Review: God of War Ascension can't compare to previous titles

By Dan Robinson
SPECIAL TO GRIZZLY GAMING

wikipedia.org

The “God of War” series is the reason I got a PS3. Every new game that came out was a breath of fresh air, improving on every aspect of the title and setting the tone for other third person, hack-and-slash games. The story of Kratos’ battle against the gods on his quest for revenge along with the intense combat kept me coming back for me.

It was sad when the original trilogy ended after “God of War 3,” which was why I was so excited to hear about another installment of the series being made. This new title, “God of War: Ascension” is a prequel to the original trilogy and tells the story of what happened to Kratos after he made his deal with Ares, the god of war.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the latest entry in the series but after playing it for a while, I was a little disappointed. While it’s still a great game and nothing is necessarily wrong with it, it doesn’t feel like it lives up to games in the original series. Where the original series continually felt fresh and new, this game feels like more of the same with nothing to really set it apart or above the previous entries in the series.

The combat of “God of War: Ascension” which is part of what makes the series so great, feels stale and too much like the previous games. Though you do have to be a little more strategic when attacking and defending than in older games, overall it’s just more of the same. I also really didn’t like the camera view during larger fights, which pans out so far that it’s sometimes hard to tell where Kratos is in all the chaos.

Another part of what made the combat feel stale was the lack of new weapons. In previous games, Kratos could collect and equip weapons besides the Blades of Chaos but in “Ascension,” his blades are his main weapons. There are a handful of other weapons to find, like a club or sword, but they’re very plain and can’t be used for long. Over the course of the game, Kratos can also acquire magical abilities which augment the Blades of Chaos, but even these aren’t very interesting.

While there are boss battles in this game, they don’t come close to matching the size or scale of battling Ares or Zeus as in previous games. Most bosses you face come in the form of the Furies, mythical figures who imprison Kratos after breaking his oath to Ares. Though these battles are fun, fighting them just isn’t the same or as much fun as battling a god.

Overall, I found the combat to be a lot easier and more forgiving in this title than in previous ones. Maybe it’s because it’s a prequel or maybe they just wanted to draw more new people to the series but the combat and boss battles just aren’t as challenging as they have been in the past.

The visuals of “God of War: Ascension” are as sharp and colorful as ever and really helps draw you into the world of mythology. The character design and design of the monsters are highly detailed which is also a big plus. And, since Kratos is again on a quest for vengeance, the violence and brutality of this game are also top notch.

For the first time in a “God of War” game, multiplayer has been included. Featuring four modes, the ones I played most were team deathmatch and capture the flag. While the multiplayer was fun and all, it didn’t really add anything to the story or anything else – it was just there. It wasn’t bad, it was pretty fun actually, but just nothing special about it. It would’ve been nice if it could’ve been tied into the story more than it was, but as it is it just feels like a tacked on mode, something the developers added just because they could.

While I did enjoy playing this game, at the end I felt pretty underwhelmed by the whole package. Part of it seems to be because “God of War: Ascension” is a prequel, that all of the encounters, battles and weapons just aren’t as cool or as fun to play as events that take place later in the life of Kratos. And because we know all about his wild, outlandish encounters with the gods later in his life, these early events just can’t compare. Everything about this game just felt like the developers wanted to make another game with the “God of War” title and not because the necessarily had anything new or interesting to add to the series. Though I usually end up replaying fun, single player games, it might be a while before I replay “God of War: Ascension.”

Review: Bringing strategy to Halo in "Halo Wars"

wikipedia.org

Though it’s a fairly old game, I bought “Halo Wars” during the recent Xbox Live Games on Demand sale and wanted to write a bit about it.

“Halo Wars” is a real time strategy game for the Xbox 360 released all the way back in 2009. Developed by Ensemble Studios, “Halo Wars” lets you take sides in the human/Covenant conflict and gives you control over both factions like never before. Usually, the Halo universe is experienced through the perspective of the Master Chief and though we were able to play as the Arbiter in Halo 3, we’re rarely given the chance to play as the Covenant.

I haven’t played much of the single player portion of this game but what I have played I found to be similar to most other RTS campaigns. It starts slowly, introducing you to units and powers before moving onto larger engagements and ultimately, the basics of base building. Being both an RTS and Halo enthusiast, I tend to opt for Skirmish battles or online multiplayer battles with friends.

“Halo Wars” streamlines its approach to the RTS genre by only allowing you to build bases at predetermined sites around the map. Each base has a set amount of buildings it can support and can be upgraded as the game progresses to support more. And rather than building units specifically to harvest resources (as in “StarCraft” or earlier “Command and Conquer” games), resources are gathered when specific buildings are attached to bases (supply pads for humans and warehouses for Covenant). Vehicle, ground and air units can be built to protect your bases and harass your enemies, all of which have specific upgrades depending on your style of play.

Each faction has three Leaders to play as, each granting unique powers and abilities. Covenant leaders appear on the battlefield and are powerful units that also can make use of special abilities. The Brute Chieftain, for example, has a energy whirlwind that deals massive damage to whatever it touches and can be exploded to deal even more. The Brute Chieftain can also build unique Brute units that wield Brute Shot grenade launchers and can be upgraded with jump jet packs. Human leaders don’t take to the battlefield themselves but instead each have two unique units. Captain Cutter, for example, has the MAC Blast attack which deals a massive damage and can be upgraded for more shots and damage. He also can create the Elephant, a sort of mobile barracks to create troops anywhere on the field, as well as being able to upgrade infantry to ODST troopers that can be dropped anywhere on the map. Choosing a Leader wisely can be the difference between victory and defeat. This is especially true when playing against multiple opponents, as you’ll want a wide variety of powers and troops available between you and your teammates.

I’m usually pretty picky when it comes to RTS games. Well, that’s an understatement. I usually tend to stay away from RTS games on consoles completely. Using a controller to build and command my army just feels too clunky and detached compared to using a mouse and keyboard on the PC.

But after playing “Halo Wars” a considerable amount, I found the controls to be very intuitive with many options that let you instantly move your view about the battlefield. The shoulder buttons are used to select all your units or just the units currently onscreen. Selected units appear at the bottom of the screen and once selected, the right trigger can then be used to page through the various types, allowing you to direct one type of unit even if you initially selected your entire army. Though it’s a bit bulky, selecting units this way for directed or concentrated attacks is very easy to accomplish and very useful.

Also, the D-Pad can be used to cycle through your bases as well as groups of units. Though there isn’t a mechanic specifically for the creation of groups, I found that if you move groups of units apart, the game will cycle through the groups of units in close proximity with a click of the D-Pad. While it may be a bit bulkier than how the same thing would be accomplished on a PC RTS, it serves the same function.

Online or Skirmish games can only be played up to 3-on-3 and there doesn’t seem to be a free-for-all mode – unless you’re playing 1-on-1, you’re going to have a teammate. And while there are a decent number of maps, there are only three 3-on-3 maps which is a bit disappointing. I also found the AI difficulty to be a little unbalanced. While Heroic is a slight challenge, Legendary is nearly impossible to topple with no kind of option in between. And since human opponents online always manage to build massive armies before I manage to build a second base, AI opponents are unfortunately my usual competition. Luckily, two friends of mine bought “Halo Wars” when I did so we can at least make a good attempt at beating the computer on Legendary before getting discouraged and playing on Heroic.

If this game were brand new, I’d be a little bummed by how flimsy the single player effort is and how few options there are in terms of multiplayer. But given that I was able to get it for a steal of a price ($10), I’m more than happy with the purchase and found it to be an excellent addition to the Halo universe.

Review: Rebooting "Tomb Raider" at the right time

wikipedia.org

By Dan Robinson

SPECIAL TO GRIZZLY GAMING

Before playing the recent “Tomb Raider” reboot by Crystal Dynamics on the Playstation 3, I had only ever played one title in the series. Not being a big fan of the series, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the reboot, but overall I feel it’s a fresh new take on a classic series.

“Tomb Raider” is a third person action game that tells the story of lead character Lara Croft’s first journey into the world of tomb raiding. Lara is taking part in a documentary voyage when her ship crashes, stranding herself and the crew on a mysterious island somewhere off the coast of Japan. Once on the island, your time is split between exploration, combat, and rescuing friends. This aspect of the game, searching for lost friends, has been done before and feels stale. This mechanic is very similar to another recently released game, “Far Cry 3.”

Speaking of “Far Cry 3,” overall this game came off as a mix between “Uncharted’s” third person action and “Far Cry’s” open world, jungle environment. However, “Tomb Raider” isn’t a strict open world game, like “Far Cry,” but rather the island is split into various areas connected by a central hub location
The missions of this game were challenging and offered a variety of side missions to keep you interested in the world around you. These side missions feature most of the tomb raiding you’ll be doing and breaks up the main missions and combat nicely.

Overall, the combat is solid but a little boring. There are only a handful of weapons which can have various upgrades applied to them which you get for looting and completing special tasks. As this is a game about Lara’s origins, you can earn skill points which turn her into a more competent explorer and fighter.

I really appreciated the fact that “Tomb Raider” is a big budget game that features a strong, female lead character. Not many games these days put women in the lead role and it’s great to see that Lara Croft is still a relevant character today and popular enough to warrant a serious reboot.

With all the areas of the island to explore, things to collect and side missions to complete, “Tomb Raider” has a lot of replay value. It can be a challenging game at times, but not enough games offer a high level of challenge these days so I definitely appreciated it. With all the reboots and remakes on the market these days, “Tomb Raider” sets the bar very high and hopefully this is only the first of many new games in the series.

Review: "Dead Space 3" takes the series into new territory

wikipedia.org

The recent release of Electronic Arts and Visceral Games’ “Dead Space 3” has been a polarizing event for fans of the series. It seems that the game’s fan base has been split in half, like so many Necromorphs, due to changes to core mechanics and elements of the series. The first two games in the series are tense, claustrophobic, survival-horror affairs. “Dead Space 3” trends decidedly more towards an action-adventure affair, including cooperative play, less need for inventory management and even microtransactions. I even bought into the fear-mongering, opting to wait until I could buy the game at a reduced price. 

After playing throughout the entirety of “Dead Space 3,” I’m left wondering how anyone could’ve complained about this game in the first place.  

By far, the most common complaint I’ve heard about “Dead Space 3” was that it “wasn’t scary anymore.” And, perhaps more importantly to serious gamers, wasn’t as much of a survival horror game anymore. In the original title and its sequel, the environments were crampt, enemies lurked around every corner and often in plain sight, playing dead, only to spring to life and attack the unaware. Ammo was scarce and required careful use of resources in order to survive the relentless, shapeless horrors wrought by the cosmos. Every step you tread in “Dead Space 1 and 2” legitimately felt like they could’ve been your last. 
 

And, honestly, those observations about “Dead Space 3” are mostly accurate. The atmosphere of this game isn’t as unnerving as past titles and almost all elements of survival horror have fallen to the wayside. That being said, “Dead Space 3” does manage to elicit cringes from its repulsive enemies and successfully replaces moments of taut suspense with intense, edge-of-your-seat action sequences. On top of that, the rhythm of combat has also evolved somewhat, with a tendency toward fast-paced action rather than careful dismemberment of enemies.

Isaac (left) now has the help of a co-op partner, Carver (right). (Pic - pcgamer.com)

“Dead Space 3” opens with a lengthy cinematic, explaining the events of the first two games, as well as backstory to help give perspective to these events. After the events on The Sprawl in “Dead Space 2,” Isaac has become somewhat reclusive. However, the Church of Unitology has continued to work ever closer to its goal of Convergence – spreading the Marker scourge throughout all human space. With their plans nearing completion, Isaac is called upon to, once and for all, stop the Necromorph plague – whether he wants to or not.
 

Contrary to the game’s advertising, much of the opening chapters are set aboard crampt spaceship corridors, rather than the icy planet, Tau Volantis. These locales recall the earlier games in the series while helping you get accustomed to the updated mechanics.
 

In past games, Isaac controlled similarly to early “Resident Evil” protagonists, in that they were not very maneuverable. This lack of maneuverability is what created some of the tension in earlier games, making you carefully consider every step. Isaac has apparently been doing some calisthenics in his time out of the spotlight because he is considerably more maneuverable now. Turning, looking, sprinting and changing weapons are all performed much more quickly than before. Isaac can even do a dive roll now with a double-click of the sprint button! 
 

Additionally, a cover mechanic has been added now that Isaac will be doing battle with human foes. The cover mechanic works better than I had anticipated, allowing Isaac to crouch as well as take cover behind objects. Isaac can even use Kinesis to pull objects closer and create cover on the fly.

Despite it's move toward action-adventure, "Dead Space 3" retains its macabre enemies and gore. (Pic - gamercheese.com

However, you might not even notice these increases to Isaac’s skills as the Necromorphs are deadlier than ever before. These unholy terrors are quicker and more resilient than before, prompting you to make good use of Isaac’s increased movement speeds and new evasive ability. And while being able to dive roll is useful, you won’t be doing as much running away from enemies as you will be blasting them into tiny bits, utilizing the new weapon crafting component.
 

From frequently found Benches, which were formerly used solely to upgrade weapons, players can now create their own weaponry to combat the Necromorphs. Using parts and resources found throughout environments, you can cobble together powerful weapons that can feature secondary fire functions as well as the ability to be upgraded with stat increasing circuits and other attachments. It’s fully possible to create wildly outlandish weapons like a Line Gun with an underslung Flamethrower or a chainsaw with an underslung grenade launcher. That second weapon is a personal creation of mine, which I affectionately call “Nades’N’Blades.” With attachments to protect myself from grenade splash damage, acid damage added to my chainsaw blades and circuits to increase overall damage, clip size and reload speed, Nades’N’Blades is one of my most powerful guns.
 

My favorite aspect of the weapon crafting is how you can create, disassemble and reuse weapon pieces as many times as you want, encouraging creativity when crafting a new Necromorph killer. With numerous options in terms of base weapons, tips (which modify a base weapon’s attack), attachments and circuits, the creation possibilities are nearly limitless. 
 

In past games, discovering a new weapon was a thrill and the new weapon crafting component does minimize this feeling. But this feeling isn’t diminished completely as discovering new weapon crafting pieces holds the same appeal. However, the need to carry weapon specific ammo is gone, replaced by generic, all-purpose ammo.

A new cover mechanic has been included to better deal with human enemies. (Pic- videogamer.com)

 

Speaking of the ammo simplification, inventory management is barely necessary in “Dead Space 3.” Ammo is all-purpose and, along with health kits, can be created at Benches using found (or purchased) resources. Also, any weapon creation parts, circuits and resources are automatically transferred to your Safe upon accessing a Bench, eliminating tedious inventory clean up. The inclusion of weapon crafting also encourages more exploration around environments to find hidden parts and resources.
 

Additionally, weapon parts can be found in the course of play as well as purchased from the Bench (using real money). Some claim this diminishes the game’s potential, essentially giving you the option to buy the best weapons right out of the gate. Others deride the title simply for including microtransactions at all. But the option to buy weapon pieces and resources are just that – options – and are never forced on you. 
 

You’ll definitely need all the armament you can get your hands on in this title, because the Necromorphs are more vicious than ever before. These unrelenting horrors are quick to overwhelm and only staying mobile with your finger on the trigger will prove useful in stemming the tide of rotting, reanimated corpses. In prior games, enemies were fewer and took more of a beating, prompting you to use careful aim to dismember them quickly. Dismemberment is still the best way to take down a Necromorph, though getting a kill will reward you with ammo and health kits no matter how many shots you fired to bring it down. So even though ammo and health are more prevalent than previous games, enemies are more plentiful and you’ll be using your resources much more often. 
 

Clocking in at just short of 20 hours, “Dead Space 3” is the longest game of the series so far, meaning you’ll have plenty of opportunity to amass a stash of weapons and weapon crafting pieces over the course of your playing time. Also, optional quests are present for the first time in the series. These missions will offer you the chance to find more crafting materials as well as discovering more backstory. Some of these quests are co-op only, encouraging you to get some friends if you want to find everything available. 
 

Though the Necromorph ranks do already have an impressive number of deadly foes, it would’ve been nice had more new enemies been included in this title. I also would’ve liked to see more boss battles. There are only a few, I think, (which shows how memorable they were) and they’re criminally easy to beat. I defeated the final boss on my first attempt with minimal effort – something that should just not happen. Whether it’s a shooter, a fighting game or a survival-horror game, a final boss encounter should be something that forces you to rethink ever playing video games in the first place and not something that can be breezed through and forgotten about the next day. 
 

Also, the pacing of this title could’ve used work as well. It starts very strong and very fast, hitting you with new characters and information over and over again, leaving little time to process it all. Then, as it wears on, the story grows a bit stagnant once you actually reach the planet of Tau Volantis and never quite regains its momentum from that point. In fact, my favorite part of the ending was the song played during the closing credits (“Ephemeral” by the instrumental rock band, Pelican), which should tell you something about how strongly the game finishes. 
 

Characters never seem to grow or evolve either. And Isaac, compared to the last game, is incredibly dull. The main antagonist, Danik, is used only sparingly. Isaac’s new co-op buddy, Carver, is a typical space marine anti-hero, the guy who does unpopular things because no one else will. Heck, one of the only characters I liked and who was useful only showed up when something needed to be explained and was killed off without hesitation. After the depth of character shown by Isaac’s diminishing mental state in “Dead Space 2,” the character arcs in this title are painfully thin to the point of nonexistent. 
 

But, despite its few flaws, “Dead Space 3” offers much more than most initially gave it credit for. The final product is much more polished and able to reach a broader audience than any previous game in the series. The removal of competitive multiplayer, replaced with campaign co-op, was a brilliant move by Visceral and EA, one that will no doubt help draw more people to the title. A downloadable content pack featuring new story missions was released recently to add even more reasons to check out “Dead Space 3,” and from what I hear, the DLC, titled “Awakened,” does an excellent job of upping the creepy factor.
 

Yes, “Dead Space 3” isn’t very much like earlier games in the series. But, would that have made the game better? Would that have added to the series as a whole? Yes, this title adds elements of action that wasn’t found in the first or second games but the change in direction only feels natural as the scope of the series is most definitely at its widest in “Dead Space 3.” None of the additions to this game – microtransactions, action-adventure elements, weapon crafting, etc. – take away from the overall product. Obstinate fans of the series will argue that it should’ve maintained its survival-horror roots – but they’re wrong. We’ve played those games before and this title proved that the series as a whole is strong enough to survive a change to its core. “Dead Space 3” is a solid title and while doesn’t quite eclipse the second game in the series as the overall number one, it’s an incredibly fun experience that provides more than enough content to keep you coming back for more.

 

Review: Don't sleep on "Sleeping Dogs"

 It’s not often that you’re put in the position of a hero in an open-world, sandbox game. The most popular titles in the genre are games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Saints Row,” both of which usually put you in the shoes of a criminal who also happens to be an antihero. Considering the trend of putting criminals in the spotlight of sandbox games seems to be the norm these days, putting an undercover cop into the lead role of “Sleeping Dogs” was an interesting move to say the least. 

“Sleeping Dogs” is an open-world, sandbox game developed by United Front Games and Square Enix and was released last August. Set in Hong Kong, you take on the role of Wei Shen, a native of the city who has recently returned after several years spent in America. Soon after his return, he manages to reconnect with friends from childhood – friends with strong connections to the Triad organization known as the Sun On Yee. Despite his role as an undercover officer, Wei starts becoming closer with the members of his gang and as time goes on, Wei visibly struggles with his job as a police officer and his life in the Triad. 

Those who dismiss “Sleeping Dogs” as just another “GTA” clone will surely be missing out. Rather than go the route of cinematic stylization, like the “Grand Theft Auto” series, or the over-the-top outlandishness of “Saints Row,” “Sleeping Dogs” presents a game that is much more firmly rooted in reality. Wei’s relationships with peers and friends are just as important to the game’s story as the plotting and scheming of the various Triad organizations that operate in Hong Kong. 

Due to Wei’s role as a police officer, he must conduct himself with a bit more restraint and tact than the usual protagonist of an open-world game. For example, Wei can’t store stolen vehicles in his garage but instead must buy his wheels from police impound lots but also extends to not creating havoc or damaging public property. Wei being an undercover cop is only part of what sets “Sleeping Dogs” apart from other titles in the genre.

Wei Shen (right), an undercover cop, must work his way up in the Triads

Being that this game takes place in Hong Kong, firearms are regulated more strictly than they are in the states. What this means to gameplay is that Wei will be cleaning up the streets with his fists far more often than firefights. In fact, Wei can only carry one weapon at a time so fans of “Saints Row” may find themselves at a loss for things to do, since explosions aren’t the only language “Sleeping Dogs” speaks.

The strength of the fighting system in “Sleeping Dogs” is its simplicity. Light and heavy strikes are performed with the X button, grapples and throws with B and counters with Y. The hand-to-hand action is fast and intense, keeping you on your toes as you perform combos while deftly countering attacks from all angles. Wei is often outnumbered in the fights and luckily has plenty of nifty moves to help even the odds. By finding special collectibles, Wei can unlock new fighting maneuvers, some of which will stun the attacked foe and stagger others nearby. He can also perform special attacks with certain pieces of the environment to instantly incapacitate a foe. These insta-kills are often quite brutal and add a lot of flavor to standard fist fights.

But what I most appreciated from the fighting system was how well the game handles collision detection. If Wei grapples an opponent and throws him, he will perform a standard back-trip slam. But he grapples and throws near a wall, he will smash his opponent head-first into said wall. If he does the same near a low railing, he can even tip his foe right off the edge. I’ve never noticed any instances of enemies clipping through environmental objects. Even if they happen to be thrown into a wall or dumpster by a powerful strike, their character model reacts naturally to the collision. 
 

Though I said earlier that fans of “Saints Row” might not know what to do without constant access to a giant arsenal, I don’t want that comment to imply there isn’t anything to do in “Sleeping Dogs.” Wei can embark on Triad missions as well as missions for the police. The Triad missions follow the main story of the game but the police missions have their own smaller storylines as well. Completing missions for either the police or Triads earn you XP and unique upgrades from each faction. Police upgrades affect your driving and shooting abilities and allow for actions like the “action hijack” (jumping from one vehicle to hijack another) while Triad upgrades increase the effectiveness of your hand-to-hand fighting. A third XP tree, the Face tree, will earn you upgrades that affect how much new clothes and cars cost as well as the effectiveness of food buffs (which can increase health regeneration or the power of your punches).

The fighting system of "Sleeping Dogs" is simple and fun yet brutal

Wei can earn a slight bit of Face XP by completing missions and activities but earns much more by completing special activities scattered across Hong Kong. These Face missions are only some of many sidequests available to Wei, such as fight clubs, street racing and cockfights. Though I can’t say I’ve engaged in the fowl bloodsport too often, the fight clubs and street races are excellent diversions.

There is a fight club located in each of the city’s four districts. Though each consists of six rounds of battles, the makeup of your opponents is different for each so you’re always on your toes. Street racing is also handled a bit differently from other games in the genre. Several different classes of cars are available for purchase in “Sleeping Dogs” and each usually has a unique set of races to participate in. Ranging from various motorcycles and styles of cars, the street races actually challenge you to drive better, since you can’t just race your fastest car every time. 

There are even more activities to take part in, like collecting cars for Triad members, stealing armored vans and even karaoke. Thankfully, most sidequests are optional so you won’t have to spend time doing karaoke outside of a few story missions.
 
Though I eventually became accustomed to the driving mechanics in “Sleeping Dogs,” I did notice they weren’t necessarily as tight as other sandbox titles. Cars and bikes sometimes felt too heavy and that they weren’t driving over the environment, but rather sliding on top of it. Also forget trying to shoot while driving (even though the game asks you to do this rather often. You need to hold a button to lean out your window and hit another button to shoot all while still trying to steer and drive while often looking everywhere for your foe except watching the road in front of you. It’s cumbersome to say the least. 

The camera was also often a source of irritation. Sometimes it felt too stiff, that you had to fight to get the angle you wanted. While other times the camera seems to come unhinged, swinging wildly from one direction to another with the slightest touch of the right stick. Luckily the camera usually stays directly behind Wei, giving you a fine view of whatever is ahead. But when trying to locate a speeding motorcycle to shoot during a car chase or trying to focus on a certain enemy in a large group during a fight, the flaws with the camera become much more apparent. 

Overall, “Sleeping Dogs” is a more closely grounded in reality than most other sandbox titles. Wei’s role as a police officer takes precedence over all other aspects of his life and he’ll get into more foot chases, governed by a simple parkour mechanic, and fist fights than shoot outs and heists. The arc of Wei’s character is an interesting one, as he struggles with fulfilling his role as an undercover officer while climbing the ranks of the Triad. Over time, it becomes clear that Wei himself seems to start forgetting whether he is firstly a cop or a criminal.With so many missions to embark on, clothes, cars and other items to collect, coupled with an incredibly fun fighting system and competent driving mechanics, “Sleeping Dogs” is without a doubt one of the most underrated sandbox games of its generation.