True, UC3 was a step down from UC2 outside of set pieces and minor gameplay stuff like grenade toss backs. But even afterwards, I’d still rather take UC4/LL over either TLoU games, even though some of the gameplay they have can be highly appreciated.
Honestly, U4 feels like a victim of TLoU's success, and shows Druckmann really isn't the right fit for that franchise. While the charaters are giving a level a depth they never had before, the dialoge lacks the punch and wit of the previous games. It also has what now appears to be the patented Neil Druckmann slow hour long intro, where we get three false starts before the game actually begins. For TLoU this works well enough being a much slower paced game, but this is Uncharted - get the lead out. Also, notes in an Uncharted game... another thing that fit very well in TLoU but just bogs down Nate running, gunning, and jumping through the scenery.I haven't played LL yet(I have it, haven't played it) but I felt UC4 was the best of the bunch(with UC2 coming in a close second). Yes, the brother thing comes out of nowhere and one of the central plot twist could have been easily solved with a 10 second google search but it plays damn well and the set pieces are great. Not to mention the interplay between Nathan and his brother works so fucking well I can forgive Sam being retconned in with a hammer for this game.
Thankfully The Lost Legacy got rid of all of that, and it's a much snappier game because of it.