Has there ever been a game released within a year of the launch of a console that displayed the power of the console? It usually takes a few years to really get the full power of the console
Crash Bandicoot for PS1 was so revolutionary that most studios were never able to catch on. Naughty Dog improved even more with Crash Bandicoot 2 and Crash Bandicoot 3, but the first game was already at the top of what the PS1 could do.
There is a difference between maxing out the available power, and making the game work properly. You can have a less than visually impressive game, run at a solid frame rate. Then later on, have something like The Last of Us come out, and blow the doors off of even next generation stuff. Graphic fidelity isn't as important as performance. This is just a shitty port.