I agree with you here. Played it when it first came out and loved it, but even then I couldn't be bothered to play past Calcutta.
Picked it up again recently and couldn't even be bothered to finish the Japan section. Which is too bad because the game has a lot of personality and a lot of interesting features, the gameplay just isn't particually interesting and hasn't aged well, as you say.
Well, free market economics are cirtainly a step up from most forms of mercentalism but there are problems involved in letting companies do basically whatever they want to make money.
I don't belive i've given a personal opinon on this topic as much as simply highlighted a few of the issues surrounding it.
Use of words such as 'theoretical' should have shown this.
Llyranor and I, as well as some other pals, used to play a lot of zombie CSS (you filled the other team with bots and gave them nothing but knives) which is the concept that directly influenced Left4Dead. Great fun.
Becides, the controler isn't an issue, i'm pretty much as good at console shooters now as I ever was at PC ones.
The mouse might be more accurate, but having to pinpoint aim at everything is kind of annoying.