I think how you see the overworld depends on your point of view. My first playthrough of the HD version, I didn't mind the emptiness at all, because I wasn't out to explore every corner, pretty much only checking out secrets I happened to stumble upon. This meant I didn't have to stop and get off the horse every few seconds, which was much appreciated. In my second playthrough where I'm aiming for 100%, things are a little different, since I'm carefully exploring every inch of the fields, and I now understand people's complaints a little better.