Apple did not promise anything wrt. 3rd party apps, so talking about “broken promise” is downright dishonest. But that’s just the usual from the Forbes Contributor Network and Clown Car Testing Facility.
Of course they did: "With the introduction of Rosetta 2, M1 and macOS Big Sur seamlessly run apps that haven't yet transitioned to Universal versions. So without updating, you can keep working on Fusion360 projects or reach the next level in your favorite game."
Rosetta 2 (and Rosetta before it) may be an amazing technical accomplishment, but it's entirely fair for a reviewer to say it doesn't cut it for him. As funny as some of his choices are (Edge on a Mac, on purpose?), he's not reaching; this is what he uses everyday. It's also fair to point out that if your favorite game doesn't happen to be Rise of the Tomb Raider, your mileage may vary.
I think the reviewer is a little unfair in his emphasis on "Apple-chosen" reviewers, but this frankly is the kind of thing I look for. Five-star reviews are rarely as useful to me as three-star reviews.
Every single day we hear of at least one well known app adding support for M1 Macs. It's all a matter of time. I'd wager we'd have a robust ecosystem of apps once the Pro Macs launch (higher end 13" and the 16")