Sleeping Dogs Review

Sleeping Dogs will have you barking for more when you put the controller down to take a break. You cannot say there is that many games that can have this hold over you, but United Front Games have created one of the best games of 2012. Have you ever watched a John Woo film? Namely Hard Boiled to be a bit more specific, because Sleeping Dogs has the same intensity, and captures the gritty side of Hong Kong perfectly. This review will contain spoilers.

When you play Sleeping Dogs straight away, you are witnessing a deal go down by the docks. Wei Shen is the guy you will be playing as throughout this sandbox adventure from the east. When an unfortunate security guard stumbles upon the deal, all hell breaks loose. Here is the first encounter of the parkour style of getting around a lot quicker. Wei is very nimble and will slide across counters, jump over railings and large gaps to proceed onwards. Tapping A before the slide and jump will execute a smooth action then hitting it hard, slowing you down in the process.

It’s a rather easy and simple process, and will come natural over the course of the game. The story behind Sleeping Dogs is fantastic, and I can easily say that with confidence straight away. You may think its a typical Hong Kong undercover cop and destroy the Triads within, which is true from the outside, but once you start to go deeper, you do question whether Wei can handle the pressures of this undercover malarkey.

The combat is like Batman Arkham Asylum/City. Its free-flowing and very precise. They even got George St Pierre to do all the fighting in mo-cap,  so you know the fighting is going to be top-notch, brutal and bone crushing. You can use the environment as well, which will lead to some nasty deaths for your rather dumb witted friends. Use a saw bench, throw them over railings, impale them and break their bones with devastating moves you have learnt and loads more. Sleeping Dogs also has a lot of collectibles to go off and search for in Hong Kong, from hacking security camera’s to perform drug raids, brief cases scattered around the city, shrines to pray and upgrade you’re health.

Sleeping Dogs has a star studded cast as well behind the faces of the game. From Kelly Hu, Robin Shou to Emma Stone, oh and Tom WIlkinson (Rush Hour if that rings any bells?) Plus James Wong and Byron Mann (Remember that guy? He played Ryu in the Street Fighter film with Jean Claude Van Dam…)

The game does like you to use guns, but it does prefer you to get you’re hands bloody. Weapons will indeed save your ass when you need it, but the most fun is when you are using your hands to take out the Triads.

Sleeping Dogs is a very enjoyable affair which will keep you gripped for a long time. A story which has twist and turns, and their very own Reservoir Dogs scene, which you need to play to see!

9/10