[Big spoiler of game ending ahead] Is it me or ...

[There'sNoStringOnMe]

... Wei is actually pretty villainous for a protagonist?

I'm not talking about the gory combat although that too could be considered use of excessive force (like burning people and throw them on table saw etc.). What I'm talking about is how Wei continuously makes very emotional decisions during the course of his undercover duty, especially after the wedding event. His persistence in cornering Dogeyes and Big Smile Lee heightened the frictions between the groups in Sun On Yee, and forced Lee to rely on 18k even more that he has already, leading to Jackie's gruesome death. And in the end he blamed Lee for that.

He reminds me of CJ from GTA:SA, but CJ is a street gangster, he doesn't live strictly by the law, he tries to survive by the street and its rules. Which suits him and his actions even if they're destructive and unlawful. Wei is, as Raymond and Pendrew keep reminding him, "an officer of the law", and he keeps losing sight of that. But everything turns out well for him in the end, he doesn't have to answer for his actions and misjudgments at all. I'm all for a happy ending, but I'm also one for logical writing, and I think this is where the game could really improve.

Which takes me back to Pendrew and Raymond. They were right in wanting to pull Wei out after the wedding event. Actually, during the whole course of the game Pendrew is hardly a villain at all, he might have been extreme but he seems to have clear judgement of the situation and knows where to stop (of course aside from that time when he used the gun to frame a triad of murder and another when he killed off Uncle Po). The only people who are actually clean are only Teng and Raymond, but they're not any prominent in the story anyway.

[RESIST AUTHORITY]

I think that's the whole point, he starts off initially knowing hes just doing police work, but then as he gets deeper into the gang and the tensions of the job start pulling at him, he gets more and more emotionally involved to the point that he can't let go of the triad life. Wei is more of a natural criminal than a cop, and his true colors shine through in the end, especially because he is very emotionally connected to the Sun On Yee, having grown up in Old Prospect with all the other guys, so seeing his childhood friends get killed really breaks down his alliance with the police. But even so, Big Smile Lee is a disgusting human being and absolutely deserved the meat grinder loooolll, and Dogeyes was basically asking for it. I think Wei acknowledges the mistakes he's made, and at the end of the story, you can decide whether he's forgiven himself for them or not. Tbh the ending of the game I always thought was a tiny bit weak in that regard, but its still a great story.

[medavroog]

Originally posted by HagaH:

... Wei is actually pretty villainous for a protagonist?

I'm not talking about the gory combat although that too could be considered use of excessive force (like burning people and throw them on table saw etc.). What I'm talking about is how Wei continuously makes very emotional decisions during the course of his undercover duty, especially after the wedding event. His persistence in cornering Dogeyes and Big Smile Lee heightened the frictions between the groups in Sun On Yee, and forced Lee to rely on 18k even more that he has already, leading to Jackie's gruesome death. And in the end he blamed Lee for that.

He reminds me of CJ from GTA:SA, but CJ is a street gangster, he doesn't live strictly by the law, he tries to survive by the street and its rules. Which suits him and his actions even if they're destructive and unlawful. Wei is, as Raymond and Pendrew keep reminding him, "an officer of the law", and he keeps losing sight of that. But everything turns out well for him in the end, he doesn't have to answer for his actions and misjudgments at all. I'm all for a happy ending, but I'm also one for logical writing, and I think this is where the game could really improve.

Which takes me back to Pendrew and Raymond. They were right in wanting to pull Wei out after the wedding event. Actually, during the whole course of the game Pendrew is hardly a villain at all, he might have been extreme but he seems to have clear judgement of the situation and knows where to stop (of course aside from that time when he used the gun to frame a triad of murder and another when he killed off Uncle Po). The only people who are actually clean are only Teng and Raymond, but they're not any prominent in the story anyway.

Raymond to Wei: " ... that's the problem, you're one of them".

[There'sNoStringOnMe]

Originally posted by Raptor1138:

I think that's the whole point, he starts off initially knowing hes just doing police work, but then as he gets deeper into the gang and the tensions of the job start pulling at him, he gets more and more emotionally involved to the point that he can't let go of the triad life. Wei is more of a natural criminal than a cop, and his true colors shine through in the end, especially because he is very emotionally connected to the Sun On Yee, having grown up in Old Prospect with all the other guys, so seeing his childhood friends get killed really breaks down his alliance with the police. But even so, Big Smile Lee is a disgusting human being and absolutely deserved the meat grinder loooolll, and Dogeyes was basically asking for it. I think Wei acknowledges the mistakes he's made, and at the end of the story, you can decide whether he's forgiven himself for them or not. Tbh the ending of the game I always thought was a tiny bit weak in that regard, but its still a great story.

Yep, that's where the story kinda lost me too. Lee and Dodeyes kinda deserve whatever came to them, but after everything Wei is still in the police force, yet still in contact/alliance with Broken Nose Jiang somehow. Makes me think of a new Pendrew/Po dual, yet doesn't seem all that convincing. Still a great game tho.

Originally posted by medavroog:

Raymond to Wei: " ... that's the problem, you're one of them".

Exactly the thing that kept ringing in my head during the whole Ratface/Dogeyes pursuit. Dammit Wei!

[Much Aaaaaaaaa]

Another tidbit. In one of the files you can access on the phone, it's implied that Wei Shen, back in the States, murdered the drug dealer that sold Mimi Shen a lethal dose. However, Wei Shen was never charged due to a lack of evidence. By the start of Sleeping Dogs, Wei Shen has already murdered the person responsible for his sister's death, and his coming back to Hong Kong unearths the childhood trauma responsible for escalating his sister's drug addiction and suicidal attempts.