I actually found that kinda enjoyable, it threw a little element of chance into the whole thing. Face it, the game was pretty easy. You could pretty much work things out, even on a tricky start.
The "RPG elements" are thematic only. There are only a couple abilities that each character will get whether you want or not, there's no choice involved, and there's really no choice but to go forward on a predetermined path otherwise. You cant even pick who's going to be in your crew. You can send them into battle kamikaze, then never rez them back at home base I suppose when and if you choose to include them again, but other then that your party is set.