February Assassination #1 (SG Win / PoP pick)
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It's so good that you wonder why no one has done it before
Sleeping Dogs might look slightly dated from a graphical perspective, but it still plays like a good wine. You have the open world formula popularized by GTA (in particular Vice City and San Andreas) with a location that is more charming and full of character than anything that Rockstar was ever able to pull off. I've been to Hong Kon 12 years ago, and it was uncanny how many memories were brought back by the setting alone. Sure, it's not always fully realistic from a geographical perspective (I thought it was a bit weird that you don't have Hong Kong Island separated from Kowloon by the Victoria Harbour), but if it fails on that it succeeds entirely on the way it captures the vibes. I of course don't remember specific streets from my time there, but I remember the feeling of being there and Sleeping Dogs captures that feeling exquisitely.
Other notable differences from GTA are the focus on melee combat instead of mostly guns, and the acrobatic nature of movement (in particular considering earlier GTAs barely allowed you to jump). Driving and gunplay are as good as you'd imagine, and the world is peppered with fun side-activities to keep you busy when you need a break from the main story. Speaking of which, it is so good. It's a good mix of The Departed with Infernal Affairs, and most characters carry their weight in the plot and in the worldbuilding. The story is serious and deals with some serious trauma, such as drug addition, double life, cold-blood murders, etc, but all the while keeping things light on the side with some dating missions as well as missions where you escort celebrities for a night out. It's a good mix that keeps things fresh, moving and interesting.
Some of the side content can get a bit repetitive, but at least you have tools to keep them more manageable (such as location trackers on your map). Driving can be slippery until you get used to it, and once you start unlocking the fancier cars and tougher races, it's so satisfying. The auto-aim (playing on controller) made shooting good enough that it kicks Max Payne's ass while delivering blows and environmental kills that put Batman to shame. And don't get me started on freaking jumping from a moving car onto another just because we can.
Sleeping Dogs is an extremely solid open-world game owing nothing to the games that came before or after it