Sleeping Dogs has had much hype prior to its release. Some even claim that this is the most thrilling crime game in years. This game was originally called True Crime: Hong Kong and is more like Grand Theft Auto in its seriousness.
The main character is Wei Shen; a Chinese American undercover cop who grew up in Hong Kong, but left for America when he was 10. He is now assigned to infiltrate the tattooed Hong Kong triad Sun Yee On. His goal is to destroy the criminal organization he is working with from its underbelly.
Joining the triad was quite easy for him, since he has some childhood friends involved in it. In fact, one of his old friends named Jackie made it possible for him to join the organization. Part of the challenge Wei Shen has to face is when he has to prove his loyalty to the Hong Kong mafia. He is often put in situations wherein he has to make conflicting moral choices. This is tough to do, especially for a cop like him, but this leaves him no choice. He has to ward off suspicions and prove his allegiance. Treason is one sin the Hong Kong mafia never forgets.
While playing the game, you feel that it is as if you are also in Hong Kong because of the surreal sights and sounds, especially that of the Chinese language. You will also be taken to underground boxing fights.
Fight scenes in this game involves the main protagonist doing hand combats and martial arts moves like kung fu. Power ups like guns and the melee are also used. The shooting scenes are sparse, but its appearance increases in frequency at the middle part of the game until the end. The first item you will receive is a hand gun, which you will use singlehandedly to shoot down enemies. Added to this are the exciting car chases.
These scenes only get to be more exciting because of its reward system. Strategically placed statues can be collected by the player which is then returned to the dojo, who is the rightful owner of the artefact. These statues would then unlock combination moves that could kill your enemies.
You would often be sent on quests like car races and doing random favours for people around the city. Once these objectives are met, skills are unlocked and the player gains points. Completing these quests also increases your hierarchy in the mafia. This is also called as “face”.
It has a great soundtrack and you can even change the radio station to listen to a new genre of music.
As is most often the case with video games, the narrative and game play does not jive with each other. If you are not on a quest, you can readily kill innocent civilians and it won’t matter. There are also noticeable errors with lip syncing. Some of the verbalized scripts do not match the facial gestures of the actors, but it only causes minimal distraction. This is a great game that has plenty of entertainment value.