Sleeping Dogs was released back in 2012 and while it was a sleeper hit back then (no pun intended), it eventually became an underrated gem that gradually gained a venerable status in the open-world genre. Hence, came Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition which was a next-gen upgrade for the game. While its sequel and franchise spin-offs were sadly canceled, it nevertheless remained a significant game in the open-world community due to its unique and fresh take on the classic formula popularized by GTA.
But apart from that, what exactly makes Sleeping Dogs good? A lot of open-world fans still swear by it and will wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who's tired of the usual GTA offering. As a spiritual successor to the True Crime series, Sleeping Dogs is a solid competitor in the open-world genre. For those still on the fence about trying it out or are looking for more reasons to revisit it again, here are several reasons why one shouldn't sleep on Sleeping Dogs.
7 The Rare Setting & Atmosphere
Sleeping Dogs is set in the neon-lit and congested heights of contemporary Hong Kong. Not many games have chosen this city as its playground, which already makes Sleeping Dogs more unique compared to the rest. Hong Kong simply exudes a vibrant yet worn-down atmosphere regardless of the media portraying it. Moreover, Sleeping Dogs is brimming with oriental culture, making its setting feel more live-in and soulful.
Compared to the soulless parody of Los Angeles in GTA 5, Sleeping Dogs' setting is a breath of fresh air. Actually, compared to most other open-world games with fictional environments, Sleeping Dogs easily wins because of how alive and bustling its open world is and how relatable its cultures are within its digital locale. Everything from the ambient sounds, citizens' idle chatter, and the lowly stalls and vendors help tie up the city together in ways other open-world cities can't.
6 An Accurate Representation Of Hong Kong
What did help a lot in making Sleeping Dogs' representation of Hong Kong so accurate and lively are the developers doing the groundwork. They not only had a team taking photos from the city itself but to encapsulate the fever-dream crime atmosphere in Hong Kong, the creative leads of Sleeping Dogs watched plenty of Hong Kong action flicks. The most important creative heads in the development team even personally went to Hong Kong for the research.
Some of their writers even talked to the members of the local Triad groups in Hong Kong just to get a feel of the city's inner workings. The end result is a game map that can almost double as digital tourism to Hong Kong. They captured the spirit of the place from the endless neon sign avenues to the grimy fusion of western and eastern architecture. This makes the experience feel more authentic, especially since Sleeping Dogs' story is quite a serious one, coming from its True Crime roots.
5 The Stellar Soundtrack
What immediately stands out in Sleeping Dogs as early as the main menu is its electrifying oriental soundtrack. It's funky enough to warrant hour-long loops. This fusion of electronic beats and traditional Chinese instruments perfectly sum up Hong Kong's geopolitical position. Of course, apart from the musical themes, the game also incorporates a car radio similar to GTA games. This makes cruising around the city a lot less monotonous and quiet.
There are radio stations with some popular licensed music as well, though don't expect anything as iconic as those featured in the GTA games. A lot of the radio music is from Hong Kong's airwaves or other oriental beats. Regardless, most players will still be able to enjoy these even with the language barrier. They certainly complete the Hong Kong atmosphere, especially the rap music on the radio stations. It works well and fits like a glove in a cop crime drama.
4 A Personal Undercover Cop Story
Speaking of which, Sleeping Dogs' story is a lot more nuanced. While most open-world city stories revolve around the rags-to-riches journey, a-la GTA, Sleeping Dogs' is about an undercover cop named Wei Shen who is tasked with infiltrating the multiple layers of Triad factions operating within Hong Kong in the game's setting. The conflict is that the line between commitment gets often blurred for Wei as he gets too emotionally invested in his false persona. At times, he even fulfills his Triad duties more enthusiastically than his police work.
Players simply don't see this kind of multi-faceted personality and conflict in other open-world city protagonists. Wei definitely isn't a one-sided antihero whose writing and dialogue will conflict with what the players want him to do. Here, every action Wei takes can be justified with a made-up player context. Went too gung-ho in vehicular manslaughter in order to save a person? That's just Wei channeling his Triad persona too much; after all, he is battling his split personality and dual life.
3 The Plot Is Inspired By Real Events
The game's writers and creative leads didn't exactly have to venture too far for inspiration as Hong Kong has had plenty of violent gang-related fights and politics. The game's backdrop was a seething rivalry between the fictional Sun On Yee Triad and the 18K Triad who were not only fighting for money but also for supremacy in Hong Kong. Except, those two gangs are not as fictional as they sound. They take after real Triad factions operating both in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Sun On Yee is based on Sun Yee On and 18K is based on 14K (they didn't even try to hide it too much). Likewise, Sun Yee On also had an undercover police operation snooping around in its ranks back in 2011-2012 which thwarted a territorial overtaking attempt. This real-life event resulted in the arrest of more than 200 people in Hong Kong and around 100 people in mainland China. Sleeping Dogs notably took this operation as a template or baseline for its cop drama story.
2 Intricate, Wacky Combat
Apparently, the violence in Sleeping Dogs isn't too far-fetched, according to an ex-Triad member. Wei Shen slamming his enemies' heads into exhaust fans as they spout blood out their ears or assumed undercover agents getting wrapped with their intestines while still alive is just a regular business for the typical Triad member. To that end, Sleeping Dogs doesn't seem too afraid to portray gang violence as it is.
It's disturbing and can even border on the wacky at times. Coupled with the game's impressive action animations, Sleeping Dogs earned a reputation among open-world games for having an immersive and entertaining combat system. Sure, the core mechanics are not that different from the Arkham series, but it's the fluidity and the animations that excuses the game.
1 Convincing Voice Acting
It can be rare for a western-made game based in foreign settings to feature localized language even in its English settings, but Sleeping Dogs pulled it off masterfully. The voice actors' Hong Kong accents feel believable (at least for non-Hong Kong natives) and they even intersperse some Cantonese or Mandarin terms and expletives in their accented English dialogue.
This doesn't interfere with the actors' abilities to convey the emotions necessary to reflect their characters' psyche. Wei Shen's descent into blind rage and vengeance, for example, is palpable and even worrying. Meanwhile, other character other characters will easily imprint their personalities and quirks into the player's minds, allowing their beholders to set them apart easily and remember them.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.