Try Sleeping Dogs then. Yes you can still ram & beat random people, but the story is much better (undercover cop, like the departed/infernal affairs), much more solid street fighting, actual shooting mechanism, and it's short enough. The driving is a little bit arcadey and vehicle shooting is over the top (shoot a tire and the car explodes)--these are a plus for me but I know people that dislikes this. There's collectible too, but they aren't to many and the map isn't overhwelmingly big.