While I do agree with you on the “take cover and fire” ability lessening the difficulty of the game, I find that getting flanked really adds an annoying challenge to the game. Simply, without body armor, getting accidentally flanked will kill you pretty quickly. Now if you can back into a corner, behind cover, you can take out everyone. Headshot + zoom + cover is decimating. I guess the three leaf clover mission just left you exposed very often, and that’s why it was so difficult.
Yeah, this isn’t a game meant to be “power gamed,” otherwise you lose a lot of the appeal. R* did a great job in creating a legitimate plot/storyline, and the characters are generally captivating. Progressing through the story makes it fun… listening to the radio after a mission, following up with the appropriate phone calls, etc. R* gives you the ability to succumb to the world they created, and if you do, the game is enjoyable. If you don’t, the missions are going to feel repetitive.
Yeah, I had to buy armor at the weapons shop in chinatown before I even came close to finishing it.