Sleeping Dogs

[Slumberland]

Darn it. When Web is enthusiastic about something, I usually end up jumping in.

[fsquid]

yea, it sounds like a must have.

[TheTruth]

Most fun I've had with a modern open-world game in quite some time.

Love the fighting, and actually really enjoy how the protagonist is presented. Neat character so far that I enjoy inhabiting.

Story is interesting enough so far too, despite an early abundance of 'mature language' there for its own sake.

I don't like the FOV, though. Too close to the character and too limited. I want to gawk around at Hong Kong. It sometimes feels like I'm in a dungeon corridor when walking the city!

Didn't have high expectations, but the game is definitely exceeding them so far.

I agree Web. The camera has been my only complaint as well.

[Gurantsu]

The fighting is actually driving me up a wall. For the most part I'm waiting for a guy to turn red then hitting the Y button. It doesn't feel as fluid as Batman, there seems to be set animations that have to happen, and since I'm missing the button presses the combos rarely work. It feels like it is really trying to get you to use the environment, which is cool, but in the situations where you can't you just kind of wait around for a guy to attack you. I'm early in the game so hopefully it will get better as I go on, but so far I am much less impressed than any of my friends. The fighting just feels tedious.

[dbdynsty25]

The fighting is actually driving me up a wall. For the most part I'm waiting for a guy to turn red then hitting the Y button. It doesn't feel as fluid as Batman, there seems to be set animations that have to happen, and since I'm missing the button presses the combos rarely work. It feels like it is really trying to get you to use the environment, which is cool, but in the situations where you can't you just kind of wait around for a guy to attack you. I'm early in the game so hopefully it will get better as I go on, but so far I am much less impressed than any of my friends. The fighting just feels tedious.

You need to start getting some upgrades to your fighting style. It'll come.

[Gurantsu]

You need to start getting some upgrades to your fighting style. It'll come.

I did get the first one after finding the first statue, so that's a start. I'll stick with it, because so many of you guys dig it, and because I've been to Honk Kong a few times so I dig the vibe (the game isn't super accurate as far as the map goes, but it captures the feel which is more important. Then again its been over twenty years since I've been there!) I do like the police investigation side.

I'm a very casual player, so it will probably take me a bit longer to get into it. I think using the environment is a huge part of the fighting game and one I need to get used to. You really need to pay attention to whats going on around you.

[TCrouch]

For what it's worth, after the first hour or so, I was wondering if I had to drop it down to easy mode or something (which I couldn't find) because I kept getting my ass kicked by groups trying to do the drug busts. Once I had 4 or 5 melee upgrades, though, completely different story.

Part of it is learning, too. You can hammer away at people, but knowing what type of enemy you have in the crowd you're fighting helps. The biggest dangers I've seen are those big fat guys that grab you and you end up having to hit X to kick and Y to free yourself. But they can't block or defend at all, so I just wail away on them until somebody turns red. Once they're down, I can pepper the "blockers", and if they're blocking, quickly grab them with B and hold A to smash their head into a wall. Kick them while they're down until somebody turns red again, etc.

You can definitely get very fluid with the combat system. But at first, when you don't have multiple-target sweeps, roundhouse kicks that will knock people down, jumping spin kicks and follow ups, etc., it's much tougher to get a feel for it.

[Macca00]

I like this game so much I bought it twice (or because I'm an idiot)! Picked up the 360 version, really enjoyed it but didn't like the framerate stuff so traded it back in quickly and then got the PC version which, with the high-res texture pack, LOOKS AMAZING!

Fun game. Really enjoying the deep combat, the driving, the story and also Hong Kong which seems so much different than other open world cities we've experienced.

Terry - have you got to the gun combat yet? Some reviews have said that's where the game starts to falter, just wanted your take. I'm not there yet.

[TCrouch]

Yeah, I've used pistols, SMGs, and Assault Rifles. I don't think it's any worse than any other TPS game I've played lately. I think people could be used to having the soft lock on targets when they try to pop out of cover, I don't know. I enjoyed the gun missions I've played so far, and when you do it in traffic from a vehicle, you kind of have to lead your shots, so that's pretty cool.

But I'd say 90% of the game so far has still been melee combat. The guns just seem to pop up from time to time and then we're back to fisticuffs.

[Macca00]

I enjoyed the gun missions I've played so far, and when you do it in traffic from a vehicle, you kind of have to lead your shots, so that's pretty cool......But I'd say 90% of the game so far has still been melee combat...

Sweet! Good to hear. I'm looking forward to playing more when I get home!

[RobVarak]

I agree with Terry on the gun combat. It's actually nice the way they sort of limit the use of the guns because it gives added weight and drama when you do get one. My only beef is that absent a headshot, goons seem to be able to take a surprising number of 9mm rounds to the chest without significant impact to their overall healthy.

Also if any of you haven't noticed already, there are some upgrades available from the different outfits and accessories. They aren't huge, but a buff is a buff.

WRT melee combat, it's also a huge help to upgrade your health. At some point I made a point of going around to activate as many health shrines as possible and it really helps a lot. After you get your Face to level 2 (I think), the shrines become icons on your map, which makes it a lot easier.

I was a moron the first couple times I played and didn't realize you need to trigger missions off of you phone. LOL The game was awfully linear for a while there.

[TCrouch]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that. I think I've found something like 25 of the health shrines so I have a full health bar and almost a full "armor" bar on top of that. That certainly helps the melee combat survivability too

And Rob, the last Police Perk in the top tree was "+P rounds", which do a lot more damage in gunplay in general. I usually see thugs falling in a few shots at most, even if they're chest shots.

[webdanzer]

I really enjoy that -after waking up in the hospital- a blistering bout of 'Hit me with your best shot' Karaoke (complete with air guitar solo) was the charge I needed to psyche myself up and exact revenge on that gang of alley-dwelling drug dealing punks!

Well, the Karaoke and the tire iron out of the trunk, that is.

Still enjoying this one.

Echo the comments that gaining new fighting moves really ups the options in the melees you have.

[TheTruth]

Well, the Karaoke and the tire iron out of the trunk, that is.

I also like to ram the group with my car first sometimes as well. And if you are real good, you can side swipe with the tailend of your car as you do donuts.

I spent pretty much all day yesterday gathering all the health and melee statues that I could get. Those melee statues really open up the combos. Never get tired of cracking those legs.

[Teal]

Demo dropped today on XBL. Hey, this is a fun game! It's also RIDICULOUSLY overpeppered with MF bombs-sheesh! I had to put on my headphones just to keep my eight year old from hearing that crap. The fighting is VERY batman-oriented, which is good. Unlike Batman (or any undercover cop I've ever heard of), that dude does some seriously gruesome killing...wow.

Fun stuff, though. The demo has no driving in it, no sense of the scale of the city. But it's a good cross section of the story elements. On my eventual radar now.

[RobVarak]

Demo dropped today on XBL. Hey, this is a fun game! It's also RIDICULOUSLY overpeppered with MF bombs-sheesh! I had to put on my headphones just to keep my eight year old from hearing that crap. The fighting is VERY batman-oriented, which is good. Unlike Batman (or any undercover cop I've ever heard of), that dude does some seriously gruesome killing...wow.

Fun stuff, though. The demo has no driving in it, no sense of the scale of the city. But it's a good cross section of the story elements. On my eventual radar now.

After a week, my opinion is pretty short and sweet: It's like GTA with fun added.

[pk500]

Played the demo tonight. Very cool concept and atmosphere. But the game -- at least the demo -- is way too much of a button-masher for these tired old hands.

[dbdynsty25]

Played the demo tonight. Very cool concept and atmosphere. But the game -- at least the demo -- is way too much of a button-masher for these tired old hands.

It's a button masher to be sure...but it's a controlled mashing as you progress a bit further.

[Spooky]

I dig the demo...but I'd like to hear more recent impressions from you guys that have gotten much further in the game. Does the games get repetitive at all or boring? Have any of you lost interest in it or does it continue to deliver?

[pk500]

Played the demo tonight. Very cool concept and atmosphere. But the game -- at least the demo -- is way too much of a button-masher for these tired old hands.

It's a button masher to be sure...but it's a controlled mashing as you progress a bit further.

Cool. Thanks for the feedback.

But I worry like hell about carpal tunnel and repetitive stress with all of the keyboard and mouse activity that I've done over the last 24 years of work and all that's left to come in the next 20-plus years. If I can't type, I can't work. So I think I'll have to pass on this one.

Too bad, as Sleeping Dogs does seem to be a fresh take on the GTA sandbox genre. Violent as hell, too!

[Spooky]

Played the demo tonight. Very cool concept and atmosphere. But the game -- at least the demo -- is way too much of a button-masher for these tired old hands.

It's a button masher to be sure...but it's a controlled mashing as you progress a bit further.

Cool. Thanks for the feedback.

But I worry like hell about carpal tunnel and repetitive stress with all of the keyboard and mouse activity that I've done over the last 24 years of work and all that's left to come in the next 20-plus years. If I can't type, I can't work. So I think I'll have to pass on this one.

Too bad, as Sleeping Dogs does seem to be a fresh take on the GTA sandbox genre. Violent as hell, too!

Interestingly enough - I don't really see this game requiring more button "mashing" than most every sports game out there. After playing the NHL and then this demo back to back I'd actually say that NHL uses more button effort.

[RobVarak]

I dig the demo...but I'd like to hear more recent impressions from you guys that have gotten much further in the game. Does the games get repetitive at all or boring? Have any of you lost interest in it or does it continue to deliver?

Spook,

The side missions are repetitive (basically 3 or 4 major types: Drug busts, hijacking, shakedowns, etc), but they are only side missions after all. They're there to boost your stats and they're wildly entertaining because of the gameplay within the missions.

The story missions are much more varied and can be positively epic! There are some truly cool, cinematic missions that really bring the goods. And the story itself manages to be much like good pulpy Hong Kong action movies: cliched but gripping nonetheless.

Overall, after a week I'm still absolutely loving it. It lacks the polish (both in gameplay and world building) to be a challenger to RDR, which is the open-world king IMO, but it's got the same sense of genre that makes that game so much fun. I never got bored of watching the sunrise while riding over perfect Western terrain, and I don't seem to be getting bored while breaking necks and driving like a maniac around a perfect representation of the Hong Kong you see in movies.

[RallyMonkey]

So this one was on my radar but based on the fact that I have been on a gaming hiatus for months due to just a real lack of desire, I kept putting it off. Just got it as a birthday gift so....sweet!! Pretty psyched now as I think this, NHL along with Madden on the Vita hopefully gets me back in the game. Pun intended.

[bulls23]

Played the demo tonight. Very cool concept and atmosphere. But the game -- at least the demo -- is way too much of a button-masher for these tired old hands.

No S***, (thought I'd throw in a little foul language for no reason, like the game), , I couldn't even get past the first boss!

[Gurantsu]

Played the demo tonight. Very cool concept and atmosphere. But the game -- at least the demo -- is way too much of a button-masher for these tired old hands.

No S***, (thought I'd throw in a little foul language for no reason, like the game), , I couldn't even get past the first boss!

The Y button is your friend!

I have a friend who traded it in a few days ago, because he finished it. Even got platinum achievements on the PS3 version. I still wonder if he even enjoys games or just blasts through one so he can trade it in for the next. I'd hate to be next to him at a buffet!