With Yoda, since the last time we saw him chronologically was in ROTJ, it makes sense that he should be a puppet the next time we see. Plus, that is how Luke remembers him.
And maybe TFA tried to harken back to the OT style more, but I don’t think they’re pushing away from CGI. Maz didn’t look bad, and Snoke in TLJ looked fantastic in my opinion. I think the Sequel Trilogy is just finding a balance between practical and visual effects.