I got used to the controls and I still feel that they were layed out very clumbsy and they still don't feel natural no matter how much I play. And I disagree with the missions, I'm about 50% into the game now and so far they seem to be run of the mill and very simple, I think GTA3 actually had more variety -- well at least I had more fun with GTA3's missions.
Seriously, it doesn't take many missions before you realize its just car chases and killing a particular person almost every mission.