January 2024 report

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is an excellent game with a great storyline, likable characters, brutal fights, fast cars, various clothes to wear, karaoke songs to sing… you can do just about anything you can think of! Please note that this is the only version I have played and I can't compare it to the original game. I didn't have any serious problems with the game and I have thoroughly enjoyed it!

We assume the role of Wei Shen, an undercover cop on a mission to bring down the dangerous Triads by infiltrating them… and maybe to settle a score or two from his past with them. The job ain't gonna be easy though. The Triad members aren't a trustful bunch and Wei needs to be ready to prove his worth and loyalty in many aspects. His two lives will collide together the more he succumbs to his role and climbs up the bloody steps in the hierarchy. As the world isn't dyed only in black & white colors the boundaries between good or bad tend to blur together and one has to dirty his hands to get the justice done… well at least in games, don't try it in real life. ;)

The story takes place in the bustling streets of Hong Kong. The whole city is an open world and you can go almost everywhere you want. Missions, side-quests, favors, challenges, races… all of it has its starting point, so before you activate it you can roam around completely freely. Like that, you can take a break between missions to buy some new clothes, get a few decorations for your flat, add a new car to your collection, lose/win money in gambling dens, search for collectibles or take some girl up for a date. All of these optional encounters open up with your progress in missions, so there is always something fun to do!
Moving around the city is thanks to the lively streets rather dangerous… not for us mind you, but for every person, car, hydrant, sign or traffic light brave enough to stand in your way! xD I tried driving safely most of the time, but during heated chases with enemies or police you can't really consider the safety of others. So you will often leave the city in a state of havoc while slowly watching your car getting destroyed with every hit you make (I liked that). But fear not, even if the demolished car was from your collection once you take it from the garage it will be like new again! If you wish to protect the good people of Hong Kong from your driving skills you can catch a taxi (you really have to catch it) and fast travel to a specific location. Driving around the city is best done on a motorcycle as you can zigzag closely between cars even in tight spaces.

Your enemies understand properly only one language - the pain - so you are going to talk with your fists a lot. Sometimes even with a knife, cleaver, fish or guns. And as the Triads don't play fair Wei is gonna be outnumbered most of the time, so mind your enemies or you get a surprise stab in your back. To better fight off the hordes Wei can learn new moves that can send shivers of fear even among the sturdiest of them. You can also use your surroundings during the fights for extra brutal finishers! Some clothes give you sweet bonuses to damage, defense or even weapons to fight with so don't forget to update your style regularly. Aside from small bonuses Wei can obtain new skills by leveling up in three trees - Police, Triad, and Face.
More than a few situations will require a quick withdrawal to safety so be prepared to drive fast and furiously. The enemies won't be easily shaken off and will chase you down relentlessly. Aside from ramming into them, you can shoot their tires or even cause them to explode! Sometimes you maintain only the firepower, but most of the time you have to also mind where are you driving so the chase can become pretty wild, especially on the full streets. xD Other than that you can join illegal races with some of your cars. The traffic is considerably lower during them, but it's not uncommon for a head-on crash with a random car appearing suddenly in the curve. The races are awesome, I have quite enjoyed them (reminded me of Need for Speed Underground). Most of them are pretty challenging and some require even a little bit of tacticizing.

The visuals of the characters and environment are pretty good, it's a joy to watch all of the animations. The voice acting is perfect, especially the combination of English and Chinese language. I liked that. The soundtrack is quite good too and creates a great atmosphere. During my playtime I haven't encountered any game-breaking bugs, only a few visual ones - falling barrels out of the blue sky etc. Nothing that would break my immersion in the game.

I am a fan of bad boys/cops, Wei is a great guy and I enjoyed my time with him. The story was intense and captivating, I just couldn't stop pushing for more. The fights can be pretty brutal (but it depends mostly on you) and I often shouted in pain for my enemies. xD If you'd play only the main story mission you can be quickly done with it, but there are so many things to have fun with that it would be a shame to miss them! After completing the main game you can play around in two separate stories which are also pretty fun!

All in all, I have only two big complaints. First, leveling up the Triad skill tree is a terrible pain. As the experience for it can be collected basically only in the main missions - you need to wear clothes with a boosting bonus and even then you have to replay some missions to raise the level - and like that, you can't enjoy much of other clothes which is a shame. Second, buying new cars is costly so you wait until you have the highest discount, but at that moment you don't need those cars as the best of them you (luckily) get from side-quests, but you still have to buy them for the achievement.

And lastly… driving… oh god, everyone is driving in the reverse direction! I had a hard time keeping on the left side of the road and often found myself just driving right against them hoping they would dodge in time. XD I loved the game, can't recommend it enough!