It’s become the norm that each year brings us a selection of remakes and remasters alongside the usual new releases.
Why? Well it’s more expensive than ever to create single-player titles – and despite the high price tag of AAA games, studios are actually earning less than they did 20 years ago due to those high development costs.
The remaster, rerelease, or remake of a beloved title of yesteryear is a surefire way for a studio to secure some extra funds, allowing them to then go on to create the new IPs and sequels we’re all craving.
Horizon Zero Dawn, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, The Last of Us Part I, Dragon Quest III HD-2D, Until Dawn, Silent Hill 2, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater are just a few of the titles to have recently welcomed, or soon will be welcoming, revised editions whether that be via a remake or remaster.
There’s one game, however, that I’d like to see added to that list that features heaps of untapped potential: Sleeping Dogs.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is due to finally launch this year.
Developed by United Front Games, Sleeping Dogs launched back in 2012 with the story centering around Hong Kong-based martial artist and undercover police officer Wei Shen.
If you’ve not played the game, you essentially seek to infiltrate the Sun On Yee triad, so there are definite touches of Grand Theft Auto, Mafia, and Yakuza at play here.
The game didn’t fare all that badly, securing a Metacritic score of 80 but that wasn’t enough to generate a sequel – and while I, unfortunately, cannot tell you that a sequel, remake, nor remaster is coming, I can show you what the latter two might look like.
As reported by DSOGaming, 3D artist Pasquale Scionti has put together several screenshots and video clips showcasing what Sleeping Dogs might look like if it was remade in Unreal Engine 5.
He used Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen HDE Lighting with directional light and volumetric fog, as well as Quixel Megascans and 8K textures for the buildings.
As this is an Unreal Engine 5 project, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that it looks phenomenal.
What Pasquale Scionti has created is quite remarkable, and it’s only making me sad that this isn’t a fully realised project.
Take a look at the project in action below.
It’s nice to ponder ‘What if?’ sometimes, even if it can be bittersweet as, let’s face it, the chances of Sleeping Dogs actually making a grand return are likely pretty slim.
It’s a shame because it’s what we all want.
“We need Sleeping Dogs 2 with these graphics,” wrote one viewer.
“Awesome result. Masterpiece,” added another.
Let’s just hope that the game’s original publisher, Square Enix, is paying attention. I wouldn’t hold your breath though.
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