Sleeping Dogs Strategy Guide Strategy Guides and Books

Sleeping Dogs Strategy Guide Product Details

Released on 17-Aug-2012

• Sleeping Dogs - Driving, Shooting, Free-Running

  Sleeping Dogs - If you like driving, shooting, free-running (and GTA), walk this way!

  
  

  The game that was rescued from cancellation, Sleeping Dogs has very much become a big deal for Square-Enix. A massively open-world – and massively violent – title, this tale of an undercover cop infiltrating the Triads brings the action and intrigue of Hong Kong cinema to gaming like never before.

  The development team were keen to build a game with no modes, just a lot of freedom. The gameplay centres around driving, shooting and free-running, so during within each level you can be doing all three of these styles of play, as well as a host of mini-games that serve as more than just a fun distraction.

  The gameplay we saw seamlessly blended cinematic sequences with in-game action, to keep the story flowing. After a glimpse at the opening credits of the game – including the all-star Hollywood and Hong Kong cast yet to be announced – we took a closer look at the Bam Bam nightclub sequence where your character Wei Shun wants a meeting with the owner about protection money. Access to the VIP lounge required finding a hostess to bring you in, but once you were there, we witnessed the first of Sleeping Dog’s many mini-games – karaoke. It plays a bit like SingStar, but with moving your controller to match where the notes should be, and is something you can re-visit at varying difficulties throughout the game.

  
  

  

  
  

  Once this was over, it was time to confront the nightclub owner, which in turn led to a bit of fighting. The combat was rough, visceral martial arts street fighting, aided by your very destructible – and usable – environment around you, smashing henchmen through tables, a giant fish tank, and even the urinals of the men’s room. When Square say Sleeping Dogs offers the best combat in any open-world game, it’s hard to argue based on what we saw!

  We also got a look at one of the other mini-games – street racing. This section was developed by some of the minds behind Need for Speed and ModNation Racers, so they know their stuff and it really shows, with the racing action comparable to many of today’s racing games. But as these are illegal street races you need to look out for pedestrians and other road users, so it’s not exactly like other racing games!

  Victories in these mini-games can earn you cash, which in turn can help you increase “face” and standing in the game, so they’re a real integral part of the game. The other great thing we took from this was just how expansive and how thoroughly replicated Hong Kong is in the game.

  It's shaping up with a great mix of action and we're left wanting to see more. But this comes out in August, so not too long to wait now!

  If you like GTA check out Sleeping Dogs as soon as you get the chance.
  

  Published: 07/06/2012

• MMA star Georges St-Pierre advised on fighting in Sleeping Dogs

  Sleeping Dogs, the upcoming Hong Kong based openworld crime saga, will pack a real punch when it arrives in August. Developer United Front Games called in MMA superstar and current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to cast a critical eye over their hand-to-hand fighting gameplay, and tweaked the combat according to his feedback.

  "The fighting scenes are so realistic, it's like the real thing," the martial arts expert known as GSP says in a new behind-the-scenes video. He's seen working with the development team to ensure that the transition from striking moves to a takedown is suitably fluid.

  He also recoils in horror at the sight of a character being thrown into a meat grinder - one of many grisly finishing moves available in the game, thanks to a system of environmental interactions. "In life I'm a good person," he laughs, "But when I play I'm the most evil person I can be."

  Sleeping Dogs began life as True Crime: Hong Kong before Activision dropped the game as part of a company-wide program of cuts. Square Enix stepped in, retitled the game and will now release it on August 17th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

• Sleeping Dogs - Review

  
  

  Best of both worlds

  Most open world games see you playing as either a cop or a criminal, but refreshingly Sleeping Dogs lets you do both. You take on the role of Wei Shen, a hardboiled cop who grew up in Hong Kong, trained to become a police officer in the US, and has now returned to his birthplace to rid the bustling, neon-lit streets of crime.

  To do so you must infiltrate the Triads, China's biggest organised crime syndicate, earning your stripes with the criminals while maintaining your cover and making busts for the police. It's a great set up that offers two different flavours of gameplay and a dramatic story in which Wei's allegiances are increasingly tested as events unfold.

  Red or blue

  The contrast between police work and criminal activities adds plenty of variety to proceedings as the story progresses. As a cop you wear disguises, bug hideouts, arrest drug dealers and smash human trafficking rings; as a Triad you steal cars, beat people up, deal drugs and enter illegal street races.

  You have police (blue) and criminal (red) meters to balance as you play: chasing leads and arresting crooks earns you blue points, while criminal acts earn you red ones. The more you have of either, the more abilities you unlock, from combat upgrades to the power to quickly disarm enemies or steal vehicles without setting off alarms.

  

  Chinatown wars

  In another refreshing spin on the open-world action genre, gunfights play second fiddle to hand-to-hand (and foot-to-foot) combat. Mixing light and heavy attacks with counters that cancel enemy attacks and allow you to grapple or launch a combo, the game's martial arts fights are as slick as they are brutal.

  You can also use the environment to your advantage by sliding foes across bars, smashing them into tables, or impaling them on spiked objects. And when the guns do come out to play, they combine well with a decent cover system that lets you pop out and take pot-shots at targets or vault over objects and pick them off in slow-mo.

  

  Easily distracted

  As in many open world games, light relief can be found exploring the city and its numerous attractions. You can cruise around making a general nuisance of yourself, buy new outfits, go on dates, play karaoke mini-games, watch cockfights, visit dodgy casino barges and stop off at noodle stands when you need to replenish health. The game took us a relatively short 14 hours to complete, but with all the distractions on offer your time in the world can be greatly extended.

  On the slightly negative side, the driving feels a bit underdeveloped compared to the combat, and the huge, at times stunning city's four districts could also be a bit more distinct. But while Sleeping Dogs may lack a little of the polish of a Grand Theft Auto, it's easily one of the best open world games of the last few years, and one that brings plenty of new ideas to the party rather than simply aping those of the aforementioned genre king.

  GAME's verdict:

  The Good:

  • Play as a cop and a criminal.
  • Engaging, dramatic story.
  • Stylish, well executed combat system.

  The Bad:

  • Driving sections could be stronger.
  • Different areas could be a bit more distinct.
  • Relatively short by open-world standards.

  Published: 16/08/2012

• Sleeping Dogs - Review

  
  

  

  Mutt ado about nothing?

  The Grand Theft Auto games have been quite rightly praised for their sprawling ambition and sly wit, but they're far from perfect. Car handling can be wobbly, gun aiming can be twitchy and the less said about the lumbering fist fights the better. Sleeping Dogs won't be winning any awards for originality, it copies GTA's design and structure so slavishly, but it does improve on its inspiration in enough key areas to make it worthy of recommendation.

  Wei of the Dragon

  You're playing as Wei Shen, born on the wrong side of the tracks in Hong Kong, raised in San Francisco, and now returned home as a cop with a secret undercover agenda: infiltrate the Sun On Yee Triad gang and bring it down from the inside.

  It's a predictable journey, as you start out running errands as a street punk before proving your worth and moving up the criminal ranks. From shaking market stalls down for protection money, to leading revenge missions against rival gangs, it all falls into the expected urban open-world mould; GPS checkpoints, car-jacking and pop songs on the radio.

  It's in the mechanics that Sleeping Dogs proves its worth. Driving benefits from developer United Front Games' prior experience on the PS3 favourite ModNation Racers. The visuals couldn't be more different but the tight, responsive arcade handling means that high-speed runs down a gridlocked freeway becomes second nature. Shooting isn't quite as good, but this is only occasionally a shooting gallery. It's a bit sticky getting in and out of cover, and the aiming feels heavy, but the ability to vault over cover in slow-motion, popping headshots to sustain the John Woo mayhem, means that when it's time to draw your weapon you won't mind one bit.

  

  Break a leg!

  It's the kung fu fighting that really makes the game buzz, however. Using a similar block, counter and strike system as the Batman games, it's easy to recreate the sort of bone-crunching brawls you'd expect from a cult Hong Kong action movie.

  Enemies flash red before attacking, giving you a precious split second to hit the counter button. Light and heavy attacks are always at your fingertips, and you can also grapple enemies for more savage takedowns and gruesome environmental kills. Want to shatter bones or smash a thug's face into a hot stove? This is the game for you.

  New fighting moves, and other skills, are unlocked through a variety of different ranking systems. One tracks your actions as a cop, unlocking new gun and driving abilities but docking points for any damage or injury caused to both city and civilians during missions. Another rewards your Triad credentials, offering brutal new fighting moves in exchange for completing your objectives in different and nasty ways. Finally, there's “face”, your indicator of Wei Shen's respect on the street. Do favours for people, win street races, and you'll unlock ten tiers of persistent character improvements.

  

  No rest for the wicked

  No open-world game would be complete without a host of optional distractions, and Sleeping Dogs isn't about to forget that key ingredient. There are loads of things to do on the streets of Hong Kong when you're not solving police cases or doing the Triad's bidding. Test your skills in an underground fight club, for example. Track down jade statues for your old martial arts teacher. Hack security cameras. Take attractive women out on a series of bizarre dates. Steal cars and sell them. Hijack security vans. Beat up clients for a loan shark. You can even head to a karaoke bar and belt out hits by Pat Benatar and A-Ha. It all keeps you busy, even if a lot of it is obviously video game padding.

  Mostly, you'll want to just press on with the story missions, as Wei Shen's conflicted double life is a compelling hook and the script, while cheesy, is brought to life by some recognisable actors from Britain, America and Asia.

  Honour and gory

  Sleeping Dogs won't surprise you. It's too familiar and too quick to fall back on Rockstar's old ideas for that. What it will do is entertain you – often and shamelessly – as it takes a well-worn old template and executes it with a little more grace and style than we're used to. If you love the snarling sprawl of a good gangster game, and the energetic fizz of Asian action movies, then this is the perfect combination, and a game that serves as a fine entree to the Autumn gaming feast.

  Our rating: 8.0

  What's Good?

  • Excellent kung fu combat
  • Impressive cast and a solid, but clichéd, story
  • Improves on its peers in several important areas

  What's Bad?

  • Little inspiration in its GTA copycat design
  • Side missions and collectables fail to excite
  • A few too many bugs and glitches

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