Sleeping Dogs (in my humble opinion) is one of the most underrated video games i have ever played if not the most underrated. The game is by no means perfect at all, but is still so good it's sad it's not more popular.
The story in Sleeping Dogs is actually pretty good for a open world game like this. The story follows Wei Shen, who is a gang member and cop at the same time. The story puts both the gang he is a part of and his secret police work in a good light. By in a good light i mean to say that it is represented rather well in this game. It's nothing that would blow you away but it's something going in i don't think you would expect. Especially after the first few missions. I believe the story is better than many a more popular open world game. Examples being GTA V, Red Dead Redemption and Saints Row just to name a few. The only downside i can see in this department for people is it's rather short for an open world game. Well i completed it almost instantly, but maybe i was just addicted. I actually think the game is a very good length being almost perfect in this aspect. Any longer it could be a drag i think. I honest thought the story overall was done well. It is nothing special, but is enjoyable and has some sombre moments to boot.
The gameplay of Sleeping Dogs is akin to a watered down version of the Batman: Arkham series (if you have ever seen/played it). This isn't at all a negative and in fact can be the opposite. Although there are guns in the game, this game is far better at hand to hand combat. The gun-play is actually pretty poor in this game and isn't at all satisfying in my eyes. However it has decent hand to hand combat. I say decent as i would have liked to have seen a larger move set implemented. The combat is enjoyable at times (especially early on) and is different compared to most games considered similar to Sleeping Dogs. But i would have liked to have seen a larger number of customizable moves and or just moves in general. You can unlock more moves throughout the game but i feel it's not quite enough to satisfy the player. But overall the combat is decent. Not as nice feeling as an Arkham Knight but is far better than a GTA or Red Dead. The driving has a big arcade feel to it in this game and isn't at all realistic. Car damage is the same however it's not a big deal for this game. That being said the cars at times can feel immortal (to an extent) and the driving can feel boring (especially in races). It's not terrible at all or even bad for that matter, but it's nothing good either and at best is passable.
The cast of characters in this game are very good in my opinion. The main lead (Wei Shen) is a enjoyable protagonist to play as. Nothing extraordinary, but enough to have a character to play as that you actually enjoy. His story that we are presented with in Sleeping Dogs and his connections are interesting at times and the way he balances his gang and officer duties is cool. This all being said he isn't perfect, not by any means. Other characters i really like throughout the game would include Jackie (great character) and Winston. Them in particular i liked. Pendrew and the other officers where a nice addition as well to represent the police side of Wei. The main antagonists where good as well. Nothing amazing but definitely passable by all means. The worst big character would probably be a 5/10, i genuinely enjoyed the cast in Sleeping Dogs. I felt for characters in certain scenes of the game. Few games do this so for it to be in this of all games is cool. All the compliments aside, i must say that the characters for as much praise i give them aren't spectacular. I struggle to criticize the cast however you will see if you play or have played the game what i mean by they aren't spectacular. There just seems to be something missing for the cast and i don't know what. Whether it is another character or a better one i'm not sure, but something makes the cast feels good but not quite perfect. I constantly had a feeling throughout the game that something was missing.
Graphics and visuals for a 2012 game are great. I am writing this review on the Definitive Edition of the game as i played the Definitive Edition more recently, but the upgrade is barely noticeable at times and the original 2012 game looked great for it's time. Nothing ground-breaking, but definitely enough. The Definitive Edition when side-by-side with the original is improved but very slightly. Similar to the ninety-five different GTA V releases. Both versions look good and the game (even now) holds up rather well. In 2022 when i write this review you can definitely tell it's and older game, but it was made in 2012 what do you expect. I'm saying it holds-up in terms of it is playable and not ugly even if it's played today by someone. It makes me a little sad we may never see a Sleeping Dogs 2 or something similar, but maybe in years to come we can see a remaster.... please.
The open world of Hong Kong is (from what i know about the city) very small in comparison to other open world games let alone the real Hong Kong. It's big enough for the story and is still a nice size not being to big or far too small. But it does have to be said that it's very, very small. The look of the open world in certain areas however does look rather nice. The streets of Hong Kong from North Point to Central looks like Hong Kong. The explorable areas are (at times) nice to look at for a 2012 game and it didn't feel totally lifeless as some open world games do. However it misses a lot of what some modern setting open worlds do include. Stuff like: Helicopters, Planes, Car Variety etc. It's Hong Kong so the need of Planes and Helicopters maybe null but i would have like to see a few more cars are motorbikes enter the game. To be clear the selection is decent in size, but a couple more cars and other vehicles would have been nice. The selection isn't bad however. The world also has very few building that you can enter. Considering the small stature of the city you would think it would be the opposite, but that's sadly not the case. The games open world can also feel dead at times but not very often. If you are constantly going for main missions and not exploring it's absolutely fine, however if you spent an awfully long time exploring open worlds it can feel dead at times. The NPC conversations are actually ok most of the time. I just feel that it's not always very lively even with the constantly talking NPC's. That being said i did find the different NPC designs nice. You can find NPC's with shopping bags and some with purses, some with umbrellas and my favourite being elder NPC's with a walking stick and a different walking animation. It's nothing amazing but far better than what some other games produce.
Last but not least i liked some of the events and disliked others. An example of a likeable event is the Karaoke. I liked this however there is a lack of songs to choose from. I believe it is only eight. But the songs are all old-school bangers in English. I think most people will know most if not all the songs on this track list (especially if you're from an English speaking country. It must be said though, i did hate the races in this game. There are many races you that in fairness are optional but add nothing really to the game. You have to come in first to complete the race then it's done. If you finish in second or lower then you need to restart it or just give up. However it then won't be completed and will still show on your mini-map. The races are poor, especially with the aforementioned arcade driving.
I 100% this game all achievements on Xbox Series S, so i believe this review will be a fair and accurate one. Obviously still just being an opinion, but one from a source that has not only played the main story but completed everything possible in the game.
Story - 7/10
Gameplay - 5.5/10
Cast - 7/10
Visuals - 6/10
Open World - 5/10
Side Content - 4/10
Overall i really enjoyed this game. I recommend a playthrough at least once. Especially as it is very often on offer and for a cheap as chips price. It's on offer as i speak for around $10 (£7-8) which is amazing for this game.
Recommend to a high degree, 6/10.
