There is usually no additional penalty for a Critical Failure on attack rolls.
Per PHB p10,
Similarly, failing the check by 10 or more is a critical failure (sometimes called a fumble). This sometimes results in additional negative effects. [...] Note that not all checks have a special effect on a critical success or critical failure and such results should be treated just like an ordinary success or failure instead.
Because, as you noted, there is no Critical Failure entry for Strike Actions, there is no additional penalty without some other ability being in use.
The Fighter Feat Dueling Riposte is an example of a situation that changes this.
Trigger A creature within your reach critically fails a Strike against you.
There are also abilities baked into some Bestiary creatures (however they seem generally rare at the time of this writing). The Gimmerling (Bestiary p177) is one such example.
Trip Up [reaction] Trigger A creature critically fails a melee attack to hit the gimmerling or moves into a space within the gimmerling’s treacherous aura.
Spell Substitution PF2-wizards are unmatched in versatility out of combat
In 5e a wizard can learn any number of spells and cast certain spells as rituals. This takes 10 minutes (+ original casting time) and you can do it even if the spell is not prepared. This does not cost a spell slot.
A PF2 spell substitution wizard can also learn any number of spells, and they can cast ANY spell they know at any level in 10 minutes (+ original casting time), even if it is not prepared. This includes cantrips too.
While in 5e this does not cost a spell slot, the ritual tag is rather rare. Even in contrast to that, the potential of spell substitution is VAST. As a wizard, you can learn any number of spells. Which, if you have coin and sense, means ALL of them. Situational spells that other classes would skip as inefficient are your bread and butter. Out of combat spending 10 minutes on a spell is usually much better than the alternative. For example, I substituted in spider climb to allow a party member to get down a cliff safely. Going around it or finding a better spot could have taken an hour or more. I did not have any idea that we will have to get down a cliff, but I didn't need to. In 5e you either had prepared spider climb or you did not, as it is not a ritual spell.
Friendly tip: Prepare spells that you might need in a hurry (e.g. feather fall, fireball). Do not bother with any spells with a casting time of 1min+, if you have that amount of time, you usually have 10 minutes to substitute it.
A PF2 sorcerer fills a very different niche. I they want to cast a spell at a different level, they have to LEARN it at a different level, with the exception of their signature spells, which are limited in number. So while they are flexible within the level, they are quite restricted outside of it. For combat spells this is barely an issue, but most utility spells have qualitatively different effects when cast at different levels, making them waste either known spells or a signature spell to make use of them properly.
Thus, if you want to play a combat mage, you will probably fare better as a sorcerer. If you look at magic as more of a tool than a weapon, go with wizard (of course, spell substitution is heavily recommended). The sorcerer will be able to spontaneously pull out their signature fireball at any time, but the wizard will be able to practically do so with spider climb, illusory object, comprehend languages, temporary tool, create food, shrink item, ... etc etc
In response to your specific arguments
PF2 wizards do get an equivalent of Arcane Recovery, called Arcane Bond / Drain Bonded Item. Its function is quite similar, allowing you to regain spent spell slots.
Wizards have effectively the same number of slots as sorcerers. The wizard spell slots table on p.205 does not include the spell they can prepare from their Arcane School. If they do not have a school (a Universalist), they have a matching number of uses of Drain Bonded Item. Adding this +1 per spell level brings Universalists to the same number as sorcerers. Those with an Arcane School have 1 use of Drain Bonded Item on top of this.
Best Answer
There’s Been a Misunderstanding
Victory Points are intended to be used to measure progress in specific subsystems, such as the Research Subsystem where they are named Research Points or the Infiltration Subsystem where they are Infiltration Points. They are not awarded generally to players outside of subsystems like these.