I have to admit I chuckle to myself watching the responses to criticism of the game. It is so reminiscent of the sycophants in the WoW forums after the launch of Cataclysm as they lost over 500k subscriptions due to the increased difficulty, etc.
As much as those who love this game want to attest to how wonderful it is, those that are dissatisfied also have their own view. It doesn't make either view more right, but to be honest, don't discount those that are willing to take time out of their day and express their concerns/criticism with the game.
Yes, more people play the game than post on the forums. We are all people though and a certain percentage of those who did pick up the game (but never visited the forums) also probably feel similarly as those who openly criticize the game.
It will be interesting to see how Bioware spins the numbers after the free month is up. Did we ever get a hard and fast number of how many copies of the game were sold? I don't think the first month numbers will actually tell that much. What will be more interesting is 3 months out. All of the effort put into the first 25+ levels will keep people rolling alts for a bit, but at the 3 month mark, we'll have a real feel for what the consumer thinks of the game.
What will also be interesting is to see where the game is in 6 months. Will there be another free content patch? Or will it be junk/meager DLCesque pickings as with Mass Effect or Dragon Age?