It’s been a twisting road to release for Sleeping Dogs, which started life as True Crime: Hong Kong before Activision unceremoniously axed it last year. Square Enix swooped in to publish the now-standalone open-world game, and while it may not strongly advance the genre, it makes some solid tweaks while delivering ample action in a unique locale.

Indeed, the freely explorable city of Hong Kong may be the most striking aspect of the game, as the diverse landscape varies notably from the typical urban American settings we’re used to in open-world epics. From the tight, neon-lit streets of North Point to the winding mountain paths outside of Aberdeen, the island environment offers distinct terrain while setting the stage for a slightly different kind of crime-centric campaign.

This undercover cop might be crossing some lines here.

Sleeping Dogs lets you wheel and deal as Wei Shen, a police officer who returns to his childhood home from the States to go undercover and take down the Sun On Yee crime syndicate. Shen blames the triad group for introducing his late sister to drugs, which gives him extra motivation to rise quickly through the ranks to ultimately undermine its goals. But as he becomes immersed in the illicit culture and develops relationships within the criminal underworld, his loyalty to the law grows increasingly muddled.

With interests on both sides of the badge, Shen’s adventure bounces between triad missions and police cases. The former have you exerting influence on local business owners, beating up rival gangs, and escorting associates around town, among other goals. Meanwhile, the police objectives lean more toward bugging locations and tailing suspects, while quick-hit side missions are available on each side, along with mini-games and countless hidden collectibles.

Head, meet table saw.

The story seems ripe for the kind of quest that would let your actions shape the hero’s fate, but Sleeping Dogs proves startlingly conventional as an open-world game. The linear storyline, while dramatic and exciting at points, unfolds with few surprises en route to an expected conclusion; and the missions hold your hand throughout, pointing you toward each and every action necessary for completing generally obvious tasks. Even concepts that seem primed to reward your decisions — like separate police and triad experience tallies (with varied unlockable abilities) and a Face meter that’s tied into your standing in the world — are used in very pedestrian ways that make little impact on the campaign progression.

Thankfully, for as close as it stays to the trusty genre template, Sleeping Dogs delivers some spectacularly entertaining sequences, especially in its hectic third act. From rollicking vehicle pursuits that let you shoot out rival drivers’ tires to gratuitously violent kill moves — and even the ability to leap between and hijack moving cars on the fly — the campaign hosts some truly exciting scenarios.

Karaoke bars let Shen belt out a handful of licensed tracks, including Air Supply’s “All Out of Love”and Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran.” You use the left stick to move up and down between lines; hilariously, your vocal delivery varies based on your ability to match the pitch.

Many of these are the result of refinements to typical genre elements. Fight sequences, for example, have you busting out effective kung-fu combos, with prompted reversal moves letting you hold your own against opposing gangs. Environmental kills, meanwhile — like tossing a bad guy into an electrical grid or crushing another with a car engine — offer satisfying asides in combat. The cover-based gunplay is nicely implemented as well, with slow-mo moves while vaulting over tables or railings, while slick driving controls allow for agile steering through tight traffic. Even the parkour-influenced running feels good, making on-foot chases a delight. Sleeping Dogs may seem routine on the whole, but at least it executes much of its well-worn template with flair.

On the other hand, while we liked cruising the city, virtual Hong Kong feels less like a living sandbox than a very large backdrop for a straightforward campaign; and compared to the core missions, most of the other activities are sadly lightweight. The karaoke mini-game is dead simple, race events lack pop, and the cockfights merely let you place a bet before watching the fowl-on-fowl violence unfold. Moreover, while the voice-acting is consistently strong, the mismatched lips in cinematics and awkward scene transitions show a lack of polish. Compared to such refined and notably stylized affairs as Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire, United Front’s game can’t help but seem a little dated.

Hijacking a moving truck? Press a button to hang on.

Still, even with some less-than-thrilling scenarios and its failure to reward player choice, Sleeping Dogs ultimately delivers a very good open-world action experience. It hits enough high notes to warrant the trip to Hong Kong, even if the route there feels a little too familiar.

PUBLISHER: Square Enix  •  DEVELOPER: United Front Games  •  ESRB: Mature  •  MULTIPLAYER: None  •  ACHIEVEMENTS: Laborious  •  COST: $60  •  RELEASE DATE: August 14, 2012

On Xbox 360

+ Large, unique open-world setting with distinct flair.

+ Great action scenarios amid the undercover-cop premise.

– Conventional genre approach feels unremarkable at times.

? Will Square Enix let Sleeping Dogs lie for long?

7.5