I'd let the awful gameplay slide if the story and characters were enjoyable and engaging, but the story is equally as atrocious as the gameplay. By the way, Mass Effect was already around when this game came out, so it was bad from the get-go.

Was this Obsidian's best game ever...no but you could see the talent there, the burgeoning greatness of their studio, what possibly lead to some of their best games ever made, it all started with this game I feel, as yes, you can exploit the pistol skill when it's at max rank, you can decimate a whole room of enemies, weapon variety is there, Am on my second playthrough now, and have taken the Recruit option, sofar it's kinda the same but some of the dialogue has changed and just a tweak here and there that has made the game slightly different.
Is the game the best ever no, is it a good time with interesting ideas, that were not fully implemented or executed, can the AI be the dumbest thing on two legs and be annoying the next moment, absolutely.
Is gunplay consistent that's debatable, is the minigames ass, biggest culprit being the accursed Computer Hacking, still can't get ti right on the first try it's interesting and well thought out, but on PC the control scheme is just awkward and slow.

Talking about Control Schemes, it's obvious this game would love you to play it with a Controller

Give the game a chance, it's got the charm down and the story predictable, some consequences are a direct result of your actions and choices and that's cool. Do I recommend the game if you have 10 to 20 hours to spend and looking for something different, try it - Honestly, it will entertain you.

"SIE- well that explains the overabundance of testosterone over the line."
— Mina to SIE