That's just the reviewer habit of trying to be 'fair' to both sides, only to end up looking like they have no confidence in their opinions. You can't just say what you think, because this is product evaluation or top down quality assurance, so a well made and polished turd is still well made and polished. So, don't be too harsh, they might pull access. At least acknowledge the budget. After all, the developer has (tried to) check these here quality boxes.
This is felt more acutely the more expensive a title is/looks, how many assurances were made during previews and other events that this and that is going to be fixed, how bad the crunch was, bonuses tied to metacritic ratings, what other reviewers think/say, etc. etc.
And hey, some readers might even lilke it the way it is, despite of whatever perceived faults it has, so there's your out right there.
