Late Hero Killing Monsters

Behold!

When I was a drinker I always said that there is nothing like a loud thud! ay yjr ass end of a gig (the rebel wind exclamation mark included). I was a Witcher virgin, my innocence untapped by the moon wraiths and cursed ones of this (other) world, but ever since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt arrived at the tavern, I kept a sly eye on it from the fast cooling embrace of Elder Scrolls like a sh@g happy Romeo.
The reviews were many, as was the praise on internet forums where Geralt's fans only had good words to spend on the game. Sure there were minor grumbles and trolls looking for a wind up but but the overall vibe was you need Witcher 3 in your life so I dutifully piled in to the world of Geralt of Rivia to crack some supernatural ass.

Murdered: Soul Suspect

When Murdered: Soul Suspect was originally announced, it it barely made a blip on my gaming radar (truth be told, there was no blip at all. Not even half of one). I'm an action kinda guy, more at home shooting bad guys in BioShock than trying to solve violent deaths (even if that violent death involved my grizzled old self). So imagine my surprise when I saw Murdered: Soul Suspect in a December PSN store sale on PS4 and found myself putting it into my digital basket without second thought. (Though I must be honest, if it was more than the £12 I paid, I probably would have clicked on by). Luckily the timing (and price) was right and I was on the hunt for something different, and Airtight Games had the solution with Murdered: Soul Suspect.
The game takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, and you play Detective Ronan O'Connor, a former petty criminal turned cop. (And before I forget, tattoos look pretty cool on ghostly skin. This game is very easy on the eye).
Det. Ronan is on the trail of a serial killer known as the Bell Killer, a rather vicious, hooded killer who sadly for Ronan is strong and brutal and ends up throwing the detective out of a window before pumping his dying body full of bullets. You know, just to make sure the lawman is dead. Then something weird occurs as officer O'Connor 'wakes' up wondering how he has survived his attack. And then (here comes the odd bit), he realises he didn't survive at all and finds himself looking down on his bloodied corpse. He meets his long dead wife who explains to her ghostly spouse that he can't join her in the Afterlife until he clears up the unfinished business he has in the living world.
And this is where the 'fun' begins. Walking through walls, possessing cats (you read that right), playing poltergeist, jumping into living bodies and reading their minds and executing glowing demons who truly are quite terrifying, especially when you get too close to one and it screams in your face. Basically you acquire the abilities we all imagine ghosts have (apart from the cat possession thing, although it would explain why cats seem to have different rules to other animals).
Murdered: Soul Suspect is one of those games that pop up now and then, leaving you wondering where it came from, and how it slipped under your gaming radar. Mind you, it was released around the same time as bigger, more well known videogames so perhaps there's no mystery there. But make no mistake, Murdered: Soul Suspect is well worth your dosh. The puzzles aren't the obscure types found in games like Silent Hill and its very satisfying when pieces of the puzzle all come together to help track down the Bell Killer. There are other side missions to tackle as well as the main campaign but I won't spoil them here.

The game is definitely worth your gaming time, and it looks darned good on PS4. Personally ive had more fun playing this than Watch Dogs, a game im playing alongside Soul Suspect (though not at the same time obviously). And were I talking scores here, its easily a 4/5.

Sleeping Dogs New Threads

Amongst the glut of videogame remakes that seems to grow every day ( and wont stop until the gaming goose is stripped clean), you can find some good ones,. Admittedly the price tag looks like Dick Turpin rides again, but if you happen to be a fan of the original, then taking a punt on the reboot makes the price sting a little less.
I was a huge fan of Sleeping Dogs on PS3 so when the 'Definitive Edition' was released a few days ago on PlayStation 4, I was on it like a fat kid on pizza.
£40 is too much, even when you get extras like the 2 DLC stories thrown in, with some very bizarre outfits for Wei to take on the lawbreakers of Hong Kong,band I can see many gamers not bothering because of it which will be a shame because Sleeping Dogs is great game. Wei is a cross between Dirty Harry and Bruce Lee so its sad to see that once again The PS4 needed a third action game after the ace The Last of Us Remastered which was pure brilliance and proof of what creative people with similar ideas can come out with if they're on the same page.
Not played Sleeping Dogs on PS3 yet? Then do yourself a favour and go get it especially I you're a fan of over the top 80s action movies. And don't forget, Wei has more than karate kicks to the throat to defeat thugs, when you gather enough experience points you can unlock special moves either for your cop list or Triad list, which oddly do more harm to enemies than firearms because following the PS3 version, the goons in Sleeping Dogs are like bullet sponges and are able to take a fair amount of rounds before getting dead.
Unfortunately the game seems destined to stay below the top shelf either though lack of promotion (PS3), or having a hefty price have for the PS4 and its such a shame for a game packed with some very cool stuff.  Another downer is that looks wise it doesn't look that much different to the PlayStation 3 version. Outfits and vehicles look better but the city itself looks and 'feels' the same as the original.
All in all Sleeping Dogs Definitive Version is a tidy game  all wrapped up in a decent enough story, but depressingly that forty squids price tag is going to scupper its chances of winning any new fans. A £20 offering would have done them a lot more favours. Like its doing for the Oddworld remake, New n' Tasty.  Throwing in a few extra 'cop jobs' isn't going to be enough to entice the fence sitters.
Speaking personally, I think this game is going to rock better than the forthcoming GTAV on PS4.