Graphics don't mean a thing.

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So, you ever seen a game, and thought, "the graphics suck, this game sucks"
so you never played the game just beucase the graphics are outdated? well...

just becuase a game has good graphics, doesn't mean it's a good game.
just becuase a game has outdated graphics, doesn't mean it's a bad game.

I've played alot of PS1 games, sure they may seem outdated, but many of them are still very good games.
some games on modern consoles, or on the PC aren't so good in terms a gamplay quality.
becuase modern games rely too heavily on graphics. rather then gameplay.
anyone remeber Wheelman? it's graphics where pretty good, but the game wasn't as good as it could have been.
although there are some games where I make an exception.
I played some Nintnedo DS games, as to be expected the grahpics on those aren't so good, but alot of these games where pretty good.

I wish they would focus more on gameplay when they make games for any console or comuputer.

While I don't care much about graphics in general, there are some games where the visual style is a bigger part of the game. Okami is the best example that I can think of, though Zelda: The Wind Waker and, to a lesser extent, Skyward Sword, it was at least important to the developers what style they went with. I doubt Borderlands would be the same without its style. I suppose I am talking more about art style, but there are some games that have been technically really impressive to me at the time, such as Starfox Adventures, Red Dead Redemption, and now this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5IVOs5Pxh8[/youtube]

Even so, even stuff like this becomes outdated over enough time has passed, while games like Okami or Wind Waker will still always have at least some kind of aesthetic appeal to me that reaches farther than technical prowess.

I second this. I asked a friend of mine if they've ever played Tekken 6 and they said no because it had "bad" graphics. In my opinion gameplay is most important. Don't judge a game by it's graphics.

lol, You're going to hell for that.

Seriously though there's a few good ones like the Square/Enix RPGs and the PS1 Mega Man games. Castlevania SOTN is good too.

Space Invaders and Pac Man were always great games and look at the graphics on those.

Graphics are not alpha and omega, but they can make a good game better.

I love graphics when I love graphics, but most of the time I love the game, graphics be damned XD I'm a fan of the GC era the most, but enjoy lots of older systems too

Although graphics are not the only aspect that defines a video game, they are still very important. Video games are visual and as such, their graphics can (and do) influence on the overall experience.

What I disagree with is the current trend that good graphics = realism (and realism = brown and gray). While I like the graphics of current generation games, I believe we need more "artistic" graphics like Skyward Sword, No More Heroes, Borderlands 2, Okami and, most of all, Legend of Mana, which is the single best looking video game ever made:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTqePjGtDGc[/youtube]
Those graphics were hand-drawn. We need more games like that.

Also worthy of mention is The Neverhood, whose graphics were entirely made by claymation:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt5arzRgsds[/youtube]
We REALLY need more games like that.

There is a distinction to make between "graphics", which is the technical aspect of the visual, and "aesthetic", which is how good it look. Good graphics can contribute to good aesthetic, but not always. (Skyrim is a example of good graphics bringing good aesthetic)
Overall I think the important is a good aesthetism.

This is pretty much my point.

I'm with you on that one. Besides, that notion is not the least bit realistic. I see in more colours than brown and gray, so if that's supposed to be realistic, then whoever does the art for those kinds of games needs to have their eyes checked. Either way, it's not aesthetically pleasing to look at. I'd much rather look at a handheld game with a more vibrant colour palette to be honest. Of course, a game can use a dark colour palette too, depending on the tone the game is going for, but even then, it's worth noting that colour does exist.

I do think aesthetic style is more important than "realism", and I suppose that's relevant to me to some extent. If something is downright unpleasant to look at for a length of time, then my opinion of the game might be affected a little. But, I don't associate the term "unpleasant" with lack of realism. I can enjoy retro classics, all the way up to modern titles. I don't mind looking at nes, snes or genesis titles, and I certainly don't mind looking at games from the 5th or 6th gens, especially games on ps systems. Of course I've played my share of handheld games over the years, and currently own a ds lite, a psp, and a 3ds. I've kept my lite with the cracked hinge around for my few remaining gba games, and I bought a 3ds primarily so that I could actually enjoy playing my ds games again, and possibly make some progress on my ds backlog. By "unpleasant", I refer to games that look ugly. I can't say I'm really fond of early 3d stuff from the late 4th gen, and early 5th gen, or early 6th gen stuff(and similar looking pc games from shortly before those periods). The textures in some of those games are eyesores. I don't care for the latest trend of draining colour from games either, so I have a difficult time looking at your typical 7th gen fps for any length of time too.

For the most part though, I can enjoy a game regardless of how it looks, as long as the quality is there, through other elements, like gameplay, story, characters, etc, depending on what's relevant to the game in question. I actually really enjoyed American McGee's Alice, even though there were times when it wasn't great to look at(like the Vale of Tears). Most of my favorite games of all time are not 7th gen games, and even some of the ones that are, are downloadable, and/or don't have jaw dropping visuals. Again, I put quality before visuals.



Wait, what? The graphics in Tekken 6 look fine to me. Of course, we're not talking Uncharted graphics, but if I was really that hung up on graphics, I wouldn't play multiplats. Were you by any chance talking to a pc gamer? They can be really elitist when it comes to graphics. I think the notion of limiting what games one plays due to graphics is ret*d, but I've heard stranger things, like the ease of trophies and achievements being a relevant factor. To each their own, I guess.

Last edited by Tross on 08 Oct 2012, 1:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

Well said

I've always said that quality media is timeless. Whether it be the likes of Battlefield 3 or Space Invaders, as long as I find the gameplay is fun and bug free then I'm happy to play regardless of its age and graphics. I like new old style games that have been coming out like Super Meat Boy and Bit Trip Runner. Although, Runner gets rather unforgiving as you progress!

I wouldn't say graphics don't mean a thing, but I will agree that gameplay should be the most important thing. Given the option of two games with equal quality and similar gameplay, and one looks like it was made in 2000 and the other in 2010, I would take the better looking one if I could only afford one. I would probably eventually play both though if they were both that good. But good graphics are still nice to have.

When a game (such as Okami) has really exceptional graphics, it can add to the experience but generally, people pay too much attention to graphics.

I still play the original Super Mario trilogy on my NES and I prefer those games over many that are released today!

A game doesn't have to look "realistic" to look good. There's games from ten years ago that I still think look great.

I like games with better graphics, but most of my favorite games are older 2D ones. I think that the reason is that when you don't put much focus on graphics, it leaves you that much more time and room to improve the story, game play, and overall feel of the game. When you sink huge amounts of time and money into making the graphics top-notch, it can take away from the other elements (and very often it does).

One thing I've really missed in modern-day games is a good story. The vast majority of stuff coming out now either involves nonstop action/explosions/guns or is another generic sports game. I want a game with a really deep/immersive story line!