jacoasso - Good on you for having a civil discourse. I hope you wind up enjoying the game, but if you don't you don't that's okay too. Everyone's free to enjoy the things they like, and dislike the things they don't.
I personally enjoy the game a lot, and my only real frustration is that I don't have the end result that's going to take years to get. The characters are what does it for me, each of them is distinct from the others, and I could see real people having similar personalities.
I get that that's not all it takes for some folks, though, and so if your frustration with the mechanics of the game ends up outweighing what you like about it, that's okay too. If in the end, you wind up liking it, I'm glad to hear that as well!