I figured since I beat the game the other day, I might as well give it a review. No harm in doing so. Be aware this is just my opinion, and I don't mean to call anyone out or offend anyone with it.Sleeping Dogs was one of those games where I got the demo, played it repeatedly, found a free-roam glitch, and found even more reasons to play the demo, and more reasons to want the game. However due to my lack of funds, I wasn't able to get it until recently, when the price dropped to 20 dollars at GameStop. The combat is smooth and dynamic, but can also be annoying at times if you aren't quick enough. At first it's a little difficult to grasp the concept but after a while you'll be pulling off roundhouse counter attacks like Chuck Norris. The shooting was a bit fast-paced and hard to keep up with, but the slow-motion triggers really helped out, like sliding over cover made time slow down by half so you can easily take aim and shoot before you are turned into swiss cheese by enemy gunfire. People may call this a Grand Theft Auto clone, but I'd personally have to disagree. It felt more like Dead to Rights with more fluid combat, or maybe even Max Payne, the only addition being the ability to steal cars. There are some abilities or upgrades Wei can have if he gains enough experience. The experience is divided into three sections: Cop Experience, Triad Experience, and Face Experience. Cop Experience is awarded if you get through the mission without harming civilians or causing damage to public property. Triad Experience is awarded if you violently attack your enemies. If you do too much of the same thing, however, the experience for each move is reduced unless it's something that's not easy to replicate, like headshots and killstreaks. Face Experience is awarded when you complete events or do favors for people around Hong Kong. The story is as great as the game, so it's not just one of those kill-everything-for-no-apparent-reason kind of deal. It puts you in the shoes of undercover cop Wei Shen, who is also a Triad footsoldier. In the Triad, he has friends from his childhood, which makes his job as a cop difficult and stressful. The story is somewhat short, but it is worth the play. If you have been considering buying this game, it is very worth it if you are into action shooters with a story. The soundtrack is a little lacking in terms of original score, since I always seem to hear the track from before the main menu at least 75% of the time in the game, but the tracks licensed for the game in the radio stations are pretty good. There is also a karaoke minigame, which is like Rockband's singing, except you're not singing, just guiding the analog stick through the lines. The more you do it, the more points you get.Score:Gameplay: 8/10. Like I said before, the combat can get a little annoying, but it's awesome when you get the timing down. Hong Kong has a variety of areas, tight and closed, or open and wide, it just depends on the area you're in.Graphics: 9/10. I never saw any issues with the graphics, they were consistently good throughout the entire time I played.Soundtrack: 6/10. The soundtracks used in the game were pretty good, but in terms of original score I always heard the same tracks being recycled.Story: 8/10. While short, it was good, but there isn't much replayability in the story unless you're going for that little extra Triad experience.Overall: 7/10. This game is worth the buy and play, but loses replayability after a first playthrough, unless you need a little extra Triad experience. However, there are a lot of side missions and random happenings around Hong Kong to keep your interest in the game, but when you finish all those, gotten in all the shootouts with the cops, it gets boring. There is quite a bit of DLC available as well, two of which I think are story-based. The lack of OST I compensated for by listening to GTA V's OST while playing, but that also means I didn't really pay attention to what really was playing at the shootouts, so my rating on the original score is a bit unfair.I know this review is a little jumbled but I'm tired and haven't had sleep in a while, I'll probably edit this post and revise it after I've had some sleep.
I figured since I beat the game the other day, I might as well give it a review. No harm in doing so. Be aware this is just my opinion, and I don't mean to call anyone out or offend anyone with it.Sleeping Dogs was one of those games where I got the demo, played it repeatedly, found a free-roam glitch, and found even more reasons to play the demo, and more reasons to want the game. However due to my lack of funds, I wasn't able to get it until recently, when the price dropped to 20 dollars at GameStop. The combat is smooth and dynamic, but can also be annoying at times if you aren't quick enough. At first it's a little difficult to grasp the concept but after a while you'll be pulling off roundhouse counter attacks like Chuck Norris. The shooting was a bit fast-paced and hard to keep up with, but the slow-motion triggers really helped out, like sliding over cover made time slow down by half so you can easily take aim and shoot before you are turned into swiss cheese by enemy gunfire. People may call this a Grand Theft Auto clone, but I'd personally have to disagree. It felt more like Dead to Rights with more fluid combat, or maybe even Max Payne, the only addition being the ability to steal cars. There are some abilities or upgrades Wei can have if he gains enough experience. The experience is divided into three sections: Cop Experience, Triad Experience, and Face Experience. Cop Experience is awarded if you get through the mission without harming civilians or causing damage to public property. Triad Experience is awarded if you violently attack your enemies. If you do too much of the same thing, however, the experience for each move is reduced unless it's something that's not easy to replicate, like headshots and killstreaks. Face Experience is awarded when you complete events or do favors for people around Hong Kong. The story is as great as the game, so it's not just one of those kill-everything-for-no-apparent-reason kind of deal. It puts you in the shoes of undercover cop Wei Shen, who is also a Triad footsoldier. In the Triad, he has friends from his childhood, which makes his job as a cop difficult and stressful. The story is somewhat short, but it is worth the play. If you have been considering buying this game, it is very worth it if you are into action shooters with a story. The soundtrack is a little lacking in terms of original score, since I always seem to hear the track from before the main menu at least 75% of the time in the game, but the tracks licensed for the game in the radio stations are pretty good. There is also a karaoke minigame, which is like Rockband's singing, except you're not singing, just guiding the analog stick through the lines. The more you do it, the more points you get.Score:Gameplay: 8/10. Like I said before, the combat can get a little annoying, but it's awesome when you get the timing down. Hong Kong has a variety of areas, tight and closed, or open and wide, it just depends on the area you're in.Graphics: 9/10. I never saw any issues with the graphics, they were consistently good throughout the entire time I played.Soundtrack: 6/10. The soundtracks used in the game were pretty good, but in terms of original score I always heard the same tracks being recycled.Story: 8/10. While short, it was good, but there isn't much replayability in the story unless you're going for that little extra Triad experience.Overall: 7/10. This game is worth the buy and play, but loses replayability after a first playthrough, unless you need a little extra Triad experience. However, there are a lot of side missions and random happenings around Hong Kong to keep your interest in the game, but when you finish all those, gotten in all the shootouts with the cops, it gets boring. There is quite a bit of DLC available as well, two of which I think are story-based. The lack of OST I compensated for by listening to GTA V's OST while playing, but that also means I didn't really pay attention to what really was playing at the shootouts, so my rating on the original score is a bit unfair.I know this review is a little jumbled but I'm tired and haven't had sleep in a while, I'll probably edit this post and revise it after I've had some sleep.