Some games just fly under your radar. Maybe the advertising did not reach you. Maybe the word of mouth was not there. Maybe, at first glance, it just did not seem like a game you would want to play. Maybe the publisher itself failed in its marketing campaign. Regardless of the reason, Sleeping Dogs should be on your radar, if not already in your stock.
The best way to describe Sleeping Dogs is Grand Theft Auto/Saints Row meets Batman Arkham City meets Infernal Affairs (A Hong Kong investigative thriller movie and the basis for The Departed). The story goes that a man named Wei Shen has arrived in Hong Kong to take care of some very personal business. Thrills, twists, and turns are rampant in a complex plot that has Wei battling between justice and revenge.
What is remarkable about Sleeping Dogs is just how immersive it is. It does feel like you are in Hong Kong. The atmosphere oozes with authenticity as the city feels alive with the banter of people talking about their lives, with traffic jams, and even the occasional running over of pedestrians followed by a medic arriving on the scene. This authenticity is backed up by an excellent voice cast that really brings these characters to life. Actors such as James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China), Will Yun Lee (The Wolverine), Tom Wilkerson (The Patriot), Kelly Hu (X2), Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Lucy Lui (Kill Bill) bring their A-game with some of the best voice work heard in games today.
The only downside to the otherwise excellent writing is that it does weaken in the second half, and the ending wraps up too quickly. Many of the sub-plots and even characters we are introduced to (as well as in the first half) do not affect the main plot in a meaningful way. The ending itself feels like the makers were unsure about a sequel so they decided to tie up everything, which left at least one noticeable plot hole.
On the gameplay side of things, the open world of Hong Kong is a smorgasbord of opportunity. Wei can do pretty much anything from hijacking cars to stopping crime, to beating up thugs and, of course, street racing. Even just driving along the highway listening to the radio feels fun. The different tasks you accomplish aid you in building up your experience bars. Doing justice-like tasks builds your police bar, which unlocks certain abilities, while doing crime-like tasks builds up your triad bar which unlocks certain other abilities. While some of the tasks can get repetitive, and could have used some variations, the sheer breadth of variety keeps the gameplay engaging.
What truly distinguishes Sleeping Dogs from being just a GTA clone, though, is the combat system. Ripping a page straight out of Arkham City, but mixing it with a Kung Fu style and environmental brutality, the combat is where Sleeping Dogs shines brightest. The better you fight, the more experience you get. There is even a subplot that unlocks new fighting techniques. The fighting is stylish and brutal. Seriously, not only are some of the brawls bloody, especially when you use weapons like knives or tire irons, but there are environmental points for killing off your opponents such as hooks, phone booths, and even buzzsaws—features that will make even the most desensitized among us cringe.
For whatever flaws Sleeping Dogs has, be it a weaker second half or some repetitive gameplay mechanics, all in all it is a phenomenally fun and engaging game in its own right. If you love open world games like GTA, Saints Row or Arkham City, or are just looking for a solid good time, you will be doing yourself a huge disservice by letting Sleeping Dogs lie.
(Available on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3)
