I certainly agree with all of your sentiments. There's shortcomings no doubt. With that said this is the best Tiger to date. Yeah it could be a ton better but I'm sure the revenue earned by this game is half if not much less than a game like The Show. I don't think its a lack of love but more a lack of funds to really push the game.
I feel you particularly on the crowd and the commentary.
Gameplay wise True Aim is a huge leap for the Sim gaming community. It probably doubled my replay value so I consider it a huge leap for the title.