It's not the aesthetic that I'm overly concerned about - Though I am concerned about it. I find CR's obsession with Space Planes obnoxious, and the general retrofuture thing dull and done to death. But what bothers me most is how shallow and uninteresting the world is thematically. Eve's setting has a lot of interesting ideas that tap into longstanding cyberpunk themes - Exploring how future technology/transhumanity can foster intense class disparity rather then enriching the life of the average person, how capitalism can make monsters out of people, and so on. Plus stuff more unique to it like the reconciliation of religion with future society, the clash of tradition versus modernism that underlines a lot of conflicts in the setting etc. And that's on top of the already pretty deep (for a video game) political drama, which still beats out basically every other MMO at it's core even though CCP has mishandled it repeatedly.
Star Citizen has basically none of that. You can tell they haven't really wrote the world to be something compelling to ponder - The theme of the world appears to be, "Wow, space is so amazing and magical! We're going to have such adventures!"
Eve's setting is based on actual sci-fi ideas. Star Citizen's appears to be based based primarily on wish fulfillment.
You've summed it up perfectly, and I agree!
Star Citizen / Wing Commander have always been thematically very shallow. It's basically pulp WW2 pew pew with a space setting. Fighters and bombers and space 'naval' ships with a future sci fi skin.
This is great if you want to be a privateer space trucker or a navy pilot and pew pew the alien hordes, less great if you want to be a cyber-futurist dealing with existential issues.
The frustrating irony for me is that EVE, with it's ridiculously poor UI and zero RP assistance in game client, provided years of great imaginings for me.
Star Citizen is going to have all of the immersive RP things; avatars, custom locations by players, multi crew ships, bars, lounges, space luxury yachts, blah blah blah, but with a mediocre setting.
I really don't know if one is better than the other.
I know that in EVE telling a good story together was wonderful and challenging, I think in Star Citizen the stories are going to be a bit more down to earth mundane but beautiful to see.