It's a cool game. It's deserving of it's rating because it has a unique gameplay loop that no other game has really tried to execute.

Cole is a likeable character overall although he does seem to be weirdly athletic.

To be honest, you shouldn't consider this as an open world game even though it has the bare bones of one. It's best played forcing your partner to drive to every mission and ignoring all the side / filler content. It's unrewarding and poorly done.

Stick to the main story and set pieces and there is an enjoyable and somewhat unique game here.