Graphics don't matter?

If graphics are the most important thing about a game, then its really not a compelling game and won't stand the test of time.

Sure graphics are important, they're a big part of this medium. However, great games can still be great games without being top of the line in graphical ability.

• Most people consider the earlier Final Fantasy games (particularly IV, VI, and VII) to be better and more memorable than X, XI and XII.
• Tetris in any form will always please most gamers, certainly doesn't break new grahics ground.
• Mega Man 9 was highly anticipated on all consoles, both for the 8 bit look and the return to classic gameplay.

Are great graphics nice, sure but they don't mean anything if they aren't attached to a good game. The same can't be said for the otherway around. A great game can still be a great game without great graphics.

The other issue is that you're now talking about a much smaller jump in graphics then previous generations.

yea graphics matter I like to look at the environment in games like killzone 2 but games with not so stellar graphics appeal to me for example braid.

The only people in which graphics don't matter to are 1) Sheep and 2) pink-goggle wearing nostalgic fanboys who think Ocarina of Time is the greatest game ever made and Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are all worse games.

Graphics matter a lot. They matter as much as any other part of a game. If they are technically unsound and not taking full advantage of the hardware, the game is not good... let alone great. The better the graphics, the more believable the world, the better the game. Anyone who denies this is just trying to cover for an insecurity.

foxhound_fox

LMFAO.:lol: I have to agree completely, as it is the honest answer. If you are a gamer, you are never going to complain if you play a game with beautiful visuals, be it technical or artistic in variety. In fact, it will only make you love they game and get immersed all the more. In which case, they clearly DO matter....especially in today's market, which thankfully, is delivering both great graphics AND gameplay. Why only settle for one?

Graphic matter for atmosphere and general power matters for physics. Look at two examples on the PC, where the actual grunt is most, Crysis ans STALKER. Crysis needs its graphics to set the tone and for its huge open world scale, its not really "Graphics" per say but power that is so vital.

The Physics in both games is also very important, Crysis has expolsions and debree puls a degree of bullet and collision physics that simply isn't possible without a degree of raw porcessing power, it would be impossible to do on say The PS2 or the Wii. Same with STALKER, the game is very reliant on its A-life system and dynamic world, without them the game would be much less than it is. You need the grapics power to give the open world scale (the X-ray engine can render an insane amount of polygons on screen and dynamically light them from multiple light sources) keep the number of on screen emimes sufficent (see dead rising Wii) and there is also heavly rliance on bullet physics and character animation and AI to consider. Plus the pant wetting atmostphere. You often forget that 'graphics' (or more sutably rendering power) is very important to gameplay in many games and works in areas you wouldn't normally consider. BIG things depend on it, its the reason why you see very few games of huge/ lots of on screen enimes scale on the Wii.

Why not have something look good too? No one wants an ugly game. If a game looks crap it tends to degrade the gameplay, things could be unclear or confusing. Plus, as i said, immersion and atmostphere made games like Bioshock, Deadspace and STALKER. This all dependant on how much you can draw from the GPU/CPU/Memeory. In short, Tech matters.

If you have a game with poor/no graphics (like a text adventure or gameboy game) and excellent gameplay, it would be a great game.
If you have a game with crappy gameplay but excellent graphics, it would be a crappy game.

So...by that logic, graphics don't really matter very much.

It'd be great to have both great graphics and gameplay, but gameplay should always be the focus - bad graphics are forgivable, bad gameplay isn't (unless the game has a really good story to back it up).

*edit* As for the atmosphere argument, games from a decade ago - like Thief or System Shock 2 - are more atmospheric than most recent games, despite having terrible graphics by today's standards (they didn't even look fantastic back then).

[QUOTE="kaangonultas"]graphics matter aloooot.def_mode

[QUOTE="killerfist"]Graphics do matter, but not as much as you make it seem. Halo is not praised for it's graphics...at all. Poor example btw. Wasdie

[QUOTE="def_mode"][QUOTE="kaangonultas"]graphics matter aloooot.pyromaniac223

they do matter, but not nearly as much as gameplay

The only people in which graphics don't matter to are 1) Sheep and 2) pink-goggle wearing, nostalgic fanboys who think Ocarina of Time is the greatest game ever made and Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are all worse games.

Graphics matter a lot. They matter as much as any other part of a game. If they are technically unsound and not taking full advantage of the hardware, the game is not good... let alone great. The better the graphics, the more believable the world, the better the game. Anyone who denies this is just trying to cover for an insecurity.

foxhound_fox

You couldn't be more wrong, sir.

Oh, and the best Zelda game is Link to the Past for SNES. Then again, some of us gamers have imagination, and don't expect games to pander to us.

Graphics matter, but not the level of realism.

Windwaker: I'd play that on ANY system in ANY generation and I would appreciate the style just as much. It's a beautiful artistic game.

I truly enjoy Lego Star Wars and Lego Batman. It's just fun!

As long as the graphics are clear, meaning I can make stuff out, and they are true to a good style, I think that's best.

I love how the new Punch Out looks, and I don't think the graphics should be any different. I don't look at that and wish it was on the level of the best looking boxing game.

What I hate more than anything are graphics that don't even try. Usually they are muddy looking or uninspired.

There hasn't been a game I have not finished playing because it had poor graphics but great gameplay. However, no amount of great graphics will make me play a game with garbage gameplay.

[QUOTE="killerfist"]Graphics do matter, but not as much as you make it seem. Halo is not praised for it's graphics...at all. Poor example btw. def_mode

You couldn't be more wrong, sir.

Oh, and the best Zelda game is Link to the Past for SNES. Then again, some of us gamers have imagination, and don't expect games to pander to us.

ZIMdoom

For the people that says Graphics doesnt matter, and only gameplay is important.

Would you guys still play Gears2, Halo3, MGS4, Uncharted if it had PS1 or gameboy graphics?

gameplay is all that matters right?

For me, if we can have both good gameplay and good graphics, why not? we payed big bucks for this gaming machines and then we should be expecting advanced visuals.

what you guys think?

def_mode

um graphics are expected to improve over time that's already a given. well except for the wii.

I think graphics matter a lot in games, i simply hate having to play games that look really ugly (hl2 only at some places though) but if a game has really good graphics it seems to make it so much easier to be immersed in an experience simply because it makes it so much more believable

The only people in which graphics don't matter to are 1) Sheep and 2) pink-goggle wearing, nostalgic fanboys who think Ocarina of Time is the greatest game ever made and Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are all worse games.

Graphics matter a lot. They matter as much as any other part of a game. If they are technically unsound and not taking full advantage of the hardware, the game is not good... let alone great. The better the graphics, the more believable the world, the better the game. Anyone who denies this is just trying to cover for an insecurity.

foxhound_fox

For the people that says Graphics doesnt matter, and only gameplay is important.

Would you guys still play Gears2, Halo3, MGS4, Uncharted if it had PS1 or gameboy graphics?

gameplay is all that matters right?

For me, if we can have both good gameplay and good graphics, why not? we payed big bucks for this gaming machines and then we should be expecting advanced visuals.

what you guys think?

def_mode

If they had PS1 graphics, I'd play a PS1 game.

Simply because the gameplay on these games is CRAP compared to their graphics. Older games of the 90s, had the opposite, incredibly fun gameplay but terrible graphics.

They are equally important. If the old games had Next-gen graphics, they'd be crapping all over the new games.

You could play those games with Gameboy graphics.

For the people that says Graphics doesnt matter, and only gameplay is important.

Would you guys still play Gears2, Halo3, MGS4, Uncharted if it had PS1 or gameboy graphics?

gameplay is all that matters right?

For me, if we can have both good gameplay and good graphics, why not? we payed big bucks for this gaming machines and then we should be expecting advanced visuals.

what you guys think?

def_mode