Very fun game, but not without small drawbacks.
Positive Reactions:
The driving is so much fun in this game! First of all, I love that you can own cars and access an unlimited amount of them at the parking garages next to your safe houses whenever you want. Furthermore, the driving is very fast, very fluid, and very responsive. In my opinion, the driving is definitely more fun than the GTA games with a more arcade feel to the driving, also making the racing more enjoyable. The police chases did not occur too often (thankfully) since the police are conveniently not around that much; but being able to hijack by jumping from your car, shoot in slow-motion, and ram other vehicles made for fantastic additions to the driving scene.
Mixed Reactions:
The fighting is bloody, action packed, and exciting, but can also be really annoying. I'm not one who likes playing fighting games, with button combinations to know, those kind of games always feel like button mashing to me. Even so, this game does a good job of teaching the button combinations and gives you plenty of opportunities to practice. What is really frustrating is having to rely on counter-striking so much. Failing to counter an opponent's move is costly and fights usually require you to pay more attention to countering than straight-on attacking. That being said, all things considered, it was truly a breath of fresh air to play a game that puts a lot more emphasis on a wide variety of melee combat instead of just shooting.
The story and missions are good and not so good. It's hard to describe. The story itself is good, but the game doesn't confront the story. The player is given background information about the main character that is just swept under the rug as the missions all follow their own script. You play a cop that goes undercover, and although it is presented as if you have a choice to channel your cop side or your gang side, this game is not an RPG; you get upgrades, but nothing else changes. Without giving spoilers, I'll just say that I did not feel a good sense of progression in the game. Best example, after going out on a date with a girl you meet during a main mission, you literally never hear from them again for the rest of the game... they just completely vanish out of thin air... maybe they were all supposed to be one-night stands, but that was confusing. All in all though, the voice acting was great; and the individual mission scripts, designs, and settings were compelling and varied.
Negative Reactions:
The game is relatively small. I wish it had gone a little further. No flying in the game, the "islands" are relatively small and not very distinct, and as I said before, the progression was not very good - it didn't feel like I was working my way up the Mafia's pyramid or that I was getting anywhere as a cop. It didn't have the multinational crime organization feel to it, or the cop with the full force of the HKPD feel to it.
Summary:
It's a very fun casual game even if it takes a while to get good at fighting. The overarching story isn't very good, but the mission scripts and designs are great! The driving is really fun, and if you like to explore for collectibles then this game is right for you. I would definitely recommend Sleeping Dogs to any fan of sandbox games.