Sneaking Dogs

I played this game a few months ago and never got around to writing a review. Let’s see how much I remember.

You are on a inter-galactic spaceship and hostile forces have breached your hull in order to board your vessel…Wait, that’s not it.

You’re working under cover as a cop infiltrating a criminal gang that is planning a jewel heist but you don’t know any of the names of your cohorts because the boss has given you all fake names based on colors…That’s not it either, but it’s closer.

I think I’ve got it. You play as a cop returning to Hong Kong after several years to help local law enforcement take down the crime lords running the city.  Working under cover, you must hide the fact that while you were gone you worked in America with their law enforcement and have given up your life of crime. However, to take down the Triads, you must act as they do and commit crimes while picking up old friends as well as new ones in crime. You are taken so deep into the crime culture that the lines of good and bad begin to blur. To keep your cover you have to do things that you had sworn as a police officer to stop. For the greater good, you bend your morality and do as the gang forces want you to do. The struggles you face pit you against both the Triads you are trying to take down and law enforcement that sent you in.

Sleeping Dogs does a fantastic job of being a great game and testing the lines of morality. The game is a well crafted, open-world, third person shooter. There is a main story line that will take you through the character’s trials but this game also weaves the side missions into the morality of your character. There are side missions that you can complete that will increase your reputation with either the Triads or police. There are some side missions that are more neutral and just for fun like the races. Even though the side missions can contribute to your moral composure, they are not required and the story will work just as well with out them. Perhaps the biggest nod I can give the game is the way they handled the moral of dilemma of good versus evil. The entire story is based upon this and it showcases the struggle your character must go through. He/you must be true and honorable to the righteous code of law enforcement but you also have to break the laws to keep the respect and loyalty of the Triad members around you. This game accomplished this teetering feat much better than other games like Spec Ops: The Line managed.

The was yet another fabulous freebie courtesy of PlayStation Plus. The game is still over $20 at Amazon at this point. You can get it digitally from Sony but that will still be over the $20 mark. Gamefly looks like the most viable option for the financially sound at $19.99 but I think $15 or less is the proper price for this game at this time.