Yeah... LO may have 80% of the features, but if 25% of users use a few of those other 20% of features, you're going to face a lot of resistance from any company with even a dozen users. I've seen some amazing/scary things done in Excel (and Access even).
I also like Access for what it is. I haven't used Base enough to really comment... Would be kind of cool to see Base spun off, so that it could be a stand-alone access competitor, if that isn't already an option.