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It’s always a shame when a franchise has untapped potential. Sleeping Dogs is a prime example.
Released back in 2012, Sleeping Dogs was developed by United Front Games and published by Square Enix. If you didn’t sample the game, it centred around the Hong Kong-based martial artist and undercover police officer Wei Shen amidst his attempts to infiltrate the Sun On Yee triad. If you’re a fan of Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, or Mafia, I’d say that you’d definitely enjoy Sleeping Dogs. Despite reviewers criticising the game’s repetitive missions, it came away with a score of 80 on Metacritic which is very respectable. Sadly, a planned sequel was cancelled back in 2013 - and fans have been mourning the franchise ever since.
Take a look at Sleeping Dogs in action below.
The sequel was cancelled due to disappointing sales. It’s always risky launching a new IP, and we’re seeing more and more studios shy away from doing so (which is a great shame, but that’s another story). Sleeping Dogs sold roughly 1.75 million copies in a year which failed to match Square Enix’s expectations. It was a shame to see the franchise’s life cut short, but Sleeping Dogs lives on through its fans who are heaping praise on the game, 10 years after it launched.
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Reddit user MILKY_92 started the discussion. “Square Enix really had something there,” they began. “Sleeping Dogs was amazing, but unfortunately was slept on during its initial release, later finding its true audience after its Definitive Edition release. The story was just great, focusing on an undercover cop infiltrating gangs in Hong Kong, but ending up deeply conflicting both his life and his reputation as a cop.”
“It's got incredible writing and casting, with Emma Stone also voicing one of the characters (the most random thing about the game). The gameplay was great, with fun hand to hand combat and gunplay which felt a little weird at first but once you're into it, you're into it. Its open world Hong Kong was stupidly alive for its time and insanely beautiful. [...] It's just a shame that a game with so many heights of potential will sadly never get the sequel it deserves. One of Square’s best departures and one of their biggest missed opportunities.”
Plenty agreed. “One of the very, very few games I beat 100% and bought all DLC for. I am a sucker for 80s/90s Hong Kong cinema action,” wrote nukrag, while cryofixated added, “I think it was lightning in a bottle, and an excellent challenger to GTA that died because Square Enix had unrealistic expectations.” While I can’t see Sleeping Dogs making a comeback anytime soon, the game is on sale for just £3.74 on the PlayStation Store until 5 January. A fabulous deal.
Topics: Square Enix