THE STREETS OF HONG KONG AWAIT. On PC | PS3 | Xbox 360 Developer United Front Games Publisher Square Enix Genre Action-adventure Release Date August 14, 2012 Game Page | Video Review |
Started as True Crime: Hong Kong back at E3 2008 by Activision, before they decided to cancel the game in 2011 for no reason. The game did not see its doom, as it was later brought back by Square Enix. This left the fans wondering why Activision dropped it in the first place. This game can easily be compared to other open world games such as: Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, and others. However in this game you don't play the usual bad guy. You play an undercover cop who poses as a triad member, Wei Chen.
The game takes place in the streets of Hong Kong. United Front Games did an amazing job recreating the city and bringing it to life. The city is vivid and its people are full of life. It is so authentic that they even talk in Cantonese, this helped bring the realism to the game. The story revolves around Wei Chen an officer of the San Francisco Police Department who was transferred to the Hong Kong Police Force. He is an undercover cop trying to infiltrate a triad society called the Sun On Yee. Throughout the story you will meet different characters that will help you become a Sun On Yee. As you progress with the game you'll gain experience points to upgrade your skills and attain new abilities.
The fighting in this game is top of the line and it is what stands out of the game the most. Due to its very fluent mechanism, the player can easily be immersed in the action.There is a variety of moves Wei can pull off to make the combat feel like a martial arts movie. The fighting mechanics can be compared to the combat in recent Batman games, however United Front Games did an amazing job adding a style of its own. The use of weapons and environmental kills adds to the already hardcore combat. The gun fighting in this game is easy to get used too. It contains a cover based system, you can take cover, slide over objects, and a lot more to keep the action going. Slow-mos in the game help keep that awesome feel of a top action movie.
The driving in this game has an arcade-style feel to it. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can get kinda frustrating in the beginning. There are a variety of vehicles you can drive, from super cars and bikes to buses. You can also call a taxi if you don't feel like driving. With the inclusion of cars; comes some intense shoot-outs. Vehicular combat keeps that extreme feeling going, specially with the variety of ways you can take on the action. You can shoot out their tires, kill the person, or with the hijack system take his car. It wouldn't be a martial arts game without some intense chases down the dense streets with parkour. Parkour isn't a Mirrors Edge though, but it was a nice addition to the game. There is a lot to do in the game aside from all the action: buy clothes, karaoke, go out on dates and more.
Overall
Sleeping Dogs is an amazing game and if you like martial arts films you should definitely try this game out. Although this game isn't a GTA, it seriously proved to be comparable to the top open-world games today. The story is awesome and will keep you locked in, and to add to it the amazing mechanics the game comes with will just help perfect the experience. | 9/10 |