'The Hong Kong Massacre' wears its inspirations proudly, and to great effect

I'm not going to tiptoe around The Hong Kong Massacre's obvious inspirations. First-time developer Vreski didn't — with great success! — so why should I? This game is Hotline Miami meets Max Payne, with a heaping side of John Woo. It's awesome.

If you're familiar with all of those things and are already shouting in excitement, there's no need to read any further. Just go play the game. It presses all of those buttons with aplomb. But hey, since you're already here, let's talk about how these three pieces fit together.

The Hong Kong Massacre is an action game played from a bird's-eye-view perspective. It's what's often called a "twin-stick shooter," with one controller thumbstick used to move your avatar and the other dedicated entirely to aiming your guns. Having the freedom to move and shoot in separate directions is the beating heart of a game like this. Read more...