Wow, sucks to see so many people disappointed with the game. I'll never claim that this is at all perfect, but for some reason I found it extremely compelling all the way through. Loved everything about the presentation and the story, and I actually really enjoyed the interrogations. If they were to make another I do hope they keep the choices more consistent with what Cole actually says. That was pretty jarring at a few spots. Still, those scenes made for lots of interesting and tense moments.
Clue finding wasn't bad, though I do think there's room for improvement. It sucks to be one of the last officers on the scene since all the clues are already marked by someone else. I'd prefer even more areas where you have to find them without any aid of that sort.
I'm fairly apathetic towards the open world aspect. I thought it looked pretty good. Whenever I felt like hurrying things up a bit I just had my partner drive and skipped to the next scene. It probably helped that I really liked how the cars handle. The chases (in a car and on foot) were definitely my favourite action sequences.
On the other hand, the combat was my least favourite part. At first I didn't mind it, but those sequences basically felt like a chore towards the end of the game. Controlling Phelps is fine for me overall, but getting in and out of cover didn't always work right in my playthrough. And I think Euphoria has spoiled me. The lack of physics on enemies made it feel really fake and the hit detection seems weird. I've shot guys in the foot once, only to have them fly back like I hit them right between the eyes.
I think the side quests overall could do with better implementation. I don't have a good answer as to how Bondi could actually do it, but they broke the flow of the game for me quite a bit. One minute I'd be in the thick of an intense murder case, searching for clues and following up on a lead about a witness or suspect, but then the next I'm gunning down 5-6 thugs in some epic battle in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard. And after Cole calls it in on the radio it's back to friendly banter with my partner as we casually head over to some dude's apartment.
That's all I can think of right now. Like I said, definitely not perfect, but it somehow managed to add up to a really great game for me. I can only hope this does well for Bondi so that they can work on a new project (or even a sequel). Hopefully it won't take 6-7 years this time