Jump to content

Sleeping Dogs (video game)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sleeping Dogs
Cover art
Developer(s)United Front Games
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Producer(s)
  • Jeff O'Connell
  • Feargus Carroll
Designer(s)Mike Skupa
Programmer(s)Dave Roberts
Artist(s)
  • Hani Abu-Ghazaleh
  • Joshua Lee
Writer(s)
  • Jacob Krarup
  • Tim Carter
Composer(s)Jeff Tymoschuk
Platform(s)
Release
August 14, 2012
  • PS3, XBOX360, Windows
    • NA: August 14, 2012
    • AU: August 16, 2012
    • EU: August 17, 2012
    Definitive Edition
    PS4, XBOXONE, Windows
    • AU: October 9, 2014
    • EU: October 10, 2014
    • NA: October 14, 2014
    macOS
    • WW: March 31, 2016
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Sleeping Dogs is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by United Front Games and published by Square Enix. The game was released for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 in August 2012. Set in contemporary Hong Kong, the story follows martial artist and undercover police officer Wei Shen who infiltrates the Sun On Yee Triad organization. Gameplay focuses on Wei Shen's martial arts moves, fighting, shooting and parkour abilities, and on gadgets that can be used for combat and exploration. Players must complete missions to unlock content and continue the story, but they may instead freely roam the game's open world environment and engage in both legal and criminal activities. The latter may incite a police response, the intensity of which is controlled by a "heat" system. Actions such as fighting, driving and racing grant Shen statistical rewards and earn the player achievements.

Sleeping Dogs' development began in 2008. The game was announced in 2009 as part of the True Crime series but was canceled by Activision Blizzard in 2011, as a result of the project's delays and budget issues. Six months later, Square Enix purchased the publishing rights and renamed the game Sleeping Dogs, without the True Crime license, but considered a spiritual successor. During development, United Front staff visited Hong Kong to conduct field research for the visual environments and sound. Square Enix London Studios worked with United Front for the development.

Sleeping Dogs received positive reviews from critics for its combat, voice acting, protagonist, experience system and depiction of the city, but its camera and some animations were criticized. The game had sold over 1.5 million units by September 2012. New outfits, missions and add-ons, as well as three expansion packs, were released as downloadable content in the six months following the game's debut. A remastered version, subtitled Definitive Edition, was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in October 2014. It features improved gameplay, setting and audio-visual quality based on community feedback. The macOS version of Definitive Edition was released on March 31, 2016, by Feral Interactive.[1] The game spawned a spin-off multiplayer game titled Triad Wars, which was canceled in 2015.

Gameplay

[edit]

Sleeping Dogs is an action-adventure game[2][3] set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective. The player controls Wei Shen, a Chinese-American police officer who goes undercover and ventures out on a raid to infiltrate the Sun On Yee Triad organization.[4][5] The initial missions of the game are a linear tutorial for controlling the character.[6] After these missions, the player is allowed to explore the game's world and take part in side missions and other activities.[5] Shen navigates the world by running, jumping, climbing over obstacles, swimming,[7] and driving cars, boats and motorcycles.[8] The heads-up display (HUD) interface features a mini-map that indicates targets, key locations (safe houses and contact points) and Shen's current position. The mini-map incorporates two meters: one shows Shen's health and the other his face. When the face meter fills, upgrades are unlocked such as health regeneration, improved combat abilities and reduced equipment costs. The HUD also displays the weapon carried and its ammunition count.[9]

The game features the option to choose from Triad, Face and Police XPs. Triad XP is obtained through melee combat and violent actions such as "environmental kills". Triad XP awarded is directly proportional to the complexity of attacking moves, and gaining Triad XP unlocks improvements to Shen's melee combat skills such as increased damage, improved weapon durability, and unblockable attacks. Face XP, obtained in civilian side missions, fills Shen's face meter and unlocks cosmetic items such as clothes and vehicles. By reaching a higher Face level, the player can freely buy vehicles or clothing. When it is full, Shen gains health regeneration, increased attack damage and other benefits.[10] Police XP is gained by minimizing civilian casualties and property damage in missions and by completing police side missions, and gaining Police XP unlocks improvements to Shen's firearm combat skills and abilities such as disarming opponents, hot-wiring cars, and retrieving weapon stashes from the trunks of police cars.[11] The clothes, accessories and vehicles purchased by Shen affect non-player characters' reactions toward him. The player may collect jade zodiac statuettes and return them to a dojo to unlock martial arts combos.[5][12]

Shen performs an environmental kill against an enemy. The health meter, mini-map and status buffs are shown on the heads-up display.

Unlike most similar open-world games, Sleeping Dogs emphasizes melee combat over gunplay. Sleeping Dogs' melee combat has been compared to that of Batman: Arkham Asylum: it allows the player to fight opponents coming from any direction with attack, grapple and counter-moves and can be performed with[13] or without[5] weapons. These three basic commands are chained together with the character's movement to execute attacks.[14] The player's face meter fills up faster when enemies are defeated with different moves in rapid succession or with environmental attacks,[5] which are performed by dragging enemies to certain objects, which Shen uses to eliminate opponents.[6] Melee weapons such as knives, tire irons, and frying pans are available, but they break with extended use.[15] Gun combat in Sleeping Dogs combines a cover system with gun fu elements: if the player vaults from cover in a gunfight or manually disarms a gun-wielding enemy, time briefly slows down, and the effect can be prolonged further by chaining together successive headshots. Firearms are scarce in the game and the player can normally carry only one gun at a time: although it is possible to tuck away and unholster a handgun for later use, other weapons cannot be holstered, and all must be discarded after running out of ammunition.

The player can perform "action hijacks" while driving vehicles. These cause Shen to leap from his vehicle to steal another in motion.[16] In combat, Shen loses health as he takes damage. This can be mitigated by taking cover where available.[17] If the health bar is depleted, the character will respawn at a hospital or a clinic. Health can also be restored by ordering food or drinks from various stalls and vending machines, which also provides a variety of buffs to Shen, such as health regeneration or improved damage.

If the player directs Shen to commit crimes, police response is indicated by a "heat" meter on the HUD. The meter displays the current wanted level; if it reaches 5, the police will aggressively pursue Shen. The meter recedes when Shen is hidden from the cops' line of sight. Police officers continue to search for Shen even if he leaves the wanted vicinity, and they will resume the chase if he is sighted. If Shen is arrested or killed by officers during missions, the player can restart from the last checkpoint.[18]

Some areas in the world remain inaccessible until milestones in the story are achieved.[6] Although the player must complete missions to unlock content and continue the story, they may wander the game's open world and participate in activities such as visiting a karaoke bar, carjacking, street racing and joining a fight club.[5] There are several potential girlfriends for Shen:[19] successfully dating them awards collectibles and bonus content.[19] The completion of side missions rewards the player with new missions,[20] vehicles, and outfits, among other things.[21]

The game has no multiplayer component, but online leaderboards are available for players to compare scores.[5] Many activities that are not central to the story grant Stat Awards in three tiers: bronze, silver and gold.[22] These unlock achievements and trophies.[23]

As the game progresses, the player acquires various safe houses to save progress in, but at certain times is required to go there to progress further. Like other houses, the player can survey unlocked areas, change outfits, and a parking garage is accessible in which they can use unlocked vehicles.[citation needed]

Synopsis

[edit]

Setting and characters

[edit]

Sleeping Dogs is set in a contemporary Hong Kong, which is split into four districts named after regions of the city.[5] The game reveals the story of Wei Shen (Will Yun Lee), a former San Francisco Police Department officer who was transferred to the Hong Kong Police Department and assigned the task to infiltrate and destroy a Triad organization known as the Sun On Yee (based on the Sun Yee On).[24] The main storyline features two sub-plots: Shen's balance between completing his police mission whilst committing crimes to prove himself to the Triads, and missions assigned by a Triad lieutenant, including the assassinations of Triad members loyal to other lieutenants.

Shen's mission is coordinated by Police Superintendent Thomas Pendrew (Tom Wilkinson), and progress made by Shen is reported to his handler, Raymond Mak (Byron Mann). Shen infiltrates the Sun On Yee via his childhood friend Jackie Ma (Edison Chen), a low-level Triad member; and his loyalty is tested by the Triad boss Winston Chu (Parry Shen). Other characters in the game include the head of the Sun On Yee, David Wai-Lin "Uncle" Po (James Hong); fellow Triad bosses "Broken Nose" Jiang (Elizabeth Sung) and Henry "Big Smile" Lee (Tzi Ma); Shen's love interest Amanda Cartwright (Emma Stone); Winston's right-hand man, Conroy Wu (Robin Shou); singer Vivienne Lu (Lucy Liu); and Shen's girlfriend Not Ping (Celina Jade).[25]

Plot

[edit]

Wei Shen is a petty criminal who is arrested in Aberdeen, Hong Kong after a drug deal goes wrong. Accompanied by Naz Singh, he was dealing drugs with a triad member, slashed a security guard with a cleaver, and fled from police. In prison, Shen meets an old friend, Jackie Ma, who offers to introduce Shen to the members of a gang once they are released. It is revealed that Shen is an undercover cop whose arrest was part of a police operation, headed by SP Thomas Pendrew and Inspector Raymond Mak, to infiltrate the Water Street branch of a Triad organization named "Sun On Yee". Shen joins the gang and is sent on various jobs and assignments by their leader Winston Chu against a rival Triad branch known as the Jade Gang led by Sam "Dogeyes" Lin. Shen is assigned to arrest Popstar, a drug supplier for the Triad.

After Popstar's arrest, the Water Street branch suspect that Shen is a cop, though he manages to make Winston relent. To prove he is not a cop, the Water Street boys send Shen to kill Siu Wah, one of Dogeyes' drug dealers, but Shen instead brings him in alive. Gaining Winston's trust, he lets Shen take over his position if something happens to him. Retaliatory attacks on each other's properties culminate in the killing of Winston and his fiancée at their wedding by men posing as members of the rival 18K Triad. The leader of the Sun On Yee, David Wa-Lin "Uncle" Po, is critically wounded in the attack, but is saved by Shen. As a reward, Shen is promoted to "Red Pole" of the Sun On Yee and he takes over Winston's position in the Water Street branch. He hunts down Winston's killer who reveals that Dogeyes instigated the attack.

Shen captures Dogeyes who is killed by Winston's mother. Po dies in the hospital. As a branch leader, Shen becomes embroiled in a power struggle over the leadership of Sun On Yee, siding with "Broken Nose" Jiang against another branch leader, Henry "Big Smile" Lee. After Po's funeral, during which they are attacked by 18K members, Lee reluctantly agrees to an election that will decide the leader of the Sun On Yee, but promises retaliation if he does not win. Shen refuses Pendrew's order to get off the case out of fear of Lee taking over. Lee orders attacks against other Sun On Yee branches in an attempt to eliminate the competition and intimidate them into voting for him, including kidnapping Jackie and handing him to the 18K as a way to get rid of Shen. Just before the election, Shen receives a text message from Jackie to meet him, but he finds Jackie hanged and disemboweled on a pipe in an alleyway.

Shen is knocked out and wakes up, greeted by Liu Shen Tong, a feared Triad enforcer who knows Shen is a cop. Shen is tortured, but manages to escape and kills Tong. He then proceeds to assault Lee's compound, reaching Lee, who reveals to Shen that Pendrew sold him out. The two fight and Shen kills Lee, ending the long and violent civil war and allowing Jiang to become the chairwoman of the Sun On Yee. With the deaths of many senior ranking gang members, Shen is commended on his work but is informed by Mak that Pendrew has been promoted to Interpol and is out of his reach. Shen receives video evidence from Jiang showing that Pendrew killed Uncle Po by injecting lethal chemicals into his IV. After leaking the footage, Shen is able to incriminate Pendrew and returns to work on the police force. Jiang watches Shen from afar and orders the remaining Sun On Yee members to leave him alone, due to his loyalty to her.

Development

[edit]
Five actors were considered by the developers to portray main protagonist Wei Shen. American actor Will Yun Lee (pictured) was eventually chosen to play the main character.[26]

Towards the end of 2007, Activision approached the newly founded United Front Games, which consisted of ten people, to develop an open world game.[27] United Front accepted and Activision provided sufficient funding for 180 employees.[28] Early designs for the game, named Black Lotus at the time, incorporated dark tones with elements of humour similar to an "HBO crime drama".[27] The project advanced to full production in early 2008.[27]

A year into development, Activision proposed that Black Lotus be made part of an existing franchise and highlighted similarities to the True Crime series; both games were set in open worlds with plots centred on an undercover cop in a criminal organization. Sales of previous True Crime games had been disappointing, but Activision felt the innovations in Black Lotus could revitalize the franchise and make the game successful in its own right. Activision attached the game to the series and revealed it to the public as True Crime: Hong Kong in November 2009.[29] They delayed the game until 2010 to allow further refinement.[30]

Despite progress in game development, at the release of the financial report for the last quarter of 2010 on February 9, 2011, Activision announced the cancelation of True Crime: Hong Kong. The publisher said that due to "quality issues" further investment would not make the game competitive in the genre even with their most optimistic projections.[31] Although United Front Games shared this sentiment, executive producer Stephen Van Der Mescht expressed in an interview that "True Crime: Hong Kong was playable from start to finish and virtually complete in terms of content" prior to Activision's cancellation of the project. Van Der Mescht said the game "stood apart" from the competition.[32]

On June 22, 2011, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg explained that the budget and development delays were contributing factors in its cancellation. According to Hirshberg, the increase in budget and subsequent delays meant that the game would have to be "pretty incredible success" for Activision to have an acceptable return on investment. Due to competition posed by other titles, particularly Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, Activision's view was that True Crime: Hong Kong was not at the level of quality that it could compete.[33]

United Front Games cut 120 staff[28] with the company's solvency in doubt until August when Square Enix acquired the publishing rights to the game.[34] Square Enix did not buy the True Crime intellectual property,[34] and renamed the game Sleeping Dogs. Square Enix London Studios general manager Lee Singleton said he recognized the game's playability and potential. United Front Games' President Stefan Wessels stated he was excited to work with Square Enix London Studios. Sixty people were added to the development team[28][35] and the game was released on August 14, 2012.[36][37]

Design

[edit]

During development of the game the combat system was one of the key focuses. Mike Skupa, the design director, said that the combat was refined using feedback from Square Enix, with references drawn from Tony Jaa's The Protector. The system was designed to emphasize multi-directional combat, strike-based gameplay and environmental interaction. It started as "one big violent sandbox" and progressed to a playable demo. Skupa was pleased with how well the game kept the qualities of the original demo.[38]

The game's designers performed extensive research in Hong Kong to create an accurate portrayal of the city. Art designers spent seven days in Hong Kong, where they studied the city's environment, and took more than 20,000 photos as references for the physical environment in the game. They traveled on foot to various locales, such as clubs and malls, and interviewed ex-Triad members and retired members of the Hong Kong Police Force Anti-Triad unit, which inspired narratives and character design. The sound designers spent ten days in the city overseeing the dialogue sessions on weekdays and capturing ambient noises around the city at weekends.[39]

During the early stages of development, in-game dialogue was recorded in Los Angeles by local Asian actors, but much of the audio was re-recorded in Hong Kong through Drum Music, a specialist recording company.[39] Audio design was complicated; scripting was handled in Vancouver and the recording was in Hong Kong.[39] There were reservations among the developers about the language for the background dialogue; the sound design team eventually prevailed in using Hong Kong Cantonese over English.[39]

In-game radio music was handled by Joe Best and sourced from various music labels. Tracks were licensed from Tsunami Music, Warp, Ninja Tune, and Roadrunner Records which lent their names to the in-game radio stations. Through Tsunami Music, voice actors were auditioned and recruited to provide presenters for each of the radio stations in the game. DJs from companies such as Kerrang! also provided voices for the in-game radio presenters.[40] Nathan Wang composed original Chinese songs in the style of Cantopop and Mandopop songs.[citation needed]

Marketing and release

[edit]
Sleeping Dogs booth at E3 2012

United Front Games relied on viral marketing, such as Internet advertisements and TV trailers, prior to Sleeping Dogs's release. The production team promoted the game with regular communication on social networking websites.[41] They promoted it at video game conventions such as Game Developers Conference,[42] PAX East,[43] MCM London Comic Con,[44] E3,[45] Comic Con,[46] and Gamescom.[47]

Square Enix revealed North American pre-order bonuses for Best Buy, GameStop and Amazon customers in April 2012; each retailer offered its own exclusive in-game content pack.[48] A United Kingdom limited edition release contained two such packs,[49] and an Australian special edition, sold through EB Games and JB Hi-Fi, included all three packs at no added cost.[50]

Further marketing of Sleeping Dogs was via cross-promotion on different platforms;[51] players who bought the game through Steam received an eight item pack for Team Fortress 2, which was later made available for separate purchase, and a Hong Kong-themed Team Fortress 2 level, Kong King.[52][53] Owners of Just Cause 2 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC received automatic access to a Sleeping Dogs character outfit in the style of Just Cause 2 protagonist Rico Rodriguez. The outfit increases the player's action hijack statistics and increases the range from which the player can perform stunt takeovers of enemy vehicles.[54]

The game was released on August 14, 2012, in North America,[55] August 16 in Australia,[50] and August 17 in Europe.[49] The September 27 Japanese release was titled Sleeping Dogs: Hong Kong Secret Police (スリーピングドッグス 香港秘密警察)[56] and was censored to pass the classification by the Japanese ratings board CERO. Differences include penalties for attacking civilians, lack of a street race flagger and a less explicit sex scene.[57]

An enhanced version, subtitled Definitive Edition, was released on October 10, 2014, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[58] It includes all the 24 previously released downloadable content (DLC) and features improved graphical resolution and gameplay, setting and audiovisual quality changes based on community feedback.[59]

Downloadable content

[edit]

"We want to create something to suit everyone's play style from cool cars and high-speed missions to outlandish outfits and game-extending mission packs. The game launch is just the beginning."

 — Lee Singleton, General Manager, Square Enix London Studios[60]

Square Enix announced six months of downloadable content to follow the game's release.[61] Packs included content such as outfit items, vehicles, experience point boosts,[62] tasks including money hidden around the city for players to find,[63] vehicle races,[64] weapons,[64] missions[64] and fight movesets.[65] Square Enix released a total of five content packs along with various pre-order bonuses, such as the Dragon Master Pack which was released in November 2012.[66] The last downloadable content for Sleeping Dogs was the "Wheels of Fury" supercar expansion, released in February 2013.[67]

The first story-driven game expansion, Nightmare in North Point, was released in October 2012. Its theme is based on Chinese horror and folklore, and features Chinese vampires known as the jiangshi.[68] In the expansion's plot, Shen's girlfriend Not Ping is abducted by the ghost of Smiley Cat, a former gangster killed by Uncle Po, who has risen up from the underworld as a ghost to take his vengeance on the Sun On Yee. Shen fights Smiley Cat's army of jiangshi, Yaoguai and possessed gangsters, as well as the ghosts of Dogeyes, Johnny Ratface and Ponytail, who reveals that Wei can defeat Smiley Cat by burning the last remnant of his original body. After incinerating his little finger, Cat returns to the underworld and Not Ping is freed. As Shen and Not Ping walk away in relief, the latter turns her head to the camera and smiles as her eyes glow in a freeze frame shot.

The second story-based expansion, Zodiac Tournament, was released in December 2012.[69] The expansion adds an island to the game, with fight arenas, enemies, bosses and outfits. Inspector Teng asks Shen to investigate an illegal fighting tournament held away from Hong Kong.[70] After defeating several fighters in lethal matches, Shen wins and pursues the Tournament Master, who offers to share his earnings in return for his life. Shen declines his offer and snaps the master's neck, killing him.

The third and final story-based expansion, Year of the Snake, was released in March 2013. It adds six missions set after the game's story.[71] The additional missions feature Shen, recently demoted from detective to patrolman, investigating terror attacks around Hong Kong stemming from a cultist group who believe that they will achieve spiritual salvation through the cleansing of Hong Kong residents.[72] Shen must sabotage the cult's activities, ultimately ending in the arrest of the cult master. The DLC adds the ability for Shen to tase and arrest civilians and criminals around Hong Kong, as well as additional collectibles, side missions, ownable police vehicles, and new clothing.[73]

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]

Sleeping Dogs received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[74][75][76] The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Sleeping Dogs for "Action Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Story" during the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[85]

Eurogamer writer Dan Whitehead called the combat system "robust and intuitive".[18] IGN's Colin Moriarty compared the combat to that of Batman: Arkham City and compared it favorably with Grand Theft Auto IV despite its simplicity and repetitiveness.[5] Hollander Cooper from GamesRadar praised the combat, especially the unique melee attacks.[12] Andy Kelly of Computer and Video Games welcomed the slower-paced missions.[79] Carolyn Petit from GameSpot and Ben Wilson from PlayStation Official Magazine found the combat enjoyable and highlighted the environmental attacks as "empowering and effective".[6][83] Cooper, Allistair Pinsof from Destructoid, and Edge found the missions generic and linear,[12][80][81] a sentiment reserved by Dan Ryckert of Game Informer for the shooting missions.[82] Petit disagreed, saying that the missions were varied and enjoyable.[6] Whitehead and Ryckert complained that there is too little to spend mission earnings on.[18][82]

The leveling system was described by Ryckert as "stand[ing] out from the open-world pack".[82] Moriarty praised the system for its use of the Face system and the ability to replay missions if unsatisfied.[5] Petit agreed and enjoyed the "pleasant sense of growth" given to Shen by the experience system during the campaign.[6] Pinsof called the system "one of the greatest innovations Sleeping Dogs brings to the genre".[80] Jon Blyth of Official Xbox Magazine liked the "pleasingly absurd" missions needed to gain Face.[84]

Hong Kong as depicted in the game's open world (top) and real life (bottom). Reviewers praised the authenticity and charm of the city in the game, which was considered a departure from the settings in Grand Theft Auto IV and Saints Row: The Third.[86]

Moriarty lauded the game's depiction of Hong Kong as "alive and well-populated" and liked the AI, the setting, and the voice acting, in particular the use of Cantonese and English.[5] Edge gave similar praise: "Offering a view of Asia through the filter of its action film industry, this is a depiction of Hong Kong that could have come straight from the reel."[81] Pinsof acclaimed the city's scale and AI.[80]

Shen and the other characters were mostly well received. Cooper applauded the conflicted nature of Shen's personality as a result of being in an overwhelming situation, arguing that this detail solidified him as a developed and likable protagonist. Cooper found the Triad members unsatisfactory by comparison, comparing them unfavorably with Grand Theft Auto characters.[12] Edge called Shen an engaging protagonist and complimented the other characters, whose voice actors brought life to the characters.[81] Blyth described the cast, aside from Shen, as "brilliantly recognizable stereotypes that have been given enough extra edge for you to care about them", and felt the attitude shifts of some characters were distracting and unrealistic.[84] Wilson said that the characters were "fleshed out brilliantly".[83] Pinsof claimed that the game's premise "grants a perfect excuse for Shen to do terrible things while remaining a sympathetic, level-headed lead."[80] Kelly thought Shen's two-faced nature was the main entertainment factor of the missions.[79] Whitehead found the player's ability to switch allegiances as needed to wear away at "the already fragile grasp the narrative has on Shen's conflicted loyalties."[18]

Moriarty criticized the game's draw distance and texture loading[5] and Whitehead noted some framerate and environmental glitches.[18] Petit said that, in spite of generally convincing non-player character design, "character models look like plastic dolls when viewed up close, and some gestures characters make are rigid and unnatural."[6] Edge stated that character animations in a variety of contexts look "robotic",[81] and Kelly said that "everything in the distance looks like it's been smeared in Vaseline."[79] Pinsof described the graphics as "gorgeous" and conducive to an immersive experience in Hong Kong.[80] Moriarty noted that the game's camera was particularly problematic when driving and less so during combat.[5] Cooper and Edge also criticized the camera.[12][81]

Sales

[edit]

In the United Kingdom, Sleeping Dogs was the best-selling game in the week of its release, and had the fifth-highest first-week sales of any game released in 2012.[87] It retained the top spot during its second week, despite sales dropping by 15%.[88] It returned to the top spot after four weeks on sale.[89] Sleeping Dogs sales rose by 8%, despite five weeks in the chart, defeating new release Tekken Tag Tournament 2.[90] Sleeping Dogs was the 20th-best-selling title of 2012 in the UK[91] and the best-selling original game.[92] According to NPD Group, Sleeping Dogs was the sixth-best-selling game in the United States in August 2012[93] at 172,000 units.[94] PC sales for Sleeping Dogs were not counted, as it is only available by download in the US.[95]

According to Square Enix, Sleeping Dogs had sold 1.5 million units by the end of September 2012.[37] Square Enix president Yoichi Wada defended the game's sales and said that the firm might have had unreasonably high expectations for the game. He saw Sleeping Dogs as a strong new intellectual property and said that titles such as Sleeping Dogs tend to sell better over long periods of time in the West, unlike in Japan where most lifetime sales are achieved in the first months.[96] On March 26, 2013, Square Enix announced that the game was expected to sell about 1.75 million units in 2013.[97] On September 10, 2013, the company announced that Sleeping Dogs, alongside Tomb Raider and Hitman: Absolution, had been successful in their game development, but did not meet sales expectations, and were considered to be "failures".[98]

In other media

[edit]

Canceled sequel

[edit]

In early 2013, United Front was working on a sequel to Sleeping Dogs. The game would have picked up after the original game, once again following the exploits of Wei Shen. He would be joined by a "conflicted, corrupt partner" named Henry Fang, as they explored China's Pearl River Delta. The player would have the ability to arrest any NPC in the world, and influence a branching storyline that swapped between both Shen and Fang. The game was said to be United Front's most ambitious game, which would have included a second screen app for mobile devices that would be able to interact with the world of the game; playing as inspector Jane Teng, the player would "manage the police force and try to control territories" from a mobile device, with the choices made in the game affecting gameplay in Sleeping Dogs 2. The mobile game could be played on its own, with the hope being the free-to-play game would point players towards the console game. Plans for the sequel were eventually scrapped in late 2013 before the project went into production.[99]

Canceled spin-off

[edit]
Triad Wars logo

Triad Wars is a canceled spin-off to Sleeping Dogs, which was scheduled to be released in 2015.[100][101] The game was initially planned to be released as a PC online game with more massively multiplayer online (MMO) elements, with the central goal being to "rise to power as a criminal kingpin of the Triad underworld".[101][102] It featured the same map as the original Sleeping Dogs.[103]

In October 2013, United Front Games confirmed that a game, titled Triad Wars, set within Sleeping Dogs' universe was in production. The developer confirmed that it would be published by Square Enix,[100] and would be shown to the public in 2014. Triad Wars was described by the developers as "something we've wanted to do for ages but just never had the chance. But now we do."[104] United Front Games teased that Triad Wars would be a PC online game on September 19, 2014.[105] An announcement trailer premiered on September 22, 2014.[106] In early 2015, the game entered its beta-testing stage.[103] It was announced in December 2015 that the game would be shutting down. Developer United Front Games announced the closure on Twitter and the Triad Wars forums.[107] The developers published a statement saying "We've loved seeing how you've played Triad Wars but we know it wasn't right for many of you."[108]

Film adaptation

[edit]

In March 2017, a live action film adaptation of the game was announced. It is being produced by Neal Moritz, with Donnie Yen starring as Wei Shen.[109] A release date for the film has yet to be announced. In February 2018 Yen stated on various social media accounts that the film was in production.[110] In 2024, Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto was brought on board to develop the project further but stated that the film languished into development hell, but hopes that the movie will restart production soon.[111]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Molina, Ric. "Sleeping Dogs now available on Mac". Mac Gamer HQ. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  2. ^ Moriarty, Colin (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  3. ^ Kohler, Chris (August 14, 2012). "Review: Unpolished Sleeping Dogs Tells a Riveting Crime Story". Wired. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  4. ^ Crecente, Brian (June 6, 2012). "'Sleeping Dogs' explores the very real, very brutal world of the Triads". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Moriarty, Colin (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Petit, Carolyn (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  7. ^ Sleeping Dogs (PC) instruction manual, pp. 5–6.
  8. ^ Sleeping Dogs (PC) instruction manual, p. 10.
  9. ^ Sleeping Dogs (PC) instruction manual, p. 7.
  10. ^ Sleeping Dogs (PC) instruction manual, p. 8.
  11. ^ Cowen, Nick (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs - review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Cooper, Hollander (August 15, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  13. ^ Sleeping Dogs (PC) instruction manual, p. 9.
  14. ^ McElroy, Justin (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs review: stray bullets". Polygon. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  15. ^ "Weapons, Vehicles, and Clothes Gameplay". Prima Games. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  16. ^ Hamilton, Kirk (August 27, 2012). "5 Ways Sleeping Dogs Improves On Grand Theft Auto". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  17. ^ Sleeping Dogs (PC) instruction manual, p. 5.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Whitehead, Dan (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Review • Reviews • Xbox 360 •". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  19. ^ a b Sochan, Dan (September 12, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs: Things You May Have Missed On Your First Play-Through". PlayStation Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  20. ^ United Front Games (August 14, 2012). Sleeping Dogs. Square Enix. Alert: 事件完成 /Wheels of Fury/Rewards Gained/5 New Fast-paced Driving Missions
  21. ^ United Front Games (August 14, 2012). Sleeping Dogs. Square Enix. Alert: 事件完成 / Wheels of Fury/Rewards Gained/5 New HKPD Vehicles, 2 New HKPD Outfits
  22. ^ Sleeping Dogs (PC) instruction manual, p. 14.
  23. ^ United Front Games (August 14, 2012). Sleeping Dogs. Square Enix. Achievement/Trophy: Pure Gold / Achieve 30 Gold Stat Awards.
  24. ^ Crecente, Brian (June 6, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs explores the very real, very brutal world of the Triads". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  25. ^ Nunnely, Stephany (July 17, 2012). "Lucy Liu, Emma Stone, Tom Wilkinson, more cast in Sleeping Dogs". VG247. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  26. ^ Donnelly, Cormac (September 27, 2013). "Spectral Analysis: Interview with Saki Kaskamanidis". Design Sound. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  27. ^ a b c "Sleeping Dogs interview: 'Open world is by far the most challenging genre'". Computer and Video Games. August 29, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  28. ^ a b c "Life After Sleeping Dogs". Square Enix. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  29. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (February 8, 2012). "True Crime Gets a New Name, Lets Sleeping Dogs Lie". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  30. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (May 8, 2010). "True Crime: Hong Kong delayed". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  31. ^ Brown, Nathan (February 10, 2011). "Activision Cancels True Crime: Hong Kong". Edge. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  32. ^ Robinson, Andy (February 10, 2011). "article". CVG. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  33. ^ Grant, Christopher (June 22, 2011). "Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg on True Crime, Bizarre Creations, the 'Hero' franchise, and transparency". Joystiq. AOL Tech. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  34. ^ a b Nutt, Christian (August 1, 2011). "News — Square Enix Nabs Rights To True Crime: Hong Kong From Activision". Gamasutra. UBM Tech. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  35. ^ Yin, Wesley (February 8, 2012). "Square Enix makes Sleeping Dogs official". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  36. ^ Prell, Sam (August 10, 2014). "Square Enix will let Sleeping Dogs lie definitively on PC too". Joystiq. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  37. ^ a b Nunneley, Stephany (November 6, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs ships 1.5 million copies, Dragon Quest X ships 700,000". VG247. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  38. ^ "Sleeping Dogs' Fighting System Inspired By Tony Jaa Action Flick 'The Protector'". Siliconera. April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  39. ^ a b c d "The Making of Hong Kong". United Front Games. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  40. ^ "Method Behind the Music". United Front Games. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  41. ^ "Sleeping Dogs". United Front Games. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  42. ^ "GDC 10: Story and Features Interview". GameTrailers. October 3, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  43. ^ "Sleeping Dogs Beats Up PAX East (PC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  44. ^ GameSpot staff (May 29, 2012). "MCM Expo Friday Stage Show May 2012". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  45. ^ Hillier, Brenna (May 7, 2012). "Square Enix E3 2012 lineup detailed – no Versus XIII". VG247. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  46. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (July 17, 2009). "Microsoft releases Xbox 360 Comic Con schedule". VG247. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  47. ^ Ivan, Tom (July 30, 2012). "News: Square Enix reveals Gamescom line-up". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  48. ^ Makuch, Eddie (April 13, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs awakens August 14". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  49. ^ a b Ivan, Tom (April 13, 2012). "News: Sleeping Dogs gets August release date". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  50. ^ a b Harris, Leigh (April 16, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs to receive ANZ exclusive special edition". MCV Pacific. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  51. ^ Hill, Owen (August 3, 2012). "Pre-order Sleeping Dogs and get the Triad Pack in Team Fortress 2". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  52. ^ "News: TF2 Triad Pack". United Front Games. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  53. ^ "Year of the Dog". Valve. August 3, 2012. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  54. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (July 25, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Offers Bonus to Just Cause 2 Players". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  55. ^ "Sleeping Dogs release date announced". New Game Network. April 13, 2012. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  56. ^ Garratt, Patrick (June 27, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs to penalise civilian murder in Japan". VG247. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  57. ^ Hussain, Tamoor (June 27, 2012). "News: Sleeping Dogs censored in Japan: Civilian brutality punished". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  58. ^ Savage, Phil (August 11, 2014). "Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition announced, will bundle DLC and improve graphics". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  59. ^ Karmali, Luke (August 8, 2014). "Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition Confirmed with Release Date". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  60. ^ Ivan, Tom (August 13, 2012). "News: Sleeping Dogs: 6 months of DLC planned". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  61. ^ de Matos, Xav (August 13, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs staying awake with six months of planned DLC". Joystiq. AOL Tech. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  62. ^ "The Story Begins". Square Enix. Archived from the original on May 7, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  63. ^ "DLC Packs". Square Enix. Archived from the original on May 7, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  64. ^ a b c Ivan, Tom (October 16, 2012). "News: New Sleeping Dogs DLC out today". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  65. ^ "Sleeping Dogs". Square Enix. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  66. ^ "Sleeping Dogs: Dragon Master Pack Trailer". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. January 13, 2013. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  67. ^ "Sleeping Dogs: Wheels of Fury". Steam. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  68. ^ Pinsof, Allistair (October 31, 2012). "Review: Sleeping Dogs: Nightmare in North Point". Destructoid. Game Revolution. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  69. ^ Kubba, Sinan (December 14, 2012). "Rage, Sleeping Dogs DLC packs firing up on PSN Dec. 18". Joystiq. AOL Tech. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  70. ^ Karmali, Luke (December 17, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs DLC Pays Homage to Classic Kung Fu". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  71. ^ "Sleeping Dogs – Year of the Snake". Steam. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  72. ^ "Sleeping Dogs - Year of the Snake on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  73. ^ "ThisGenGaming: Sleeping Dogs - Year Of The Snake DLC Review". thisgengamereviews.blogspot.in. March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  74. ^ a b "Sleeping Dogs for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  75. ^ a b "Sleeping Dogs for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  76. ^ a b "Sleeping Dogs for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  77. ^ "Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  78. ^ "Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  79. ^ a b c d Kelly, Andy (August 14, 2012). "Review: Sleeping Dogs review: One of the best open world games of recent years". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  80. ^ a b c d e f Pinsof, Allistair (August 14, 2012). "Review: Sleeping Dogs". Destructoid. Game Revolution. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  81. ^ a b c d e f Edge staff (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs review". Edge. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  82. ^ a b c d Ryckert, Dan (August 14, 2012). "A Solid, Yet Unremarkable Criminal Adventure". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  83. ^ a b c Wilson, Ben (August 16, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs PS3 review – Ace sandboxer is far from Hong Kong Phooey". PlayStation Official Magazine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  84. ^ a b c Blyth, Jon (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Xbox 360 Review". Official Xbox Magazine. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  85. ^ "Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences – 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists" (PDF). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. January 14, 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  86. ^ Moriarty, Colin (August 14, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Video Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  87. ^ Ivan, Tom (August 20, 2012). "News: UK Chart: Sleeping Dogs beats Mario to No.1". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  88. ^ Ivan, Tom (August 28, 2012). "News: UK Chart: Sleeping Dogs holds off new release Darksiders 2". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  89. ^ Hinkle, David (September 10, 2012). "NPD: Sleeping Dogs sold 172K across PS3 and Xbox 360 in August". Joystiq. AOL Tech. Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  90. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (September 17, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs rests atop UK charts". Joystiq. AOL Tech. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  91. ^ Ding, Christopher (January 4, 2013). "Revealed: The UK's Top 20 bestselling games of 2012". MCV. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  92. ^ "Best selling games of 2011: Modern Warfare 3 outguns the opposition". The Guardian. January 11, 2012. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  93. ^ Ivan, Tom (September 7, 2012). "News: Darksiders 2 tops US software sales in August". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  94. ^ Hinkle, David (September 10, 2012). "NPD: Sleeping Dogs sold 172K across PS3 and Xbox 360 in August". Joystiq. AOL Tech. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  95. ^ Caruana, Christine (September 11, 2012). "News: Darksiders 2 wins NPD sales war against Sleeping Dogs". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  96. ^ Sahdev, Ishaan (December 11, 2012). "Sleeping Dogs Is Not Selling Poorly Says Square Enix President". Siliconera. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  97. ^ "Briefing Session of Revisions to Consolidated Results Forecasts" (PDF). Square Enix. March 26, 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  98. ^ Futter, Mike (September 9, 2013). "Square Enix Reiterates Commercial Failure Of Top Titles". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  99. ^ "Inside the Ambitious 'Sleeping Dogs' Sequel We'll Never Get to Play". Vice Media. November 22, 2016. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  100. ^ a b Dyer, Mitch (October 7, 2013). "Sleeping Dogs Universe Sequel Triad Wars in Development". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  101. ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (September 23, 2014). "Sleeping Dogs Dev Reveals PC Open-World Action Game Triad Wars". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  102. ^ Shaun Prescott (September 23, 2014). "Triad Wars is an "open world action strategy" game coming exclusively to PC". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  103. ^ a b Robinson, Nick (April 9, 2015). "Triad Wars is not a multiplayer Sleeping Dogs". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  104. ^ Robinson, Andy (December 9, 2013). "Sleeping Dogs dev teases Triad Wars image". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  105. ^ James Baldwin (September 19, 2014). "Big News Coming". United Front Games. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  106. ^ Hillier, Brenna (September 23, 2014). "Sleeping Dogs follow up Triad Wars gets first trailer, beta registration open now". VG247. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  107. ^ Martin, Michael (December 23, 2015). "Sleeping Dogs Successor Triad Wars Closing Down". IGN. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  108. ^ Futter, Mike (December 23, 2015). "Square Enix Shutting Down Free-To-Play Sleeping Dogs Success". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  109. ^ Busch, Anita (March 2, 2017). "Donnie Yen To Headline 'Sleeping Dogs' For Neal Moritz's Original Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  110. ^ Phillips, Tom (February 5, 2018). "Star Wars' Donnie Yen says Sleeping Dogs movie in production". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  111. ^ https://x.com/Timobros/status/1837930312476885040
[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sleeping_Dogs_(video_game)&oldid=1259801542"