Maybe so, but it still doesn't look as good as what they have here. Every one of your examples still has this looking videogamey somehow, so whatever they're doing here to me looks like an obvious improvement in some way.
I'd also chime in on the whole tech demo / game engine tangent. IMO, even for things like simulation, tech demo and research papers is again where it is. Game engines always seem to lag behind in this, and I don't think that's unnatural as they have to mature the tech demo stuff into a production ready product. My game engine interest predominantly lies precisely in the merger or tech and art pipeline, which is where they really shine. I'm saying this, because that is precisely where this game really shines. I look at something like Star Citizen, and while it on paper may use more effects than this game, the overall look is still somehow cheap and less appealing, even for things that should be a no-brainer like light reflecting off of metal surface. I too, like R Deckard, think this game is the start of something and a benchmark for visuals to come, and I don't think analyzing its features on paper alone tells why that is so. There's something ingenious that RAD crew has done here, and if it's not pure tech (although I think in part it is the refinement of much that was there before), then it has to be the art and production pipeline - the process or the tech that's used for it is something that I think others will study carefully, or already are. The end product speaks for itself - I really can't think of a single scene from any other game that looks as 'complete' as that rooftops shot from one of the trailers.
And what's funny is that seeing it on a large screen just makes it look more real and more believable than in the smll gif that usually hides a lot of imperfections.