But then the game proceeds to break its own rules in the second half of the game where it seems as if every single baddie is armed to the teeth. The game tries to mediate this issue by explaining that guns in Hong Kong are very rare. Even with your melee skills maxed out, guns are superior in every way. The problem is that guns make melee combat obsolete. The gun combat in it of itself is fine there is a slow down mechanic that triggers when you parkour and aim at the same time.
The glaring weakness of Sleeping Dogs is the gun combat. The parkour system helps make chases fun and is reminiscent of Hong Kong action films. By timing the A button at the right moment, Wei can vault over walls, glide over benches and make epic leaps over buildings. The second element that Sleeping Dogs excels at is the parkour system. I found the combat to be reminiscent of a cross between the Batman Arkham games and the heat actions from the Yakuza series. Wei can grab foes and throw them into hazards including phone booths, ventilation fans and exposed electric circuits. To break down the monotony of combat, there are environmental takedowns. It is a simple combination of punches, counters and throws, but challenging where mindless button mashing will quickly get you killed.
The melee combat is visceral and satisfying. Sleeping Dogs gets the melee combat and the traversal right. The rest of the plot involves Wei balancing his duty as an officer of the law and as a violent Triad member. Wei starts to sympathize with some of his brothers especially with Jackie, a scrawny low level goon who sells fake watches. As Wei begins to work his way up the ranks of the clan, it starts to dawn on him that he is in too deep. Wei’s own legitimacy is questioned by the gang members but fortunately he proves himself worthy to them. You quickly learn that the previous undercover officer was brutally tortured and killed. The Sun On Yee is notorious for rooting out rats. You play as Wei Shen, an undercover cop infiltrating a Triad clan known as the Sun On Yee. And strangely enough the change in setting and melee combat actually made me a believer in this GTA clone. Enter Sleeping Dogs, a game developed by the now defunct United Front Games, a GTA clone with a Hong Kong action twist. While their narratives feature top notch voice talent and good moment to moment writing, the stories themselves end up as cliche Mafia stories involving feuding gangs and eventual betrayals. They are spectacle crime simulators, with arcady driving and mediocre gun combat. I’m probably not the first person to admit this, but I don’t think the Grand Theft Auto games are actually that fun to play.