Let's Play - Sleeping Dogs

What is it?
Sleeping Dogs is a single player open-world action game developed by United Front Games along with Square Enix London Studios. You play as Wei Shen, an undercover police officer in the Hong Kong Police Department who is trying to infiltrate a Triad Gang, the Sun On Yee.

And doing a damn good job too

What is it about?

The game is a third-person, action/adventure with some minor role-play. It is similar to other big games of the same genre such as GTA, L.A. Noire and Assassins Creed but instead tries to make it's own mark by combining several different elements. Instead of playing a straight up Cop or Crook, you play as an Undercover detective. This gives you plenty of freedom to break the rules to maintain your cover which puts a focus on the criminal acts you perform as a means to get things done rather than blindly murdering everyone.

There's a reason for this violance so that makes it ok

Another interesting focus is the martial arts in the game. You don't get to use your first gun until much later on and even then they are sluggish and awkward to use. The combat flows very much like Rocksteady's 'FreeFlow' system from their Batman games, it is however not as refined being quite repetitive and sluggish at times. This is dwarfed however by the games use of Hong Kong as a setting, beautiful lights are contrasted against a city with a rich cultural heritage and mass urban sprawl.

Sleeping Dogs has a few pretty amazing "WOW" moments, the scenary and a few cinematic scenes will still surprise. Lighting effects are top notch and with the high-resolution texture pack installed, many characters look extremely detailed (dare I say, beautiful?). Flashlights occasionally appear on guns which demonstrate this even further.

I like shadows and lights ok?

One major drawback though is the stiff facial animations. This causes many cutscenes to be a let down which is exacerbated by the voice acting. Despite being set in Hong Kong and being influenced by many Hong Kong action films, the majority of the cast speak English in a distinctly american accent. Occasionally people will speak in Cantonese which is great, they even represented a few British and Indian characters too, but sadly this is not often enough.

As pretty as it is I don't expect it to win any wet t-shirt contests.

Where can I get it?
 Sleeping Dogs is available for PC via Steam and OnLive, PS3 and Xbox 360 for around £30.

Winston is pissed because he missed the steam sales...

What do you think?
Sleeping Dogs took a while to grow on me, I was hoping for a more "Hong Kong" experience  It's a step in the right direction though and has a few fun and quirky mechanics. Sadly the game is let down by awkward cameras, overly sensitive driving and poor facial animations. Gunplay pays a distinct homage to John Woo's action films but even this somehow feels wrong. The game acknowledges it's strong points, mainly the martial arts system and keeps that the main focus for much of it. If the designers made everything Cantonese I would've felt a bit better.

Not all of the games ideas miss their target

A good alternative to classics such as GTA but not quite matching it's impact on the genre. A fresh blend of elements, mechanics and an captivating story line keep this game original and fun.

I rate this 7.2/10

Check out the video below for some action packed footage of me playing Sleeping Dogs!