Well, your log tells me that you're running the mediavps, so that works.
Initializing OpenGL graphics device at 640x480 with 16-bit color...
Initializing SDL...
Requested SDL Video values = R: 5, G: 6, B: 5, depth: 16, double-buffer: 1
Actual SDL Video values = R: 8, G: 8, B: 8, depth: 24, double-buffer: 1
OpenGL Vendor : NVIDIA Corporation
OpenGL Renderer : GeForce 8600 GT/PCI/SSE2/3DNOW!
OpenGL Version : 3.0.0 NVIDIA 185.18.14
I can't believe I missed that.
FSOpen reacts strangely to 16 bit color depth.
Open ~/.fs2_open/fs2_open.ini and edit the VideocardFs2Open entry to use the desired resolution.
VideocardFs2open=OGL -(1024x768)x32 bit
Would tell the game to use 1024*768 @ 32 bits. You may want to adjust that to your monitor's native resolution.