Well, I'm not sure how many times you heard them. But I've been gaming since the late 1980's, and only joined Neogaf this week, so you most definitely wouldn't have heard them from me.
Last generation, and the generation before, massive leaps were to be expected from anybody who had even an elementary understanding of architecture and software tools. This generation is vastly different to either of the previous two.
This is a gross oversimplification but it gives the general idea: weak, general purpose x86 CPU, mid-level GPU, concrete familiarity with tools and engines
There's only so much that can be done, anybody expecting the leaps in technological innovation shown in the two previous generations is sorely misleading themselves.
By the end of this generation, Infamous: Second Son will still be more than respectable in comparison to other AAA, and especially 3rd party, software. The Order: 1886 and Uncharted 4 - from all that I can tell - are really introducing us to what the upper limit looks like.
And this isn't a bad thing - it means we have a longer period of time where we get titles of the highest order of quality attainable (from a technical standpoint, that is). Perhaps the only bad thing about it is that it removes some of the suspense and surprise.