I think there's so much baggage around NMS here on GAF that it's hard to discuss, but this episode touched on the PR. And to me, it's maybe not so much the distinct details that may not be in the final game that are the problem, rather -- as was stated on the show and on this forum -- the vacuum that led people to create their own expectations for the game.
It made me realize, while listening, that I think the biggest thing was -- I'm not sure whether it was ever said by Sean Murray during one of his many demos, but he definitely seemed to intimate that there was much more to the game than what people saw. And while clearly the game is gigantic and maybe that's what he meant, it seemed like he meant there was more to the game experience than land, mine, sell, get story tidbit and repeat. But it doesn't feel to me like the game is much more than he showed. If there are big, game-changing secrets in the game, they're buried a dozen-plus hours in (which is too deep IMO).
For me, the game wasn't worth $80... but I'll be picking it back up when it gets cheaper, and hopefully digitally. I really enjoy the space tourist angle...