Do you REALLY care for graphics?

[bruom]

well, we all know graphics are important in a game, right? but how important? many people think that a game with bad graphics is a bad game. are you one of these people? or you think the game is made of more than graphs?
how many of you dont like to play R/B/Y, G/S/C, old Zelda, Mario, Metroid, whatever?
i know we cant play moving squares, but do we need an almost-real-life game to have fun?
open to all ideas =]

 

[BREAKINGBEN]

It all depends on the game. I will still play classic games if I still like them, but I do have a cut-off point for graphics.

Though this may not be classic, Madden 07 for the Wii is a prime example. Normally, I freakin love Madden games, but I was extremely disappointed when I played the Chicago Bears. It looked like they were black blobs on the football field, hardly any detail to them at all. The 'Create-A-Coach' was always a problem in Madden games too. They just seemed so... bland, uninspired, blah! I couldn't stand it at all.

For older Pokemon games (Red, Blue, Yellow etc.), I have absolutely no problem playing them. Yeah there are a few glitches in the graphics, but overall it's nice, simple, and fun. It's games like Pokemon Dash that give me a problem. They are failed experiments at 3D graphics and, to be honest, they looked horrendous and slow the game down enormously.

That's why I normally play my Xbox and 360. They have great games and amazing graphics (save for Lara Croft, Madden 06, and the oh-so glitchy NHL 2K6). I... really can't stand my Wii. There haven't been many good quality games and the rest are just party games for the whole family, and as an only child, that's a major turn-off for me :/.

Basically, the graphics can be a bit lacking, but the developers have to make it up in the actual game play. I don't mind going back to play a round of Tony Hawk for the N 64. The same concept goes for great-looking games. I don't know many off the top of my head, but I know they're out there. These games look great, and yet their story/game play reeks of... yeah. It's a big-budget bust :/.

Graphics are an essential part of the game, but they shouldn't make the game play suffer :).

 

[Alistair]

For me, it doesn't really matter. Even though great graphics are a plus, the graphics do not make-or-break my playing of the game. For example, right now, I am playing through Final Fantasy IX. The graphics are terrible, but I still play for the awesome gameplay that is provides.

 

[wert5679]

for me It dosent really matter. its the gameplay as you all know games like FF1-6
still amaze people today because of the story. like zelda and megaman and Earthbound! ALL YOU GRAPHIC MONGERS GET OVER YOUR SELVES! JUST BECAUSE A GAME IS IN 2-D DOESNT MEAN ITS BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jeremy]

I really DON'T care about graphics, sweetie. Shoot sweeties, I still play Atari 2600 games. =p

Graphics NEVER make the game, they're just a bonus. I really hate it when a young gamer refuses to play a game because of the graphics. That's what's wrong with you youngsters these days, you've been spoiled by hi-res junk, back in my day, we had fun trying to figure out what are characters were. </old man rant>

Seriously though sweeties, graphics are nothing but a bonus for what the game has to offer, sweeties.

 

[Bianca Paragon]

I think anybody who thinks that graphics make no difference to a game need to play Metal Gear Solid 4. Yes, it's an amazing narrative, brilliantly acted and written. But would it really have had the same emotional impact if you couldn't see in vivid detail each and every emotion? What if the game were sprites? :X Yes, it would be the same story, but without the stunning visuals and especially brilliant motion capture (especially in the facial area) all we'd be able to do is be 'told' of Snakes anguish, and his agony, we wouldn't be able to 'see' it and thusly we lose half the impact.

A game with good graphics isn't always a good game. But to me, if a game wants to draw me in, make me emotionally attached and make me care about the events that transpire? It needs to have at least passable graphics, but the more detailed, the better :3

 

[Merzbau]

If graphics were really all that important, why do people still like Super Mario Bros. for the NES?

They're a nice touch, but if the gameplay sucks, nothing can save a game, not even flashy pictures.

 

[Crimson Majestic]

Seriously though sweeties, graphics are nothing but a bonus for what the game has to offer, sweeties.

We get the point, sweetie. : P

On another note, I care for graphics enough to where if they make me nauseous then I cannot play them or just plain distracting. Other than that, I could really careless.

 

[Gummy]

It really depends on what console/handheld the game is on. The first thing you usually learn about a game is how the game looks, and first impressions are everything. So if I see some PSP graphics on a PS3 game, I'm led to think that they spent as much time thinking up the plot as they did designing the game. Whereas if I see incredible graphics for a DS game, I'm led to think the creators put some hard work into the game.

I have played some beautiful games with horrible gameplay before in the past, though.

 

[Tenbinza]

As long as I can tell what I'm controlling in a game, graphics DON'T MATTER! Pure gameplay is the way to go. Do you really need an HD TV to play good games? Of course not! I still have fun with my SNES, N64, etc.

 

[Kraka-chan]

Although better graphics don't make a better game, I feel it is nessesary (I could never spell that word!), especially in 3D games with a great plot.

I've noticed that when people talk about better graphics, they're mostly talking about 3D games. Has anyone considered any of the 2D games or gaming consoles?
Like the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, it had the best 2D graphics as opposed to its major rival at the time, the SNES. I may just be talking rubbish, but the Mega Drive was able to beat the NES in terms of graphics.

 

[Persona]

I've often thought that graphics are highly important in selling a game. It's unfortunate, because some of the best known storylines were released a long time ago, and they've all died, at least in the mainstream. Personally, I think graphics must meet or surpass the standards within the game's genre, and the only way to make up for decent graphics is with an incredibly compelling gameplay. However, you can get away with less visually impressive graphics depending on the genre. That said, great graphics seem only notable to me if they are better than what most people have seen or are used to in a similar game. :>

 

[YOOM-TAH]

Hard to choose between the second two, went with the second one though because I do care about graphics a little though.

If there are two games that both are equally awesome in every way except for graphics, I'll go with the one with better graphics.

Only thing is most games that focus so much on the visual lose sight of what is more important, and those games turn out to be not as good as, say, most Nintendo games with lesser graphics.

 

[Saryka]

When I first started playing video games, I was all about the graphics. I mean, of course it had to have a decent story or I'd lost interest, but I was mainly about aesthetics and detail.

It wasn't until I started playing Final Fantasy VII and VIII that I started singing a different tune. I mean, VIII's not as good as an example because their FMV sequences are still stunning. VII did not have great graphics (given, it was good at the time, but still), but it had a great storyline.

I think that graphics are very important in a game, and great visuals are good when selling a game, but you also need a strong plot to back up those graphics. I believe that the two go hand in hand to make a great game. :D

 

[Spectrum]

I will only play games that do everything fairly well. That means storyline, gameplay, controls—and yes, graphics. If one part fails, usually the game as a whole suffers because of it.

Sound is the real bonus. Games can sound like crap but still be really fun.

 

[EmeraldSky]

Being a writer, I care more about the story than the graphics, although good graphics do help to convey the story. Gameplay also matters too--a game can have the most beautiful graphics in the world, but no one will play it if the controls are awful.

So overall, the graphics are just the icing on the cake.

 

[SBaby]

Graphics mean nothing to me. Look at it this way. I've played games with awesome graphics that were just horrible (Sonic 06 for instance had really great graphics, but the gameplay was just terrible). So no, graphics mean nothing to me in the grand scheme of things. They just make a game look pretty on screen.

 

[Goatman56]

I enjoy good graphics but they don't have to be good. But if I see a game company that can make good graphics and they don't it just upsets me because if I know they can do better than what they are doing I expect more.

 

[Har D Har]

I beleive that when compared to Gameplay, Plot, Controls, and many other things, grpahics are not an issue. Look at Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic: The Disaster) on the 360 and PS3: it has fantastice graphics, yet horrible camera, voice-work, story, and gameplay. I would rather play a wonderful game with eight-bit graphics then 90% of PS3 games. While yes, I do think graphics can be a big thumbs up, but only if the rest of the game is good as well. I find graphics to be analagous to sprinkles, with or without them, crap is crap.

 

[Legobricks]

I'd rather textures either be so dense you couldn't drive a titanium spike through them, or that they be a facade of pixels in a pixel factory, but I've always hated textures that are anti-aliased and used at about a quarter of the resolution of what I'd call full-resolution textures. The 7th generation (of video gaming consoles) graphics era has come and I'm happy with what I am seeing, finally textures are what I'd've ideally expected to see in any case from about five years ago.

I'm becoming tangential, what's the topic again?
Oh yes. Graphics don't make a game, as any self-respecting gamer knows, but nobody can credibly deny their value in at least rendering one game unique from another in some aspect.
So long as a game's graphical effects fit the game and 'work', I don't particularly care what they are like.