The Orient seems mysterious to many and it is not surprising. The context with its rich and diverse cultural backdrop proves to be an aura, unmatched by no other. A game which has been in the making for over three years now, finally hits the stands. Sleeping Dogs, as the title refers, to has exchanged many hands and is now being prepped by Square Enix, Namco Bandai Games and United Front Games for release on August 14, 2012. The trailer for the game was released recently and showed its unique setting, the streets of Hong Kong. Termed as an ‘open world crime drama’, the game’s protagonist is Wei Shen, a cop with Chinese-American descent, who is given the responsibility of working undercover to break into the Triad organization (named Sun On Yee). Now, the trailer looks promising realizing the possibility of a game set in the Orient with the mean streets of Hong Kong, often seen in many Hollywood flicks. But that said the similarity between the game and Rockstar’s GTA is not ignorable. It is also touted as one big reason for the developer to choose for an August date for its release ahead of the GTA 5, which was originally aimed at a Fall 2012 release. The protagonist can fight, race and shoot in the various missions within the game. Of course, martial arts would be an essential part of this venture. The characters look straight out of a Hollywood flick sporting heavy tattoos and a mean look. The open game format does offer longer hours on each mission but it needs to be seen whether the script is entertaining for withstanding these missions. The graphics shown in the trailer seem interesting with a good mix of fast car racing, shooting sequences, cock fights, fist-to-fist battles, that make up for a good set of adventure one wishes to embark upon while trying a new game. And add to that the Chinese culture and its unique setting, the game proves to be a window to a new world for many of the gamers. Modern players have appreciated the exploration of a new setting as exhibited in games such as Assassin’s Creed series or the Call of Duty series, which have found an exclusive fan base. Like the original ‘Internal Affairs’ movie franchise set with the Chinese backdrop, one gets reminded of ‘Loyalty’, ‘Honor’ and ‘Sacrifice’ towards the end of the trailer showing the conflict between a good man in a wrong situation. It is a theme, which is often reverberated in various games across the board where the switching side is often justified as ‘means to an end’. Characters often sport shades of grey while in tricky situations – a fact appreciated by the gamers. Towards the end, the lady in the trailer does say ‘I like exciting rides’ but it waits to be seen whether the modern gamer will say the same thing as well! After the Watch Dogs preview, the Sleeping Dogs are here – one wonders why this fascination with the Dogs now?
