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#finalfantasy Final Fantasy games have a look. The characters seem like they belong in a Final Fantasy game, and so do their iconic logos. Let's talk about those logos—namely, the Final Fantasy VII logo. More »

Stiq Flicks - from film and video game industry freelance writer Kevin Kelly - examines video games and attempts to pair them with matching films. It's like wine and cheese, but with more aliens.
Sleeping Dogs is enjoying life this week after a near-death experience as True Crime: Hong Kong at Activision before being resurrected in its current form at Square Enix. But you can't even begin to think about Sleeping Dogs, let alone play it, without mentioning Hong Kong action cinema.

Once you've stepped into that arena, you can't go any further without discussing the films of directors Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, and John Woo (to name a few). Then of course, you have to bring in Chow Yun-fat. While there are many other fantastic Hong Kong action actors, Yun-fat rose quickly to the pinnacle, and became the actor most associated with the genre on North American shores.

It's hard to imagine Sleeping Dogs existing in a world where these filmmakers and their movies didn't exist. Where these directors pulled back the curtain on the seedy criminal element deep inside of Hong Kong, the game picks up and continues. While there are many terrific films that would go along nicely with this title, we're pegging Hard Boiled as the one to go with. In fact, without Hard Boiled, there would never have been Sleeping Dogs.

After receiving a vocal negative regarding the trailer that featured Agent 47 systematically murdering an assassin squad posing as nuns decked out in latex and PVC, developer IO Interactive has decided to make some changes to Hitman Absolution.

"We learned from the trailer that we really needed to give these characters some context and some backstory," Hitman Absolution director Tore Blystad told Eurogamer during Gamescom. "We're working within the game - within that level - to build these characters up before you meet them. That way you know what you're getting and you aren't put off by them."

Known as "The Saints" within the game, Blystad says the female team of killers fits within a franchise that has often been "colourful and cartoony." The description is apt, considering Agent 47's previous experience dressing up as a clown and visiting bondage bars. Blystad also promised that the all-out-war approach taken by Agent 47 in the trailer is only one way - and it's not the smartest - to complete the level it's based on.

Blystad said that IO Interactive didn't see the backlash to the trailer coming. "We've been trying to find out, y'know, how could we not see this happening? If we knew it would get such a negative reaction we would have done it in a different way," he pondered.

What seems to be changing is just the details about the fake-nun characters. Blystad doesn't seem to be claiming that levels will be altered. Since the controversial trailer, IO Interactive released a new video detailing some of the backstory surrounding the characters. But will knowing Assassin Nun #4's likes and dislikes really alter people's reaction to their use in the game?

#finalfantasy The 25th anniversary celebration for Final Fantasy will kick off in a couple of weeks, a few months short of the series' 24th anniversary, but, hey, no one ever said the numbering of anything Final Fantasy was logical. More »

#finalfantasy Square Enix's new/remade MMORG, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was shown at Gamescom 2012 in Germany yesterday. During the stage event, producer/director Naoki Yoshida stood on stage to show what has been developed so far. More »

#finalfantasy Here's some gameplay footage of the relaunched Final Fantasy XIV. The presentation shows off some of the game's drag and drop inventory system as well as jumping. Yes, jumping! More »

#sleepingdogs Creating a compelling and enjoyable open world experience is more than just giving the player as much real estate technologically possible to play in. It's a delicate balancing act between character and scale. Somewhere between Grand Theft Auto's size and Yakuza's personality lies Sleeping Dogs. More »

#finalfantasy When I heard that the PC re-release of Final Fantasy VII—which came out yesterday—would have achievements, I thought maybe we'd see some cool challenges. Maybe they'd have a sense of humor. Or ask you to do crazy things, like beat the game with no materia or solo Ruby Weapon. More »

#hitman Unveiled this week at Gamescom in Germany, Hitman: Absolution's Contracts Mode gives players the power to create their own kill scenarios, challenging the world to be the best murder-for-hire technician they can be. More »

#tombraider There is absolutely nothing sexist, misogynistic or otherwise controversial about these Gamescom screens for Tomb Raider, so we're going to have to make up our own. Oh my god, Lara Croft is helping that hardened killer execute that woman! More »

#sleepingdogs Remember back when Activision canned United Front Studios' True Crime Hong Kong and then Square Enix picked it up and released a game that's currently got an 83 average on Metacritic. Man, those were crazy times. More »

#finalfantasy This new Japanese trailer for the PSP version of Final Fantasy III shows the team getting their magic on against a variety of foes. It also demonstrates a smart way of showing PSP footage without spreading it out and making it look janky - super-impose smaller footage over bigger, out-of-focus footage! Crafty. More »

#finalfantasy Final Fantasy VII, once released on PC in the 90s, then accidentally re-released a few weeks ago, has been re-re-released today. At least in Europe. More »

Sleeping Dogs has been through a heap of concept and name changes throughout its development, but the Vancouver-based firm United Front Games has finally unleashed its latest creation.

It's worlds apart from the developer's first game Modnation Racers, but Sleeping Dogs isn't completely unfamiliar. From its narrative to gameplay features, Sleeping Dogs is an amalgamation of other people's good ideas. It's not inspiring, it's inspired.

Square Enix says that Sleeping Dogs won't lie down for long, revealing six months of downloadable content are planned for the game following its launch tomorrow.

First on the docket will be a range of downloads available for the game's awakening at retail tomorrow, including the 80s-inspired Retro Triad Pack, featuring "a killer old school outfit with its own player buffs and funky kung-fu van."

New packs will appear in September, beginning with "a high-speed Racing Pack and an explosive SWAT Pack." Details on those two bundles are sparse, but their names give us some idea what shenanigans are to come.

For more on Sleeping Dogs, check out our recent live stream and stay tuned for the review tomorrow.

Our first live stream of Sleeping Dogs was so successful, we've decided to venture through the mean streets of Hong Kong once more. This time, Joystiq is giving away multiple Steam versions of the game to viewers. Tune in for the hand-to-hand combat, action hijacking, and slow-motion bullet firing but stay for your chance to win.

For more on the development of Sleeping Dogs, make sure to watch the replay of our original live stream, which featured the game's senior producer Jeff O'Connell.

Watch the stream after the break and on Joystiq's official Twitch page.

Sleeping Dogs launches for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on August 14.

If we didn't know better, we'd think the somewhat revealingly dressed young lady in this Sleeping Dogs trailer was purposefully tantalizing the audience through innuendo-filled comments about "enjoying exciting rides," but surely that isn't the case. Hong Kong looks so nice and reserved, after all.

Developer United Front Games gives a walkthrough of the PC version for their upcoming open-world title.

#sleepingdogs Given the fact many publishers enjoy punishing PC players with sub-par ports, it's nice to see Square Enix going the extra mile with the upcoming Sleeping Dogs. More »

Sleeping Dogs on the PC has some exclusive graphical bonuses - and not like stickers to slap on your rig, mind you. United Front Games' PC port will launch with a high-resolution texture pack for those crisp visuals, and support for multi-monitor displays. (But will it run on Batman's setup?)

If you pre-order Sleeping Dogs through Steam ahead of its August 14 launch, you'll get 10 percent off the final asking price, bringing it down to $44.99. Finally, Square Enix has also released the minimum and recommended specs for Sleeping Dogs, which we've gone ahead and published below the break.

On August 14, United Front Games will finally launch its open-world action adventure, Sleeping Dogs. The developer hit a few speed bumps along the way, but is ready to pull off the covers on officer Wei Shen's infiltration of the Hong Kong underground, right here on Joystiq.

From 11am until noon PDT (2-3pm EDT), Joystiq will stream gameplay from the PC version of Sleeping Dogs. Risking life and limb from his own undercover operation, Senior Producer Jeff O'Connell will join the Joystiq crew to discuss development, answer questions from viewers, and watch Shen kick some serious derriere.

Follow Joystiq on Twitch to ask your question during the stream, or watch the feed after the break and ask your questions in the comments.

While Thief 4 has never had anything approaching a release date, following the ripe success of Deus Ex 3, and its having been in development for over four years, it was tempting to think it might be coming nearer. Well, forget that, because a rumour in the latest Official Xbox Magazine – and further validated by CVG – suggests that they’re now aiming for it to be a next-next-gen console release. And that means it’d be Christmas 2013 at the very, very earliest.

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#tombraider I'm worried that Lara Croft won't ever get to fight a dragon again. And that she'll never go back to Atlantis. Everything we've seen so far from the gritty Tomb Raider reboot due out next year seems to indicate that the Crystal Dynamics is burning the fantasy trappings off of the action franchise. And that shouldn't be the case, because Tomb Raider thrives on unreality. More »

#finalfantasy A new teaser for Square Enix's rebuilt MMO has surfaced, showing off more of the world and characters that players will encounter when the 2.0 version of the online RPG launches later this year. More »

#finalfantasy Over the weekend, the PC rerelease of Final Fantasy VII accidentally went live. People who bought the game found themselves unable to actually play it. More »

#explainers Maybe you've heard of Final Fantasy. Maybe you're familiar with some of the basics: shiny crystals, giant swords, dead Aerises. Angry teens. More »

#dragonquest Unlike previous Dragon Quest games, Dragon Quest X is an online MMO. So far, the game's online experience has been surprisingly painless. But here's one thing that some players *might* find painful. More »

#finalfantasy The upcoming PC re-release of Final Fantasy VII was accidentally made available for sale on Square Enix's online store over the weekend, then very quickly pulled. More »

Yes, it is possible for a game to be considered "released early" in 2012 even after having been originally made in 1997. The new PC version of Final Fantasy VII showed up for sale on the website last night, according to reports on the forums.

The problem is that the downloaded copies don't work yet. The automatic license activation (through the SecuROM DRM) failed for those who bought it, and manual serial number entry also didn't work.

If that's how it is for early purchasers, it's probably a good idea that Square Enix pulled the apparently erroneous purchase links. The total price attached to these early sales was $12.70, so expect that to be the price when it's ready for prime time.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

#gyrozetter Always nice to see game makers step outside their comfort zone, and bit by bit, Square Enix has been doing just that. More »