Eurogamer: Why Sleeping Dogs is the most interesting open-city game of recent years

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Eurogamer published today an article for Rick Lane about Sleeping Dogs. For someone who is not very avidly into open-world games, Sleeping Dogs felt like a beautifully-made new coat of paint, as it ended being one of my most-replayed games ever. Seeing it receives some long-due love is really nice!

I've never played Yakuza, but I don't exactly think that comparing the two, which is one visible aspect of this article, is valid in light of the different emphasis both games had. in gameplay Other than that, the article does a good job of looking back at what I think was one of the most interesting Sleeping Dogs we've ever had. The game trumped a lot of high-profile open world games in many regards. It is sad, really, that it is most likely a sequel will never be a thing

Here are some interesting snippets:

Sleeping Dogs has all of these too. Indeed, what makes Sleeping Dogs stand out isn't so much its choice of setting, but United Front's dedication to making its Hong Kong feel as authentic as possible. Sleeping Dogs' city is drawn from over 25,000 photos United Front took as they spent a week exploring the city. The result is a stunning recreation of Hong Kong's unique cultural mesh, where Chinese shop signs sit alongside British road-signs. Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated area on Earth, and Sleeping Dogs reflects this density on screen. You can feel the urban crush as tower blocks and sky-scrapers loom over you everywhere you go, while the dozens of shop signs protruding over the roads act almost like an ad-hoc rooftop in some areas.

Sleeping Dogs was also criticised for being structurally unambitious. It's true that it mimics the GTA format fairly heavily, blending a two-pronged story that charts Wei Shen's double-life as an undercover police offers, with a multifaceted array of side-activities that include races, drug-busts, and "cop jobs". But I prefer United Front's crime caper to that of Rockstar's. Both possess a similar written quality and recruit Hollywood actors to provide the voicework (in Sleeping Dogs' case this includes James Hong, Lucy Liu, and Altered Carbon's Will Yun Lee as Wei).

Yet where GTA is scathingly satirical in a way that often comes off as misanthropic, Sleeping Dogs is keen to humanise its characters, Winston, the aggressive, musclebound Lieutenant of the Sun On Yee, initially comes off as both a hothead and a meathead. Yet when Wei escorts Winston to a potentially fatal encounter with Winston's boss Uncle Po, we're given a glimpse of Winston's underlying vulnerabilities, as he discusses the importance of family, and asks Wei to take care of his should the worst happen.

These little touches are what, for me, make Sleeping Dogs so interesting, over and above the broader strokes. It's a theme that runs through the game's mechanics too. Sleeping Dogs' systems are also derived largely from other games. The melee combat blends Arkham-Aslyum counters with Yazuza-esque environmental finishers, while the game's parkour-esque chases borrow from Mirror's Edge, and the cover system could be from any third-person game of the last ten years.

But Sleeping Dogs isn't content to let these systems lie, making small but significant changes that help make these systems more nuanced and fluid. While the combat uses both counters and environmental attacks, these are bound together by a new grappling ability that lets Wei grab enemies by the shirt and drag them around, slamming them into walls, throwing them at other enemies, or finishing them off with a car-door or a desktop.

Via Eurogamer

AnimeJesus · Sep 24, 2018

Probably one of the most forgettable open world games for me but it really seems to have resonated with a lot of people.

Lashley · Sep 24, 2018

Yep. Shame we'll never get a sequel.

spam musubi · Sep 24, 2018

I agree, Sleeping Dogs was a highlight of the genre. Both in terms of melee combat, relatable characters, memorable story beats, and the unique setting.

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

EricOfSeattle said:
Probably one of the most forgettable open world games for me but it really seems to have resonated with a lot of people.

It is true that the game feels generic in a lot of ways, but I guess, or at least for me, having an open-world game with emphasis on hand-to-hand combat was a game-changer. GTA, for example, was always disappointing when it comes to this.

Also, the characters and settings certainly felt fresh.

Deleted member 11421 · Sep 24, 2018

It's a top 50 game for me despite its flaws. One of my favorites from last-gen.

Fiery Phoenix · Sep 24, 2018

Why did United go under again? Did the game not sell well?

NinjaScooter · Sep 24, 2018

EricOfSeattle said:
Probably one of the most forgettable open world games for me but it really seems to have resonated with a lot of people.

I sort of came away feeling the same way. It felt very dated in terms of the open world and the systems/mechanics. Like a very good version of that early ps2/Xbox generation of open world stuff.

Uno Venova · Sep 24, 2018

I loved it more than GTAV. The setting, the story, focus on hand to hand and the soundtrack were all incredible.

I'll never forget speeding down that beautiful city during night races with Rustie on blast.

Deleted member 11421 · Sep 24, 2018

Fiery Phoenix said:
Why did United go under again? Did the game not sell well?

Square-Enix had them working on an MMO instead of a real sequel (this was canceled during beta), and then a real sequel was in pre-production but it was allegedly too ambitious. So they probably figured the first wasn't successful enough and these other projects were too expensive so...

dancingphlower · Sep 24, 2018

Sleeping Dogs is better than any GTA, easy. It helps that it's actually fun to play.

8bit · Sep 24, 2018

It's better than GTAV in my eyes, Warp Radio is the gold standard for in-game music.

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Fiery Phoenix said:
Why did United go under again? Did the game not sell well?

There were no official explanations. United Front even closed just one month after releasing an early-access game on Steam - Smash + Grab which was an online brawler. So the whole thing felt kinda abrupt but not totally unexpected seeing that their most high-profile release didn't do so well.

But I think it has to do with the following:

Apparently, the game preformed disappointingly in what was a bad year for western Square Enix in general in terms of sales according to their earnings report (that year saw the release of three AAA games: Hitman: Absolution, Tomb Raider, and Sleeping Dogs). That certinally didn't help

Other than that, United Front themselves never found a footing after Sleeping Dogs. They released a bunch of random games, and a MMO set in Sleeping Dogs called Triad Wars, but it seems they didn't find much success in their last years.

FreeMufasa · Sep 24, 2018

Always looked generic to me. But playing the shenmue 2 remaster got me feenin for more Hong Kong. Gonna be a sale buy

Pepito · Sep 24, 2018

Absolutely loved the game and the online leaderboards for so many different activities kept me and my friends playing, squashing each others' Clean Drive records in realtime.

Jimnymebob · Sep 24, 2018

Sleeping Dogs is fantastic. The only thing that bothered me was the bit on the final mission, where

you get your kneecaps smashed up, and limp around a bit before you start sprinting like an Olympian.

One of my favourites for sure.

semiconscious · Sep 24, 2018

nynt9 said:
I agree, Sleeping Dogs was a highlight of the genre. Both in terms of melee combat, relatable characters, memorable story beats, and the unique setting.

these're the things that made the game for me, as well. &, coincidentally, are pretty much the same things that made mafia 3 work for me, as well (with gun combat in place of melee) :) ...

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Uno Venova said:
I'll never forget speeding down that beautiful city during night races with Rustie on blast.

True!

Neon Hong Kong felt amazing at night. It has such an unique vibe.

Fisty · Sep 24, 2018

Great game, everything from the funeral to the end of the game was fantastic. Once that sequence gets going it's a rollercoaster ride to the end credits.

Open world was fun too, enough variety in the setting to make things interesting and combat was fun, which really matters in a game like this.

Davilmar · Sep 24, 2018

EricOfSeattle said:
Probably one of the most forgettable open world games for me but it really seems to have resonated with a lot of people.

A lot of the mechanics aren't memorable, but it easily left a greater impression that GTAV or another other large open world game. The mechanics of walking a fine line between a cop and criminal resonated with me, along with an interesting, foreign city. Along with a story that didn't bore me like MGSV and GTAV. The only other recent game of that type that kept me engaged was Yakuza, which is just too insane to jot be kept engaged .

5taquitos · Sep 24, 2018

It was a nice-looking city, but certainly nothing mind-blowing. There were hardly any simulation systems at play, and there was a stiffness to everything. I still adore the game, though.

Certinfy · Sep 24, 2018

It was a great game but let's not pretend it didn't have flaws. I mean the driving alone was horrible. Shame we never got a sequel though.

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Fisty said:
Great game, everything from the funeral to the end of the game was fantastic. Once that sequence gets going it's a rollercoaster ride to the end credits.

Open world was fun too, enough variety in the setting to make things interesting and combat was fun, which really matters in a game like this.

But for reason, similar open-world games always fails to deliver on that front. Most AAA sandbox games have such boring combat, especially a game like GTA, and it is kinda upsetting.

Courage · Sep 24, 2018

I always wanna come back to this game and just fuck around in its world, even though it doesn't have the level of interactivity of a GTA game or anything. Just a big fan of the Hong Kong #vibes.

Raptomex · Sep 24, 2018

I liked everything but the shooting. The gunplay was pretty lackluster. Overall, I really enjoyed the game. I played through it twice.

Admiral Woofington · Sep 24, 2018

I loved this game.

Rest in Puppers

Masterspeed · Sep 24, 2018

Wasn't Emma Stone in that game for some reason?

Sabretooth · Sep 24, 2018

A man who doesn't play Sleeping Dogs is never a whole man!

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

I guess the parts I chose gave a flawed preview of the article. The article does go into the flaws of the game:

This isn't to say the game is free of problems, most of which come down to refinement. The driving model is arcade bordering on hollow, the melee combat isn't quite as slick as Rocksteady's defining effort, and the gunplay is undoubtedly the weakest element of the game. I also wish it did more with its undercover cop premise. It's arguably the perfect occupation for an open-world protagonist, affording the player a both a position of authority and justification for acting like a criminal.

White Glint · Sep 24, 2018

Sleeping Dogs was brilliant. A fun loving action romp story with a good feel for comedy (especially in the DLCs), great visuals on the PC and a simple but enjoyable melee combat system which easily eclipsed those in other open world games in a 'realistic' modern setting.

Easily ranks above its competitors in the genre for me. I still occasionally go back to it just to mess around in the open world a bit. Not that there's anything interesting to do really, I just enjoy the driving, visuals, music and atmosphere.

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Masterspeed said:
Wasn't Emma Stone in that game for some reason?

She played the role of an American girl, and you can go on a a date with her in one of the side-missions . It was just a random thing, haha.

8bit · Sep 24, 2018

Sabretooth said:
A man who doesn't play Sleeping Dogs is never a whole man!

Why you not have pork bun in your hand?

Fisty · Sep 24, 2018

osnameless said:
But for reason, similar open-world games always fails to deliver on that front. Most AAA sandbox games have such boring combat, especially a game like GTA, and it is kinda upsetting.

Exactly, Rockstar games bore me to tears when it comes to actually controlling a character and interacting with game mechanics. Sleeping Dogs does everything right in this regard, hell even Lego City Undercover is more fun that GTA

Grimmy11 · Sep 24, 2018

My favourite "GTA" game. even beating Vice City. bought it on PS3, PS4 and Steam. Have been tempted to play it through for a fourth time recently. Love the setting and characters. Great soundtrack. It's Truly Criminal it never go a proper sequel.

Deleted member 8593 · Sep 24, 2018

Man, fuck Dogeyes.

Great game.

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Fisty said:
Exactly, Rockstar games bore me to tears when it comes to actually controlling a character and interacting with game mechanics. Sleeping Dogs does everything right in this regard, hell even Lego City Undercover is more fun that GTA

Yeah. That was mostly my takeaway from the GTA games I tried (which is most of them).

But I think Rockstar makes up for that by building those comprehensive, detailed world. In short, I think their focus is just away from combat.

Breqesk · Sep 24, 2018

Removing any childhood nostalgia from the equation, Sleeping Dogs easily beats out every GTA, for me. I absolutely adored it, and I'm so incredibly sad we'll never get that sequel. So much potential, lost.

vixlar · Sep 24, 2018

Things I like:
-Driving on the right
-Each girlfriend you get gives you a bonus, but that bonus makes sense: the american tourist has taken many photos of the shrines; the russian hostess has met many gangsters and has been in many back alleys to see all the briefcases; the chinese hostess know the residence of many rich people; the hackers, well, hacks...
-Many places to get your cars, you don't need to steal cars.

Things I don't like:
Well, the game has many flaws... but regarding ambience, my least liked feature was the cemetery. It was full of people only walking, many of them with briefcases... totally kills the theme.

Virtua King · Sep 24, 2018

I've never liked GTA, but Sleeping Dogs definitely resonated with me. It's not that similar to Yakuza, but it it's a great martial arts crime drama in its own way as well.

HanSoloCup · Sep 24, 2018

One of my favorite open-world games ever. A shame that United Front folded. I think Square Enix owns the rights to the franchise now (it's very ambiguous), but of all Square's dev teams, I would love to see Eidos Montreal take a crack at it.

Courage · Sep 24, 2018

This and the Saints Row games were last gen's last bastions of the PS2-era GTA clone, while adding their own twist to the formula. I do miss them tbh.

Trickster · Sep 24, 2018

Definitely one of the most enjoyable open world games for me. Far more interesting than something like GTA5

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Virtua King said:
I've never liked GTA, but Sleeping Dogs definitely resonated with me. It's not that similar to Yakuza, but it it's a great martial arts crime drama in its own way as well.

For some reason, I didn't find out about the Zodiac Tournament until during my most recent playthrough, and it was such a pleasant surprise to live one of those classic martial arts movies, and how they depicted it exactly as that.

MDSVeritas · Sep 24, 2018

I would say Sleeping Dogs is my favorite open world city game of all time. The story is actually really good and I love the game's cast. Not to mention that the combat system is really strong, the fact that it doesn't lean on gun combat for its encounters is refreshing, and I think exploring the city and doing stuff is actually pretty fun.

BrickArts295 · Sep 24, 2018

One of the GOAT open world of last gen. So good...

Unbelievable that we didn't get a sequel.

Era of not Yakuza · Sep 24, 2018

I had a lot of fun playing but i don't think it is memorable.

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

Something that Sleeping Dogs also did incredibly, and rather surprisingly, well is the characterization of its protagonist Wei.

He ended up being one of the most memorable characters I've ever seen in any game. The duality of his world and the implications this has on him, and the connections to his past was portrayed very well.

Virtua King · Sep 24, 2018

osnameless said:
For some reason, I didn't find out about the Zodiac Tournament until during my most recent playthrough, and it was such a pleasant surprise to live one of those classic martial arts movies, and how they depicted it exactly as that.

I think the Zodiac Tournament was originally DLC, so that could be why you missed it, but yeah, it's very Bruce Lee-esque.

Sadist · Sep 24, 2018

Remember: a man who has never eaten a porkbun, is never a whole man.

Sleeping Dogs has a lot of the same problems as other open world titles, but somehow its one of the few titles in the genre that kept me entertained. I liked the city, combat... had a far more cooler vibe compared to GTA.

osnameless · Sep 24, 2018

vixlar said:
-Each girlfriend you get gives you a bonus, but that bonus makes sense: the american tourist has taken many photos of the shrines; the russian hostess has met many gangsters and has been in many back alleys to see all the briefcases; the chinese hostess know the residence of many rich people; the hackers, well, hacks...

You make a good point, but sadly the dating mini-game, in the end, was kinda disappointing. It had some interesting parts, but I wished they fleshed it out more with more possibilities and more encounters.

Eurogamer: Why Sleeping Dogs is the most interesting open-city game of recent years

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