And because we're bound to remember the decade fondly and have our own Chan fantasies, this year's release of United Front Game's open world action-adventure video game Sleeping Dogs is bringing it all back.
Sleeping Dogs takes place in Hong Kong and the player is Wei Shen, a cop on the edge who's looking for revenge. It's a Grand Theft Auto clone at its core, but it's definitely the best earnest attempt at capturing the cinematic qualities GTA IV tried to replicate when it took the series on a more serious turns. It's an intense game. And here's why you (and you-as-Jackie-Chan) should check it out.
5. You do your own stunts Sleeping Dogs will have you jumping acoss rooftops, stealing cars through acrobatic dives, and parkouring criminals to the ground. A side-quests asks Wei to steal a series of armored trucks. Instead of infiltrating the armored truck company, Wei just drives next to the truck, jumps on the side, and kicks through the glass. The driver rolls to the ground, and the car radio's blaring dubstep sends you on your merry way.
4. You're very likable Sleeping Dogs features a "face" meter. Face, in the professional wrestling world, is when a professional wrestler is a respectable character. If you do enough cool stuff, Wei roars and punches guys even harder while a crowd of Chinese onlookers squeal with excitement. By participating in side-missions like insurance fraud, racing, and parkour exhibitions you'll also gain face experience which unlocks more gaudy clothing options. At the highest face level, you'll be running around in hater blockers and Bruce Lee's yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death and it'll be wonderful.
3. You're almost always on the right side of the law From Supercop to Police Story, Jackie Chan plays a bunch of martial artist cops. Good thing Wei's an undercover officer. Wei busts up drug rings, sets up his best friends, and even busts a Hong Kong serial killer. As he progresses through the cop ranks, he'll get new cars and moves befitting of a snitch of his stature.
2. There'll be slow motion Sleeping Dogs doesn't hand Wei a gun immediately, and the rewarding gunplay is shockingly satisfying. Whenever he slides out of cover, Wei gets a couple of seconds of bullet time to pull off some tricky shots at the hordes of gangsters he's fighting. Every time he pulls off a headshot the bullet time extends for a bit, adding a reward system for keeping your gameplay as close to a John Woo flick as possible. There's even a dove for sale at one of the game's stores.
1. The plot is campy fun Jackie's movies tend to be a bit campy, and Sleeping Dogs gets the formula down. Wei's quest to avenge his sister and take down a Hong Kong triad weaves an emotional connection with its characters around a bunch of big, stupid shooty that makes for a good video game. Grand Theft Auto IV tried this, and we highly recommend you check out Sleeping Dogs for a much more earnest attempt.
