Sleeping Dogs

I just finished Sleeping Dogs. Literally minutes ago. I'm writing this review as the credits roll. Don't worry, this won't be a review done shooting from the hip; I've been taking notes through the play-through and I'm prepared to give my opinion on one of this year's biggest sleeper hits.

I don't normally play games like this - open world, gangster games. I tried the Grand Theft Auto series years ago and just couldn't get into it. A friend let me borrow Yakuza 3 to try. Given my various connections with Japan and a like of things Japanese, I thought I would really like it. Well, that wasn't the case. I ran into the same wall that I hit with GTA. I don't really know what that wall is, but it's probably a mixture of not being a fan of the gangster genre, not interested in going around the town and living out a dark fantasy (crime, sex, and drugs), and killing cops. So, I hesitated when this same friend presented Sleeping Dogs to me. However, I decided it was time to finally get through one of these games. I'm happy to say that I'm glad that I did. Although it wasn't always the most exciting experience, there was a lot there to like.

The story pulled me in as soon as I found out that I was an undercover cop with ties to both the mafia and the police. I thought this might be a little like The Departed, or the Hong Kong movie it was based on, Infernal Affairs. Although the story is different in that it only follows a rat in the mafia and not two separate characters as rats in each respective system like Infernal Affairs. I wasn't disappointed though as the story closely follows the question of which side the main character, Wei Shen is really on. Is he loyal to the mafia or to the Hong Kong Police Department? Between his disagreements with his senior officers and the times where he ambitiously shows his support of the mafia, you're never quite sure just where his loyalties lie.

The story also plays heavily on Wei Shen's relationship with and desperate struggle to protect his childhood friend Jackie, who is also a member of the mafia. This relationship plays a major role in the third act.

This is where the best parts or Sleeping Dogs shine. The story has several twists and gut-wrenching surprises in the third act that I think are as strong as any other story beats that I saw this year outside of The Walking Dead.

The story, a very strong third act, the great characters, and a final chase scene done right (eat that AC3) are what make Sleeping Dogs a great experience.

But, what about the game play? This is where things didn't shine in my opinion. There are a lot of good things about the game play like halfway decent shooting sequences, lot of side missions and other ways to waste time, and other tropes of the open world genre. However, there are a few things that just annoyed me about the game play. The driving is overly arcadey and just obnoxious at times. The camera loses the action when in tight places and makes some combat sequences and backing up cars more difficult than should be necessary. The combat is fairly simple, but I just couldn't remember any of the new moves I learned, so I essentially fought every fight in the game the same way regardless of the fact that I found all the green statues that unlock new moves.

With these few gripes set aside, I enjoyed the game and was surprised that I made it through an open-world gangster game finally. Come for the great setting and story and you'll be satisfied.