First off, most of the screenshots clearly show shadows. There are a couple rough ones (Vault 111 Exit 'landscape view', bobblehead desk shot, etc.) By and large however, the game looks very solid. You cannot say FO4 looks "just like FO3 or NV" and then when clear evidence to the contrary is shown, turn around and say, "Oh, well FO3 sucked to begin with, so of course this looks better." You can't have it both ways- the bottom line is, FO4 clearly, objectively looks superior to FO3 in every measurable way.
Secondly, to the whole "MS Paint UI" business: Fallout takes place in an alternate future history, heavily inspired by an "idealized" 1950s "Space Age Americana" aesthetic. This in turn informs the simplistic monochromatic computer terminal displays, which in turn informs the overall look/feel of the UI (and PipBoy). To put it simply, the UI is intentionally basic and 'campy'. You can choose to like it or not; but if you have any understanding of Fallout and its lore/historical context, it makes complete sense. Criticizing something for "not looking good" based on an assumed lack of competence on BethSoft's part just shows your ignorance of what Fallout is all about.
Thirdly, let's put graphic comparisons to other 'pseudo-open world' RPGs to bed right now: The Witcher 3, MGSV, Dragon Age: Inquisition...none of these are actually open world games. All these games feature segmented, smaller regions that are non-contiguous, only traversable through an overworld map. In Skyrim, you can literally ride your horse from Riften to Markarth without interruption. Furthermore, many of these aforementioned games feature a lot of lifeless, 'dead wilderness' once you get out of the major towns/zones of action. In Skyrim, you are constantly running into caves, forts, barrows, villages, mines, ruins and dynamic random interactions with hunters, bards, traders, citizens and guardsmen. There is hardly ever any downtime or dead space in Skyrim, whether you're in a bustling city or the middle of BFE. Nearly every physical object in FO4 can be interacted with dynamically; whether physically picked up in real-time, or used for a variety of purposes, such as crafting, building, character/stat development, etc. In most other WRPGs, your item interactions are limited to loot caches with static images inside that represent an item that either has limited function, or is simply meant to be sold off as "junk". No other RPG allows you to build large settlements from scratch in multiple locations throughout the world, in the unique manner the player sees fit. No other RPG (or shooter for that matter) offers a layered armor system, a separate customizable power armor system, AND over 50 base weapons and 700+ modifications.
I think given the scope/ambition, size and density of what BethSoft are trying to accomplish, the game looks great. At the end of the day, none of us (except the journalists and lucky few screenshot posters) have actually played the game yet. I think many of the 'graphic crusaders' here are forgetting that intangible 'sense of wonder' we ALL get when we fire up a BethSoft RPG for the first time and take in the experience. Then we look up and wonder where the last three months just went. That's something that BethSoft always delivers in spades; it's something that transcends graphics fidelity and is exactly why their titles always invariably win GOTY.