Bethesda: People Who Say Graphics "Don't Matter" Are Usually Lying

[Vohn_exel]

They matter, but they shouldn't be given preference over gameplay. The two chief things in any game should be gameplay and story, probably in that order. Everything else should be set to make those two things as awesome as possible, otherwise why are we playing a game? If I want pretty scenes I'll go see a movie, but I want to play a game and so "playing" needs to be a big part of that.

 

[goliath6711]

Wow, how about we all get upset over something that simply comes down to preference?

Why can't we qualify statements with phrases like "for me" anymore?

Graphics don't matter for me. I enjoy mine craft despite the face it looks like my 11 year old niece's Lego collection.

OR

Graphic's do matter for me, I need the alien I'm shooting in the phase to look ultra realistic.(which is an oxymoron because the chances that any real aliens look like any of the models we created is slim to none. So realistic doesn't really apply to games that are fantasy.)

but nah, solipsists are always going to post threads assuming what they enjoy in video games is all encompassing.

I'll be big enough to admit that you're absolutely right. But we all know that people just seem to refuse to accept that their opinions don't really apply to anyone but themselves.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

I rank it like this:

Gameplay - most important.(I can still enjoy Mario, but it's obviously got a poor story and lack of any big high detail graphics)

Story - Second important. A good story with great immersion can help make you continue to play a game and feel more immersed


Graphics - Third important. The graphics can show how much effort went into the game, it can help you be pulled into the game or get a great feeling.

Little Big Planet's visuals give you a real nice feeling of being in a play-set in someone's back yard, Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 1 and 2 make you feel like you're playing the characters right out of the show.

 

[ntw3001]

It's style that matters, not graphics. Borderlands looks good, WoW looks good, TF2 looks good. Toki Tori and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine look good. The screenshot in the article doesn't; it looks like a million other games, at least one of which I probably own. Screenshots like this put me off, and I'm pretty sure I'm the target audience for this kind of thing.

 

[craddoke]

He's entitled to his opinion, no matter how wrong it is.

My evidence: Replaying Fallout 1 & 2 is infinitely more enjoyable than playing Fallout 3 and I'd rather pick a random RPG from 10-15 years ago from Good Old Games than play another game like Oblivion (I still can't believe the hours I wasted finishing all the major quest lines in that game).

Further evidence: My nine-year old son played Oblivion on the Xbox for months - constantly creating new characters and restarting; he liked it, but didn't love it. He just fired up Morrowind on the PC and is completely enthralled.

In the end, breath-taking graphics cannot save a game with crappy story and mechanics; games with crappy graphics can be saved by solid stories and mechanics.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

I agree, they help vastly with immersion. Poor models and texturing can be a real breaking point for immersion if the gameplay and story isn't utterly compelling. Graphics never carry a game on there own though, like with Far Cry 2. It was a very pretty but very hollow game where making your own fun relied on how much you enjoy shooting the same guys over and over again (for no benefit).

Good graphics can be everything from Limbo and Deathspank to Crysis 2 and Rage in the modern era of games though. It doesn't mean realism, it just means consistent high quality.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Ya know what? I would rather have games looking like they did 8 years ago and be polished, well tuned, solid deep mechanics and completed as a whole unbugy product than the crap thats shoveled to the lowest common denominator.....

 

[Fappy]

A word of advice, Pete: Mudcrabs aren't very immersive.

What!? Mudcrabs are a franchise mainstay D:

 

[imnot]

A word of advice, Pete: Mudcrabs aren't very immersive.

What!? Mudcrabs are a franchise mainstay D:

Mudcrabs are awsome Fappy speaks the truth!

 

[goliath6711]

Ya know what? I would rather have games looking like they did 8 years ago and be polished, well tuned, solid deep mechanics and completed as a whole unbugy product than the crap thats shoveled to the lowest common denominator.....

So you're saying that having games that are "polished, well tuned, solid deep mechanics and completed" AND have high level graphics would be a waste???

 

[thenoblitt]

i'm not lying though, i think graphics are nice but you dont need them, i'll get just as immersed playing final fantasy tactics as i will oblivion, i think its more about how much your willing to suspend belief

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Dwarf Fortress... jus sayin.

 

[Nincompoop]

Graphics and graphical effects, combined with sound and physics, is what makes me really enjoy playing a game. I don't even need to do anything. I can just prance around like a moron shooting the wall.
For me, they are very important. But obviously they don't matter if the rest of the game is complete crap. As someone mentioned earlier (fantastic point, btw), it depends on what kind of game it is. I would never enjoy a FPS or 3PS if it had horrible graphics. I could, however, enjoy a strategy game even though it would have crap graphics. Case in point, Warcraft 3's DotA map. That doesn't mean graphics in a strategy based game aren't important. The only reason me and my friend play Supreme Commander 2, besides being a good co-op strategy game, is because of the most fantastic large battles that occur. It's such a thrill to see a large scale battle with great graphics and graphical effects.
__
Anyways, go Bethesda for putting emphasis on immersive (why isn't that a correct form of the word btw?!) mechanics such as graphics.

 

[lacktheknack]

Bethesda talks about immersion. I have to admit I lol'd a bit.

Well, there's Morrowind...

I'm under the suspicion that they don't want to acknowledge that game anymore. It probably was made by accident, and they don't even want to try to "fail" like that again.

<link=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108446-Skyrim-Will-Be-Weird-Like-Morrowind>Wut?

Seriously, that didn't make any sense.

I could go into a long rant about what I think I'm seeing, but I'm not in the mood. Skyrim will be awesome and well loved, so anything I will say will just get ignored because you're having too much fun to care about the flaws I'd be pointing out.

As far as the nonsensical "fail" remark, I'm starting to wonder if a lot of my favorite games have been made because the dev didn't know what they were doing, and just messed with some gameplay mechanics or features until they got lucky. The fact that Oblivion felt so different than Morrowind tells me that they had more of an idea on how the game would be played than they did with Morrowind.

If you see it that way.

I'd like to point out, though, that if I'm having too much fun to care about the flaws, then Bethesda still did it right.

 

[Danpascooch]

I agree, yes you can have a good game with bad graphics (Goldeneye), yes you can have a bad game with good graphics (FF13)

But to say it doesn't matter is bullshit, it's one of a dozen or so key elements to making a good game.

 

[Danpascooch]

THERE IS NO SUPER METROID! SUPER MARIO BROS. IS A MYYYTH!

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I have stolen your .gif image, and I will defend it to my last breath.

That's the best post I've seen since this one (from the topic about being able to text your emergency to 911)

OMG i totaly jst hit tis newb wit a brick i tink he needz srz help plz send soon k?

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Ya know what? I would rather have games looking like they did 8 years ago and be polished, well tuned, solid deep mechanics and completed as a whole unbugy product than the crap thats shoveled to the lowest common denominator.....

So you're saying that having games that are "polished, well tuned, solid deep mechanics and completed" AND have high level graphics would be a waste???

Looking at over head yes, the reason why B to AAA games need to sell a million units in a ever sky rocking cost to keep graphics up, all of us would be better off with easier to develop games that are built with a solid mechanic foundation(this allows better casual modes and deeper mechanics at the same time).

What we have now is shallow Hollywood film aesthetics filled with shiny explosions, rushed mechanics and engines. This is the worst possible combination you can have as it supports the industry just enough to keep churning out mediocre crap at a high rate.

edited for grammar ("is" to "in a")