayed games” statements: I never got around to playing Sleeping Dogs. Yeah, I heard it was surprisingly good, but something about it never piqued my interest. Maybe it’s because I previewed it at E3 2010 (when it was still called True Crime: Hong Kong), and it just seemed bad. I think I never got over that perception.
Whatever the reason, it slipped by me for the most part. I have some general knowledge about it (as I do for almost every title because of this job), but any specifics are lost on me. That’s why after spending a half hour with Triad Wars, I realize I may have messed up by skipping Sleeping Dogs.
For those who don’t know, Triad Wars is a PC-only MMO set in the Sleeping Dogs world. It’s about rising through the ranks of the underworld, and eventually being the kingpin. This is done by attacking other players’ turf and defending yours. However, the multiplayer is asynchronous in that you don’t have to be online in the event of an invasion. You set up lines of defense to fight for you in your absence.
As Jordan and I divvied up Pre-E3 assignments at Square Enix’s showcase, I knew I wanted Triad Wars. That desire was predicated entirely on this trailer; I wanted a developer to show me exactly how many ridiculous, over-the-top kills he could perform. Skewer someone on a pile of marlin heads so I can laugh about how dumb that is.
Instead I was sat down and given instructions. The combat description (which came first) began with “So, have you played Sleeping Dogs?” and was asked with such an inflection as to proceed quickly when I answered in the affirmative. “Nope,” I replied. That killed the mood right fast. From there, I was sort of left to fiddle with the controls to figure out how to fight on my own.
Luckily, henchmen were lined up plot by plot to fall to my lightning-fast fists. I wrangled them mostly with no trouble, figuring out the two or three different combos that seemed to always do the trick. In reality, that might’ve been less on me, and more due to the fact that the developer approximated that the account I was playing on was 50 or so hours in.
“Okay then,” I responded, unsure of how this play experience could be transformed into any sort of coherent preview. I mean, I completely blew past any sense of progression that would act as a good indicator as to how the MMO components were. You know, the addictive quality that keeps players coming back to the same game time and time again.
“Take me to do something,” I half-demanded in a friendly tone. I was sure this was just a waste of time at this point. So, I hopped in a sporty car and drove off to attack another base. I worked my way through the exteriors of the compound, relying on careful headshots while strafing and my hastily-learned combat moves. Eventually, I karate-kicked the boss to submission. It was all pretty easy — again, probably more a result of that 50+ hour account than my competency. And, that was the end of it.
My takeaway from the whole thing was that Triad Wars seemed rather vanilla, but I’m not completely comfortable with that assessment. After all, I didn’t play it the way it’s supposed to be played. When I picked it up, it seemed like I was already on top, rather than climbing the ranks to dominate Hong Kong’s seedy underbelly. I also simply didn’t have adequate time to learn its systems, such as the intricate in-game economy it supposedly features. Really, none of it was presented in a way that MMOs need to be. That’s unfortunate, but it’s less a knock against this demo, and more a quality of all MMOs in preview situations.
But, on a personal note, it made Sleeping Dogs seem like it’s probably a pretty killer game. There’s an environment that’s definitely worth exploring more. I don’t know if an MMO is how I want to see it, though. However, those who have been through Sleeping Dogs might find this the perfect opportunity to get back to that world. Any excuse to shove some poor bastard’s head through a circular saw, really.
