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SLEEPING DOGS
Platform: Xbox 360
83
Reviewed on PC

Sleeping Dogs Preview - E3 2012

A new direction for the franchise proves to be tons of fun

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Sleeping Dogs (summer release) is new facelift for the True Crime series of games that were released several years ago for the Xbox and PS2. For those that may not remember the format, it was a sandbox action game similar to Grand Theft Auto. Now that Square Enix has the IP and United Front Games have taken the reins, we have a familiar format, but brought up to date with features common in our sandbox action games. While sandbox games are nothing new over the recent years, the question is whether Sleeping Dogs looks promising enough to differentiate itself from the crowd. I had an opportunity to experience the melee side of the game in a short mission to track down a rival gang member.
 
Sleeping Dogs
 
The setting for Sleeping Dogs is Honk Kong. You play Wei Shen, an undercover cop trying to take the triads down from the inside. As with all narratives of this nature, there is always conflict present between the job of being a cop, and the way in which a character inevitably begins to sympathise with the gang he infiltrates. The classic China Town market I began in was replete with bright lights, restaurants, stalls, and claustrophobic streets. After a short cutscene which delivered the incentive for me to track down an individual, I took to the streets.
 
There were a number of characters and objects to interact with, such as vending machines and individuals that could provide temporary boosts to stats like attack. Then, after a brief period of investigation around the tight plaza, I found the man in question, and after a short scene, I gave chase. This is when Sleeping Dogs introduced how the player interacts with their running animations. The player weaves and dodges the populace, which became particularly cool looking when at the last moment I strafed to the side of an NPC, to then vault up the side of a building using the character’s free-running ability. The brief chase was fast and exciting, and conveyed a real sense of urgency and fun.
 
Sleeping Dogs
 
When this short jaunt was over, the enemy called on some cronies and the combat kicked off. You have your basic attack combos that have directional abilities to keep enemies all around you at bay. And there was also the ability to counter opponents with weapons and appendages that displayed a flashy contextual takedown animation. There’s also contextual scene interaction that’s especially brutal. A favourite had to be grabbing an opponent while fighting on a rooftop, and slamming them face first into an extraction fan, taking the side of their face off. Another fun part was being able to grab your opponent and drag them around the environment like an unruly child, only to fling them off a building.
 

Comments
Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs box art Platform:
Xbox 360
Our Review of Sleeping Dogs
83%
Great
Reviewed on PC
Game Ranking
Sleeping Dogs (PC) is ranked #297 out of 1957 total reviewed games. It is ranked #29 out of 145 games reviewed in 2012.
296. Rock Band 3
Xbox 360
297. Sleeping Dogs
298. NCAA Football 11
PlayStation 3
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Screenshots

Sleeping Dogs
5 images added Jun 11, 2012 22:23
Videos
Sleeping Dogs - Reveal trailer
Posted: Feb 11, 2012 14:03
Sleeping Dogs - Story Trailer
Posted: Mar 4, 2012 12:46
Sleeping Dogs - Combat Trailer
Posted: May 15, 2012 23:13
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