Sleeping Dogs is one of Square Enix’s next hit titles. This game is an open world crime drama set in the city of Hong Kong. The plot focuses on an undercover police officer who is attempting to bring down criminal organizations. A detective by the name of Wei Shen of the San Francisco Police department was sent to aid Triad Bureau of Hong Kong’s police. Wei’s mission is to go undercover and destroy a Triad organization called Sun On Yee. One of the more intriguing points about Sleeping Dogs is that there are two major plots wrapped up into one storyline. One of the subplots is centered around Wei and his moral choices on sticking to his ultimate missions. The other subplot if more general and focuses on destroying and killing the Triads. Sleeping Dogs was one of those games that held a general interest but it was something that seemed to be flying under most gamers radars. After getting hands-on with the game the thought of most gamers not recognizing the game is a disgrace, this game was presently enjoyable and something every gamer should take note of.
When the demo was started the player is instantly intrigued with a dramatic storyline. Right from the start you get the feel of the game as a whole. If we were given one world to describe the game play aspect of Sleeping Dogs it would be excitement. The player is placed in the circumstance were he must chase down his enemy. The case scene was thrilling and impressive. There would be moments when pedestrians would hop in the way and character would realistically stumble. To have a game so theatrical it’s strange that it feels so rational.
The case leaves off where the player must fight a group of enemies in order to proceed. In this scene the player uses the environment around them to knock out the opponents. Environmental killing has been intergraded into many titles over the generation but Sleeping Dogs has taken that means of eliminating your enemy just a step farther. In this game the options of environmental killing are nearly limitless; almost anything and everything around the player can be used indirectly as a weapon. Take the circumstance of fighting near a trash can for example; when the player is near this object there are tons of different ways Wei can use the can to knock out his enemy. Although the player can not pick up any old trash can and bash their enemies to death with it, they can still be used as a nearly lethal weapon; along with many other objects.
Hong Kong has been captured to its greatest potential in Sleeping Dogs. This is an area that few games have touched upon and it is done to absolute perfection in Sleeping Dogs. Traveling through the busy streets on screen feels as if you are pushing your way through the crowd in person… yes it is that realistic to the actual area. The development team has done a wonderful job with not only the look of the city but the feel of its culture.
The most pleasant surprises with Sleeping Dogs was the game play. What we had seen in trailers and other ways the game was advertised was the near guarantee that there will be a good story to the game. What players haven’t seen so much of is the game play portion of the game. The game play is open world which gives the player an automatic feeling of freedom. Open world games are favored among a large portion of the gaming community so choosing to set Sleeping Dogs in genera was a no brainer.
One of the main worries among players is in controls, movements and combat. The controls fit perfectly with the game; this was something that was so easy to get the hang of that those players who know their way around the controller from other games probably won’t even need a tutorial for this game. When Wei moves through the city of Hong Kong it looks real; it’s like playing a movie. The movements mirror those of the real world around us. The graphics are also stellar. To mention combat it circles right back around to the easily memorable controls. The game can not appear too difficult on any setting because of the controls which is perfect for a game like this because it’s about the experiences and the story not how good the player is.
Sleeping Dogs was simply surprising when it comes to how good the game was. It was instantly connectable to any player despite the Hong Kong setting. This was a game were players didn’t expect much from and yet it delivers an experience that no other game out there has dared to tread.
Sleeping Dogs will be on store shelves starting August 14th 2012 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The release date of this title is only weeks away and is kicking off the holiday gaming season with a bang. Sleeping Dogs can be recommended to most any player; we can’t wait to uncover the full story hidden within the Sleeping Dogs disk!
