Sleeping Dogs To understand, one must first examine its chaotic development and understand how the twists that mark the altered DNA. Activision announced in 2009 the third installment of the True Crime series, GTA-like his house pretty average. True Crime: Hong Kong takes place in the world of the Triads, where an undercover cop – that is the hallmark of the series – must infiltrate the dangerous Chinese gang. But the company withdrew in 2011, and for the development studio that produces it, United Front Games, this is an economic disaster; follows a wave of layoffs.

It was not counting on that Square Enix decided to buy the project, its development and recovery. A year later, the publisher officially announced Sleeping Dogs, a realistic and immersive thriller that immerses players in disreputable alleys of Hong Kong. The birth of a new license?

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Sleeping Dogs is based on the Hong Kong cinema, a style somewhat shunned by the video games (none since the sympathetic Stranglehold in 2007), and highly codified in its themes. Judge for yourself. You play as Shen Wei, Hong Kong police will do anything to fight against triads. Just returned from San Francisco, the rebel cop painful past volunteers to infiltrate the local mafia. So he starts his investigation to the lowest of the social ladder of the mafia, and climb the ladder to destroy the clans rotting city. But will he get his hands dirty to achieve it? Or will he listen to his conscience in defiance of its coverage?



Mud hides the jewels, but the task does not

The launch of Sleeping Dogs sorely lacking in flavor. The game is miles away from the tenors and displays such a universe aliased and textures rather poor animations are painful to see.
But go past its graphics mediocre and you will realize its true beauty: its ambience and universe. Indeed, Hong Kong exudes a magical atmosphere brilliantly transcribed. His sets are full of detail and life. Passersby who live their lives, lanterns and neon lights on the buildings that give a mystical aspect to the streets, interiors that are full of details … Sleeping Dogs exceeds its graphics quite poor due to its extraordinary art direction. Also note that it does not suffer any slowdown, which contributes more to the immersion.

If the city does not reveal very extended (which is amazing for a game formerly stamped True Crime), it becomes more vertical and the interiors are varied. On this point, Hong Kong is closer to the Empire City Mafia 2 as the Liberty City of GTA 4. In contrast, many decorations on the roadside (as some blocks or ranges) are just inaccessible to the atmosphere. A limitation somewhat disappointing, at least that will make you walk in outlandish places like GTA and will force you to confine yourself to movements provided by history.

Better to act once with hands that look a thousand times with eyes

Take advantage of Hong Kong is one thing, dropping the local underworld is another. To achieve his ends, Wei will play fists. The unarmed combat is intended as the cornerstone of Sleeping Dogs. They line up no surprises on the model imposed by the recent Batman Rocksteady: rather simple at first, but a pretty nice depth.
At first contact it’s pretty tough: the fighting suffer from a soft lazy and link together indiscriminately in the early hours of gameplay only the possibility of using the stage to finish your enemy comes to save the whole. Fortunately, our hero gains experience through a private kung fu (also inherited True Crime) where he taught are different combos and moves. Once your range of shots more consistent and more numerous enemies, the bastons get interesting, and after a while, downright jubilant. In short, it takes patience to recognize this achievement. Gunfight side, everything is pretty similar to GTA 4, plus a system of bullet time that reminds some furiously Red Dead Redemption.

There are fears the less others, that concern is more self

Wei is an undercover cop in the triads, and will therefore have to double-play throughout the adventure. Logically, two main types of missions will be offered, each side police and other side mafia. During these missions, and even outside, you’ll earn skill points to your Action to place in five distinct talent trees. Beat up pedestrians, and you will earn points toward triads. Do good things for people, and your bar will go up next font. But this duality does not really impact on your adventure through cases of conscience, for example. Too bad the developers could give more depth to the experience on this point. Besides the main missions, you can complete side missions, like any good GTA-like. For example you will retrieve hidden objects, help citizens, leaving your girlfriend … Well, you never get bored in Sleeping Dogs, a difficult game to drop, since there is always a something to do.

With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes satin

Just like his hero, caught between his duties of police and truant of his false identity, duality plays Sleeping Dogs. While its graphics are painful to see in 2012, they were rescued by a successful atmosphere. History does not reach the peaks, less well written and interesting than Rockstar. This did not prevent the various missions to play with pleasure.
But if these reasons for Sleeping Dogs is difficult to take in hand, he reveals all its assets to patients players. The game of United Front Games is one of those apps that’s difficult to win. Varied gameplay, great atmosphere, life long enough, Sleeping Dogs had everything to be a great game But then, why not put a 9? Simply because it is sorely lacking in originality. It brings together highly successful melting pot of good ideas piochées in current production but failed to print their identity.