Square Enix this morning lifted the lid on Sleeping Dogs, its newly-named True Crime: Hong Kong developed by United Front Games in collaboration with Square Enix London Studios, which will be available in the second half of 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
The game puts players in the shoes of Wei Shen, an undercover cop tasked with taking down the Hong Kong Triads from the inside. Players will explore a “bustling and crowded” Hong Kong, including its “neon-lit side streets and sprawling street markets,” as Wei’s story of loyalty and betrayal unfolds, where he “begins to question his own motives as he is sucked in deeper than he could ever imagine.”
Sleeping Dogs combat system utilizes both gunplay and an “extensive set” of martial arts moves. Players will “perform bone-crunching 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.”
Lee Singleton, general manager of Square Enix London Studios, said: “From the moment you pick up the controller and experience the blend of driving, close combat and shooting you know you’re playing something fresh and a bit special. Sleeping Dogs has one of the best melee combat systems out there – it’s super brutal with devastating takedown moves, and when added to UFG’s proven heritage in driving games, a first class story and the vibrant backdrop of the Hong Kong underworld we get a fiery recipe with fun written all over it.”
Stephen Van Der Mescht, executive producer at United Front Games, added: “Working on Sleeping Dogs has been such a huge passion for the team at United Front Games and we’re really pleased to be working with Square Enix London Studios. The extensive experience that both studios have in creating compelling open world gameplay and rich, rewarding combat makes for a perfect partnership. Working together we’re ensuring Sleeping Dogs is the most intense and immersive game it can be.”
Visit the official site for Sleeping Dogs here. A new set of screenshots can be seen at the gallery.The reveal trailer, which is 100 percent live-action, can be seen below.
