The difference is likely in how hard it was to get the original result, and some unseen limitations in the technology. Game lighting has always been dozens of

The difference is likely in how hard it was to get the original result, and some unseen limitations in the technology. Game lighting has always been dozens of tricks and shortcuts to get lighting to look like it behaved properly, without it actually behaving properly. But newer technologies work on getting better at lighting and material behaviour and that allows a level of "overall correctness" that is much easier to achieve. I've made a similar comment previously, but Raytracing can make a Minecraft world feel like real life, because the lighting is correct even if the world is surreal. PBR was a huge leap for lighting correctness, and it's part of the reason why a game with "okay" textures can still feel just as good as a game with incredible textures. I think our brains can pick up on these lighting cues.