9. Sleeping Dogs
Developed by United Front Games in collaboration with Square Enix's London studio, Sleeping Dogs was originally set to be the third entry in Activision's True Crime franchise, but was cancelled, picked up by Square Enix and released as an original title. Given that it is a sandbox game set in the criminal underworld of Hong Kong, comparisons to Grand Theft Auto were inevitable upon the game's release. Though the story structure is indeed similar, the game is unique in several ways and is much more than a mere copycat, featuring an excellent hand-to-hand combat system similar to the one seen in Batman: Arkham City and a free-running style approach to movement similar to the one seen in Assassin's Creed. The plot is also a strong point, drawing heavily from Hong Kong action cinema. Well-acted by an assortment of professional actors including leading man Will Yun Lee and veterans such as Tom Wilkinson, it sees police officer Wei Shen infiltrate the Sun On Yee triad, only to become conflicted as he rises in prominence within the organisation. Certainly one of Square's better games in recent years, the game has now been seemingly forgotten in the wake of the release of Grand Theft Auto V. Reasonable sales and positive critical acclaim have prompted the greenlighting of a sequel, however.