A Look at Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

When the Definitive Edition of Sleeping Dogs was first announced, it seemed like it was going to be a console-exclusive. That’s something I believed all the way up until last week, when I visited the Steam store and happened to see it listed front and center. Being a big fan of the game, I couldn’t help but wonder if this version would be worth the purchase, especially since it seemed to bring little new to the table.

As the game’s page at Steam reads: “The Definitive Edition of the critically acclaimed, award winning open-world action adventure, reworked, rebuilt and re-mastered for the new generation. With all previously available DLC included and a wealth of tech and visual improvements, Hong Kong has never felt so alive.”

Those who stand to benefit the most from the Definitive Edition are those who’ve never played the game before. All of the DLC is included (except for the XP/cash boost packs), making it a great all-in-one package – one that has a lot of content at-the-ready. Those who already own the original, especially with all of the DLC, will be a much harder sell – although there’s a 50% discount for those who own the original. Nonetheless, if you do own the original, you’ll need to be a very big fan of the game to want this edition. If you’re an achievement junky, you’ll be happy to know that because the Definitive Edition is a separate title on Steam, so too are the achievements.

Note: Each screenshot on this page is from the original release of the game. You can hover over to see the Definitive Edition version (it might take a moment to download the image). You can click on the URLs under each shot to view them in 1080p.

Original | Definitive

What about these “visual improvements”? The game already looks very good (I still use it for benchmarking!), so I had doubts that there would be any noticeable differences. Well, I was wrong to jump to conclusions, because there are some enhancements here, and overall I think they look quite good. Fog is the biggest addition, and you’ll see it often. After having put in a good amount of time into the Definitive Edition, I’m of the mind that fog can really make an environment feel a little more realistic.

When you compare scenes in each version of the game side-by-side, you’ll notice some changes that otherwise would have been way too subtle to notice. Some signage, for example, might look a bit better (and quite different) in the Definitive Edition, and other textures you think didn’t even need to be touched, were. For example, you might notice that the texture on some unimportant wall has changed, or certain windows that were lit up in the original release are no longer (or again, will look different).

For quick proof of changed textures, check out the clothing stand in the shot below:

Original | Definitive

In addition to the texture changes, the lighting has been improved in some cases as well.

Original | Definitive

Original | Definitive

And here’s two more shots just for the sake of being thorough:

Original | Definitive

Original | Definitive

All of these shots were taken straight from the game’s built-in benchmark, since it’s far more accurate than I am in duplicating a scene in both games. If you’re interested in checking out a side-by-side comparison of the benchmark in action, check out the video at the top of the page.

So – is the Definitive Edition worth the cash, or is it just a cash-grab by Square Enix? I’d say both are true, but it depends on your past experience and love for the game. If you’ve never played Sleeping Dogs before and love open-world games, then the value is extremely high for its $30 price tag. For those who own the original version and all of its DLC, it’s a hard purchase to justify, even if you consider that it costs just $15 to you. For major fans of the game, it’s going to be a no-brainer purchase, but if you don’t fall into that camp, you’re safe to avoid this one.