Be Excellent To Each Other

The core gameplay of Sleeping Dogs consists of giving the player an open world environment in which to move around freely. Sleeping Dogs is played as an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective action-adventure game with role-playing elements. The player controls Wei Shen, a Chinese-American police officer, as he goes undercover to infiltrate the Triad organization called Sun On Yee (a reference to real-life triad gang Sun Yee On). On foot, the player character has the ability to walk, run, jump, climb over obstacles and swim, as well as use weapons and martial arts skills in combat. Players are also capable of driving a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats and motorcycles.[9]

The combat system heavily revolves around hand-to-hand fighting with strong influences from Batman: Arkham Asylum/City's "Freeflow" combat system. The cover system allows the player to deftly move between cover, to fire blindly, aim freely, and target a specific enemy. Individual body parts can also be targeted. The driving segments were inspired by the Need for Speed series, with several developers having worked on previous Need for Speed titles. While driving, Wei can get out and jump onto other moving vehicles.[9]
Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain content and parts of the city, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not attempting a storyline mission, players can free-roam, giving them the ability to participate in activities such as carjacking, joining a fight club, doing karaoke, visiting gambling dens and betting on cockfights. There are also several potential girlfriends for Wei Shen to date. Successful completion of side missions offers the player rewards.[9]

Sleeping Dogs features role-playing elements with three different experience point values: Triad XP, Face XP, and Police XP. Triad XP and Police XP measure Wei's devotion to the triad and police, respectively, while Face XP is a measure of his general reputation. Clothing, accessories and vehicles are available for purchase by Wei, and have an effect on non-player characters' reactions. Sleeping Dogs tracks acquired skills in areas such as hand-to-hand combat, which improve through use in the game.[9]

Although there is no multiplayer component, the game features online stats and leaderboards so players can compare scores.

Sleeping Dogs is an open-world game in the Grand Theft Auto tradition, complete with cars, motorcycles, collectibles, and side-missions, but the setting, combat mechanics, and well-told story elevate it well above other games in the genre.

...

United Front Games stopped the race for more and decided to go after “better” instead, and it was the right move. The game’s combat system is as fun on the 100th fight as it is the first, and the game presents the player with a well-told story filled with characters that seem real, if over the top. These people all grew up in the criminal world of Hong Kong, and that shared history is referenced in ways that feel natural. This is a lived-in world that didn’t pop into being when you hit start; it was there before the game began and will continue to carry on after the game’s conclusion.

Sleeping Dogs doesn’t set up a sequel as much as it makes you question what you’ve accomplished through the story, and it reminds you that the survivors, and the broken social contract that ripped their once-ordered organizations apart, will carry on.

Have you kept your Just Cause 2 save file? If so, and you buy Sleeping Dogs, you're in for a neat treat.

If you have a Just Cause 2 save file you'll be able to download a Just Cause 2 clothes set for use in Sleeping Dogs.

The United Front Games' gangster kill 'em up has dipped into into Avalanche Studios' superb open world blow 'em up for the in-game content, free to download at launch for all platforms. Both games are published by Square Enix.

Browse Wei Shen's safehouse wardrobe and you'll gain the unique player outfit featuring Rico Rodriguez' trademark threads.
Wear the clothes and you'll get a boost to your action hijack ability, allowing you to perform stunt-style takeovers of enemy vehicles from an even greater distance.