I've learned that disliking a game "on principle" is a losing attitude.
I loved early Splinter Cell games (first 3), which Splinter Cell: Conviction was nothing like. I can't deny that I enjoy the heck out of Conviction though. It wasn't what I wanted, but if I can't have that, at least they gave me something I enjoy a lot.
It's not worth it to try to label games as "sim" or "arcade" since most land in-between. Just play it with an open mind and you'll like it or not like it. That's all that matters.

Sion Lenton was Executive Producer on Codemaster’s Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, released in 2009. PC Gamer described it as “An attractive and powerful sim that spoils itself by trying too hard to be a straightforward military shooter.”

We asked Sion about that decision to move even further away from the series roots with the follow-up: “We want to steer away from the idea that it’s a simulation; we’ve banned the word in the studio. Authentic is fine, as it gives you some leeway to be creative, and that’s what we are. We’re creative, we’re making an entertainment product, and it should be fun. I don’t really get much fun out of military simulations. They’re immersive, they’re realistic, but I wouldn’t call them fun.

“If you want simulation, then it’s out there; go play ArmA. We wanted to do something different, in our own space, and we don’t want the Op Flash brand tied down to simulation.”