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Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs

PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Developer: United Front Games
Publisher: Square Enix Classification: MA15+
Release Date:
16th August 2012
Sleeping Dogs

Genre: Action
Developer: United Front Games
Publisher: Square Enix
Classification: MA15+
Release Date:
16th August 2012
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Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Post by Eorl @ 01:59pm 12/08/14 | 4 Comments
Square Enix has officially confirmed Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition will hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 10th.

The remastered update of the 2012 game leaked late last week, and Square has since confirmed this edition will also include 24 pieces of the title's DLC, including the story-extending Year of the Snake and the horror-themed Nightmare in North Point.

"We’re giving old and new fans a lot reasons to pick up the game, as we’ve gone beyond just increasing resolution and running at 1080p," said senior producer Dan Sochan. "We listened to the fans: we tuned gameplay, we added to the ambience of Hong Kong, increased audio fidelity and pushed the visuals further than we could on the previous generation of consoles.”
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Post by Eorl @ 11:43am 07/08/14 | 3 Comments
Square Enix is once again riding the remastered bandwagon, with United Front Games' open-world action game Sleeping Dogs appearing on Amazon for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The Definitive Edition release will include the original game and its downloadable content, which is listed as an $85USD value, the listing says. The Amazon listing has a retail price of $59.99USD. Amazon lists a pre-order incentive for Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition: limited edition artbook packaging that includes a 28-page book of concept art from the game.

Presumably the Definitive Edition will utilise the already-available high res graphics that PC players have enjoyed since its release two years ago, however exact details on the console ports aren't yet clear. Hopefully full 1080p 60FPS is on the table for the version, though we are sure to know more soon enough.
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Post by Eorl @ 11:49am 08/10/13 | 5 Comments
Sleeping Dogs developer United Front Games has revealed they are working on a new title set in the same universe as their Hong Kong sandbox, confirming the previously rumoured name Triad Wars.

A recent trademark application revealed the name earlier, however United Front Games has now officially confirmed the title in a post on their official website. It is unclear whether Triad Wars will continue where Sleeping Dogs left off with undercover cop Wei Shen, but expect at the very least some form of Triad representation.
So, we’re making a new game! We can’t say a lot about it right now, but you might have read about a trademark registration for something called Triad Wars? Well, we’re super-excited that it’s another game based in the Sleeping Dogs universe, it’s something we’ve wanted to do for ages.
Those eager for more information will have to sadly wait until 2014, but United Front Games has stated they'll be partnering up with Square Enix once again for the new project so hopefully we won't have to wait too long for more.
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Post by Eorl @ 11:31am 13/03/13 | 0 Comments
Undercover cop drama Sleeping Dogs has today launched a new DLC titled "Year of the Snake" and is set to feature a series of all-new, action-packed police missions set immediately after the main game. The DLC pack will also feature a handful of new achievements and trophies for those in need of more completion.
Year of the Snake sees Wei Shen’s story continue as he rejoins the ranks of the Hong Kong Police Department, only to be caught up in chaos. A vicious doomsday cult is taking root in the back streets of Hong Kong… the Cult of the Snake. Hell-bent on cleansing the city of its evils, they cannot be negotiated with as they pursue a murderous path to their righteous salvation.

Wei must enter a race against the clock in an explosive countdown to midnight and bring the cultists to justice before the arrival of Judgement Day. With an arsenal of weapons – including a tear gas launcher and an electroshock pistol – new outfits and abilities, Wei aims to earn back his honour with the HKPD by sabotaging the cultists’ plot to bomb, terrorize and subdue the citizens of Hong Kong.

Through several missions and optional activities, Wei will track down the Cult of the Snake’s leader and personally show him that the world is not about to end for anyone but him and his followers.
You can check out the launch trailer and screenshots below for a look at the high-kicking Wei Shen in action. Year of the Snake is available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC for 560 Microsft Points or $6.99.



Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Post by Dan @ 10:38am 14/11/12 | 0 Comments
Square Enix and United Front Games have announced their ongoing DLC schedule for open world action game Sleeping Dogs, laying out a list of the various content additions that players will be able to augment their martial arts experience with this holiday season.
Starting from November 14th, Sleeping Dogs players will be able to download the content-rich Dragon Master Pack, a killer collection of weapons, character upgrades, martial arts moves and missions only previously available individually at pre-order; the Drunken Fist Pack featuring a new fighting style unavailable to the sober man; three new classic outfits and weapons in the Square Enix Character Pack; a trio of tattoos available in the Gangland Style Pack; and the next gameplay-extending add-on pack, the Zodiac Tournament.

Packs will be available to download throughout the Holiday Season from Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network and Steam. More information including on-sale dates and pricing will be made available at www.sleepingdogs.net.
Highlights in the schedule are the Square Enix character pack that includes player skins from Deus Ex, Just Cause and Hitman, and the Zodiac Tournament pack that extends the single-player storyline with a new island off the coast of Hong Kong, filled with "themed fighting arenas".

For more on Sleeping Dogs, catch up in our full review (AusGamers 9.0/10).
Friday, 19 October 2012
Post by Eorl @ 11:06am 19/10/12 | 5 Comments
For those who have yet to try their hand at the open-world sandbox martial arts fighter Sleeping Dogs, now might be your lucky chance with Steam offering 50% off for the PC title (thanks GuVna).
Sleeping Dogs catapults players into the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, tasked with taking down one of the world’s most fearsome criminal organisations from the inside... the Hong Kong Triads. As players explore the bustling and crowded Hong Kong island, through its neon-lit side streets and sprawling street markets, an incredible story unfolds of loyalty and betrayal, where Wei begins to question his own motives as he is sucked in deeper than he could ever imagine.
For those who are still on the fence or want to know more about Sleeping Dogs, you can check out our review for a detailing of what we thought of the open-world game and its Chinese setting.
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Post by Eorl @ 11:20am 22/09/12 | 0 Comments
Square Enix and United Front Games have finally lifted the veil on what to expect in the first round of DLC for their Hong Kong sandbox game, Sleeping Dogs. The new DLC will be coming to all platforms in October, and will be featuring a range of new missions, races and a vaguely described story-driven content piece.
  • Adrenaline-fuelled street racing across the island of Hong Kong in the Street Racer Pack
  • Twenty new cop missions unfold on the streets of Hong Kong via the SWAT Pack
  • The Tactical Soldier Pack empowers players with the game’s most powerful weapon and armor
  • The Community Gift Pack — free, tailor-made content from United Front Games
  • Sleeping Dogs’ first story-driven game extension: details to be revealed at a special panel at New York Comic Con Panel on October 14
  • No official date has been announced yet, though we can expect more news after the New York Comic Con. You can check out the trailer below which reveals the new fast-paced DLC.

    Thursday, 23 August 2012
    Post by Steve Farrelly @ 11:11am 23/08/12 | 4 Comments
    Still not sure if you want to make the trek to Hong Kong to go undercover with the Triads to bring down a major crime syndicate in Sleeping Dogs?

    Well Namco Bandai Games has today announced that a demo for the open-world actioner, which is inspired by classic and modern cop and robber tales, is available on PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as PC - hooruh!

    Dylan Burns reviewed Sleeping Dogs for AusGamers and scored the game a very respectable 9/10 and wrote:
    Sleeping Dogs’ blender like approach to design could have so easily faltered, but it doesn’t. The mix is just right. It doesn’t overstep its influences but it doesn’t need to. The Hong Kong setting and Wei’s struggle to maintain both of his competing personas create a compelling world.
    If you grab the demo, let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below.
    Wednesday, 15 August 2012
    Post by Dan @ 03:27am 15/08/12 | 22 Comments
    It's been a long road for developer United Front Games. The game now known as Sleeping Dogs launches tomorrow in Australia on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but it was originally conceived as True Crime: Hong Kong and survived a complete publisher transition to bring us an open world game with a multicultural tone and a theme from a John Woo film.

    AusGamers' Dylan "Gameboffin" Burns has been cleaning up the mean streets of North Point, one flying kick at a time, and has quite a few nice things to say about Sleeping Dogs in our latest review.
    We don’t know how much of what is now Sleeping Dogs (it began life as True Crime: Hong Kong) was handed over to Square Enix, and perhaps we never will, but it would have been criminal for a game of this calibre to slip between the cracks. It is the perfect open world fix in the lead up to GTA V and full credit to United Front Games and Square Enix London for crafting this entertaining, engrossing and deeply impressive title.
    Read on for all the juice.
    Thursday, 9 August 2012
    Post by Eorl @ 12:50pm 09/08/12 | 4 Comments
    The latest trailer for the upcoming gritty and visceral open world cop drama set shows off a numerous amount of features for the PC version, including DirectX 11 support and 60 FPS.
    Launching day and date with the Xbox 360 and PS3 releases, Sleeping Dogs for Windows PCs is set to ship with a stunning set of PC-specific features to bring Hong Kong island to life. With an array of advanced graphical features on-board, the Windows PC release gives gamers with the hardware bandwidth a host of graphical enhancements, hardware optimisations and support for the latest AMD and Nvidia features.

    The high-resolution texture pack updates the game to a new level, bringing eye-watering detail and crisp clear rendering to everything from city skyscrapers to crumbling ancient temples. Another layer of depth is added for gamers running at higher resolutions using increased small object detail to render smaller items of the world from a far greater distance to give an incredible sense of scale and detail.
    While this is only just a taste of what the PC version will offer, check out the full press release for quite larger array of features exclusive to PC.

    Check out the trailer below which has United Front Games community manager Kyle Stallac giving a brief overview of the PC title, included with some gameplay footage. You can also check out some of the screenshots below showing off one of the features, Eyefinity.

    Sleeping Dogs will be available on August 16th for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.



    Monday, 30 July 2012
    Post by Steve Farrelly @ 12:11pm 30/07/12 | 0 Comments
    Capitalising on their proximity to legendary Hongkie action flicks, United Front Games and Square Enix have tapped in, on the nose, to John Woo's Hard-Boiled, titling their latest video showing off the gunplay in forthcoming open-world action romp, Sleeping Dogs, the same.

    However, beyond guns, shooting and death, the video actually has very little in common with Woo's action masterpiece. That doesn't stop the allure of this game gaining traction though, as we move closer to its release next month. And with the recent voice-cast revealed, and a lot of passion for their setting and source material, United Front's post-Activision phoenix might just be action game you're looking for this August.

    Watch the new trailer embedded below, or click here for a direct link.

    Wednesday, 25 July 2012
    Post by Dan @ 10:25am 25/07/12 | 12 Comments
    Square Enix has released a new trailer for Sleeping Dogs, offering an eight minute slice of gameplay that demonstrates a complete mission from the game, narrated by United Front Games' Producer Dan Sochan.

    Titled "Mrs Chu's Revenge", the video provides one of the best looks we've had of the game so far, showcasing the open-world game's impressive combat system, driving mechanics and multi-lingual voice-acting.

    Watch the trailer below, or click here for the HD video page.

    Sleeping Dogs is due in Australia for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on August 16th 2012.

    Wednesday, 18 July 2012
    Post by Dan @ 02:17pm 18/07/12 | 0 Comments
    The game is only a month away from release, but Square-Enix has just let loose another rather significant piece of news for their forthcoming open-world action title Sleeping Dogs -- the game's cast of voice actors.

    Peppered with familiar faces, a new behind the scenes trailer features commentary from the likes of Edison Chen, Emma Stone, Tom Wilkinson and Lucy Liu, as well as even more veterans from Asian cinema.
    Sleeping Dogs features the voice talent of Will Yun Lee (Die Another Day, Total Recall) as Wei Shen, an officer sent deep undercover into one of Hong Kong’s most feared Triad gangs, the Sun On Yee. With the aid of Police Inspector Pendrew, played by Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins, The Full Monty), Wei must earn the trust of his childhood friend, Jackie Mah, voiced by Edison Chen (Infernal Affairs I/II, The Dark Knight). Through Jackie, now a low-level thug running for the Sun On Yee, Wei will become one of the most-trusted lieutenants of Red Pole Winston Chu, played by Parry Shen (Better Luck Tomorrow, The New Guy), slowly becoming ingrained in the criminal underworld and becoming one of the very men he was sent to bring down.

    With a supporting cast including Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man, Zombieland), Robin Shou (Hard to Kill, Fatal Chase), Terence Yin (New Police Story, Colour of the Truth), James Hong (Blade Runner, The Day the Earth Stood Still), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, The Man with the Iron Fists), Tzi-Ma (Rush Hour, The Quiet American), Yunjin Kim (Lost, Diary of June) and Kelly Hu (Martial Law, X2), Sleeping Dogs features one of the most credible casts of Asian and Western cinema stars, bringing the game’s deep and evolving plot to life.
    Sleeping Dogs is due on August 16th 2012 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    Watch the voice cast video below, or click here for the HD video page.

    Friday, 25 May 2012
    Post by Eorl @ 02:21pm 25/05/12 | 8 Comments
    Square Enix and United Front have today released a new trailer for their upcoming title Sleeping Dogs, an open-world sandbox that lets the player chose their direction. Featuring a basic 101 on just what to expect in the vibrant Hong Kong districts, the trailer showcases the very brutal and unforgiving measures that undercover cop Wei Shen is forced to use on his victims.
    An energetic fusion of East and West, old and new, Hong Kong is one of the most unique cities in the world, and Sleeping Dogs an open world game like no other. In the 101 trailer, London Studios and United Front Games delve deep into every aspect of the game from the brutal martial arts combat to the intense vehicle shoot-outs and street races, the wealth of side content and social features to the girls, guns and gambling dens.
    Check out the trailer below for the very brutal introduction (HD here) and make sure you check out our game page for the latest news, screenshots and trailers.

    Sleeping Dogs will be available on August 16th for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    Saturday, 12 May 2012
    Post by Eorl @ 01:03pm 12/05/12 | 9 Comments
    United Front Games and Square Enix London Studios have today released a new gameplay trailer showing the very gruesome and hard hitting streets of Hong Kong. The trailer teases players with a range of combat tactics including hand-to-hand combat through to setting an enemies face on fire. Yes, with fire.
    Offering players an island packed with action, every street corner, market stall, harbor dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline–fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat. Featuring an intuitive and imaginative combat system, Sleeping Dogs empowers players to perform an extensive set of martial arts moves, single–handedly taking on numerous opponents. Players perform bone–crushing kicks and combos, vicious counters, and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real–world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.
    You can check out the trailer below (HD here) or head over to our game page for the latest interviews, news and previews.

    Sleeping Dogs will be available in Australia on August 16th 2012 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    Monday, 16 April 2012
    Post by Dan @ 01:10pm 16/04/12 | 0 Comments
    After the announcement of Grand Theft Auto V, Sleeping Dogs -- the game formerly known as True Crime: Hong Kong -- may have lost some of it's appeal. But for the time being, United Front Games' open-world action game contender has one thing it's behemoth competitor is lacking: a release date.

    Square Enix have revealed the global launch window for Sleeping Dogs and an Australian release has been dated for August 16th 2012 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    Additionally, they've also detailed the Australian/New Zealand contents of a "Limited Edition" of the game but fans of tangible trinkets will be disappointment. Retailing for the same RRP as the standard game, the ANZ Limited Edition of Sleeping Dogs will include several extra pieces of in-game content -- the kind that you could have no idea as to their worth before having played the game -- presumably to incentivise early launch-price sales. Hit up this press release for the bulleted list of in-game extras.

    You can find out more about Sleeping Dogs in our recent hands-on preview and developer interview.

    Monday, 5 March 2012
    Post by Dan @ 02:42pm 05/03/12 | 0 Comments
    After a rather long time of hearing nothing, we're now finding out a lot about Sleeping Dogs, the game formerly known as True Crime: Hong Kong that found a new home at Square-Enix and promises an Orient-flavoured take on the open-world action genre.

    Today we have another new trailer, with this latest clip focusing on some of the key characters in the game's narrative:
    Loyalty and discretion... watch words of the Sun On Yee, one of Hong Kong’s most brutal Triad gangs. It’s the attitude which makes them strong, the attitude which makes them feared. Getting in will be the hard part, keeping alive even harder.

    To bring down the Sun On Yee you have to take down the people who support them... the Red Poles, the lieutenants, the Dragon Head. On old friend from your childhood is looking for muscle. A low-ranking lieutenant he may be, but if he trusts you, you are in. The civil war brewing can be used to your advantage; show them you are fearless and you will quickly rise through the ranks and take down the brotherhood from the inside.
    Watch the trailer embedded below or click here for the HD video page.

    Sleeping Dogs is due on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on August 4th 2012. For more details, get up to speed with AusGamers recent hands-on preview and developer interview.

    Thursday, 23 February 2012
    Post by Steve Farrelly @ 11:46am 23/02/12 | 0 Comments
    As well as getting hands-on with the game, AusGamers was given a chance to chat to Sleeping Dogs' senior producer, Jeff O'Connell, from Vancouver-based United Front Games about the leap from Activision to Square Enix, and shifting their open-world action-drama from True Crime: Hong Kong to their own IP.

    "For us, the cornerstone of the game is the fun piece. You can have a great story and you can have a great city, but unless the game is fun, it’s just not great," he told us during our video interview. "And we put together an experienced team of people who worked on a real cross-section of open-world games with strong mechanics."

    Click here for the full video interview feature.
    Monday, 20 February 2012
    Post by Eorl @ 11:04am 20/02/12 | 0 Comments
    Square Enix and United Front Games have released a batch of new screenshots for Sleeping Dogs, a gritty and visceral open world cop drama set in the vibrant city of Hong Kong. This new title is the re-imagined True Crime: Hong Kong when it was still in the hands of Activision, and oh boy is it looking good.
    Sleeping Dogs catapults players into the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, tasked with taking down one of the world’s most fearsome criminal organisations from the inside... the Hong Kong Triads.

    As players explore the bustling and crowded Hong Kong island, through its neon-lit side streets and sprawling street markets, an incredible story unfolds of loyalty and betrayal, where Wei begins to question his own motives as he is sucked in deeper than he could ever imagine.
    You can check out the latest live action, butt kicking trailer over here, or take a swing at Steve's hands-on preview for his thoughts on the game so far.

    Below are just three of the latest screenshots, so make sure you check out the rest over at our game page, where we have all the latest news, screenshots, videos, and more!

    Friday, 17 February 2012
    Post by Steve Farrelly @ 10:14pm 17/02/12 | 2 Comments
    Last week AusGamers was invited out to the streets of Hong Kong to check out the transformation of True Crime: Hong Kong, a game formerly held, and subsequently dropped, by Activision, into Sleeping Dogs - a fully realised sandbox game built off a foundation of Hong Kong action movies, classic open-world games and some solid driving - still at the hands of Vancouver-based United Front Games, and now being published by Square Enix.

    Aside from looking much more polished (especially from a visual standpoint), Sleeping Dogs has bitten through its former chain to become its own beast, with a mature and competent story line, fully realised characters, a great setting and some solid driving against an ambitious combat, movement and parkour system.

    Click here for our full thoughts.