This is why I can't tolerate GAF anymore, the hyperbole is staggering. I know the shaders and lighting are a significant step down from the SP, but come on. Since you said "last gen graphics", I'm going to assume you are taking everything into account. I don't recall any last gen game looking anywhere near as clean as UC4 MP. Materials look far better than last gen games because of PBR. Say what you want about the direct lighting outdoors (in fact, I'd say it looks pretty flat on some maps), but the indirect lighting indoors, especially in Rooftops looks pretty good. I could go on, but this is hyperbolic nonsense regardless.
Do you realise "last gen graphics" are still good graphics? I'm not comparing it to early gen games, but things like Uncharted 2 and 3 which had impressive graphics. It's not shocking that Uncharted 4 multiplayer couldn't look like a generational leap.
As you said, direct lightning is weak, there's nothing on the level of the lightning in Desert Village from Uncharted 3, only Sunken Ruins comes close. Characters models are more detailed in Uncharted 4, but some of them still look somehow better in Uncharted 2:
If you told me the one below is from the sequel I'd believe you.
Now, I know that if you compare these models from a pure technological standpoint, Uncharted 4 wins because they have higher resolution textures and better geometry, but honestly I prefer the ones from Uncharted 2. They're more stylized, cartoony almost, it's better artstyle tbh. Anyways, it's not a generational leap to me at all.
I can't put my finger on it but I think the problem is that Uncharted 4 multiplayer feels washed out, the shading isn't as good as in Uncharted 2 and the lightning is average.
Honestly, this:
Looks better than anything I've seen in Uncharted 4 multiplayer to me. The only map that somehow feels on the level of Uncharted 2 and 3 in terms of lightning and color is Sunken Ruins.
This:
Looks better than Madagascar, this:
Looks better than Sunken Ruins/New Devon/River, and these two:
Look miles better than Scotland, which looks like crap.
Even Uncharted 3 looked better a lot of the time.
That could totally pass for Uncharted 4 multiplayer.
Uncharted 3 character models were the worst out of the three, but the lightning and shading was much better than in Uncharted 4 imo, making the character look great in this image for instance.
Uncharted 2 and 3 made better use of the limited hardware with a better artsyle and art direction. Uncharted 4 made a terrible use of colors and lightning, making everything look washed out and dull -I guess Druckmann forced that "mature and realistic" filter onto multiplayer too.
I'll take 60fps over graphics anyday, nonetheless, so I don't really care. However, artstyle > raw graphics. That's why Uncharted 2 will have a timeless look and that's why WoW will always look infinitely better than awful-looking things like Guild Wars 2 and the likes, as objectively outdated as these graphics are.