Honestly - this is Rebel Assault with 3D graphics.
I concur, it's pretty frustrating that single player is getting more and more shafted in favor of multi.
I don't see multiplayer so much as being the problem as much as
massively multiplayer. Multiplayer by itself is a good thing - I look forward to playing some FOTG multiplayer when it's released, and think it'll rock. X-Wing Alliance multiplayer is still pretty darn fun, for that matter. I have good time playing FPS games on multiplayer servers with ~32 players that is effectively squad - based combat, and works really well.
The MMO model, however, is a completely different animal, and typically scales down to the lowest common denominator of gamers in order to attract the largest numbers possible. That's not ALWAYS a bad thing, and in some cases has made for some fun gameplay, but in general doesn't lend itself to simulator-type combat, which generally have a very steep learning curve.