Agreed back :)
Thors hammer would have been so much cooler than the spear. Spear felt nice and I liked how they incorporated it in the Heimdall fight. But the hammer as a fourth weapon, or even a new game plus bonus - absolutely! Kratos changed prophecy by just being there. They said as much in the first game. I bet they could have made it work if they wanted to.
I complained in the OP about action sequences and the story falling short. You mentioned both as well. There is this condition that some people have that is called aphantasia. It is that you cannot create an image in your mind. You don't have a minds eye. The director of Ragnarök actually has that. He said it himself in some interview, no joke. Perhaps some of the shortcomings we feel about the game stem from this. Of course I could not know, just guesses. It is curious though that from a purely intelectual standpoint, a lot of big things happened. When the wall from Asgard came down - I know that this was a big moment. But I did not feel it. I was not wowed. I should have sat there slack-jawed and in awe. Instead I just noticed it. It registered, but there was no drama to it. Ragnarök did not indulge in its action. It did not feel inspired. It was not the hot third date of action sequences where you go all the way, it was the birthday hand*ob from your wife approach to action. Alright, servicable, but not an adventure.