Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Just plain fun"

If GTA had an honourable lead character, if Max Payne had gone undercover in stead of going insane and if Grand Tourismo had more than just racing, then you would have Sleeping Dogs. For a new/reinvented IP, this game will hopefully attract many gamers with its shooting, driving, free world roaming and great story that is oddly familiar. 



Open world:

Taking place in the great city of Hong Kong this game has plenty of activities to partake in, though this is a fictional version of Hong Kong the scenery is very beautiful and very convincing. The environment is surprisingly interactive, though not completely limitless it does beckon you to explore every small street and rooftop you possibly can. With a solid day/night cycle to bring more realism into the overall experience, the game world sets the basis for a very mature experience that is very down-to-earth, and yet very exciting. 



Driving:

For a game that is highly influenced by the GTA series, Sleeping Dogs treats the driving like it does the shooting, by utilizing the same button for driving as for shooting, and the same button for breaking as for aiming, and this helps make the driving mechanics familiar. Often You will find your self driving like a complete lunatic, but so far I have found nothing that will prevent you from treating the streets like your own, without fear of hindrances. Should it happen that the cops take a disliking to you, although this does not happen often, being chased by the police only brings more excitement to your experience, without ever becoming an annoyance.



Combat:

very few games will offer both good shooting and me lee combat, but even here the game excels. with a few upgrades you will beable to get a slow motion, bullet time feature while shooting similar to Max Payne 3, now combine this with a melee combat system resembling that of Batman: Arkham City, this game treats you with an assortment of familiar features that you know and love.



Conclusion:

Sleeping Dogs does not offer anything that we have never seen before, but it does have a very compelling story that fits perfectly with the Hong Kong action flick that we are presented with here. All of the driving, shooting, fighting and exploring is similar to what we have seen in other modern shooters, racers and action/adventures, but that does not make it boring, quite the opposite, it makes the game seem familiar and comfortable and never forces you to do anything that you don't want to.



I would love to see many more games like it.