Sleeper hit of 2012
Sleeping Dogs is a mix of sandbox action and role-playing game leveling. It presents a compelling, though sometimes comical, plot that takes you through the mind of an undercover cop who is penetrating the Hong Kong underworld.
There is a lot to experience in Sleeping Dogs, from completing the main story to hijacking armored cars for the Triads. During your time in this fictional version of Hong Kong, you will use a mix of martial arts and weapons to accomplish different tasks, from protecting the head of your gang to framing drug dealers.
Story
At the beginning of Sleeping Dogs, you learn about Wei Shen, a San Francisco cop who grew up in both Hong Kong and the United States. He returns to Hong Kong to work deep undercover, making his way up from foot soldier to sub-boss in his gang.
Shen has to work both as a cop and Triad member, completing missions that help the police in their case while working as an upcoming member of his gang, completing escorts and pickups. As he works his way up, his missions become more in-depth, and the conflict of his undercover status becomes strained as his dedication to the Triads stars to conflict with his police duties.
His dual lives become more and more difficult and ultimately conflict with each other.
Gameplay
Sleeping Dogs focuses on the main story missions and the variety of side missions, as well as collecting briefcases and finding health shrines.
The main story missions consist of police cases and Triad missions. Completing these missions will help level Shen to unlock new abilities like reduced gun recoil, taking less melee damage, and being able to slow down time when stealing a new vehicle.
Side missions in the game are small favors that usually require you to destroy cars, deliver goods, or framing rival gangs. There are also persistent side missions like collecting the various jade statues in Hong Kong. These are used to unlock new martial arts moves. You also have to locate multiple health shrines to increase your health as the game progresses. There are also races that you can complete.
Smaller missions, like going on dates with story characters, unlock locations for these collectibles. These missions increase your "face" rating, which is a personal-level system. While there are different moves learned through completing main missions, the Face rating opens new clothes and vehicles for purchase.
The combat system in Sleeping Dogs is excellent, with melee martial arts taking the priority in the game. There are different enemy types requiring different strategies, and the countersystem is the most useful tool during combat. Learning new moves opens a consistent stream of moves that can be used against enemies, even those with weapons.
Weapon combat consists of melee weapons like knives and crowbars to guns. The melee weapons limit your attacks but give more damage. Gun combat is polished, only requiring a few buttons to aim and fire. Most of the time you will not be using guns except on missions where you have tons of weapons to reload with. Since guns are uncommon in Hong Kong, it is a treat to be able to use them during missions, especially in vehicles.
Using cars and motorcycles is the primary means of transportation. Each vehicle has their own characteristics, and the ability to purchase different cars and motorcycles is a lot of fun. It does not take long to acquire a lot of money to purchase different vehicles to use.
You will spend a lot of time on the road, and thankfully the size of fictional Hong Kong is digestible and actually fun to drive around. The cars have the ability to bump other cars, which is useful when running from police or trying to stop an escaping triad.
There is so much to do in Sleeping Dogs that the smaller size of Hong Kong gives you a perfect amount of freedom while allowing for sandbox gameplay.
Graphics
Like most stylized games, Sleeping Dogs takes a sidestep with realism. Since Sleeping Dogs takes place in Hong Kong, the majority of characters are Asian. The few Caucasians are thankfully built off different models. Most of the generic characters that fill the world are copy-and-paste, but you do not spend a lot of time with them in particular, so it does not matter.
Main and secondary characters have a great amount of detail, though there is a discrepancy of detail from in-game to cutscenes. Sometimes even cutscenes make characters look slightly less detailed.
Hong Kong is split into different sections, and each one has its own look, giving a different feel as you exit the highway and enter that part. The different towns have a great deal of detail, and the vehicles have distinct properties. It looks and feels like a realistic version of Hong Kong, from the characters to the architecture of the world.
While not as highly detailed as other games, the immersion Sleeping Dogs provides is excellent.
Sound design
The sound design in Sleeping Dogs is a standout feature, with voice acting and environmental audio playing key roles. The main cast delivers authentic, engaging performances that add depth to the story and make the characters feel real. However, generic NPCs often speak in heavily accented English, which feels out of place in Hong Kong and can come across as awkward, occasionally breaking immersion.
The environmental sounds, though, are exceptional. Bustling markets, car radios, and the constant hum of city life create a rich, immersive atmosphere. Every corner of Hong Kong feels vibrant and alive, thanks to the intricate audio design. This attention to sound makes the game one of the best sandbox games for crafting a believable and engaging world through its audio.
Unlisted but still playable
While Sleeping Dogs remains playable for those who own it, the original version is no longer available for purchase. It has since been replaced by Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition, a remastered version that retains the core narrative while offering a more refined plot and enhanced features. For players who still have access to the original game, all 25 DLCs are still available for purchase, providing additional content to expand the experience.
One of the best sandbox games
Sleeping Dogs offer a lot to experience. The Hong Kong setting presents an entirely different tone and theme to Sandbox games while offering a polished combat system and driving mechanic. The plot is intriguing for the most part, though some of the side missions are displeasing. Overall, the package is amazing, as it presents a world with flawed characters rather than the hero stereotype.
