1) Define "the media". A few people outside R* most likely saw V already, yes. But not everyone who runs a videogame blog

2) I think you mean "ante". It will probably stay (mostly) gun based, I can't see Ned Luke as Karate Kid.
3) What dating system in Sleeping Dogs? There is none, there's just "meet girl, take her on one date, f*ck her and get some bonus items shown on your map". Other than that, I don't care, R* (imho) probably won't put that much effort into that social interaction thing after so many people hated it in IV.
4) SD "stole" (=was inspired by) many things but they definitely didn't steal random encounters from RDR. They're just side missions you come across sooner or later, and part of those missions is (again and again...) running behind the robber, waiting until he meets his buddies and then beat them all up (or chase the robber in a car and ram him off the road). V will obviously have such side missions too.