Sleeping Dogs
Reviewed By Stephen Pastic
After a somewhat troubled development cycle, 2012's quiet release period comes to a close with the release of Sleeping Dogs. So, does the tail end of the year kick off with a bang, or as the phrase goes, is Sleeping Dogs a game you can afford to let lie?
Sleeping Dogs puts players in the shoes of Wei Shen - an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating the Sun On Yee triad in Hong Kong. Sporting a predilection for aggression and full body tattoos reminiscent of the Yakuza, Wei convincingly carries the title's lead role surprisingly well. As players make their way through the game, Wei will be tasked with both gaining the trust and respect of his fellow triad members whilst also performing duties on the more lawful side of the fence.
The cast and narrative thrust of Sleeping Dogs for the most part is engaging in a way that most open world titles fall short of, although Wei is by far the most interesting character throughout.
Furthermore, from time to time certain triad members will get suspicious of a rat in their midst following particular events, and as such Wei will often find himself in the middle of some dangerous circumstances as he does his best to keep his cover intact. Whilst this plot point doesn't raise it's head as much as I would have liked, whenever it occurs the writing does an admirable job of handling the situation.
For the most part, gameplay sticks to the "open world game" formula associated with titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row. Players can tackle either triad or cop missions as they become available, and each branch of missions has a simple levelling system which will allow Wei to upgrade and unlock new tools to make progression a little easier.
Triad mission experience is generally maximised by being as brutal as possible, whilst on the cop missions it is advisable to drive carefully and avoid needless damage to the environment and innocents, as these actions will result in a reduced amount of XP being awarded at the close of the mission. A third tree for level ups also exists in the form of the players "face level", which is generally filled as side missions are completed, often unlocking passive gameplay bonuses as well as access to particular wardrobe items.
Aside from the typical tropes of open world games of this ilk (i.e. driving from one end of the map to the other, collectibles hidden across the game world), Sleeping Dogs has a few unique tricks up it's sleeve. By timing a simple button press correctly, Wei can effectively navigate the environment on foot via some very parkour-esque moves, which proves invaluable in any of the game's chase sequences.
Furthermore, whilst firearms make appearances throughout the game in combat situations, the vast majority of enemy encounters rely on melee combat as opposed to filling everybody with lead. Utilising a combat system from the Arkham Asylum school of design, melee combat is primarily handled via two buttons - attack and counter. By hitting the counter button as an enemy glows red, Wei will interrupt the enemy's attack and gain the opportunity to wail on his assailant abusive husband style.
On top of wielding weapons taken from incapacitated enemies and utilising the environment for some wince inducing pain, Wei can also unlock some more damaging techniques by tracking down statues located throughout the game, in an ongoing sidequest for his kung fu instructor.
Firearm combat is pretty standard third person fare, although by holding the left trigger as the player vaults an obstacle, Wei can slow time Max Payne style giving a few extra precious seconds to put enemies down. Time is also slowed whilst aiming at an enemy from a car in motion, and is a huge help in accurately placing shots while simultaneously trying to stay on the road (developers of similar titles - take note). Wei can also hijack vehicles by driving close enough to leap from his car to the target with a simple button press - whilst it works well when required, something about the transition from car A to car B does look a little ridiculous at times.
Navigating the island by vehicle is also made marginally easier by directional arrows showing up at relevant turn offs towards the current objective, saving players from a need to keep an eye on the mini map and risking running into something while getting one's bearings.
Visually, Sleeping Dogs is competent, but by no means outstanding. However, it should be noted that the streets of Hong Kong look amazing when it rains after sundown - speeding on the wet glistening roads during the dark hours are defintely a visual highlight.
Voice work is on balance above par, and a slight touch which really ups the immersion is the fact that often characters will alternate between both English and Cantonese within the same line of dialogue - primarily delivered in English, characters will often swear in Cantonese seamlessly as they become frustrated or angry.
As is often the case with open world games, several in game radio stations are also featured with different genres of music, although once I discovered the Roadrunner Records station the others may as well have not existed - if Fear Factory and Machine Head are presented as an option, the others were never going to get any significant airtime on my end.
In terms of online offerings, Sleeping Dogs keeps track of various feats such as longest time spent driving cleanly at full speed, or longest vehicle jump and continually keeps players updated on how their feats compare to those of their friends. For the more competitive type of player, you can also challenge friends to top your feats in any of the things tracked by the game.
Whist Sleeping Dogs does well in sucking the player into the seedy underbelly of Hong Kong, I can't help but feel that the first half of the game is by far the stronger slice of the story - by the end of the game I was still kept interested, but nowhere near as much as i had been earlier.
Whilst not a criticism as such, it should also be pointed out that towards the end of the story melee combat gives way to a more pronounced emphasis on firearms, which does push the game further towards feeling like most other games in this genre.
Melee combat also has a slight annoying niggle in that 90% of the time standing around waiting for a counter attack opportunity seems to be the best method of dealing with a large group of attackers. On top of this, it does seem that Wei takes slightly too long to get back to a neutral stance after committing to an attack, often resulting in getting smacked from behind before the player can counter the incoming blow.
Side missions, while not terrible, also feel somewhat uninspired for the most part and tend to feel like arbitrary padding out in comparison to the main thrust of the game.
Minor issues aside though, Sleeping Dogs is a welcome end to the recent release drought, and one that is well worth your time. With a story and characters that manage to rise above typical "GTA clone" fare, and some welcome gameplay tweaks to the established formula that other developers would be wise to take note of, Sleeping Dogs is an easy recommendation.
Game: Sleeping Dogs
System: XBOX 360
Developer/Co-Developer: United Front Games
Publisher: Namco Bandai / Square Enix
