Some reviewers here seem to think that complaints about the tiny areas and loading times are invalid. They are not invalid. NMS is a valid comparison, not because someone claimed Starfield is NMS, but because it demonstrates that another thematically similar game was able to create a similarly or more detailed set of environments without the spatial constraints Starfield imposes.
From Starfield's main marketing pitch: "In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom".
"Unparalleled freedom" is simply untrue. You aren't even free to drive truck around the surface of an inhabited planet or to move your spaceship from one part of the planet to another without fast travel and a loading screen.
I'm absolutely floored by the number of 5/5 reviews here that say "game is great. don't believe haters" and then don't actually provide even one example of some mechanic in the game that is great.