Backlog Brawl, Vol. 1: The Challenge

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Backlog Brawl! In this column, I’ll be tackling my ever-growing gaming backlog in a format that’s American Idol meets king of the hill.

We’re a month and change into 2026, and it already feels like an eternity. Between the coup in Venezuela, co-called “negotiations” for Greenland, one ticked-off Mark Carney, and two murders at the hands of ICE in our streets, it has never been more embarrassing (or troubling) to be American.

Amid the never-ending headlines, I’ve found reprieve in my usual hidey-hole of games, books, and shows. When I’m not enjoying my guilty pleasures — Seinfeld reruns and Dropout’s Game Changer — I’ve been chipping away at Project Hail Mary (in advance of the movie in March), sampling winter 2026’s anime simulcasts, and, of course, trying to tame my ever-growing gaming backlog.

In January, I set a loose gaming resolution for myself: Stop caring about to-do lists, and just play what calls to me. So far, so good. I’ve already polished off one game and am closing in on a second. Hopefully many more competitions lie in wait.

To keep things interesting — and ensure I’m documenting my progress in some fashion for this website — I’ve come up with a new self-imposed challenge I’m calling “Backlog Brawl.”

Rules of Engagement

Here’s how the challenge works: Each time I finish a game from the backlog, that game gets a dedicated column entry. Each entry consists of two phases: the “audition” and the “showdown.”

In the audition phase, I’ll share some brief thoughts about the experience as a whole. How much of the game did I see and do? What elements stood out? Where did the game meet expectations, and where did it fall short?

In the showdown phase, the latest auditionee will go head-to-head against the incumbent winner from the previous showdown. Whichever game I liked more on the whole will live to see another column — and another showdown.

At the end of the year, whichever backlog game sits atop the hill will earn the distinction of being my “2026 Backlog Game of the Year.”

Pretty straightforward! Basically, I’ll give each game its flowers, then have them fight, gladiator style. Sounds kinda morbid when I read it back, but I promise this column’s all about positive vibes.

With that, I’d love to wrap today’s column with our first audition.

The Audition: Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition

Years ago, I picked up Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition for cheap on the Xbox One storefront. I remember being impressed by the John Woo-inspired fights and parkour system, only to quit a few hours into the game’s story. Nothing had made me quit, I should note; I’d simply lost interest for some other, shiny new game.

Well, with news that Hollywood star Simu Liu is actively pursuing a Sleeping Dogs film, I finally decided to dust off that digital copy. And wow, if only I had stuck with the game so many years ago. Not only is Sleeping Dogs a terrific open-world game, but it’s also a perfect relic of a bygone gaming era.

Journey to the East

Initially released in 2012 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, Sleeping Dogs has all the hallmarks of a 360/PS3-era game. Cover-based shooting? Check. Counter-heavy, Arkham-style combat? Check. Massive explosions and janky physics? Check and check. Sleeping Dogs lives comfortably in the realm of sandbox games built by franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row.

Where Sleeping Dogs excels, though, is in its setting. Unlike GTA and Saints Row, which feature U.S. cities, Sleeping Dogs tasked players with exploring a condensed version of Hong Kong while taking on the city’s various Triad organizations. Sure, 2009’s Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars explored a similar angle, but it did so from the confines of a Nintendo DS screen — and even then, the action took place in Liberty City, based on New York. Much like Assassin’s Creed, which only just got its Japan game, North American studios seem downright scared to tackle East Asia.

Not Sleeping Dogs. Developed by Vancouver-based studio United Front Games (and published, notably, by Square Enix), the game leaned confidently into the hustle, bustle, and culture of one of the planet’s most impressive cities. Street vendors line a crowded market, offering various foods, herbal teas, and clothing choices. Characters weave Cantonese slurs and slang into their vernacular, and loyalty — to America vs. Hong Kong, to the city’s police vs. the Triads — plays a central role in the story.

Protagonist Wei Shen, who grew up in Hong Kong’s underworld only to move to the States as a child and become a cop, is a particularly fascinating character — especially at a time when immigration, cultural identity, police brutality, and “otherism” have all become landmark issues in America. There’s so much nuance to his performance, carried by Will Yun Lee, that I never could quite tell where Shen’s true allegiances lay. As with any person of two worlds, the answer is understandably gray.

A Fitting Appetizer

Mechanically, Sleeping Dogs also holds up surprisingly well. Hand-to-hand combat is snappy, and shooting segments offer just enough thrill to not overstay their welcome. Cruising through the streets of Hong Kong is a treat, and a series of in-game drag races may just be the most bumper-to-bumper fun I’ve had since Burnout Paradise. Package all that — plus a rather moving story — in a tight, 30-hour runtime, and it’s no wonder why people the internet over (including our own Kei Isobe) rave about this cult classic.

I have my qualms with Sleeping Dogs. The pacing rushes at times, and certain side characters (like Wei Shen’s various dates) are woefully underutilized. Don’t even get me started on its karaoke songs, which rival Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s piano mini-game as perhaps the most painful side activity in a video game. But those blemishes never undermine the core of Sleeping Dogs, and I had a blast from beginning to end — so much so that I 100%’d it.

If you, like me, are eagerly awaiting Rockstar’s upcoming open-world juggernaut, I implore you to give Sleeping Dogs a go. It looks a little dated, but the heart of its city, much like the real thing, has never lost its beat.