These are some good analyses and I'd agree with most of it. I'd say it's fine to be critical, that's what feedback on EA is for. To get back to your points:
First Act/story - There are some flaws with the narrative; the main one being the urgency which everyone screams at you that you need to find a cure for the tadpole but then you can wander around at leisure doing side quests. Without a day/night cycle and calendar we have no true sense of the passing of time; this for me is one of the biggest immersive problems with the game. Walking around in permanent daylight feels wrong and is severely limiting from both an immersion and RP perspective.
With regard to the companions I found their backstories lacked credibility for a Level 1 character. Apart from perhaps Lae'zel, the rest were so exceptional that it feels like a gathering of Marvel super heroes, rather than a group of adventurers who have the opportunity to start relatively humble and grow together. The story also divulges in concept from previous games where the main PC was the character with the mysterious background which was slowly revealed; with every companion sharing the tadpole all of a sudden the main PC on longer feels quite so special, if that makes sense.
I would totally agree that there is little nuance in the game, everything is cranked up to the max from the brash planes traversing prologue to experiencing The Underdark, and all the dangerous monsters that Larian could possibly throw at us, all in Act 1! Long gone are the days of earning your crust fighting low level critters, instead we have HP bloated goblins laden with explosive arrows and bombs. This does curtail the sense of progression/achievement I feel. Is it a case of too much too soon? Trying too hard to be 'fun'?
Items/gear - I did find a large amount of loot in my various playthroughs and to be honest wasn't expecting to find a plethora of magic items, given that we play Levels 1-4.
I did however find there was a bit of a lack of variety and more of certain weapons than others, which meant more often than not you ended up with surplus items that you had no real need for. It doesn't help that the inventories are huge and a frankly a total mess from a UI perspective. Another thread touched on this directly, calling for more realistic inventory similar to BG1 & 2; limited slots and a properly implemented weight limit.
I would totally concur on the lack of variety with garments/armour and everyone looking the same. Some of them are simply OTT and hideous (here's looking at you Ring Mail with huge 1970s collars). I'd love to see options for less gaudy armour, for example. Not everyone wants to look like a peacock.
Romances Of little interest to me but each to their own. I was annoyed at how quickly the companions wanted to jump my bones after minimal conversation though. It just didn't feel real.
I'm also keen to see what the new patch brings and whether they have considered some of the feedback given.
