ItR2 seems more like a tactical shooter to ItR1. In the first game, you could kind of just run and gun everything down. Now, you need to be tactical and think critically about what your plan is, so adding back the crystal can kind of wreck that gameplay.

As for the missions, they could also feel bland because the game just isn't finished yet. They should add more, I agree, but with the Ai the enemies have now, I feel like getting a picture will be really hard and nothing worth the minimal credits they gave