Sleeping Dogs - not a bad multi-platformer for United Front Games - especially considering it was on the brink of being cancelled during development.
I found that this game gives you a lot of control of the main character, Wei Shen. Straight up, I have not played a Martial Arts- based sandbox game that has better hand-to-hand combat mechanics than Sleeping Dogs. The moves that Wei Shen can perform are depicted as realistic and very well framed for a nice, smooth-looking execution.
If you are after a shooting-based sandbox game with guns, and RPG- type weapons, you will be disappointed. There are a few missions in this game that do include these items, however they are rare and this is quoted from the beginning of the game. The base of this game is Martial Arts/hand-to-hand combat. There are many chances for Wei to arm himself with items such as knives, meat cleavers and metal bars that he can use as weapons for a limited time, and there are also environmental attacks which he can perform where he will use everyday infrastructure from the world around him to his advantage.
In terms of guns though, there are different types, from simple hand guns, machine guns (uzis), long-range automatic firearms, and even an RPG/automatic hybrid. Some of these guns also have flashlights on them which make some of the darker scenes in the game look more realistic.
The aiming and firing with these weapons is great, however the lock feature when firing needs to be worked on as users may find at times their firearms are automatically locking on anything other than the targets which can be frustrating - particularly when the missions involve driving or chases.
The Martial Arts club Wei constantly visits allows the player to learn new forms for unarmed combat upgrades in exchange for jade statues which are found throughout the city via missions. There are also other upgrades to be found when Wei completes general missions.
Like many sandbox games, Wei has the ability to buy different types of clothing - hats, glasses, bracelets, necklaces, watches, shirts, jackets, pants, shoes, even entire costumes. There are also food and beverage items that can be purchased which can increase Wei's attacking, healing and general health levels.
The driving mechanics of Sleeping Dogs, I found, are its biggest letdown. This is due to the driving being very frustrating, and unrealistic. Comparing the mechanics to games like Driver: San Francisco, or Grand Theft Auto 4 & 5, you will notice a big difference.
In terms of AI (Artificial Intelligence), the enemies are put together fairly well. Many of the main characters in Wei's triad will throw their weight around when Wei first joins, and you will notice a heavy presence of testosterone. Despite this, Wei keeps a cool head. There are many women Wei gets involved in, and sub- missions such as taking them on dates and singing songs for them at the karaoke bar can be quite hilarious. It will be noted by a few of these women throughout the game that they find out Wei is involved with other ladies and won't be too happy about it. You will also notice that most of the side characters on the street speak broken English. which, given the game is set in Hong Kong, is unrealistic, as you would expect most to speak their native fluent Mandarin and Cantonese. There are many cut scenes in which a mixture of Cantonese and English are spoken in which the translation is displayed in captions.
Police are also on hand to intervene in criminal acts such as killing pedestrians, and even ramming cars into theirs. Paramedics usually arrive if a person has been killed by Wei.
There are also other side missions that are broken up into three different categories:
(1) Defeat the local gang - this requires Wei to defeat a group of thugs, mainly in hand-to-hand combat, however in some cases weapons such as knives and guns are involved);
(2) Hack the surveillance camera - once the thugs have been defeated, Wei hacks the surveillance camera in the area to gain access to it, then;
(3) Identify the drug supplier - back in his apartment, Wei then uses the camera feed to identify the drug supplier within the gang and alerts the local Police to arrest him.
The layout and details of the city of Hong Kong are great. There are various market stalls, dodgy businesses, and even thieves and street gangs which make the game more realistic. There is a financial district, hospitals, Police stations, many marvelous buildings along the harbour, and Buddhist Temples which are very detailed.
The downfalls of this game as previously noted are the driving mechanics, as well as the lock feature when firing. Apart from that, the graphics, while greatly detailed, can at times depict the characters as looking like mannequins rather than people. Finally, there are a lot of characters in this game that come and go, and considering there aren't many playing hours involved, it can often appear as too many too often. A lot of the characters also disappear throughout from the game without further mention - particularly the love interests of Wei, which can be pretty disappointing as they can be characters which the players grow to like.
On a positive note, there are many famous actors who are the voices of many characters in this game, they include: Will Yun Lee (as Wei Shen), Kelly Hu, Byron Mann, James Hong, Yunjin Kim, Lucy Liu, James C. Mathis III, Celina Jade, Tom Wilkinson, Lindsay Price and Emma Stone.
The Verdict: For a game that was going to be cancelled, I will not let Sleeping Dogs lie!
Final score for Sleeping Dogs: 7/10.
I found that this game gives you a lot of control of the main character, Wei Shen. Straight up, I have not played a Martial Arts- based sandbox game that has better hand-to-hand combat mechanics than Sleeping Dogs. The moves that Wei Shen can perform are depicted as realistic and very well framed for a nice, smooth-looking execution.
If you are after a shooting-based sandbox game with guns, and RPG- type weapons, you will be disappointed. There are a few missions in this game that do include these items, however they are rare and this is quoted from the beginning of the game. The base of this game is Martial Arts/hand-to-hand combat. There are many chances for Wei to arm himself with items such as knives, meat cleavers and metal bars that he can use as weapons for a limited time, and there are also environmental attacks which he can perform where he will use everyday infrastructure from the world around him to his advantage.
In terms of guns though, there are different types, from simple hand guns, machine guns (uzis), long-range automatic firearms, and even an RPG/automatic hybrid. Some of these guns also have flashlights on them which make some of the darker scenes in the game look more realistic.
The aiming and firing with these weapons is great, however the lock feature when firing needs to be worked on as users may find at times their firearms are automatically locking on anything other than the targets which can be frustrating - particularly when the missions involve driving or chases.
The Martial Arts club Wei constantly visits allows the player to learn new forms for unarmed combat upgrades in exchange for jade statues which are found throughout the city via missions. There are also other upgrades to be found when Wei completes general missions.
Like many sandbox games, Wei has the ability to buy different types of clothing - hats, glasses, bracelets, necklaces, watches, shirts, jackets, pants, shoes, even entire costumes. There are also food and beverage items that can be purchased which can increase Wei's attacking, healing and general health levels.
The driving mechanics of Sleeping Dogs, I found, are its biggest letdown. This is due to the driving being very frustrating, and unrealistic. Comparing the mechanics to games like Driver: San Francisco, or Grand Theft Auto 4 & 5, you will notice a big difference.
In terms of AI (Artificial Intelligence), the enemies are put together fairly well. Many of the main characters in Wei's triad will throw their weight around when Wei first joins, and you will notice a heavy presence of testosterone. Despite this, Wei keeps a cool head. There are many women Wei gets involved in, and sub- missions such as taking them on dates and singing songs for them at the karaoke bar can be quite hilarious. It will be noted by a few of these women throughout the game that they find out Wei is involved with other ladies and won't be too happy about it. You will also notice that most of the side characters on the street speak broken English. which, given the game is set in Hong Kong, is unrealistic, as you would expect most to speak their native fluent Mandarin and Cantonese. There are many cut scenes in which a mixture of Cantonese and English are spoken in which the translation is displayed in captions.
Police are also on hand to intervene in criminal acts such as killing pedestrians, and even ramming cars into theirs. Paramedics usually arrive if a person has been killed by Wei.
There are also other side missions that are broken up into three different categories:
(1) Defeat the local gang - this requires Wei to defeat a group of thugs, mainly in hand-to-hand combat, however in some cases weapons such as knives and guns are involved);
(2) Hack the surveillance camera - once the thugs have been defeated, Wei hacks the surveillance camera in the area to gain access to it, then;
(3) Identify the drug supplier - back in his apartment, Wei then uses the camera feed to identify the drug supplier within the gang and alerts the local Police to arrest him.
The layout and details of the city of Hong Kong are great. There are various market stalls, dodgy businesses, and even thieves and street gangs which make the game more realistic. There is a financial district, hospitals, Police stations, many marvelous buildings along the harbour, and Buddhist Temples which are very detailed.
The downfalls of this game as previously noted are the driving mechanics, as well as the lock feature when firing. Apart from that, the graphics, while greatly detailed, can at times depict the characters as looking like mannequins rather than people. Finally, there are a lot of characters in this game that come and go, and considering there aren't many playing hours involved, it can often appear as too many too often. A lot of the characters also disappear throughout from the game without further mention - particularly the love interests of Wei, which can be pretty disappointing as they can be characters which the players grow to like.
On a positive note, there are many famous actors who are the voices of many characters in this game, they include: Will Yun Lee (as Wei Shen), Kelly Hu, Byron Mann, James Hong, Yunjin Kim, Lucy Liu, James C. Mathis III, Celina Jade, Tom Wilkinson, Lindsay Price and Emma Stone.
The Verdict: For a game that was going to be cancelled, I will not let Sleeping Dogs lie!
Final score for Sleeping Dogs: 7/10.