It seems like a typical day in the office for triad enforcer Wei Shen at the start of Sleeping Dogs. Meet up with your boss, get assigned to take care of a drug territory dispute, move out. Unfortunately, the police aren’t so appreciative of your talents. You’re arrested, interrogated and threatened with the worst the Hong Kong PD can throw at you before your real boss bursts in and tells the detective the truth: you’re not a triad enforcer. You’re an undercover officer from San Francisco assigned to infiltrate and bring down the Hong Kong gang Sun On Lee.
Granted, it’s a bit cliche, but stellar voice acting and great dialog elevates Sleeping Dogs above the standards of the genre. Sleeping Dogs holds a very dark, somber tone, leaving little room for camp. The tongue-in-cheek nature that Grand Theft Auto 3 brought to this type of game is nowhere to be found.
You can always grab a hostage in a tight spot.
It’s hard to say a lot about Sleeping Dogs because the demo only encompasses two short missions. That being said, I was thoroughly impressed. Thirty minutes of gameplay was long enough to show off all the things developers United Front Studios and Square Enix London got right. Every part of the game reeks of style and panache. The world of the demo is so polished that I wonder if they can keep it up throughout the full game.
The Hong Kong that I witnessed in Sleeping Dogs is a gritty, vibrant, colorful place. The environment has more of an Assassin’s Creed feeling than GTA – the camera is closer and more personal, the perspective and scale of the city is more proper. Movement is fluid and realistic. Free-running over obstructions in your path is seamlessly integrated. Bumping into people while walking elicits an appropriate response; run into someone and risk getting tripped up and losing your momentum.
FATALITY.
The combat mechanics are top-rate as well. Hand to hand combat utilizes an intricate system of strikes, counters, and grapples, reminiscent of Arkham City. Enemies can be grabbed and thrown into the environment for some exciting (and violent) take downs. Some of the kills I accomplished reminded me of Madworld or Mortal Kombat fatalities from back in the day- impaling foes on meat hooks, shredding their face with fan blades, and so on. Everywhere I looked there were more options for such feats. Weapons are available as well, and the knife fighting I engaged in was particularly brutal and satisfying.
Since the demo was so short, I don’t have much else to offer. I can’t comment on the driving aspects because they were omitted from the demo completely. I can only hope the rest of the game stacks up.
I’m certainly going to be picking up a copy myself.
Platform reviewed: PS3
Impression: Between the amazing combat, stylish world and gritty dialogue, Sleeping Dogs might just have it all. Here’s hoping the game lives up to the demo.
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