$20 Game of the Week: Sleeping Dogs (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

On its surface, Sleeping Dogs looks like your average Grand Theft Auto ripoff, and the similarities are there. You drive cars around an open world while taking on missions at your leisure. Hell, before Square-Enix picked the game up, Activision was slated to release it as a True Crime sequel. However, if you dismiss this as yet another GTA clone, you’d be cheating yourself out of one of the best and emotional stories of 2012. In the vein of Hong Kong crime movies such as Hard boiled and Internal Affairs, Sleeping Dogs’ story and gameplay will keep players hooked in a surprising way.

Playing as undercover cop Wei Shen, your task is to infiltrate a Triad organization. You’ll have to participate in numerous criminal activities while at the same time uphold the badge and avoid blowing your cover. The gameplay consists of both martial arts and gunplay, and throughout the game, you’ll learn new techniques to enhance your abilities. Mastering your martial arts skills is key to progressing in the game, because as a character points out, guns are rare in Hong Kong. This is to an extent that when you do first get a gun, it’s a pretty big deal. While you can’t just go around on shooting rampages GTA-style (you are a cop after all), there is plenty to do in Hong Kong. Be it participating in investigations, sing karaoke, and participating in street races, there is plenty to do when not engaged in the story. The story however, is easily one of the best parts of the game. It’s tense, emotional, and will keep you hooked to the end. Of course what open world game worth its salt wouldn’t have a radio stations full of licensed music? Sleeping Dogs delivers in this department, as the game’s stations contain everything from hip hop and heavy metal to 80s music and jazz. When you do finish the main title, there is plenty to keep you hooked afterwards. In particular, 3 pieces of downloadable content, Nightmare at Northpoint, The Zodiac Tournament, and Year of the Snake add entirely new storylines.

While most may look at this as yet another GTA wannabe, those who give Sleeping Dogs a chance will find one of 2012’s most finely tuned gaming experiences. Even if it isn’t original, it’s storyline, gameplay, and representation of Hong Kong help make this a hit among players.