Last year, Activision killed United Front Games' True Crime: Hong Kong and Square Enix subsequently picked it up, raising hopes for a better tomorrow. It has now been retitled Sleeping Dogs, with a tequila-infused live-action trailer to celebrate the announcement.
The trailer is intended as an homage to the Hong Kong brand of action movies John Woo pioneered in 1986, who singlehandedly revived the dwindling regional film industry at the time. It's the kind of homage that Sleeping Dogs is also supposed to provide as a game, and according to the revived title's official blog the hard boiled actions seen in the trailer reflect those you can perform in-game.
Further details on Sleeping Dogs are rather sparse at the moment, but it still sounds like a True Crime title. You'll play the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, who is working on the inside of the Hong Kong Triads with the goal of rising up through the ranks and taking them down. Expect a mix of vehicular manslaughter in an open world, third-person gunplay, and melee combat with a Bourne-style "cinematic set of environmental takedowns using improvised weapons from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors."
Sleeping Dogs wants you to wake up and say "Yes, Madam" when it hits PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in the second half of 2012.
Maurice Tan Maurice Tan does his Associate Editing from The Netherlands in a reality-shattering time zone. After working as a university lecturer in Psychology and Communications teaching game studies and the merits of Keyboard Cat, he now spends most of his time posting news, previews, reviews, and features about industry stuff or all things PC and strategy. He is also a connoisseur of licensed games, as long as they have achievements. Likes Deus Ex, Colonization, Mass Effect, TIE Fighter, and his iPod Touch.
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Glad this is still on. The only thing they have to pull off correctly is the Hong Kong feel. I loved the Shanghai feeling of Kane&Lynch 2 Dog Days, and thats what made the game a guilty pleasure of mine. We need more settings like these.
Man, that was a well done trailer. Normally I can't stand live action used to preview games, but that was intrinsically enjoyable. I really felt the True Crime vibe of last generation when watching it.
Saints Row sites a good job of filling that gap (since GTA4 was a completely different feeling entity), but I would love for a gritty action sandbox game with this gen's specs.
...raising hopes for A BETTER TOMORROW... with a TEQUILA-infused live-action trailer...official blog the HARD BOILED actions seen in the trailer...
Do not tell me nobody noticed these John Woo quotes in the article. It is not like it is a hard target see. A man with a bullet in the head could spot it.
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Contest:
11:30 AM on 02.08.2012 | 
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http://sleepingdogs.net/blog/Sleeping-Dogs-First-Screenshots
Looking good.
I hope the game includes some Kowloon area, too, since that's some great atmosphere as well.
Glad to see this got picked up. Not sure how I feel about the title "Sleeping Dogs" though. "John Woo's Hong Kong" or something sounds better.
This got me excited. I'm gonna pop in Stranglehold for a bit.
Saints Row sites a good job of filling that gap (since GTA4 was a completely different feeling entity), but I would love for a gritty action sandbox game with this gen's specs.
Do not tell me nobody noticed these John Woo quotes in the article. It is not like it is a hard target see. A man with a bullet in the head could spot it.
I say shut up and take my money.
I'm glad someone did!