Sleeping Dogs

 PC
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. PC Gamer
    Sep 6, 2012
    74
    A messy story and horrible characters get in the way of decent, violent action in a scintillating open city.
  2. 4P.de
    Aug 14, 2012
    73
    The fights, the gun battles and all the little tasks are quite entertaining, but they all lack depth and finesse and often feel separated from the main story and its emotional impact. This is a solid but very conventional open world action.
  3. Eurogamer Germany
    Aug 27, 2012
    70
    Structurally and narratively I wish the developers had had shown more courage. But this kind of thing can happen, I guess, if you concentrate on getting your core mechanics spot on as much as United Front did. More of a rigidly controlled experience than a real sandbox, you can't help but notice that this type of game is not what it once was: Once open-world games were the fresh-faced poster boys of interactivity and do-as-you-please attitude. Now they're becoming more and more stale and antiseptic environments. It's not Sleeping Dogs' fault alone, and the game does impress at least mechanically most of the time, but it never manages to surprise.
  5. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 11, 2012
    60
    A solid GTA clone that ticks all the boxes but forgets to add the magic ingredient of improvisation. [Oct 2012, p.77]
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  6. Absolute Games
    Sep 25, 2012
    60
    The title Sleeping Dogs is a reference to "let sleeping dogs lie". Well, the developers should have heeded this ancient wisdom and let True Crime: Hong Kong die.

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best PC Game of 2012
26
#26 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
21
#21 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1564 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,234 out of 1564
  2. Mixed: 247 out of 1564
  3. Negative: 83 out of 1564
  1. awildseaking
    Aug 15, 2012
    10
    Having not run into any of the bugs or issues with controls that most users are citing, I'm giving Sleeping Dogs a 10 simply because itHaving not run into any of the bugs or issues with controls that most users are citing, I'm giving Sleeping Dogs a 10 simply because it doesn't suffer from sequelitis. United Front Games did an amazing job of creating a true spiritual successor to the True Crime series that Luxoflux created so masterfully. For once, developers are not selling out to appeal to the Call of Duty audience. The on-rails drive by missions felt so familiar to their TC:NYC counterparts. While the police gameplay is noticeably different due to the nature of you being undercover, the gunplay feels incredibly similar with bullet time, dual wielding, and the purposeful lack of emphasis on shooting. You don't have some absurd amount of ammunition, and United Front did an excellent job of keeping True Crime true to its roots. The driving feels incredibly similar, especially with ramming replacing manual PIT maneuvers. The hand to hand combat feels just as in-depth as in previous games, with training locations and new moves to learn. I am just so amazed with how they kept all the things that made True Crime unique. You can still store weapons in car trunks, purchase and store vehicles in the garage, customize your player character, and so on. I am beyond ecstatic that United Front made sure Sleeping Dogs would always be remember as the third True Crime game. This consistency is a massive step forward for the industry: Call of Duty cannot ruin every game with a gun in it anymore. We can finally expect more unique, good games again.… Full Review »
  2. iPowered
    Sep 9, 2012
    8
    Originality: Next to none. There's almost nothing in this game that hasn't been previously done in others.

    Story: "In Too Deep" type of    Originality: Next to none. There's almost nothing in this game that hasn't been previously done in others.

    Story: "In Too Deep" type of story. Again, nothing original.

    Flare/Appeal: This game primarily appeals to those of us who like open world games that take place in the city. If you liked the GTA series or the Saints Row series, this game is for you (as there aren't all that many games made that way). Overall: The story doesn't compare to instant classics like "Mafia," neither are the vehicles as diverse as GTA. Both the length and the difficulty level of the game are somewhat of a disappointment. The only reason this game is scored that high is that there simply aren't many options when it comes to open world vehicle-reliant games; and, the game takes place in Hong Kong -- this lets players experience the culture and vibe of HK which I find to be fairly entertaining and somewhat educational. The last time I played a game that drew such a vivid theme was Red Dead Redemption.    … Full Review »
  3. nirvycn
    Aug 14, 2012
    4
    Disappointing to me, I think Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause and Saint's row are all more accomplished in this particular Genre. This game ISDisappointing to me, I think Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause and Saint's row are all more accomplished in this particular Genre. This game IS well optimised for PC, however it seems like the whole design is out of date, the gun play is adequate, the story is not boring, but not really interesting enough to get into. Driving is decent enough to not moan about it, but there is no WOW factor. Overall -Average… Full Review »
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