Reviews don't usually pat PS on the back for being a volunteer-run project, because reviews don't give an A for effort. You get an A for being an awesome game, and PlaneShift isn't there yet, regardless of the awesome effort spent on it. Most positive write-ups are by players who have stuck around for several months and have found a reason for doing so. The negative are from players familiar with many other MMOs, and are looking for more than PS can currently offer.
Game companies are successful by catering to player whims. It's how they stay afloat, and it's why there haven't been any WoW-killers to date. No one does it as well. It's also why I found the following comment distasteful:
The complaints basically fall into the "not enough graphics/functionality content" category as they usually do, coming from players who are used to getting their every whim catered to.
That's usually what makes a game fun, as an enjoyable use of someone's time. Pretty graphics, and a lot of functionality. In general, dismissing players who want this might not be a good idea, because this is really what PS is striving to become. A lot of people really do make whine-like remarks about slow progress (and reading reviews with typos makes me want to dismiss the author's entire opinion, truth be told), but once you get past all the defensive reactions in your head, it's worth noting that their points are just as valid as the positive ones.
