VIDEO GAME REVIEW // Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs is an open world action-adventure video game made by United Front Games and Square Enix London. It can be played on PC, Playstation 3, Playstion 4, Xbox 360 & Xbox One.

This game takes place in Hong Kong, China and follows Wei Shen, an American Police officer who has returned home to Hong Kong to take part in an undercover operation to infiltrate the Sun On Yee Triad organization. You become apart of one of the areas most dangerous gangs with the help of your childhood friend, Jackie Ma. You work your way up the ladder of the Sun On Yee and soon aren't able to tell if you are a police officer or a loyal member to the Sun On Yee. The death of close friends and the threats from fellow police officers throw plenty of obstacles your way.

The fighting in this game is strictly Kung Fu style. If you enjoy Kung Fu movies and Ninja type stuff, you'll love this game. You can choose between hand to hand combat and the option to pull a weapon out, if you have one. When enemies flash red, you're placed with the ability to counter their attack or face damage to your health. The gameplay really reminds of of GTA or Saints Row, it's definitely got that same vibe to it, like most free roam games do.

There are many different game mode options that you can find all around Hong Kong. Things such as a kung fu tournament, which is almost a story within itself, races with different vehicles from motorcycles to speed boats and case files that are side missions that you can play as a police officer in uniform. You get the opportunity to experience levels as both a member of the Sun On Yee and as a police office. The use of parkour in this game is another thing that makes it very enjoyable. If you see a spot marked with green or blue, then most of the time that means you're able to climb or jump or whatever the situation may call for in that area. It makes chasing criminals and enemies much more entertaining.

I very much enjoyed playing this game. The fighting style was pretty easy to figure out and fun to master once I was comfortable with it. I liked the fact that you could collectible statues around town that when brought back to the dojo near your apartment, teaches you new moves to use the next time you experience combat in the game. One thing I did in the game specifically was buy every vehicle. Once you got all the fast cars, playing this game is much more enjoyable. 5/5. This game definitely deserved game of the year.