-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Sleeping Dogs |OT| not releasing this would have been a True Crime
- Thread starter MRORANGE
- Start date
SentientStone
Member
Just played a couple of hours of it, really enjoying it thus far. 
I am glad that there is quite a bit of Cantonese voice work in the game (no subs for me ;p) and it is mostly done quite well compared to other times I hear Cantonese in games or even in some Hollywood movies. I still need to get the rhythm of the combat down but I really like all the environmental kills. Yeah, that's all for now; United Front Games is definitely on my radar even more after this, hopefully I can work with them in the future somehow (first chance into the door didn't go so well, but acquiring other skills now).
PS: There is a lot of Cantonese swears in this game. I was literally hearing a few swears every minute of gameplay / cutscenes. Hah.
Oh yeah, will also be staying out of this thread after this post to avoid any potential spoilage.
I am glad that there is quite a bit of Cantonese voice work in the game (no subs for me ;p) and it is mostly done quite well compared to other times I hear Cantonese in games or even in some Hollywood movies. I still need to get the rhythm of the combat down but I really like all the environmental kills. Yeah, that's all for now; United Front Games is definitely on my radar even more after this, hopefully I can work with them in the future somehow (first chance into the door didn't go so well, but acquiring other skills now).
PS: There is a lot of Cantonese swears in this game. I was literally hearing a few swears every minute of gameplay / cutscenes. Hah.
Oh yeah, will also be staying out of this thread after this post to avoid any potential spoilage.
toastyToast
Member
I spent half an hour driving around, piecing together an appropriate suit for the (late game spoiler)
mission and then had one thrown at me for free.
feelsbadman
funeral
feelsbadman
The camera hacking one? I initially thought it required a lot more thought than it actually does. Just put 0123 in first then move any yellow digits around and keep going up in numerical order for any red ones. You will be pretty much guaranteed to get it in 3-4 tries every time this way.
toastyToast
Member
^^^
My exact strategy since the first one I encountered. There was only one time I didn't get it in the 6 attempts
My exact strategy since the first one I encountered. There was only one time I didn't get it in the 6 attempts
davidsaurus
Member
Better strategy is once you have found some yellows but not all, do not include them in the next code. Once you have found all 4 yellows you can then mix about. Using your method you occasionally run into issues.
Yeah, the very first one was the only one I haven't gotten right away since I thought about it too hard.
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
Impulse bought this game today.
It is such a blast so far and already one of the funnest games ive played this year. Great gameplay, atmosphere, soundtrack/radio. The story and VA really keep it interesting.
It is such a blast so far and already one of the funnest games ive played this year. Great gameplay, atmosphere, soundtrack/radio. The story and VA really keep it interesting.
so sad
Just finished the game, 30 hours in with little left to do
Loved every second of it, shame that the ending felt a little bit rushed, but the last mission itself was incredibly awesome
I use the Blast as well.
Baconsammy
Banned
I completed the game at the 26 hour mark(this time doesn't count the hours I played just driving or running around creating havoc), and still have a bunch of side missions/races/collectibles to do. If that's short, then sure. Go into the menu and check out statistics. It will tell you how many missions you've done and have yet to do. You'll notice that you're at about 3 out of 30.
While it's not ridiculously long. I think it's longer than that implies. Perhaps it's due to missions getting longer as you go on.
I clocked 30 hours completing the game, though i did do quite a few side activities. I got the impression the main story was probably somewhere between 15-20, depending on the player.
Ban Puncher
Member
Get out of my head!
Done everything that can be done in the game. Need some new Mission DLC pronto.
ChocolateCupcakes
Member
No there is about 20 of those missions/jobs.
I've finished the game yeasterday so:
18k isn't just an other gang, it's one of the main triads competing with the Sun on Yee. Big Smile Lee probably made a deal with them to intimidate the rest of the Sun on Yee while they were weak to support his election as president. The game isn't clear on the matter but the same police with Pendrew might be involved into using the 18k to destroy the Sun on Ye at all costs. Pendrew was at the funeral with the 18k and didn't stop them.
What I didn't get is why Pendrew was so focused on Uncle Po and Sonny Wo, while he didn't care much about Lee taking the power for himself. Maybe he thought that taking Sonny Wo out of the picture would make the triad irreparably weak even with Big Smile Lee at the top?
Also I didn't get when Pendrew sold Wei to Lee. I thought it was after Uncle Po was dead and he got the porn video with Sonny Wo, so basically when he says to Wei that his mission is a successfully over, but at the end Lee says that Wei was supposed to die with Winston, so a lot of time before which doesn't make sense, or maybe he was just stating his intention to take him out with Winston
What I didn't get is why Pendrew was so focused on Uncle Po and Sonny Wo, while he didn't care much about Lee taking the power for himself. Maybe he thought that taking Sonny Wo out of the picture would make the triad irreparably weak even with Big Smile Lee at the top?
Also I didn't get when Pendrew sold Wei to Lee. I thought it was after Uncle Po was dead and he got the porn video with Sonny Wo, so basically when he says to Wei that his mission is a successfully over, but at the end Lee says that Wei was supposed to die with Winston, so a lot of time before which doesn't make sense, or maybe he was just stating his intention to take him out with Winston
Btw excellent game, I had a lot of fun with it.
toastyToast
Member
Got the credits rolling at the moment. Man, what great game. Easily the best main quest in the genre. Wonderful characters, Wei is such a boss.
Although during the last sequence I was wondering how he
Think I'll clean up the achievements and do a straight campaign playthrough
Although during the last sequence I was wondering how he
shook off that violent torture session and proceeded to whoop a gang of dudes
Think I'll clean up the achievements and do a straight campaign playthrough
Baconsammy
Banned
That's inaccurate. He changes quite a bit by the very end.
Just finished the game, credits rolled, now just taking care of loose ends. Loved it. Loved every minute of it. Wei Shen is one of the absolute best main characters in a game I've played in quite some time. I cared about him and the story the entire time.
I will agree with others that too much happens too fast to tie up the game. I would have been perfectly happy if
Pendril got away. In fact I thought that's what was going to happen and then he'd be handled in the next game. There was a bit of bullshit near the end that took me out of the story a little - Wei gets his knee smashed with a hammer and then drilled, yet he's able to walk it off eventually. He also gets a shotgun blast to the chest/shoulder that magically heals. Other than that, the game was awesome.
I loved how the game balanced his life as a cop and a triad, and even weaved in side missions for both seamlessly. This is far and away the best open world game I've ever played when it comes to engaging story and gameplay mechanics. Just brilliant. It's pretty much everything I wish Saints Row would have matured into. I'm glad I bought this instead of just renting it from Redbox. I assumed I'd be playing Darksiders with all my free time, but this game managed to make me forget all about DS2. Please let there be a sequel on the next Xbox/Playstation.
21 hours done.
The ending -
Surprised Activision didn't insist it get set in Chinatown in a US city they're so afraid to branch out.
The ending -
Main issue is that we never got to choose between the Triads and the Police. Buliding up those 2 different experience meters every mission. Walking the tightrope. Having your "attachment" being such a big part of the plot and then..... nothing. We don't even see Wei have to confront his betrayl with his Triad friends in a cutscene. It's just not mentioned.
Wei was a great character. Things like the Wedding hit way harder than they did in GTA4. I actually felt conflicted over my loyalties and I know plenty of people would have chosen a Triad ending. But all I needed to do was remind myself that the Triads are built on people like Wei's sister. All they do is inflict themselves on other people and this drum beating about loyalty, family, etc is out of an almost hysterical fear of the dog-eat-dog world they have to reside in. I know who I am.
That torturer should have taken out a samurai sword instead of a machete. And Wei should have marched into the compound to face 30 or so low-level foot soldiers with it. That would have made for a memorable mission.
Sometimes I got confused over all the characters. Ricky, Sammy, Conroy, so hard to remember them all. But at least (some) were likable unlike in GTA where R* goes out of their way to make everyone an irredeemable moocher.
What was the deal with Jackie being conveniently missing or held up everytime something big went down? I didn't think he was a rat but I figured they were going somewhere with it. They didn't feel the need to mention Conroy's or the others' whereabouts all the time.
Guns need dual wielding and a shoot dodge move. All those slow motion triggers and they didn't have the central Max Payne move.
Wei was a great character. Things like the Wedding hit way harder than they did in GTA4. I actually felt conflicted over my loyalties and I know plenty of people would have chosen a Triad ending. But all I needed to do was remind myself that the Triads are built on people like Wei's sister. All they do is inflict themselves on other people and this drum beating about loyalty, family, etc is out of an almost hysterical fear of the dog-eat-dog world they have to reside in. I know who I am.
That torturer should have taken out a samurai sword instead of a machete. And Wei should have marched into the compound to face 30 or so low-level foot soldiers with it. That would have made for a memorable mission.
Sometimes I got confused over all the characters. Ricky, Sammy, Conroy, so hard to remember them all. But at least (some) were likable unlike in GTA where R* goes out of their way to make everyone an irredeemable moocher.
What was the deal with Jackie being conveniently missing or held up everytime something big went down? I didn't think he was a rat but I figured they were going somewhere with it. They didn't feel the need to mention Conroy's or the others' whereabouts all the time.
Guns need dual wielding and a shoot dodge move. All those slow motion triggers and they didn't have the central Max Payne move.
Surprised Activision didn't insist it get set in Chinatown in a US city they're so afraid to branch out.
Z
ZombieFred
Unconfirmed Member
Well I finished the game today and I can say it's one of the best sandbox games I have played this generation and the right at the top of the list of my favourite games that have been released a few years. It's an incredible accomplishment how they manage to pack so much detail into this game and all the way through I wasn't bored and actually wanted to do the side quest/missions more than the main story and just explore and dick around. This is what an open sand box should do, put in the same amount of quality on these things than just focusing on one part.
This game also has the best side characters of all time. Ricky, Salty Crab, these guys are memorable for me and I loved their personalities.
"you need learn to drive!" - every single time :lol:
Square Enix you magnificent bastards for picking this up and giving it the love it needed. Can't wait for the DLC (and hopefully sequel!). We need more Wei Shen.
P.S I have to say that at the very end
was so damn detailed and atmospheric. The game really did hit on the scale when you look at the city skyline and how small you felt when outside with the thunderstorms. Such fucking awesome detail.
This game also has the best side characters of all time. Ricky, Salty Crab, these guys are memorable for me and I loved their personalities.
"you need learn to drive!" - every single time :lol:
Square Enix you magnificent bastards for picking this up and giving it the love it needed. Can't wait for the DLC (and hopefully sequel!). We need more Wei Shen.
P.S I have to say that at the very end
escaping the torture area
Baconsammy
Banned
I needed more
Salty. Some of the best/ funniest dialogue in the game.
big gay
Good stuff, I was worried the story was like 5-6 hours. 25-30 hours of fun/side questing sounds fun
Wuthering_Heights
Banned
Crappy iPad picture ahoy!
My first platinum in the six years that I've owned a PS3 as my main gaming console. Haven't had the desire to go after the platinum in any other game, it's just that amazing.
Took about 32 hours.
Can't wait for DLC. I will purchase it without hesitation.
Bought this game for PC on Friday with the GMG deal. I'm mostly doing just sidequests and item gathering and even that is fairly fun.
Only thing that bothers me right now is that I prefer playing these games with a KB+M, but the camera controls are really wierd in this game using the mouse so I'll probably have to switch.
Only thing that bothers me right now is that I prefer playing these games with a KB+M, but the camera controls are really wierd in this game using the mouse so I'll probably have to switch.
Callibretto
Member
main story is probably 10-15 hours, but I really think most people will play the side content too because some of them are really good, and most of them are beneficial since they provide xp to improve your character give you new move and ability.
"Call me!" LOL
Btw, Not-Ping's voicemail seems to trigger for a lot of people after a "Go to bed" objective, and then gets cut off by a text from Ricky before you can listen to it. This happened to me. However, there's a simple solution: as soon as Wei completes his "waking up" animation, immediately start spamming the A button (or X on PS3). He'll activate the voicemail and hear it before Ricky can text him, and then Ricky will text him afterward.
zer0blivion
Member
I really enjoyed this game. I'm going through and getting all the achievements, looked up a video for "Whatever's Handy" and it unlocked on the first weapon, turns out the only one I didn't get was the crowbar. I only need one more random event now and that should be it for the achievements. Does anyone know if these events happen in a specific order?
For anyone struggling with level 10 Triad, some advice earlier in the thread really helped me. Replay the missions worth over 1000 points and maximize scoring potential. If you disarm a guy, then hit him with your weapon and then shoot him in the head, you'll get a lot more points than if you just headshot him. If you spam dim mak you get fewer points each time, so mix it up with plain counters.
For anyone struggling with level 10 Triad, some advice earlier in the thread really helped me. Replay the missions worth over 1000 points and maximize scoring potential. If you disarm a guy, then hit him with your weapon and then shoot him in the head, you'll get a lot more points than if you just headshot him. If you spam dim mak you get fewer points each time, so mix it up with plain counters.
Just beat the first fighting club. So damn satisfying when you finally figure out the strategy is to counter and then whale on fools (also work on getting the shrine upgrades)
I think the fighting is excellent but I feel they could have used the A button to kick (move sprint to RT?). I keep forgetting the moves because they are too similar since everything has X lol
I think the fighting is excellent but I feel they could have used the A button to kick (move sprint to RT?). I keep forgetting the moves because they are too similar since everything has X lol
I love the hell out of this game and it breaks my heart that I might have to stop playing.
I'm having a really fucked up issue.
It's happened twice so far. Has anyone else had this problem?
I'm having a really fucked up issue.
After catching the gunman Wei spotted at Winston's wedding, the game locks up on me.
RyuHayate, do you have a save before that point, like the auto-save? Maybe simply playing the part differently can avoid the freeze?
And I just discovered you can use the Y button to actually dance if you go to the far end of the balcony overlooking the dance floor at Club Bam Bam. Nice touch!
And I just discovered you can use the Y button to actually dance if you go to the far end of the balcony overlooking the dance floor at Club Bam Bam. Nice touch!
matrix-cat
Member
I just finished the game, and it didn't really do it for me. I bought because I enjoyed the basic mechanics so much after playing the demo, and I still think they're great, but the game just never does anything interesting with them. The free-running in particular is such a great idea for an open world game, simple to learn but endlessly satisfying and something that could be integrated into the usual mission structure in a really interesting way. Except it wasn't. Every other character in the game has the exact same parkour abilities you do, and every footchase in the game is scripted so that you can never catch them. Every single person you chase in the game eventually just stops running, either because they've found some guys for you to fight or, in the case of one Favour I just did, for no reason at all. It doesn't matter how well you nail every jump and mantle, the AI is programmed to stay at a certain distance away from you until they hit a trigger point.
Same with every car chase. Your target is uncatchable until you've blown up enough of his cronies, then he'll slow down and let you airjack him. Once I realized this is just sucked the life out of all the exciting moments in the game. Skilful play isn't rewarded at all, you just have to sit back and eventually the game will let you do a thing. Eventually the game just becomes you steering Wei to the next waypoint on your map; there's no room for doing anything your way, straying from the path at all. Every mission is going to be completed exactly the way the designer envisioned it, and your job is just to learn to recognize what you're supposed to do in a given situation. Occasionally Wei will already be running or driving when you regain control of him, just to make sure you get the idea.
I think the fighting system is excellent, though. It's far deeper than I thought it was at first glance, and it stayed fun all the way through the game. While it's obviously Batman-derivative, I really like the spin they put on it here. There's none of the flowing precision of Batman, instead every fight becomes a knock-down, drag-out brawl with as much dirty fighting as formal martial arts. I thought it was weird that neither of the bone breaking moves actually has any real effect, other than making other enemies recoil in shock, but I know it'd be too easy to end fights if you could just break everyone's legs.
I found the story totally generic and predictable. And, at times, really silly, the wedding stuff in particular.
Throughout the game I kept meeting people with no introductions at all, yet Wei seemed to know who they were, and then they just disappeared afterwards with no fanfare. I'd wake up in new houses with no idea of how I got them, and then go off and do some weird, non-sequitur of a mission for some guy that nobody told me to meet and isn't telling me anything about himself. No worries, though, I'm probably just going to fight some guys.
What sets Sleeping Dogs apart for me is that it just plays so well. The controls are great, the basic mechanics are fun, and that's pretty rare in an open world game. I still have nightmares about trying to aim Niko Bellic through doorways under pressure. But the mission design just wasn't interesting at all, and when missions are as heavily scripted as these ones are it just leads to a boring game. If they'd just opened up the mission design, let me explore my own ideas instead of just doing the waypoint slalom, it could have been amazing. A game with the structure of the GTAs of old but the solid gameplay of Sleeping Dogs would be a dream come true for me. As it stands, Sleeping Dogs doesn't do the gravitas as well as GTA, and it doesn't do the over-the-top fun as well as Saint's Row.
Same with every car chase. Your target is uncatchable until you've blown up enough of his cronies, then he'll slow down and let you airjack him. Once I realized this is just sucked the life out of all the exciting moments in the game. Skilful play isn't rewarded at all, you just have to sit back and eventually the game will let you do a thing. Eventually the game just becomes you steering Wei to the next waypoint on your map; there's no room for doing anything your way, straying from the path at all. Every mission is going to be completed exactly the way the designer envisioned it, and your job is just to learn to recognize what you're supposed to do in a given situation. Occasionally Wei will already be running or driving when you regain control of him, just to make sure you get the idea.
I think the fighting system is excellent, though. It's far deeper than I thought it was at first glance, and it stayed fun all the way through the game. While it's obviously Batman-derivative, I really like the spin they put on it here. There's none of the flowing precision of Batman, instead every fight becomes a knock-down, drag-out brawl with as much dirty fighting as formal martial arts. I thought it was weird that neither of the bone breaking moves actually has any real effect, other than making other enemies recoil in shock, but I know it'd be too easy to end fights if you could just break everyone's legs.
I found the story totally generic and predictable. And, at times, really silly, the wedding stuff in particular.
At the start of one mission you never even knew Winston was getting married, and then the next it's already happening and you're supposed to feel super bad about him and his wife dying. Pendrew being the bad guy was obvious from the exact moment he first appeared on screen, and about halfway through the game Jackie Ma starts hinting so heavily that he's going to be killed just before getting free he might as well have just come out and said it. And then at the end your cover gets blown, and they do nothing with it. The most interesting possible turn for the plot and they just decide to call it a day and roll the credits.
What sets Sleeping Dogs apart for me is that it just plays so well. The controls are great, the basic mechanics are fun, and that's pretty rare in an open world game. I still have nightmares about trying to aim Niko Bellic through doorways under pressure. But the mission design just wasn't interesting at all, and when missions are as heavily scripted as these ones are it just leads to a boring game. If they'd just opened up the mission design, let me explore my own ideas instead of just doing the waypoint slalom, it could have been amazing. A game with the structure of the GTAs of old but the solid gameplay of Sleeping Dogs would be a dream come true for me. As it stands, Sleeping Dogs doesn't do the gravitas as well as GTA, and it doesn't do the over-the-top fun as well as Saint's Row.
In response to matrix-cat:
+ RE: free-running: You might not be able to catch the targets (though
can be overcome), but there IS skill, very much so, in that you will fail the time limit or lose sight of your target if you don't navigate the courses with precision and also time your jumps and landings so that you don't stumble and so that you roll into a run rather than pausing to absorb the shock (hit A right before landing). Same with driving, where carelessness taking the wrong ramp or hitting a wall can cause your target to get away. This kept me on the tips of my toes during the chase sequences, and the way the free-running was spliced into many missions alongside other elements -- hacking, melee, shootouts, driving, ramming, action-hijacking, etc -- kept the variety strong throughout. I don't feel there was a mechanic that was under-utilized.
+ RE: the story: I felt it was fine how they handled the character arc for Winston.
Rather, a compelling ambiguity begins to form with Wei: a kinship forms for the triads, but at the same time he is motivated by a vendetta against them. Which way will the pendulum swing in the end? It's a calculated tale where I didn't see the outcome coming but I was totally pleased with how everything resolved itself. I also didn't anticipate the fate of
, though it was a fitting conclusion:
And regarding
, I thought he was interesting in terms of
Oh, and about characters that just introduce themselves out of the blue: I think it's a given the idea there is Wei has met the different members of his gang even if the player himself hasn't. It's a plot device, the concept that Wei readily understands and knows things the player doesn't, but it's fine and works well.
+ I agree that the sheer sandbox shenanigans in Sleeping Dogs aren't as glorious as Saints Row: The Third, but I definitely appreciate the more intricate, immesive world in Sleeping Dogs and the sense of groundedness in all of its core mechanics, lore and incidental detail.
+ RE: free-running: You might not be able to catch the targets (though
Illyana
+ RE: the story: I felt it was fine how they handled the character arc for Winston.
Him bonding with you as a brother in one mission and you bonding with Peggy the next and then the wedding itself worked well together as a three-mission turning point for the character, though I don't think the game expects you to flat-out approve of Winston, who is still a brutal thug (case in point: the report on what happened to the previous undercover cop.
Jackie
He was an immature thrill-seeker who finally started to grow up when confronted with the ugly reality of organized crime, only by that point it was too late.
Pendrew
"a means to an ends." It would've been interesting to see him retained as the villain for a sequel, though.
+ I agree that the sheer sandbox shenanigans in Sleeping Dogs aren't as glorious as Saints Row: The Third, but I definitely appreciate the more intricate, immesive world in Sleeping Dogs and the sense of groundedness in all of its core mechanics, lore and incidental detail.
Thanks for the help, man. I don't know what happened, but thankfully I was able to drive him there successfully without a lock-up.
Baconsammy
Banned
That's the biggest difference for me between SD and SR3. SR3's world is beyond bland. It's lifeless to the point of boredom for me. SD's world feels alive and the colors are so vibrant. Another huge plus in SD's favor is that the game's framerate almost never stuttered while I played it. It was always consistently high, whereas GTA4's and Saints Row 1,2, and 3 all have abysmal framerates too often.
Is it weird that I feel a sense of loss now that I've completed the game? It's rare for me to become attached to characters in a game as I do in a book or a movie, but I came to really like/respect/hate many of the cast in SD.
revolverjgw
Member
How can I get a class A car? Apparently I need one for a cop mission. I can buy some B cars but I don't see any As. I only have about 250k dollas.
Baconsammy
Banned
You need to find the dealer that sells the high-end cars. I think the one I bought was called Blast. Something like that. All I know is that once I had it no one could even come close to me in a race unless I crashed.
chickdigger802
Banned
top left area of town has a dealer that has 'import exotics'
Real men get the wangan... just saying.
also cheapest A car is like 400k or so.
Actually, the PC version of Saints Row 3 has a near-flawless framerate and in my experience is probably one of the best PC ports around. Sleeping Dogs still gets the odd micro-stuttering every now and then. Runs smoothly for the most part, though.
I love the ending.
I'm glad Wei stayed true to the police and ended on good terms with Raymond and Teng, who acted as a voice of sanity for him the whole way through. I also like how even though the Triads still exist, at least the worst of them are gone now -- Lee, Po, Two Chin, Dogeyes and, yes, even Winston -- and while Broken Nose is no sweetheart, at least she stands to break up the prostitution, porn and human trafficking abuses, going by the police reports on her. I just wish Wei had some friends left in the city after the game ends.
They're just one-off missions that help reveal the locations of collectibles on the map.
I kinda wished Wei and
Teng, the lady cop
Is there more to dating? I've gone out on two dates after calling the tech girl and the blond from my phone, but after that, they're no longer contacts and there aren't any "quest icons" for them or anything. I'm 60% through the storyline so maybe more dating later?
perineumlick
Member
Anyone have a problem with the Just Cause 2 outfit not unlocking? I have several JC2 saves on my PS3, but I can't find the outfit in the preset outfits category at either of my safe houses. I'm almost positive a message came up saying the outfit was available, but I can't find it anywhere. Weird.
BackwardsSuggestions
Member
"You've got guts to wear that"
WELL FUCK YOU, MISTER.
I thought Wei looked boss.
WELL FUCK YOU, MISTER.
I thought Wei looked boss.