Not sure I'll join Wildstar, seems to have grown on you Cern but my impressions are more like your first post. Its not exactly relaxing and just shoves shit in my face all the time 
Yep, totally agree with this, particularly for about the first dozen levels or so. What I found is that this calms down once you get to around level 13-14 and onwards and away from the first couple of starter zones. This holds true for both factions.
It's as if they tried to cram WAY too much into the early part of the game, perhaps for reviewers, perhaps to try and capture the modern gamer with the attention span of a gnat.
So within the first 12 levels you get bombarded with learning your class and skills, learning your path, the main storyline, offworld missions, challenges, crafting, gathering, customizing gear / your character, PvP and more. Then when you think you got a handle on all that, at level 14 they throw player housing at you, which is a curve ball all of its own. And all this before you get anywhere near a dungeon.
Now it may be that this is to cover up for a lack of content at higher levels. Perhaps, but I haven't seen veteran beta testers complaining of that. In fact I hear that the endgame is highly developed and where the real core of the game is. If so, then it's just a case of badly pacing the lower level content and throwing too much at the player too soon.
Whatever the reason, the early assault on the senses is likely to burn out a lot of players before they even begin. It nearly pushed me away. The reason it's grown on me is I was able to progress into zones which were a bit more relaxing to play than the early stuff. But it might just be a lull before the storm, as I hear PVE difficulty really picks up at level 20. Will have to see what happens at launch .... watch this space for a meltdown
