Sleeping
Dogs

Sleeping Dogs (2012) is a gritty action-adventure game where you play an undercover cop infiltrating a criminal gang in Hong Kong. You explore the world and partake in all sorts of criminal activity, from street racing to brutal fist fighting, meanwhile reporting it all to the police. It stands out for its graphic fight sequences, use of cyber-tech and macabre narrative, at times making it feel as much like an action movie as a video game.

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You play Wei Shen, a skilled undercover cop tasked with bringing down a local gang from the inside. You start as a low-level henchman and work your way up the criminal ranks by exploring the world on foot or in cars, bikes and boats and fighting rival gangs. The combat is largely martial-arts-based (although there is also some shooting), testing your reactions with well-timed button presses to dodge, counter and chain punches and kicks of ranging speed and damage. Using the surrounding environment, you can execute particularly brutal finishing moves such as slamming heads into walls or even heavy machinery.

As you progress, you unlock new moves and abilities such as unblockable attacks and car-jacking skills. Through exploration of the open world, you find new activities to enjoy, such as street racing, joining a fight club or even karaoke. In this way, the game can feel a bit like Grand Theft Auto as you wreak havoc across Hong Kong.

The result is an intense and often gory game where, technically, you are working for good but rarely feel like it, committing atrocious crimes for the sake of keeping your cover. The Hong Kong setting is vibrant and a perfect stage for GTA-like play.

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Our examiner, Jake Kendall, first checked Sleeping Dogs 7 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 6 weeks ago.